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How to Read a Recorded Division in Hansard. The Civic Skill Every Canadian Should Have.

Every recorded division in the House of Commons is published on the official record — Hansard for the debate, and the LEGISinfo + ourcommons.ca portals for the vote tallies. This article teaches readers how to navigate those records: how to find a specific vote, how to identify each MP's position, how to interpret "paired" and "absent" labels, and how to cross-reference a vote against the MP's prior public statements. The skill is the foundation of accountability journalism — and any citizen can do it.