From the front page of the New Westminster Pacific Canadian newspaper for 17 March 1894 comes news of the Otter Literary And Debating Society, which covered many of the controversial topics of the day, including Chinese immigration. As we see in the article, despite the enthusiasm of its members, the debates had to be put aside indefinitely ("sine die") due to people moving away and the start of planting season for the farms.
While community debate groups seem to have fallen by the wayside, debates are still prevalent in many educational institutions, which operate under the auspices of the Debate and Speech Association of BC.
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From the front page of the New Westminster Pacific Canadian...