House of Commons Debates, First Session, Twenty-Fifth Parliament, Volumes I, II, and III

Reproductions of the 1962 Canadian Federal Parliamentary Hansards (25th Parliament) —a time when the debate was squarely focused on the Cuban Missile Crisis. From each of the three volumes, phrases that have resonance with today’s political discourse and landscape were selected and laser cut in a cascading fashion throughout each volume. Each of the 3,463 pages that make up the complete Hansard (all three volumes) has been cut individually.

There have been two distinct editions of this work created. The first edition has been bound into three volumes. Similar to the 1st Edition, in the 2nd Edition, the phrases have been cut into reproductions of the 1962 Canadian Federal Parliamentary Hansards (25th Parliament), however they have not been bound into volumes, but rather are left unbound for public viewing.

1st Edition, House of Commons Debates, First Session, Twenty-Fifth Parliament, Volumes I, II, and III (2018). 10.5" x 7" x 15.5”. Photo by Cory Ransom. — *House of Commons Debates, First Session, Twenty-Fifth Parliament, Volumes I, II, and III, First Edition (*2018), 10.5" x 7" x 15.5”, Hardcover Volumes, 3,463 pages, Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives Artist Book Collection at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Banff, Canada. Photo by Cory Ransom.

House of Commons Debates, First Session, for public viewing (2018), the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, March 2018. Photo by Alex Farko.

The following phrases have been laser cut into Volumes I, II, and III respectively:

Melany Nugent-Noble_House of Commons_2018_Banff Centre.jpg

“Certainly the words “offensive” and “defensive” may have a very different meaning depending on which end of the gun you are looking at.”

— Terry Nugent (Edmonton-Strathcona) Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

House of Commons Debates, First Session, Twenty-Fifth Parliament, Volumes II (2018). Photo by Cory Ransom.

“Through power and terror we want to make man happy. What a poor and illogical concept of happiness.”

— Robert N Thompson (Red Deer) Social Credit Party

House of Commons Debates, First Session, Twenty-Fifth Parliament, Volumes III (2018). Photo by Cory Ransom.

“We are losing this war…because we are not fighting on many fronts where the weapons are not shooting ones, as we know them, but rather weapons of intrigue, subversive propaganda, trade infiltration and economic disruption.”

— J.P. Cook (Montmagny L’Islet) Social Credit Party

*House of Commons Debates, First Session, Twenty-Fifth Parliament, Volumes I, II, and III, First Edition (*2018), 10.5" x 7" x 15.5”, 3,463 lasercut pages in bound case, Photo by Cory Ransom.

2nd Edition
2018
10.5" x 7" x 15.5”
Hardcover box, 3,463 pages, un-bound.

Similar to the 1st Edition, phrases have been cut into reproductions of the 1962 Canadian Federal Parliamentary Hansards (25th Parliament), however they have not been bound into volumes, but rather are left unbound for public viewing.

House of Commons Debates, First Session, Twenty-Fifth Parliament, Volumes I, II, and III (2018). Photo by Yael Eban.