The Roger Watts Debate
SAVE THE DATE!
The Roger Watts Debate will take place on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
All UBCO undergraduate students are invited to enroll in the Roger Watts Debate runoffs to be held on Wednesday, March 12. To enroll, contact Professor Garner at r_p.garner@ubc.ca no later than March 1, 2025. The winners will advance to the Roger Watts Debate final on Wednesday, March 26 from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts.
Student debaters will argue their case before a panel of community judges who will decide the winners. Prizes of $1,000 for the first-place finishers and $500 for the runners up will be awarded.
This community event is free and open to the public. Get your tickets!
The Roger Watts Debate is a partnership of the Department of Economics, Philosophy and Political Science and a community advisory committee. The debate provides a public forum to debate important issues of the day.
The Roger Watts Debate is made possible through the generous support of:
SPONSORS
| Roger Watts Memorial Fund, Central Okanagan Foundation |
 |
| Vancouver International Arbitration Centre |
 |
| Sandra Watts |
About the Debate
Interested in participating in the debate?
To register for the Roger Watts selections, contact Professor Garner at r_p.garner@ubc.ca no later than March 1st 2025.
Messages sent to other persons or organisations will not count towards registration. Ideally, students should include their full name and student number.
The qualifying event will be held on campus on March 12th. The final debate will occur in downtown Kelowna at the Rotary Center for the Arts. The motion for each event will be announced ahead of time.
The Roger Watts Debate will be held on March 26, 2025.
A Roger Watts Debate has been held annually since 2014. Resolutions and participants over the past ten years have been as follows:
2023: Be it resolved that Canada’s affordability crisis justifies a temporary wealth tax.
Government:
Braeden Gervais, Ayomide Maxwell (winners)
Opposition:
Chanidu Gamage, Trinity Schredl
Alternates:
Mihai Covaser, Ideja Efendija
2022: Be it resolved that the Emergencies Act is justifiably used to quell civil disobedience.
Government:
Braeden Gervais, Heather Sham
Opposition:
Ideja Efendija, Toney Bedell (winners)
Alternates:
Lakshay Karnwal, Mihai Covaser
People’s Choice Award: Toney Bedell
2021: Be it resolved that the government should have the ability to make vaccination mandatory
Government:
Christine Semeniuk, Toney Bedell
Opposition:
Braeden Gervais, Lakshay Karnwal (Winners)
Alternates:
Trinity Schredl, Brendan Stewart
People’s Choice Award:
Christine Semeniuk
2020: Be it resolved that technology is our best answer to climate change
Finalists – Cowinners:
Kathleen Lortie, Braeden Gervais, Toney Bedell, Nicole Michalewicz
Alternates:
Christine Semeniuk, Nathan Romanchych
2019: Be it resolved that Canada needs more pipelines
Government:
Christine Semeniuk, Michaela Sullivan-Paul
Opposition:
Toney Bedell, Nick Huertas (Winners)
Alternates:
Mackenzie Edwards, Davis Tessema
2018: Be it resolved that Western democracies are failing
Government:
Tyrel Lamoureux, Jason Wu
Opposition:
Mackenzie Edwards, Laura Fylyshtan (Winners)
Alternates:
Brett Shaigec, Michaela Sullivan-Paul
2017: Be it resolved that personalities have replaced issues in politics
Government:
Tyrel Lamoureux, Laurence Watt
Opposition:
Michael Flood, Nicole Tomasic (Winners)
Alternates:
Jordan Britnell, Mackenzie Edwards
2016: Be it resolved that Canada has an obligation to take refugees
Government:
Lina Gomez, Daniel Kandie
Opposition:
Sarah Nunis, Kimberly Owuor (Winners)
Alternates:
Alana Firedancer, Richard McCurrach
2015: Be it resolved that government surveillance is justified
Government:
Kevin Ilomin, Ayla Lovell
Opposition:
Sutheeksan (Dixon) Sunthoram, Laurence Watt (Winners)
Alternates:
Alina Malicki Casas, Tyrel Lamoureux
2014: Be it resolved that social media brings us closer
Government:
Maisha Maliha Badhon, Jordan Kostaschuk
Opposition:
Kathryn Helmore, David MacLean (Winners)
Alternate:
Kevin Ilomin
The standard format used for Roger Watts Debates has been as follows:
(i) Opening remarks
(ii) Introductions
(iii) Debate
Prime Minister five minutes opening
Leader of the Opposition five minutes opening
Deputy Prime Minister eight minutes response
Deputy Leader of the Opposition eight minutes response
Rapid Fire Round eight minutes (no speaker to exceed two minutes)
Leader of the Opposition three minutes
Prime Minister three minutes
Students are paired in teams of two representing both sides – Government and Opposition
The debate will be conducted as follows:
- Prime Minister
- Leader of the Opposition
- Deputy Prime Minister
- Deputy leader of the Opposition
- Open Debate
- Deputy Prime Minister
- Deputy leader of the Opposition
- Prime Minister
- Leader of the Opposition
All instructions, debate teams, and motions will be sent about a week before the Runoffs.
Roger Dennis Watts
1945-2011
Born in Scotland in 1945, Roger was a well-travelled child having lived between Britain, Canada and California before moving to Africa in 1953. He fondly remembered his youth spent in Rhodesia and South Africa prior to his return to Canada in 1958. He handled the relocations by developing a charm to captivate new friends everywhere he went.
Known by all who had the opportunity to spend time with him as a man of compassion, energy and generosity, he truly savoured each day and lived life to the fullest. He lit up any room he entered with his unabashed, hearty laughter and his infectious enthusiasm for life. He loved to be surrounded by friends and family, an audience for his copious stories. He was always up for adventure and loved travelling, playing tennis and sailing. A true romantic, he embraced his dreams as well as the dreams and passions of those around him.
Roger obtained both his bachelor and Law degrees from the University of British Columbia. Called to the British Columbia Bar in May, 1975, he then moved to the Okanagan to start his first law practice and to raise his family. Roger practiced personal injury law focusing on complex brain & spinal injuries and chronic pain with an emphasis on jury trials.
He developed a long and successful career as a trial lawyer filled with unbridled passion.
In Roger’s words:
“I endeavor to meet each of my clients with compassion to listen and learn about you, your background, your family and your dreams for the future.
I am also committed to fighting passionately on your behalf against administration, rules and the system, and to communicate to the court that you are not just a number in the queue, but an individual who matters with real hardship.”
Roger loved to teach and mentored many articling students who aspired to be trial lawyers. He spoke about the powers of advocacy as a guest lecturer on Contemporary Canadian Law in the Political Science department at UBCO. It is very fitting that an endowment fund set up in his memory is now supporting young advocates of the future.
Read the article published in The Advocate by Walley Lightbody, Q.C., and Roger Watts Jr.
Watch on the Real Deal
Donate
The event is made possible through our generous donors and community sponsors. Donations are welcome and payable to the Central Okanagan Foundation Roger Watts Debate Fund. Donate by selecting “Watts, Roger Memorial Fund” from the drop-down menu.