Manitoba Speech and Debate Association
 
Debate Resolutions
(updated December, 2008)
The several hundred resolutions in this list fall into three categories:
General, Issue Related and Off-Beat.  In parliamentary debates, it is common to use the term "This house ... ". If you wish to use a resolution of this type in a nonparliamentary debate, simply replace "This house" with "We" or some other suitable term. Other resolution sites are the Queensland Debating Union site for Australian style resolutions, the CSDF site for more Canadian style topics and the University of Vermont Debate Matrix list of US University level parliamentary debate topics.
 
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-General Resolutions-

1) Circumstances make the man

2) There are no more heroes

3) We should forgive and forget

4) Money matters most

5) We should question authority

6) When in doubt, run

7) When in doubt, delay

8) Heroism is folly

9) This house would not fight for queen and country

10) This house should have less faith in government

11) All the world is a stage

12) Looks are the key to success

13) This house would rather watch

14) This house prefers chaos to order

15) We have too much freedom

16) He who hesitates is lost

17) One should forgive one's enemies, but only after they have been hanged

18) There is nothing that is really new

19) Good fences make good neighbours

20) Neither a borrower nor a lender be

21) Every man has his price

22) This house would have peace at any price

23) We should not compromise on principles

24) Predictability is a mistake

25) Nice guys finish last

26) This house would rather keep them guessing

27) Caution is the best policy

28) This house believes that if you want peace you must prepare for war

29) Convictions are prisons

30) We get what we deserve

31) Nothing succeeds like success

32) We should always get even

33) Freedom is overrated (you can replace "freedom" with some other term)

34) This house would rather fight than switch

35) Happiness is a full stomach

36) Honesty is the greatest virtue (you can replace "honesty" with some other term)

37) We should seek commitment rather than freedom

38) Loyalty is folly

39) The world wants to be bullied

40) It is better to burn out than to rust

41) Progress is an illusion

42) Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

43) We care too much

44) It is better to give than to receive

45) This house regrets civilization

46) Memory does more harm than good

47) This house should follow its instincts

48) This house would follow its instincts

49) This house considers it better to win than to play by the rules

50) Money is the root of evil

51) Honesty does more harm than good

52) We should go with the crowd

53) This house would have freedom before all else

54) We are the servants and not the masters of our machines

55) Might makes right

56) Right makes might

57) We are too serious

58) Revenge is sweet

59) It is better to live in a fool's paradise than to exist in a wise man's hell

60) We should seek moderation in all things

61) There are no absolutes

62) Rank has too many privileges

63) This house would not want to be in charge

64) Boredom is the worst fate

65) This house believes that money can buy happiness

66) We should go for the gusto

67) Personality is more important than ability

68) This house would kick the tires

69) Faith is folly

70) We should follow the law rather than our consciences

71) Our education is too narrow

72) Revolution is preferable to reform

73) This house would put security before all else

74) Slow and steady wins the race

75) Pride goes before a fall

76) Don’t admit defeat

77) Bullies win

78) We should not worry

79) Ignorance is bliss

80) We want too much

81) We have too much

82) We know too much

83) We regret progress

84) We regret technology

85) The truth will set you free

86) We need more order

87) We need more rules

88) We need more freedom

89) Necessity can justify anything

90) Where you stand depends entirely upon where you sit

91) We should confuse the issue

92) We should always play by the rules

93) We should always put the rights of the individual before those of society

94) A new broom sweeps best

95) Those who do not complain do not gain

96) No pain, no gain

97) Dreams are as important as actions

98) Extremism is always a vice

99) Avoid principles

100) When the Gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers

101) The virtues of society are the vices of a saint

102) Don’t trust the sociable

103) It is a luxury to be understood

104) It is better to know everybody than everything

105) Where there is smoke there is fire

106) The pen is mightier than the sword

107) Extremism in defence of liberty is no vice

108) Don’t hesitate

109) Better a live coward than a dead hero

110) Compromise is best

111) Glory is not worth the price

112) We should not give a sucker an even break

113) It is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

114) We should not ask questions

115) No good can come from bad

116) We would rather not know

117) It is better to live in chains than to be free

118) The ordinary man has no future

119) This house prefers revolution to evolution

120) This house regrets nationalism

121) This house would choose stability over progress

122) A man in armour is the armour's slave

123) Fear is the best peacemaker

124) An empty barrel makes the most noise

125) This house prefers emotion to reason

126) We should decide with our hearts, not with our heads

127) We decide with our hearts, not with our heads

128) We should slow down

129) If you give them an inch, they will take a mile

130) Society is irrational

131) Nothing of real value can be learned

132) This house regrets ambition

133) The duller, the better

134) We have all of the answers, it's the will that we lack

135) The more we have, the more we want

136) The best way out is through

137) What we require is easy, the problem is getting the superfluous

138) We are never satisfied

139) We should be satisfied

140) It would not be better if things happened to men just as they wish

141) To great evils we submit - it is little provocations that we resent

142) The world would be better off without symbols

143) Anger is a virtue

144) The individual has no effect on the world

145) Everything is relative

146) We prefer pragmatism to principle

146) We should prefer pragmatism to principle

148) We concentrate on the trivial

149) As goes America, so goes the world

150) One is vain by nature, modest by necessity

151) There is nothing worse than a bad reputation

152) We are what we think that we are

153) If we look after the little things, the big things will take care of themselves

154) History is determined by trends, not individuals

155) It is better to have a full heart than a full stomach

156) We would rather be right than successful

157) We would rather do the successful thing than do the right thing

158) Our lives proceed more by accident than by design

159) The future is out of our control

160) Character is the key to success

161) Our goals should always exceed our abilities

162) In politics, secrecy is best

163) Sisyphus was basically a happy man

164) The great are only great because we are on our knees

165) Every hero becomes a bore at last

166) History is a nightmare from which we are struggling to awake

167) History is the biography of great men

168) To travel hopefully is better than to arrive

169) It is human nature to think wisely and act foolishly

170) A humanitarian is a hypocrite

171) Charity is a mistake

172) Nothing can resist an idea whose time has come

173) There is nothing stronger than ideas

174) This house would choose death before dishonour

175) This house would let the public be damned

176) Two heads are better than one

177) Fashion is a despot whom the wise ridicule and obey

178) If you wish to win a man's heart, allow him to win.

179) Good swimmers are the most likely to be drowned

180) There is nothing so habit-forming as money

181) There is nothing as addictive as power

182) Power corrupts

183) Law exists just to serve wealth

184) We should adopt the policy from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs

185) We should lead from behind

186) America is a country that does not know where it is going, but is determined to set a speed record getting there

187) America is the most dangerous country on earth

188) The business of America is business

189) The business of Canada is business

190) Man is what he believes

191) This house would support censorship

192) Intelligence is over-rated

193) Books are the curse of the human race

194) There is nothing permanent except change

195) Character is destiny

196) As the twig is bent the tree inclines

197) This house would rather live in cities

198) We should be citizens of the world rather than of nations

199) Cynicism is more deadly than war

200) It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees

201) The best goals are those that are unattainable

202) We are fools for false notions, boldly stated

203) This house should ignore public opinion

204) The public well being requires that men should betray, lie and massacre

205) The public well being requires hypocrisy

206) Good government requires hypocrisy

207) All rising to a great place is by a winding stair

208) Nations have neither friends nor enemies, only interests

209) Government does enough for us when it does not harm us

210) It is more damaging to say foolish things than to do them

211) It is more shameful to mistrust one's friends than to be deceived by them

212) The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing

213) We are more often liked for our defects than for our qualities

214) There is more difference within the sexes than between them

215) Love is a kind of warfare

216) Habit is everything

217) When a man forgets his ideals he may find happiness, but not until then

218) This house is worried about the fire next door

219) It is not enough to do good; one must do it in the right way

220) The means are at least as important as the ends

221) Excess is the key to success

222) Virtue needs limits

223) Fidelity to large truths often requires betraying smaller ones

224) Fidelity to large principles often requires betraying smaller ones

225) The path of duty lies in what is near and man seeks for it in what is remote

226) We as often repent the good we have done as the bad

227) Much will have more

228) Desire is the very essence of man

229) Students learn from their peers, not from the teacher

230) It is better to overreact than to underreact

231) This house believes that we should work less

232) This house regrets the passing of the dodo

233) This house believes that formal education is overrated

234) This house believes that the truth should never be concealed

235) This house believes that criminals deserve our sympathy

236) This house believes that materialism matters most

237) This house believes that all work and no play makes Jack a winner

238) This house believes that religion does more harm than good

239) This house believes that the classless society is a dangerous pipe dream

240) This house believes that travel no longer broadens the mind

241) This house believes that Rambo should be our role model

241) This house believes that Rambo is our role model

242) This house would always look after number one

243) This house would give up

244) It is more difficult to be an honourable man for a week than a hero for 15 minutes

245) Timing is everything

246) The centre cannot hold

247) That which does not kill us makes us stronger

248) It is better to ask forgiveness after the event rather than to ask permission beforehand

249) This house believes that civilization has failed

250) This house believes that civilization is a fraud

251) This house would ban blood sports

252) This house believes that it is better for a leader to be feared than loved

253) This house believes that money is corrupting sport

254) This house believes that though the people should support the government, the government should not support the people

255) This house believes that the greatest virtues are only splendid sins

256) War can never bring peace

257) Tradition is more a liberator than a jailer

258) We are our brother's keepers

259) Society needs more rebellion and less conformity

260) Planning to be second best is the best strategy for survival

261) The best way to gather is to scatter

262) Those who are only just are cruel

263) We should accept inequality

264) Where the press is safe, all are safe

265) Liberty has restraints but no frontiers

266) A map of the world that does not include utopia is not worth looking at

267) White lies are the best ushers to black ones

268) God is on the side of the big battalions

269) The fire of anger that you kindle for your enemy more often burns you than him

270) It is better for ambition to creep than to soar

271) Luck is more important than skill

272) Liberalism has gone too far

273) Procrastination is a virtue

274) We do not deserve our fate

275) Memory is our worst enemy

276) This house would rather not succeed

277) This house prefers the law of the jungle

278) Chivalry is dead

279) This house is glad that chivalry is dead

280) This house prefers the good old days

281) This house would boldly go where no one has gone before

282) Appetite comes with eating

283) When in doubt, do nothing

284) This house expects a storm

285) The system has failed

286) What is wrong with America can be fixed by what is right with America

287) What is wrong with Canada can be fixed by what is right with Canada

288) This house believes in magic

289) Resistance is futile

290) This house prefers brawn to brain

291) This house believes in stereotypes

292) Science has the answer to world problems

293) There is a case for terrorism

294) Democracy is the answer

295) Change is good

296) This house would rather switch than fight

297) The US is more of a villain than a hero

297) The Western world is more of a villain than a hero

298) We have failed

299) It is all an illusion

300) All that we really need to know, we learned in kindergarten

301) The important answers are all simple ones

302) Simplicity is the answer

303) We are in the eye of the hurricane

304) We need to let go

307) It's safer in the dark

308) Don't worry, be happy

309) We must go faster

310) We should stick to basics

311) This house has no soul

312) The glass is half empty, not half full

313) We have gone too far

314) Mercy is a mistake

315) The dream is dead

317) Patience is a mistake

318) Winning is everything

319) This house is whistling in the dark

320) This house should have faith

321) This house has not yet begun to fight

322) This house would rally around the flag

323) This house cannot see the forest for the trees

324) We should sleep soundly

325) This house has faith

326) This house believes that the right to vote is more important than the right to eat

327) This house believes that apathy is the root of evil

328) This house believes that censorship is against the public interest

329) This house would rather be beautiful than intelligent

330) We should mind our own business

331) We are going backwards

332) Wealth wins

333) These are the best of times

334) Entertainment corrupts

335) Entertainment is the downfall of society

336) Society needs more conformity and less rebellion

337) This house believes that the shorter our memory, the better

338) Democracy is a farce

339) This house believes that these are the best of times

340) Food first, then ethics

341) This house worships false idols

342) Imagination is more important than knowledge

343) We are too cynical

344) It is not the insurrections of ignorance that are dangerous, but the results of intelligence

345) We are too intolerant

346) We are too merciful

347) We are too critical

348) Technology has outstripped morality

349) Feminism is corrupting the family

350) Tourists are a global menace

351) We should not interfere in other people’s wars

352) Tradition is holding us back

353) This house prefers lightning to thunder

354) Social injustice justifies violent action

355) Feminism is folly

356) This house values loyalty too highly

357) This house values victory above all else

358) It doesn't get better than this

359) We know not what we do

360) There is no way out

361) We have no real choices

362) Ambition is folly

363) The older, the better

364) We are being fools

365) This house should be less worried about the means and more worried about the ends

366) We are being fooled

367) We need more confidence

368) The best plan is to rely on the folly of others

369) You will be safest in the middle

370) Patience is the best remedy for trouble

371) A great fortune is a great slavery

372) We should be more pragmatic

373) We think too much

374) We are too concerned with the big picture

375) An oppressive government is better than no government

376) We have the all of the advantages

377) This house practices what it preaches

378) We should be more grateful

379) This house aims too high

380) This house sees only what it wants to see

381) This house prefers fame to fortune

382) This house prefers style to substance

383) We should turn back

384) This house has too much knowledge and too little wisdom

385) This house does not learn from its mistakes

386) This house would turn back the clock

387) We have sold out

388) This house has hit the wall

389) This house believes that more is better

390) This house goes too far

391) We will win in the end

392) Cowards win

393) Truth varies

394) Our lives are shaped primarily by fear

395) The needs of the community should take precedence over the rights of the individual

396) The cause of America is the cause of all mankind

397) Change is the only constant

398) This house believes that poverty is the mother of crime

399) This house believes that the permissive society has gone too far

400) Telling the truth is a bad habit

401) Schooling stifles individuality

402) This house believes that the profit motive is the best motive

403) This house believes that we are prisoners of a materialistic society

404) Hedonism is the national religion

405) Feminism has failed society

406) Censorship should be left to the individual

407) Order is more important than justice

408) Morality is an anachronism

409) We should welcome conflict

410) TV families set a good example

411) It is better to be a bully than a wimp

412) The information superhighway is a road to nowhere

413) Courtesy is out of date

414) Education is wasted on the young

415) Today's role models aren't

416) Romanticism is for wimps

417) This house prefers big government to lower taxes

418) We buy the sizzle not the steak

419) Life is too convenient

420) We are judged by the content of our characters

421) Rule by the masses is preferable to rule by the elite

422) To rule by fear is to rule completely

423) Competition is superior to cooperation in the achievement of excellence

424) The government that governs least governs best

425) Global concerns ought to be valued above conflicting national concerns

426) The rights of the individual infringe unreasonably on the rights of society

427) National boundaries are out of date

428) This house looks forward to the 21st century

429) This house prefers style to comfort

430) Violence is the universal modern language

431) The Twenty-first century belongs to Canada

432) Computers breed ignorance

433) Respect for diversity is the foundation of unity

434) Evil is the root of money

435) The book is dead

436) Democracy begins with freedom of speech

438) Art is the only truth

439) Canada is a colony without a mother country

440) The twentieth century is the age of trash

441) Fear is the great modern virtue

442) Silence is the key to wisdom

443) This house would stop all the clocks

444) This house believes that no man is an island

445) This house lives happily in a global village

446) This house would sell up and move out

447) This house believes that the golden rule is that there are no golden rules

448) This house is disappointed with the human race

449) This house believes that this is the best of all possible worlds

450) This house is an angry House

451) This house would lock up the politicians and throw away the key

452) This house believes that silence is golden

453) This house believes that in charity there is no excess

454) This house laughs at danger

455) This house would not stand up and be counted

456) This house longs for fame at any price

457) This house has eaten too well

458) The best is yet to come

459) This house would kill all the lawyers

460) This house prefers good character to good results

461) Real generosity to the future lies in giving all to the present

462) The dead govern the living

463) Character is destiny

464) Biology is destiny

465) Every opinion tends to become law

466) Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains

467) Wars are caused by undefended wealth

468) A man is rich in proportion to the number of things that he can afford to let alone.

469) This house believes that time is on our side

470) This house would trumpet the left

471) Nationalism is an infantile disease

472) That government is best which governs least

473) God bless America

474) This house believes that harmony is more important than diversity

475) This house would shut down MacDonald’s

476) Education is a privilege not a right

477) This House would plan for peace by preparing for war

478) This house believes that right is more important than peace

479) There should be a different law for the rich

480) This house should put profit ahead of the environment

481) Politics has no relation to morals

482) All great men come from the middle classes

483) Have no friends not equal to yourself

484) Juvenile delinquency is always rooted in adult delinquency

485) It is better to burn out than to fade away

486) Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent

487) Patriotism is the first refuge of the incompetent

489) This house believes that beauty is better than brains

490) We are slaves to fashion

491) Image is everything

492) Walt Disney did more for humakind than William Shakespeare

493) We would be happier if we knew less

494) We are a selfish society

495) We should be more selfish

496) We should be more isolationist

497) We should ignore other peoples business

498) Censorship is necessary in a free society

499) This House believes that wedlock is a padlock

500) This House believes in more checks and balances

501) We are too worried about the worst case

-Issues Based Resolutions-
 General  Resolutions                            Back to Start of Page                   Off-Beat Resolutions

1) Politicians' personal lives should not be subject to media attention

2) This House believes there should be no age restrictions imposed on Olympic athletes.

3) Capital punishment should be restored

4) Abortion should be illegal

5) The drinking age should be raised

6) There should be exemptions from exams

7) We support standard province-wide exams in every subject for all Manitoba students

8) There is too much emphasis on marks

9) University entrance standards should be raised significantly

10) We would re-elect the current federal government

11) We would re-elect the current provincial government

12) The police should have more power

13) This house regrets the Free Trade Agreement

14) This house would abolish a mandatory retirement age

15) This house supports the seal hunt

16) This House condemns genetically modified crops

17) The government should decrease taxes rather than increase services

18) Canada should join the United States

19) The government should spend significantly more on medical care

20) NATO should be abolished

21) Canada should institute a guaranteed annual income program

22) This house supports Quebec independence

23) There should be a triple E senate

24) There should be mandatory drug testing of students

25) There is too much money in sports

26) This house supports Western Canadian independence

27) Religions should be kept out of state schools

28) There should be a national day care system established

29) The Canadian justice system should reduce its reliance on imprisonment

30) The court system is too generous to the accused

31) The welfare system is too generous

32) Affirmative action programs be banned

33) There should be laws enforcing equal pay for work of equal value

34) Environmental protection should be made the top priority worldwide

35) Tobacco products should be banned

36) The legalization of drugs is in the best interests of society

37) We support self-government for natives

38) The environment should be our first priority

39) The Young Offenders Act is too lenient

40) We should significantly increase foreign aid

41) Curbs should be placed on population growth

42) Schools should put more emphasis on life skills and less on academics

43) This house would allow hate literature

44) Universities' chief concern should be research rather than teaching

45) The United Nations should have significantly more power and authority

46) This house supports universal free trade

47) Canada should significantly increase defence spending

48) Taxes on fossil fuels should be significantly increased

49) It should be legal to advertise prescription drugs on TV

50) Canada should have a two-tiered health care system

51) We need more socialism

52) We should spend more on space research

53) We should have stronger gun control laws

54) Fur trapping should be banned

55) This House would ban the advertisement of prescription drugs

56) Hockey is too violent

57) Public transit should be free

58) The legal system should be simplified

59) Lotteries should be banned

60) This House would force homeless people into shelters

61) Students should be paid

62) There should be school uniforms

63) In the justice system, due process ought to be valued above the pursuit of truth when they are in conflict.

64) Social welfare programs should not be universal

65) Western nations should significantly reduce defence spending

66) We are becoming too American

67) TV cartoons are harmful to the younger generation

68) Lotteries do more good than harm

69) The rights of the victim should take precedence over the rights of the accused

70) Canadian trials should be televised

71) We need to be more accepting of views that are not "politically correct"

72) Students should be streamed academically

73) The US should not have invaded Iraq

74) We need more religion

75) There is a new world order

76) First world countries should forgive the debts owed them by third world countries

77) The public education must be radically reformed

78) Free trade is the answer

79) Development aid can solve economic inequities

80) This house would do away with juries

81) University tuition in Canada should be significantly increased

82) Canada's immigration policies should be significantly altered

83) Physical education should be mandatory for all grades in high school

84) Drivers under 20 should have additional restrictions on their licenses

85) We are too fond of the free market

86) One superpower is better than two

87) Hollywood has a lot to answer for

88) The United Nations is our best hope for the future

89) The economic health of a nation is more important than social programs for its citizens

90) The CBC should be abolished

91) This house supports sexism

92) We should take stronger action against sexual offences

93) Legalized gambling should be significantly curtailed

94) Canada will not survive the 21st century

95) Civil disobedience is justified in a democracy

96) Special interest groups have too much power

97) The CRTC should be abolished

98) Mothers under 17 should not be allowed to keep their children

99) This house would vote for the Reform Party (or use some other party in the resolution)

100) We should modify the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

101) We should implement the user pay approach

102) The conservative revolution has gone too far

103) The monarchy should be abolished

104) The Canadian constitution should be changed

105) The marriage contract should be abolished

106) Western society is in decline

107) This house believes that uranium should be left in the ground

108) There is too much emphasis on sports

109) This house believes that royalty is passé

110) Spanking children should be illegal

111) We have more to fear than hope from genetic engineering

112) Our leaders should pay more attention to public opinion

113) We should censor the Internet

114) Limited development should be allowed in National Parks

115) We ought to value what we earn above what we are given.

116) Individuals ought to sacrifice their ideals for the sake of compromise.

117) The possession of weapons of mass destruction is immoral.

118) An adolescent’s right to privacy ought to be valued above a parent's conflicting right to know

119) Government subsidization of the arts is justified.

120) The individual ought to value the sanctity of life above the quality of life.

121) Community service ought to be a requirement for high school graduation.

122) Government limitations of Internet content are justified.

123) Schools ought to have the right to require testing of students for drug use.

124) The right of an individual to emigrate ought to be valued above a nation's right to limit immigration.

125) Capitalism is superior to socialism as a means of achieving economic justice.

126) Human genetic engineering is morally justified.

127) When they conflict, native sovereignty ought to take precedence over provincial and/or national sovereignty.

128) The use of economic sanctions to achieve foreign policy goals is moral.

129) When they conflict, commercial use of free speech ought to be valued above respect for cultural sensitivity

130) Protection of the environment should take precedence over the development of natural resources

131) A journalist's right to shield confidential sources ought to be protected

132) Government limitations on political campaign spending are antithetical to democratic ideals.

133) The need for organ donations justifies prioritizing the rights of the living above the rights of the deceased.

134) A just social order ought to place the principle of equality above that of liberty

135) Civil Disobedience is justified in a democracy.

136) Jury trials should be abolished

137) This house would do more for aboriginal land rights

138) The government should do whatever is necessary to ensure that Canadians have clean drinking water

139) Professionalism has ruined the Olympic Games

140) Politicians should have term limits

141) Lower taxes are preferable to improved government services

142) Gambling should be illegal

143) Free trade is best

144) This house supports the US missile defence plan

145) This House believes that the world is facing a clash of civilizations

146) This House believes that Turkey should join the European Union.

147) This House believes that GM crops would feed the world.

148) This House believes that trade unions impede progress.

149) Uniformity in education leads to mediocrity

150) Nothing is politically right that is morally wrong

151) A just social order ought to place the principle of equality above that of liberty

152) The American media works against the best interest of the American Public

153) We should reduce media concentration

154) The restriction of civil liberties in North America. for the sake of combating terrorism is justified

155) Decisions of the Supreme Court in criminal cases ought to reflect the values of the Canadian people

156) The courts have too much power

157) When they are in conflict, the right to a free press is a higher priority than the right to a fair trial

158) The protection of public safety justifies random, mandatory drug testing throughout society

160) The public's right to know ought to be valued above National Security interests

161) The criminal justice system ought to place a higher priority on retribution than on rehabilitation

162) Individuals should follow the law rather than their moral beliefs

163) A liberal arts curriculum is preferable to an employment-readiness curriculum in schools

164) A victim's deliberate use of deadly force is justified as a response to physical abuse

165) The principle of majority rule ought to be valued above the principle of minority rights

166) Terminally ill patients have the right to die when and how they choose

167) When in conflict, protection of the innocent is of greater value than prosecution of the guilty

168) Laws that protect citizens from themselves are justified

169) When in conflict, Canadian cultural unity ought to be valued above cultural diversity

170) We should establish native urban reserves

171) When in conflict, a business' responsibility to itself ought to be valued above its responsibility to society

172) The public's right to know is of greater value than the individual's right to privacy

173) On balance, individuals ought to have a greater obligation to themselves than to their community

174) Canada should take part in the North American Missile Defence plan

175) Society would be better off with fewer laws

176) Handguns should be banned

177) Judges should be elected

178) We should reduce copyright protection

179) Canada should increase funding for the Arts

180) Refugee claimants should be detained until their cases are settled

181) We should reduce drug patent protection

182) We are too worried about the worst case

183) This house would not recycle

184) Fast food companies should pay people compensation for damaging their health

185) We should make parents more responsible for the crimes of their children

186) We should prosecute teenagers as adults for criminal offences

187) Trade unions impede progress

188) Governments should protect their native languages

189) Religion has no place in state schools

190) This house condemns the influence of the music industry on today's youth

191) The welfare state should be scrapped

192) Political parties have too much influence on democratic elections

193) Globalization perpetuates social iniquity

194) The world is facing a clash of civilizations

195) Taiwan should become independent

196) This House would impose a global ban on nuclear power

197) This House believes that we should incarcerate only violent offenders

198) This House believes that we should pay parents for staying at home with their children

199) This House would remove health benefits for those who choose an unhealthy lifestyle

200) This House believes that countries should not involve themselves with other conflicts

201) This House would not join the International Criminal Court

202) This House supports the removal of anonymity from sperm donors

203) This House would impose a wage cap in professional sports

204) This House would return cultural treasures to their homelands

205) This House supports tradable emissions quotas

206) This house would lock up beggars

207) This House believes that the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council should not have veto power

208) This House believes that regional trading blocs are preferable to global free trade

209) This House believes that the first priority of criminal justice is rehabilitation, not retribution

210) This House believes that education policy should be the responsibility of local authorities

211) This House would use affirmative action to compensate for historical injustices

212) This House believes that censorship does more harm than good

213) This House would ban the use of human embryos in scientific research

214) This House believes that political parties should be funded by the state

215) This House believes that the costs of space exploration outweigh the benefit

216) This House believes that Marx would support the Internet

217) This house would give the state rather than the family the right to determine when life support should be terminated for patients who are unable to communicate

218) The United States government should establish a foreign policy substantially increasing its support of United Nations peacekeeping operations.

219) The pursuit of scientific knowledge ought to be constrained by concern for societal good

220) Community standards ought to take precedence over conflicting national standards

221) The US government should decrease its authority either to detain without charge or to search without probable cause.

222) The United States and Canada should issue guest worker visas to illegal aliens.

223) Judicial activism is necessary to protect the rights of citizens

224) The right of an individual to emigrate ought to be valued above a nation's right to limit immigration.

225) When in conflict, equal treatment under the law ought to take precedence over the exercise of prosecutorial discretion.

226) Hate crime warrants additional punishment.

227) Business monopolies ought to be allowed to operate free of antitrust regulation.

228) The public's right to know ought to be valued above the right to privacy of candidates for public office.

229) On balance, violent revolution is a just response to oppression.

230) Alleviation of a pressing social concern justifies governmental infringement of a patent right.

231) Decentralized governmental power ought to be a fundamental goal of democratic society.

232) The possession of nuclear weapons is immoral.

233) A lesser developed nation's right to develop ought to take priority over its obligation to protect the environment.

234) This house would torture terrorists

235) This house would arrange marriages

236) We need to change the way we treat our farmers

237) This house would change TV

238) This house believes that Canadians have too many rights

239) This house would overthrow the government of North Korea

240) This house would allow gender selection in in-vitro fertilization

241) That the United Nations should be the primary agent to lead and direct the fight against terrorism around the world

242) That the "Precautionary Principle" should guide government policies

243) Government funding should prioritize vocational education over college preparatory education.

244) Judicial activism is necessary to protect the rights of citizens.

245) The National Basketball Association (NBA) should rescind its dress code.

246) The government should decrease its authority either to detain without charge or to search without probable cause

247) Use of cell phones while driving should be prohibited

248) The US is losing the War on Terror

249) We should significantly reduce copyright protection

250) The UN should consider it their duty to interfere in those countries where the government is unable to protect its citizens

251) Public opinion polls positively affect the political process

252) This House believes that outsourcing is beneficial to Canadian society

253) We should adopt a flat tax system for income tax

254) All provinces should evaluate student results through province-wide standardized exams

255) Provinces should share their wealth from natural resources wit the rest of the country

256) Canada should adopt a system of proportional representation

257) Canada should adopt fixed election dates for parliament and the legislatures

258) This House would ban all lotteries and casinos in Canada.

259) This House would allow referenda to set legislation in Canada.

260) This House believes labour unions are detrimental to the Canadian workplace.

261) This House supports the use of force to impose democracy.

262) This House would sacrifice economic growth for the environment.

263) This House supports amnesty for past dictators.

264) This House would try all youth charged with gun offences as adults.

265) This house supports a mandatory retirement age

266) Canada should only give foreign aid to democracies

267) This house would use military force to extradite those indicted for war crimes


268) This house supports Google's  decision to censor internet search results for users in China

269) This house would introduce performance-related pay for teachers

270) This house would take international military action against Iran to prevent it developing a nuclear industry

271) This house would stand up to Russia

272) This house would compel western companies operating in the developing world to adhere to western environmental standards

273) This house would introduce chain-gangs to the penal system

274) That the media should not be allowed to publish material that is offensive to religion

275) That indigenous people should be punished by their own communities

276) That we should greatly increase our public transport system instead of building new freeways

277) That we should have video surveillance in all public places

278) That parents should be able to choose the gender of their children

279) That burning the flag should be illegal

280) That the US should introduce compulsory military service

281) That the government should not fund elite sporting organizations

282) That we should abolish quotas for Canadian-made television programs

283) That we should ban all private cars from the downtowns of Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto

284) That public transport should be free

285) We should impose a youth curfew

286) We should ban boxing

287) Racist publications should be banned

288) Canada should spend more on foreign aid

289) The West should fear China

290) Exams should be replaced by continuous assessment

291) Peace for Israel is impossible

292) We should ban SUV’s

293) This House believes that democracy is not the best system of government for every nation

294) This House supports the international trading of pollution quotas

295) This House believes that captured terrorists should be treated as prisoners of war

296) This House believes that Internet search engines should boycott China until it allows its citizens unrestricted access to the Web

297) This House would place a worldwide ban on the use of civil nuclear energy

298) In matters of collecting military intelligence, the ends justify the means

299) This House would have an amnesty for illegal immigrants

300) The US government should substantially increase the size of its armed forces

301) Junk food should be banned in schools

302) Computers are the problem, not the solution

303) We need more discipline at school

304) Government investment in elite sport is money well spent

305) We should do more for the unemployed

306) We should legalize the sale of human organs

307) A victim's deliberate use of deadly force is a just response to repeated domestic violence.

308) Participating in multinational diplomatic efforts is beneficial to U. S. interests

309) A just government should provide health care to its citizens

310) The benefits of NASA's space exploration programs justify the costs

311) In matters of collecting military intelligence, the ends justify the means

312) We should grant amnesty to illegal immigrants

313) Schools should be allowed to have all-male and all-female sports teams

314) We should impose sanctions on North Korea

315) Canada should tighten up its enforcement of immigration laws

316) Diplomacy is the answer to the revival of fundamentalism

317) The United Nations' obligation to protect global human rights ought to be valued above its obligation to respect national sovereignty

318) The actions of corporations ought to be held to the same moral standards as the actions of individuals

319) Schools should have the right to censor teachers

320) We should ban prominent religious symbols and dress in state schools

321) The quantity of credit available to American consumers should be significantly reduced

322) This house would ban implantation of radio-frequency identification chips in people

323) This House would make the development of clean industry a condition for receiving non-emergency aid

324) This House believes that Holocaust denial should be a crime

325) This House believes that the United States should withdraw from its military bases in Asia

326) This House believes that free trade harms the developing world

327) This House believes that governments should not limit the areas that scientists may research

328) This House would ban the use of models who are under a healthy weight

329) This House would execute war criminals

330) This House would limit media reporting of terrorist atrocities

331) This House would force organizations to place more women in senior positions

332) This House would abolish the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

333) This House would privatize public utilities companies

334) This House would partition Iraq

335) This House would impose sanctions on Pakistan until democracy is restored

336) This House would allow safe injection sites

337) Capitalism provides for a better society than socialism

338) This house would use taxation to regulate behavior

339) The West will regret free trade

340) This House would ration the old to nurture the young

341) The West is losing the war on terror

342) Pakistan is the greatest threat to peace

343) This House would legalize all drugs

344) This House believes that the war on drugs is inadvisable in a free society

345) This House supports physician-assisted suicide

346) This House would remove government from the lives of the people

346) This House would soak the rich

347) This House would limit the cost of election campaign

348) The United States should sign the Ottawa Treaty to ban the production and export of land mines

349) If a school has uniforms, teachers should wear them too.

350) This House would increase taxes on inheritance

351) This House would abolish jury trials

352) This House would speed up trials

353) This House believes that governments should pay parents to have children

354) This house believes that people sentenced to life imprisonment should be allowed to choose the death penalty instead

355) This House supports a 35 hour working week

356) This house would ban Cosmetic Surgery

357) This House would have harsher sentences for celebrity criminals

358) Eco-tourism does more harm than good

359) This House believes that the Olympics are a waste of money

360) This House would guarantee the amnesty of retired dictators

361) Video cameras should be allowed in courtrooms to televise criminal trials

362) Private schools should be banned

363) This House prefers coalition governments

364) This house would bail out failing industries

365) This house condemns the personality cult of politics

366) This House would negotiate with AL Qaida

367) This House would compel political parties to field 50% female candidates in General Elections

368) This House believes that the proceeds from natural resource exploitation should be paid directly to the population rather than to governments

369) This House believes that the West should not be the watchdog of the world

370) This House believes the world should invest in space

371) This House believes America has turned the page

372) This house supports a one child policy

373) This House would require people to work in return for welfare payments

374) This House believes that sporting bodies should penalize teams when their players commit criminal acts off the field

375) This House would make fines relative to wealth

376) This House believes developed countries should not accept skilled migrants from developing countries

377) This house would put pragmatism before its principles

378) This house would introduce compulsory community service

379) This House believes that outsourcing is good for the developed and developing nations

380) This House believes that the West will regret free trade

381) This house would introduce compulsory organ donation without exception

382) This House believes NATO should intervene in Sudan

383) This House opposes the use of nuclear power in the developing world

384) This house believes Taiwan has a right to become an independent country

385) This House would introduce compulsory blood donation

386) This House would allow prisoners facing life imprisonment to opt for the death penalty instead

387) This House would invade Burma

388) Pakistan is the greatest threat to world peace.

389) This House would make drug dealers responsible for the crimes of their clients

390) This House believes that following orders is an acceptable defense for war crimes

391) This House would introduce hard labour in prisons

392) This House would not cover medical expenses of those who choose unhealthy activities

393) This House would subsidize the purchasing of hybrid cars

394) This House would return cultural treasures to their country of origin

395) This House supports child labor

396) This House would greatly increase the consequences for fighting in hockey

397) This house would lift sanctions on Myanmar ( Burma)

398) This House supports term limits for politicians

399) This House supports amnesty for all those who have previously used performance-enhancing drugs in sports

400) This House would ban the use of tasers by police officers

401) This House would significantly increase the price of gasoline

402) This House would abolish mandatory minimum sentences

403) This house would legalize mercenaries

404) Developing nations should have the right to emphasize economic growth over environmental concerns

405) This House believes that all of a defendant’s previous convictions should admissible in a trial.

406) This house believes that laptops and computers are highly beneficial to students

407) This House supports public funding for religious schools

408) This House would have mandatory aboriginal seats in the House of Commons

409) Canada should adopt proportional representation

410) This House believes that governments should not fund the arts

411) This House would allow retests

412) This House would severely limit the sale of bottled water

413) In order to achieve peace in the Middle East, we support the following plan.

414) In order to improve education, we support the following plan.)

415) In order to help the environment, we support the following plan.


 

 

-Off-Beat Resolutions-
 General  Resolutions                            Back to Start of Page                   Issues Resolutions


1) We need more sheepdogs

2) Pink elephants have nasty tempers

3) Canada is a truck, not a sportscar

4) Diamonds are a girl's best friend

5) Shamrocks should be crushed

6) We need greener lawns

7) Winter is better than you think

8) We should all be cowboys

9) TV is everything

10) This house would dance with the devil in the pale moonlight

11) TV commercials are right

12) Slow and steady wins the race, but doesn't enjoy it as much

13) Clocks are great

14) Mice are nice

15) Santa Claus is a communist plot

16) Darth Vader had the right idea

17) Ketchup is essential

18) Never believe us

19) The mouse should be our national symbol (you may substitute some other animal)

20) Red is rotten

21) The mirror is mankind's worst invention

22) We all want to be cowboys

23) Life is a highway

24) Violence is the answer

25) With the lights out, it's less dangerous

26) All that we ever really needed to know, we learned in kindergarten

27) We are eggshells

28) We live in Oz

29) Life is like football (you may substitute some other sport)

30) Life is a cabaret

31) Scrooge was right

32) Don’t let them see you sweat

33) This house will have its cake and eat it too

34) This house prefers the sounds of silence

35) We can't get no satisfaction

36) Nostalgia is not what it used to be

37) Anything fits a naked man

38) Good memories are lost jewels

39) If we set a devil on horseback, he will ride to the devil

40) God does play dice

41) A bad excuse is better than none

42) The half is better than the whole

43) We should set a thief to catch a thief

44) The train is running out of coal

45) The gloves are finally off

46) The square root is the best route

47) It is time to cut bait

48) The dream is still alive

49) We don't need no education

50) To the victor go the toils

51) We are out of room

52) This house would charge the guns

53) This house would damn the torpedoes and go full speed ahead

54) Hell has frozen over

55) Elvis lives

56) This house would rather be a tortoise than a hare

57) This house would keep its powder dry

59) This house has no taste

60) We would rather be Vulcans

61) We would rather be Klingons

62) This house believes everything that it reads

63) The National Enquirer is right

64) No one ever went broke underestimating the public

65) This house would sell snake oil

66) There's gold in them thar hills

67) We would accept the Trojan Horse

68) It's not over until the fat lady sings

69) The colder, the better

70) We should keep moving

71) Tomorrow never comes

72) This house prefers sunset to sunrise

73) Quantity is better than quality

74) We should not ask for whom the bell tolls

75) This house would bury its head in the sand

76) We would rather be a trumpet than a violin

77) This house would nuke the whales

78) This house is casting pearls before swine

79) Life is a video game

80) This house is a parrot, not an eagle

81) The eagle may soar but the beaver doesn't get sucked into the jet engine

82) We should pass the pepper

83) It's not the morality, it's how much you can bear

84) This house would order pizza

85) It's not the heat, it's the humidity

86) It's lonely out there

87) It is never our fault

88) This doesn't look like Kansas anymore, Toto

89) We just can't win

90) This house prefers a bath to a shower

91) We would rather be a snail than a tiger

92) Don't trust anyone over 30

93) This house would rather not grow up

94) The X-Files are right

95) Life is like the Simpsons

96) Height makes right

97) This house prefers a rose garden to a vegetable garden

98) We should close the border

99) He that shuns trifles must shun the world

100) The finest amusements are the most pointless ones

101) Halloween should be banned

102) Men are but children of a larger growth

103) Each man must watch out for his own arrow

104) We have made the wrong choice

105) This house is wearing blinders

106) We should turn up the volume

107) This house believes that it is too late

108) This house prefers a hiss to a roar

109) This house is more like Hamlet than Hercules

110) We should all be devils

111) This house would just say no

112) Speed kills

113) Living is like licking honey off of a thorn

114) At first we hope too much, later on, not enough

115) This house would make haste slowly

116) Life is one long process of getting tired

117) Good locks are the key to success

118) It is too hot

119) This house would ban the computer

120) This house prefers night to day

121) The later, the better

122) This house is a nail not a hammer

123) We are all vampires

124) It is getting hotter

125) We would rather be a sword than a shield

126) If you live with a lame man, you will learn to limp

127) This house would rather be a pauper than a prince

128) This house would rather cry over spilt milk than clean it up

129) This house would rather be the coyote than the roadrunner

130) Gossip is good

131) This house prefers a whisper to a yell

132) There is no life after graduation

133) This house is a sprinter rather than a marathon runner

134) This house would choose the dark side

135) This house would fight the power

136) This house would leave the Garden of Eden

137) There are too many of them

138) There are rocks ahead

139) Love is the greatest trap

140) This house is a spider, not a fly

141) We are heading over the cliff

142) It's a long way down

143) Easy come, easy go

144) Better dead than red

145) The machines are in charge

146) This house should start over

147) This house would rather be the hunted than the hunter

148) The eagle is dying

149) Life was better before TV

150) This house believes that you are better dead than wed

151) The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls

152) We should let the animals out of the zoo

153) This house would let it be

154) The sun is new again, all day

155) When two great powers collide, the one who knows how to yield will win

156) Goody-goodies are the thieves of virtue1

157) 80 percent of success is showing up

158) You cannot satisfy hunger by drawing a cake

159) This house would listen to Yoda

160) If there is no God then anything is permitted

161) An adequate plan today is better than a brilliant plan tomorrow

162) This house prefer geeks to nerds

163) This house would change the channel

164) This house believes in purple people eaters

165) This house would listen to Yoda

166) The cup runneth over

167) This house would replace the maple leaf as Canada’s national symbol with "the hockey stick

 General  Resolutions             Issue Resolutions               Back to Start of Page                   Off-Beat Resolutions

 
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