2004 National Student Debating Seminar
The theme of the Canadian Student Debating Federation’s (CSDF) 2004 National Student
Debating Seminar was Canadian Immigration and Multicultural Identity and 64 student debaters
and 21 debate coaches from nine provinces came together in Winnipeg, Manitoba from April 26
to May 1 to debate resolutions related to this theme.
The Seminar delegates arrived in Winnipeg throughout the day on Sunday, April 25. Except for
the Manitobans, everyone traveled by air. The students were met at the airport by their billet
families and spent the rest of the day settling in and getting to know their billets. The adult
delegates were transported to the Holiday Towers to check in to their rooms and later gathered for
a small, informal reception. This reception was an opportunity for many of the adult delegates to
meet debate coaches from other provinces for the first time.
The scheduled activities of the first day of the National Seminar met CSDF’s and Exchanges
Canada’s common objectives by providing an opportunity for the participants to increase their
knowledge and understanding of Canada, particularly with respect to the topics of immigration
and multiculturalism.
On Monday morning the delegates gathered at St. Mary’s Academy for the Opening Ceremonies
of the National Seminar. The highlight of the morning was a presentation by keynote speaker
Strini Reddy. An immigrant to Canada and former educator, Mr. Reddy was eminently qualified
to speak to the theme of the National Seminar. At the conclusion of his presentation, many
debaters took advantage of the Question-and-Answer period.
The keynote address was followed by a workshop on cross-examination techniques. This
workshop, presented by local lawyer Robert Trapper, QC, was designed to help debaters hone
their cross-examination skills for the upcoming debates. Having a local lawyer present this
workshop helped create a link between the Winnipeg debating community and the local law
community. With this link now established, future Winnipeg debate tournament organizers will
likely be able to draw on this pool for volunteer debate judges for their local tournaments.
Since the Ukrainian culture is a significant aspect of Winnipeg’s heritage and current cultural
identity, National Seminar Co-Chair Jordan Burg arranged for a Ukrainian lunch of borsch,
perogies and sausage to be served from the school cafeteria. With their bellies full with a taste of
Winnipeg tradition, the delegates reconvened for a presentation on “Immigration in Manitoba and
Canada” by Gerald L. Clement, Assistant Deputy Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism
and John Nychek, Director of the Winnipeg Canada Immigration Centre.
During the later part of the afternoon, the debaters were paired with their first debate partners and
spent time preparing for the first two rounds of debate. To prepare for the debates, the students
conducted their own research on the resolutions in the weeks leading up to the Seminar and were
ready to argue both sides. They were paired with debaters from other provinces and, as much as
mathematically possible, debated against students from other provinces.
The preparation periods allowed the debaters to spend significant amounts of time one-on-one
with students from other parts of the country. As they prepared their cases, they also forged
bonds with each other. Their common love of the art of debate helped bridge any gaps that might
have existed between them. These preparation sessions are a vital element of the overall Seminar
experience, which many participants later described as “life-changing”.
The preparation sessions and the debating activities met the objective of increasing the youth’s
knowledge and understanding of Canada as they delved into their discussions of multiculturalism
and Canadian immigration policy and the various social, economic and political implications of
various practices and policies. The objective of enhancing the youth’s appreciation for both the
diversity and the shared aspects of the Canadian experience was also met as the debaters
compared their varied perspectives of the topic at hand.
Monday evening, the debaters dined in the homes of their host families then rested and prepared
for the next day’s debates while the adult delegates attended the first part of the CSDF’s Annual
General Meeting.
On Tuesday morning, the English debaters gathered at St. Mary’s Academy while the French and
Bilingual debaters made their way by bus to Ecole Viscount Alexander for two rounds of
Parliamentary-style debate on the resolution of Be it resolved that the Canadian government do
more to promote this nation’s multicultural identity. After the debates, the group lunched at Kum
Koon Gardens, the Chinese meal in a week-long dining schedule deliberately designed to be its
own multicultural experience. Rounding out the afternoon’s cultural activities, the English
debaters toured the Ukrainian Cultural Centre while the French and Bilingual debaters visited the
Manitoba Museum. The entire group came together again for a tour of the Manitoba Legislature
followed by an opportunity to watch the House in session.
These scheduled but casual cultural activities allowed the participants time to continue getting to
know each other while also learning more about Manitoba. For fun, the group enjoyed a pizza
supper and evening of bowling.
Wednesday’s scheduled events took the participants outside of Winnipeg for two rounds of crossexamination debate on the question, “Should Canada’s current immigration policy have
increased restrictions?” The English debaters were hosted by Springfield Collegiate in Oakbank,
Manitoba while the French and Bilingual debaters attended Oak Park High School. After the
debates, the entire group met at Pineridge Hollow, situated at the edge of Birds Hill Park, for
lunch where one of the menu choices was a bison-meat sandwich.
After lunch, the English debaters toured the Dugald Costume Museum while the French and
Bilingual debaters toured the St. Boniface Museum and St. Boniface Basilica.
Later in the afternoon, there was some free time for shopping in Winnipeg before heading over to
St. John’s-Ravenscourt School for the Effective Speaking Competition.
Thursday morning, the English debaters debated two rounds of impromptu Academic-style
debates at Balmoral Hall School in Winnipeg while the French and Bilingual participants
performed their debates at St. Pierre Collegiate in St. Pierre. The organizers hoped that by
bringing the French and Bilingual debating event to certain targeted French schools in and around
Winnipeg that this would spark interest in French-language debating in these schools.
In the afternoon the entire group traveled by bus to Steinbach to tour the Steinbach Mennonite
Museum. This was another rich opportunity to learn about the Mennonite culture, an important
part of Manitoba’s history. There was also plenty of time for both the student and adult delegates
to continue to get to know each other.
St. Mary’s Academy hosted supper back in Winnipeg followed by an incredible gala evening of
entertainment. The host families were invited to join the Seminar participants for this amazing
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showcase of multicultural talent. There was singing, dancing, and even storytelling. There were
a wide variety of cultural groups that participated in this production. The level of talent was
extremely high. Some participants commented that it was the best multicultural show they had
ever seen. For many participants, this was the highlight of the week. The Westgate Mennonite
Collegiate Concert Choir brought down the house with their rendition of Paul Simon’s You Can
Call Me Al.
Conducting the week’s debates in front of classrooms of local schools had many advantages. To
be able to debate in front of a live audience is great fun for the debaters and is a wonderful
opportunity to demonstrate debate to students who are otherwise very unfamiliar with this
activity. It is also a wonderful cultural immersion to spend time with members of the student
body of a school other than your own.
The disadvantage to being spread out over so many schools is that it decreases the opportunities
for the Seminar participants to spend time together as one large group. When the group is divided
according to language and category of debate, most of the people they will get to know well will
be from that same category of debate. Unfortunately, this results in less
Anglophone/Francophone mixing which is a valuable experience for the debaters.
Since both options have their own advantages and disadvantages, Seminar organizers are
encouraged to find the delicate balance that will meet the somewhat opposite goals of maximizing
exposure of debate to the community as well as maximizing the amount of time the group spends
together.
On Friday morning the debaters participated in a Youth Parliament at Winnipeg’s City Hall.
Overall, the Youth Parliament was a success despite a protest from a group of Francophone
debaters over the lack of French instruction and materials. To their credit, the protesters acted
with maturity and dignity and the protest ended up being a valuable learning experience for
everyone involved. For the organizers, it was a reminder that not all the participants at a National
Seminar understand and speak English. For the English-speaking delegates it was a look into the
struggles of French-speaking Canadians in English Canada. And for the Francophone debaters, it
was a lesson in how to deal with the language barriers they continue to encounter in our country
even though Canada has two official languages.
After the Youth Parliament, the debaters were invited to participate with their debate coaches in a
Rules Committee Meeting. At this meeting, the debaters were able to propose and vote on
changes to the CSDF Rules of Debate. It was also a chance for them to bring forward other
concerns relating to the organization of the Seminar and the functioning of the Federation for the
adult delegates to consider at the AGM.
There was free time to shop at the Polo Park Mall for the rest of the afternoon while the adult
delegates concluded their AGM. At suppertime, the students were transported by bus from the
Mall to Balmoral Hall School for the Awards Banquet and Effective Speaking Finals.
After the prizes were awarded and the thank-yous expressed, it was time for everyone to go their
separate ways. Email addresses were exchanged with promises to keep in touch and hopes to
meet again at future inter-provincial debating events.
The 2004 National Student Debating Seminar was once again a great success rich in educational
and cultural activities. The Canadian Student Debating Federation feels proud that the event,
once again, met its objectives and the objectives of Exchanges Canada.
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Survey results from participates indicate a high level of satisfaction with the 2004 National
Seminar. The participants thought the Seminar was well organized, that the quality of debate was
high, that they made new friends and that they learned a lot about the culture of the area. When
asked what could be improved about the event, many participants indicated that they would rather
see the whole group kept together more, that some of the days were very long and exhausting and
that there should have been more simultaneous translation and French-language printed materials.
The families of the participants, along with their schools and provincial debate associations were
extremely grateful to Exchanges Canada for funding travel to the National Seminar. This year the
CSDF was able to reimburse almost all the students fully for their travel to the Seminar.
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