TEAM CANADA DEBATE
Team Canada Debate is the national high school debate team that represents Canada at tournaments around the world and the World Schools Debating Championships ("WSDC," and "Worlds"). It is composed of top secondary school debaters selected through a rigorous national tryout process run by the Canadian Student Debate Federation ("CSDF"). Since the WSDC’s inception in 1988, Canada has been one of the top nations in the world taking home two top speaker awards, 3 world championship titles, the 2020 online championship title, and 4 runner-up awards.
For details on how to get involved, view past teams, or read the latest team updates, please visit the Team Canada website using the button below.
WORLDS AND CANADA
By John Baty
In the fall of 1987, the Alberta Debate and Speech Association received a letter from Chris Erskine of the Australian Debating Federation proposing an international schools debating championship for the summer of 1988. Canada accepted the invitation and sent a team coached by John Baty to the inaugural event, ultimately winning the Grand Final against the host nation, Australia, by a narrow 5–4 margin. As a signatory to the original constitution, Canada became a founding member of what would become the World Schools Debating Championships (“WSDC”).
Canada played a key role in sustaining the early momentum of WSDC. In 1993, John Baty, with CSDF support, hosted a defining tournament in Medicine Hat. Featuring 13 national teams and a unifying theme—The New World Order—the event integrated local culture through trips to Banff, rodeos, sledding, and homestays with local families. The event attracted widespread attention, with over 750 locals attending the Grand Final in person and an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 more watching it on cable television. This emphasis on cultural exchange alongside high-level competition became a blueprint for future WSDCs.
Since then, Canada has remained a leading force in global schools debating, hosting the tournament again in 2005, consistently participating Octo, Quarter, and Semi-Finals, and winning the championship in Qatar in 2010. Canadian teams reached the Grand Final again in Singapore (2015) and Stuttgart (2016). Throughout, key figures such as Janet Webster, Harold Kite, John Baty, Josh Judah, Veenu Goswami, Ron Lee, David Tupper, and Tracey Lee helped maintain Canada’s reputation for both excellence and hospitality.
While the competitive standard at WSDC continues to rise, Canada consistently upholds the founding vision: that WSDC is not just a tournament, but an educational and cultural experience that fosters global connection and understanding.