Publications
The Assemblée personnel produces three publications to prepare the Assemblée nationale’s sittings, record the decisions made during the sittings and provide access to parliamentary debates in the Assemblée and in committee.
To find out what issues of the publications are available online
Order Paper and Notices
The Order Paper and Notices lists all the business that the Assemblée may take up during a sitting in order to inform the MNAs of the matters that might be the subject of discussion. This important document allows them to prepare their interventions.
The publication includes other pertinent information for the MNAs, for example, a list of all the mandates currently before the Assemblée and the titles of bills for which notice has been given but that have not yet been introduced.
The Order Paper and Notices is
- available in French and in English, in paper and electronic format
- posted online at 8 a.m. every day the Assemblée sits
To consult the Order Paper and Notices
Journal des débats (Hansard)
The purpose of the Journal des débats is to accurately transcribe recordings of Assemblée sittings, parliamentary committee sittings, press conferences and media briefings that take place in the Assemblée buildings and are covered by the Service des contenus numériques. Subject to authorization by the Secretary General, certain special events may also be transcribed.
Transcription Rules
The editorial policy of the Journal des débats places the utmost importance on reproducing the debates verbatim. However, it also specifies the following:
- Minor changes in spelling and grammar may be made to improve readability.
- No change in style or vocabulary is authorized (even if there has been a slip of the tongue).
Transcribed Languages
Journal des débats (Hansard)
- The Journal des débats is not translated.
- It reproduces verbatim interventions made in English or French only.
- When another clearly identifiable language is used, that fact is mentioned, but the words are not transcribed. If the language is not clearly identifiable, the fact that another language was used is indicated.
- If a French interpretation service is available for a language other than French or English during a parliamentary committee sitting, the language in question is identified, the words spoken in French are transcribed, and the beginning and end of the transcribed interpretation are indicated.
- The Journal des débats is available in paper and electronic format.
Online Posting
Assemblée Sittings
An unrevised version of the debates in the Assemblée is generally posted online within one hour.
The unrevised version is later replaced by a revised version, and then by the final version, with a table of contents, 48 hours after the sitting date.
To consult the Journal des débats (Hansard)
Committee Sittings
An unrevised version of the debates in committee is made available within 1 to 15 working days after the date of the sitting. However, the video of the sitting is available no later than one hour after the event (see the Audio/Video Excerpts section below).
Transcription is carried out in chronological order and in accordance with each room’s position in the order of precedence for television recording, except for interpellations, which are transcribed the same day. There may also be exceptions to this order in line with priorities relating to parliamentary proceedings.
The unrevised version is subsequently replaced by a revised version, and then by a final version, in continuous text and with a table of contents, on average 2 years following the sitting date.
Transcription Order for Committee Debates
When debates are taking place in a number of rooms on the same day, transcription precedence is in accordance with the rooms’ television recording precedence, which is as follows:
- National Assembly Chamber
- Legislative Council Chamber
- Pauline-Marois Room
- Marie-Claire-Kirkland Room
- Louis-Joseph-Papineau Room
- Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Room
- Premiers’ Room (1.38, Édifice Pamphile-Le May)
Press Conferences and Media Briefings
Press conferences and media briefings held at the Assemblée nationale and recorded by the Service des contenus numériques are transcribed in full on the same day and take precedence over the transcription of parliamentary committee sittings.
If several press conferences and media briefings are scheduled to take place on the same day, they will be transcribed in chronological order.
An unrevised version of the press conference or media briefing is posted online the same day. The final version is generally posted within 48 hours.
Audio/Video Excerpts
Audio/video excerpts of Assemblée proceedings, committee proceedings and press activities are available on the Archives of Parliamentary Proceedings and Activities web page.
The Question Period is posted online no later than 30 minutes after it has ended.
Audio/video excerpts of other activities (parliamentary committees, press activities, etc.) are posted no later than one hour after the event.
Reconstituted Debates
Before the Journal des débats was created in 1964, there was no official transcript of parliamentary proceedings in Québec. To fill this gap, the Assemblée decided in 1974 to reconstitute the debates held from 1867 to 1963. It using accounts published in newspapers by members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery as the main source of information.
The page for each reconstituted session contains
- the text of the debates
- a historical introduction presenting key events and issues
- an analysis and bibliography of the newspapers and other sources used to reconstitute the debates
- a list of the members of Cabinet (ministers) and Members of the Legislative Assembly (the Assemblée nationale’s name at that time)
To consult the reconstituted debates (French only)
Votes and Proceedings
The Votes and Proceedings is the official record of an Assemblée nationale sitting: it is an account of the Assemblée’s decisions and the proceedings introduced and concluded during a sitting, including the stages in the consideration of a bill. In addition, it reports the decisions made by the President of the Assemblée nationale.
The Votes and Proceedings puts on record
- the full version of motions brought before the Assemblée
- voting results
- the title of each document tabled, the name of the tabling MNA and the chronological number assigned to the paper
- the time at which the sitting was opened, suspended, resumed and adjourned
- notices concerning committee proceedings
- a list of the bills assented to on that day or since the last sitting
The Votes and Proceedings is
- available in French and in English, in paper and electronic format
- posted online as a first draft, within about one hour after the end of the sitting
To consult the Votes and Proceedings
List of Papers Required by Law to be Tabled
At the beginning of each session, the President tables the list of papers required by law to be tabled, enumerating all the documents that the ministers are legally required to table in the Assemblée.
According to the Standing Orders, this list is appended to the Votes and Proceedings. However, since the 36th Legislature (March 2, 1999), it is no longer printed in the Votes and Proceedings but is electronically updated twice a year. The updated list is available on the Assemblée website shortly before the resumption of parliamentary proceedings in September and in February.
Additional Information