Canada’s Governmental System
Crown
Executive Branch
Prime Minister and Cabinet
Legislative Branch
SenateHouse of Commons
Judiciary
Genesis in Shorthand
In the beginning…there were two houses1867 to 1990Amanuenses and dictation10-minute takesRecession (1990s)Austerity and choices
Computer-Aided Transcription (CAT)
Restructuring (1993-2000)Ten minute takes to two hoursNon-assigned reporters used as
transcriptionistsTheory shiftSoftware choice
Hard of Hearing Population Growth
Aging Baby BoomersIncreased aural stressShift in attitudes toward hearing lossChanging political motivators
Communication Access Realtime Translation
CARTLinking skills to needsTechnological developmentsClient buy-inReporting external environmental sounds
Senate Shift
Senate as a house of minority rightsRight to participate for all senatorsKarmic wheelNeedsCART in a bilingual environmentTools
Departmental Considerations
TESTING PHASE: Staffing Increased workload Morale Training
IMPLEMENTATION PHASE: Recruitment and retention Client service transition Greater visibility
Closed Captioning
Broader populationNetwork drivenBroadcast applicationBilingualOn site captioningValue added services
Reporting Process
Reporting process (2000-present)Prep documentsTeam writing (Committees and Chamber)DurationInterpretationData streamTrouble shooting
Production by Numbers
Senate and Committees – 9,540, 133 words (2010)
Reporters – nine English, nine FrenchDelivery – same day unrevised – 99.7 %Next day revised – 100 %Increase in productivity over 1990 figures -
15 %Personnel – other than retirements, no loss
since CAT
Debates Services
One Managing EditorFour SupervisorsEighteen Parliamentary Reporters
Nine English Nine French
Four part-time EditorsFour part-time ScopistsDebates Assistant
Additional Benefits for Providing Access
Linkage with hard-of-hearing communityGuardian angelsBenefits to the reputation of the SenateIncreased job securityJob satisfaction and moraleEnhanced service levels for the Canadian
public