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How to search for information in the indexes
WHAT IS AN INDEX? “Life is too short to waste time searching for information….” – Robert L. Collison, Indexes and Indexing
Have you ever tried to find something in a book that didn’t have an index? A table of contents shows you how the text is organized and presented, but it can’t help you locate specific references or subjects. That’s what an index is for.
Most published works are between 200 and 300 pages long. In an average session of the B.C. Legislature, Members of the Legislative Assembly generate more than 3,000 pages of Hansard text: ministry estimates, legislation, ministerial statements, motions, oral questions, private members’ statements, Speaker’s rulings, etc. MLAs talk about hundreds of different subjects ranging from agriculture to zoning.
Indexes can help you find information in the debate transcripts quickly and easily. Information organized by SUBJECT (e.g., Health), by speaker or MEMBER (e.g., Abbott, Hon. George) and by BUSINESS (e.g., Bills by name). Also available are individual indexes for each House sitting (links appear beside transcript links on the debates page). This information appears as entries in the index with main headings, subheadings and page locators. Page references are hyperlinked directly to the page in the Hansard transcripts.
The introduction of guests and visitors is not indexed. However, Hansard, as well as the indexes, can be word-searched electronically from the Hansard website (http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/search). The indexes themselves can be reached from http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard.
HOW TO SEARCH FOR INFORMATION IN THE INDEXES:
Three indexes allow users to search by SUBJECT, MEMBER and BUSINESS item. Click a page number beside an index entry to link to the corresponding debates page on which the topic arose.
See directs the user to the subject heading under which entries will be found in this index.
Example:
Drinking and driving See Impaired driving
To refer to a different term under the same main heading, we may use "above/below under this main heading."
Example:
Forests and forest industry / Remanufacturing industry See Value-added sector below under this main heading
See also directs the user to related subjects or definitive headings.
Examples:
Bankruptcy See also Personal debt under Debt
British Columbia – Northern and rural B.C. / Northeastern B.C. See also Peace River area
British Columbia Transit See also Transit services; particular services
The basic filing sequence used in this index is alphabetical, word by word. Punctuation is ignored in filing.
Mc is filed as if it were spelled Mac. Abbreviations and acronyms used, as needed, in this index are filed as follows:
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AIDS |
Aids |
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B.C. or BC |
British Columbia |
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CN Rail |
CN Rail |
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MLAs |
Members of Legislative Assembly |
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Mt. |
Mount |
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NDP |
New Democratic Party |
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St. |
Saint |
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| U.S. | United States |
Abbreviations used in the procedural entries for bills are the following:
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Amdts: |
Amendment(s) |
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sec. |
Section (of a bill) |
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1R |
First reading |
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2R |
Second reading |
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C |
Committee stage |
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3R |
Third reading |
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RA |
Royal assent |
Numbers are filed numerically in ascending order and preceding the alpha characters. Examples:
100 Mile House, B.C.
911 emergency service
Agriculture
B.C. 21 program
British Columbia Assessment
Highway 1
Highway 17
Under MLAs' names as main headings, any entries about the member himself/herself are grouped together and filed at the top of the member's main heading, under the subheading As subject.
The records of how Members of the Legislative Assembly voted in standing votes are provided in a separate index on the Internet, called Voting Records, and as an appendix to the printed index. The topics of these recorded divisions are listed in the index with their page references, under the heading Divisions, Recorded.
If someone is a member of cabinet for any portion of this session, "Hon." (Honourable) will be used before their name in the index and member lists, unless none of their index entries were during the time they were ministers.
Some subtopics have traditionally had many entries, and we have introduced some new compound main headings to
break down these large topics, such as:
Air – Greenhouse gas emissions
British Columbia – Northern and rural B.C.
Business – Small business
Children – Child care
Education – Funding
Health – Continuing and long-term care
Housing – Residential care facilities
Olympic Games – 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver-Whistler
All bills introduced during the session are listed in alphabetical and then numerical order under the main headings Bills by name and Bills by number, as well as alphabetically in the introductory pages of the printed index.
The list of oral questions appears in the index under the main headings Oral questions by member and Oral questions by subject.
Budget estimates are indexed under the name of the ministry (e.g., Forests and Range, Ministry of), legislative officer (e.g., Auditor General) or agency (e.g., Elections B.C.).
If users are interested in matters of legislative procedure, the main headings listed below will be of interest.
Address from the Bar of the House
Bills by name
Bills by number
Budget
Citizens' initiatives
Divisions, Recorded
Documents tabled
Legislation
Legislature
Ministerial statements
Motions
Oral questions by member
Oral questions by subject
Personal statements by members
Petitions
Points of order
Presentation of new member(s)
Private members' statements
Privilege
Proclamations
Prorogation
Quorum called (under the main heading Legislature)
Rulings and statements by Chair or Speaker
Speech from the Throne (includes Address in Reply)
Standing order 35 adjournment motions
Statements by members (Standing order 25B)
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