BC Royal Commissions and Commissions of Inquiry are official Government inquiries into matters of provincial concern. The Government tends to use these bodies for two purposes:
Royal Commissions are appointed under Part 2 of the Public Inquiry Act by the Lieutenant-Governor of BC and must report their findings to the Legislative Assembly but are otherwise independent of government influence. In general, Royal Commissions tend to be broader in scope than other forms of governmental inquiry - often holding province-wide public hearings and publishing associated research reports as well as their formal findings and recommendations.
Commissions of Inquiry that are not issued under Part 2 of the Public Inquiries Act include Ministerial Inquiries and inquiries instigated by the Premier.
For more information on the various types and purposes of public inquiries in BC, see the Introduction to British Columbia Royal and Special Commissions 1981 - 2005 by Judith Antonik Bennett Harvey.
As with other government publications, locating Royal Commissions can be tricky. The following indexes can help you locate the Commision that you're searching for: