our programs
Debate
The formal art of disagreement.

FDT DEBATE PROGRAM
The best Debate program in Canada.
Debate is the same activity that has sharpened the minds of influential people such as Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, and Oprah Winfrey. Going beyond just teaching students how to form arguments, FDT encourages students to learn how to use rhetoric and evidence through debate, forming a skillset that allows them to succeed in their future academic and professional careers. Students are able to take the skills they learn in the classroom to tournaments offered provincially, nationally, and even internationally in countries such as the United States, Great Britain, and Thailand. FDT is the leader in teaching World’s Style, CNDF, Cross Examination, and British Parliamentary Debate.
Get The Details!
Dates
Classes run year-round from September to June, and during the Summer. For class schedule details, register now and our Admissions Team will email it over.
Locations
- 200 - 1916 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC - Online (Zoom)
Duration
- Group Classes: 1 hour & 45 minutes each
- Private Lessons: 50 minutes each
Tuition
Prices vary depending on the selected package & selected instructor’s experience.

Learn collaboratively with your peers
Group Classes
FDT’s Debate group classes provide students with the opportunity to put theory into practice by offering a combination of lectures, skill-building activities, and timed debate rounds. Our curriculum ensures that students are taught skills and technique, while expanding their knowledge about relevant topics and world issues. Constructive feedback provided by our elite coaches is central to preparing students for competitive debating and upcoming tournaments.
Upon speaking with our Admissions Director, students are placed in the appropriate weekly group class. We offer a wide range of group class levels, from introductory to our most competitive classes, and everything in between. Each class consists of anywhere from 3 to 30 students, with one teacher for every 4 to 6 students. Classes are divided into subgroups based on students’ skills, previous experience and area of focus. Group classes are 1 hour and 45 minutes long, and students may register for one or more group classes per week.

accelerate your learning with a private coach
Private Lessons
FDT offers private one-on-one debate lessons, expanding on the essential skills that are learned in group class. Students are given an opportunity to work on individual challenges and receive unique attention for longer periods of time. Private lessons are an excellent way to prepare for tournaments!
Upon speaking with our Admissions Director, students are placed with a private instructor that is best suited to their learning needs, schedule and budget.
Register today to learn about our custom packages, which combine group and private lessons!

PUT THEORY TO PRACTICE
Debate Tournaments
The importance of practicing what you learn in class cannot be emphasized enough, and there is no better way to practice your debating skills than by competing in tournaments. Debate tournaments are to debate what soccer games are to soccer. Our students are active participants in provincial, national and international debate tournaments, often winning many awards at these events.
FDT students have won at the following major tournaments – a feat unmatched by any other academy in Canada:
- Canadian British Parliamentary Debate Championships
- BP Nationals Championships
- Canadian BP National Championships
- Cambridge Union Schools Debating Competition
- EurOpen Debating Champsionships
- French National Debate Championship
- Harvard College World Schools Invitational
- Heart of Europe Debating Tournament
- International Competition for Young Debaters
- Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition
- Prague Debate Spring
- Vancouver Regional Championships
- US National Speech & Debate Tournament
- Oldham Cup
- UPenn World Schools Tournament

