York students claim top prize at National Debating Championships

It seems they got the last word.


Two York University students have beaten the top debaters from universities across Canada and received the coveted top prize at the Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate’s (CUSID) annual National Championships held in Montreal. This is the first time York has won the CUSID national championships, considered the most prestigious competition on the Canadian debating circuit.


Third-year Glendon student Emily Cohen, who is in international studies, and Omar Fairclough, a third-year history student from the Faculty of Arts, are members of York’s Debating Society. Cohen and Fairclough beat 70 other university teams from across Canada.


“We are extremely pleased that our debating skills paid off in this extremely challenging competition,” said Cohen. “This is an accomplishment that the entire York community can take pride in.”


CUSID is a national organization which governs and represents university debating in Canada. The national competition was held at McGill University March 19 – 21.