Who We Are
181 years old, the Queen’s Debating Union is the oldest club at Queen’s and the oldest debating society in the country. We are currently ranked 16th in the world, and are proud of our long and rich history of community involvement and competitive success. The members of the Queen’s Debating Union represent a diverse range of ages and levels of experience, as well as nearly every faculty on campus.
What We Do
At Queen’s, we contribute to the vibrancy of our community by offering an engaging and exciting forum for students to participate in both competitive and recreational debate. We are happy to be one of the most tightly-knit clubs on campus- the friendships you make through the QDU are enduring, spanning programs, ages and even universities. We hold one practice round of debate at each of our two weekly meetings, in addition to regular seminars given by our most experienced members.
The QDU is excited to host debaters from across North America at our annual tournaments.
On-campus, we offer our support to professors and the academic community, as well as institutions like the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. We also support the participants of other university competitions and events including the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition and Queen’s Model Parliament by performing show debates and offering guidance and support to groups wishing to conduct their own.
Off-campus, we represent Queen’s University at over a dozen national and international annual debating competitions, including the World Universities Debating Championship. Through our High School Outreach program, we offer counsel to Kingston high school students wishing to improve their public speaking ability, analytic skills and confidence.
How to Get Involved
You don’t need to have any prior debating experience in order to become part of the QDU! Join us at our weekly in-person meetings held Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm in Jeffery Hall Room 127. We’re always happy to welcome new members, especially at the beginning of second semester!