Saskatchewan Politics Research Guide: Hansard

When researching a specific individual or topic or individual speaker it is best to start with the index of a particular legislative sitting.  Otherwise you would have to wade through pages upon pages of text (June 8, 1998 alone for instance has 82 pages of minutes).  The following is a list of indices for all of the sittings from 1888 to present in reverse chronological order.

3rd Session, 23rd Legislature (March 9, 1998) to 4th session 26th Legislature (December 9, 2010) -- Electronic

HANSARD CLIPPINGS SCRAPBOOK 1888-1950 - INDEX.  Available in Government Documents: CA2SA XD.... 89H11

The Votes and Proceedings is published daily by the Journals Branch of the Legislative Assembly. It is the official record, in minute form, of the proceedings of the Assembly. Short-form minutes taken by the Clerks-at-the-Table are formalised by the Journals Clerks and entered in the Votes and Proceedings. Included in the Votes are notations on the debates conducted, the initial notices for Bills and motions, progress made on Bills, amendments to Bills, sessional papers tabled, petitions presented, recorded votes and statements and rulings made by the Speaker and other presiding officers. In essence, the Votes and Proceedings is a record of all business that is done in the Assembly and should be distinguished from the Debates and Proceedings (Hansard), which is an unofficial record of everything that is said in the Assembly. At the end of each session the Votes and Proceedings are consolidated into the Journal.

This Hansard is the minutes of debate for the legislative assembly of Saskatchewan.  The legislative assemblies and parliaments of each jurisdiction coming from the British legislative tradition have a similarly named record (eg. Canada, Ontario, New Zealand, Queensland).  Depending which session you require information from will determine which source you need to consult.

If you are interested in knowing more about the man Hansard is named please click here.

Depending on the year of the session you will require a specific record.  Before 1973 there was no published unofficial record of what was said in the house.  For these years you will have to refer to the "Press Gallery" reports found in major Saskatchewan newspapers such as the Leader-Post and Star-Phoenix.  For records from 1888 to 1950 you may also consult the Clippings collections below.  These are collections of clippings from all major newspapers in Saskatchewan including the Leader, the Post, the Standard, the Star and the Phoenix.