The Debates are the edited word-for-word (verbatim) account of what is said in the House and in the Committee of the Whole (when the House of Commons becomes a committee).
The Debates are often called "Hansard" which is the name of the British family originally responsible for arranging the official reporting of debates in the British House of Commons.
Content of the Debates
The Debates follow the order of the proceedings of the House of Commons. The include:
- full deliberations of the House
- include comments and remarks made by the Members of Parliament
- include the division lists
- include written answers to questions that were on the Order Paper