Today we take it for granted that what our Members of Parliament say will be preserved for use by the public and for history. But how do the spoken words become part of the printed record? When our MPs make a speech, raise a point during Question Period, or take part in the daily debates of the House of Commons and the Senate, they talk into microphones on their desk, which in turn are connected by cable to the Hansard Office.
The daily official record of debates in the House of Commons is printed in what is often called The Hansard. Mr. T.C. Hansard was the name of the printer in England who began preparing reports of parliamentary debates in the 18th century. Hansard is edited, translated, and printed in English and French. Two Hansard reporters (one English and one French) sit at desks in the centre of the Chamber and record the debates. In Canada, the official title is "House of Commons Debates".
