McGill grad student represents Canada, places third at francophone debate in Paris

‘I think it’s important to show that despite being a primarily English-speaking institution, McGill still has its place in the francophonie’
A student wearing a suit receives a certificate from a man in a suit.
Louis-Philippe Bateman at the Rencontres internationales de débat et d’éloquence francophone in Paris.

Louis-Philippe Bateman still remembers his first attempt at debating.

“I wasn’t very good,” he recalled. “I stammered, I didn’t make very coherent arguments, and I had ideas, but I wasn’t good at communicating them.”

That was five years ago. But he kept attending events hosted by debate clubs – even those held online during the pandemic – and as a result Bateman’s debate skills have improved exponentially.

Last spring, while completing his Bachelor of Science at McGill, he and Arts student Jeanne Gonelle won first place in the National Francophone Debate Championship, McGill’s first title in 15 years.

His performances over the past year got him a spot in the Rencontres internationales de débat et d’éloquence francophone in Paris earlier this month, where he finished third.

“It was great to have the chance to represent Canada,” said Bateman, who is now working towards a Master of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

“As a francophone student proud to be studying at McGill, I think it’s important to show that despite being a primarily English-speaking institution, McGill still has its place in the francophonie.”

Four students; two students in the centre are holding a prize cup.
Louis-Philippe Bateman and Jeanne Gonelle (centre).

Performing in Paris

Bateman grew up in a bilingual household in Quebec City. He initially started debating to get over his shyness, and now he considers public speaking one of his passions.

He has debated in both French and English, but feels more comfortable doing so in French.

The Paris event was organized by the Fédération francophone de débat and JUNA Togo, and Bateman’s participation was covered by the Institut français and the Consulat général de France à Québec. Attending not only gave him the chance to meet francophones from around the world – the first-place winner was from Togo – he was also introduced to France’s debate style.

“In Canada we do what’s called Canadian parliamentary debate. It sounds quite formal, but really it’s just a matter of speaking when it’s your turn and trying to beat the other team by being clear and having better arguments. Whereas in France the evaluation criteria were essentially: how charismatic are you, how eloquent are you, do you maintain eye contact with the audience and how rich is your vocabulary?

“It was a very enriching experience.”

A group of 15 students posing with their arms around one another.
Members of the Club de débat francophone de l’Université McGill.

Building on McGill tradition

“I sincerely think that debate is one of the extracurricular activities you get the most out of. It gives you lots of self-confidence, makes you more comfortable exchanging ideas, makes you a better communicator and a better critical thinker.”

McGill has a rich history in debating in English: the McGill Debating Union, whose roots go back 150 years, is one of the top university debating societies in the world. By contrast, McGill’s French debate club, the Club de débat francophone de l’Université McGill, was only established about 10 years ago.

Bateman serves as the club’s President, as well as Debate Committee Director for the Ligue de débat universitaire et collégiale.

“There’s less of a debate tradition in French culture in Canada, so our league is much smaller and more recent. But we’re trying to build that tradition; we’re probably one of the biggest French-speaking clubs at McGill.”

Going forward, his focus will be on researching his master’s thesis – it combines paleontology, ecology and biology – and growing both the McGill club and the francophone debate league.

“I think there are lots of people who don’t know about debating and would enjoy it.”