# The Great Debate (Canadian TV series)

The Great Debate is a Canadian television series that featured debates between pairs of panelists over a given subject. It was first shown on Global Television Network in 1974, and later broadcast by CHCH-TV from Hamilton, Ontario. The series was produced intermittently until 1983.

## Format

Pierre Berton was the host and moderator of a televised debate between two guests who argued about a given proposition. A studio audience of approximately 200 people voted for or against the proposition at the start of the program, and again at the end after the debate to gauge the influence of the debators' arguments.

## Production

The Great Debate was produced by My Country Productions, co-owned by series producer Elsa Franklin and Berton.
It was one of the first series broadcast on the fledgling Global Television Network. However, the broadcaster encountered financial distress within months of its debut and owed My Country Productions $48,000. Global offered unsecured creditors such as program producers a short-term 25% payment. Berton, however, proceeded to pay guest debators personally, in full for their appearance and travel.
Global renewed The Great Debate for a second season beginning late 1974. CHCH-TV picked up The Great Debate from Global for its third, 1975-76 season, and aired these in the Tuesday 10 p.m. time slot.

## Episodes
### 1974: first season

| No. | Resolution | In favour | Opposed | Original air date | Notes |
| 1 | Violence is acceptable as a political weapon in a democracy | Pierre Vallières | John Laird | 10 January 1974 | The motion was overwhelmingly rejected by the studio audience. Robert Lemieux and John Taylor were originally scheduled as debators. |
| 2 | The energy crisis is a hoax perpetrated by the major oil companies | Ralph Nader | Darcy McKeough | 17 January 1974 | |
| 3 | Hockey is no longer a sport | Bruce Kidd | Howie Meeker | 24 January 1974 | |
| 4 | Professional prize fighting should be outlawed | Dick Beddoes | George Chuvalo | 31 January 1974 | |
| 5 | Astrology is a valid science | Katherine De Jersey | Lord Soper | 7 February 1974 | |
| 6 | Canadian nationalism is self-destructive | Eliot Janeway | Eric Kierans | 14 February 1974 | |
| 7 | Prisons should be reserved for those who have committed crimes of violence | Jessica Mitford | Desmond Morton | 21 February 1974 | |
| 8 | The health food craze is a rip-off | Gloria Swanson | Seymour Halpern | 28 February 1974 | |
| 9 | Marriage is obsolete | Jim Moran | Diana Dors | 7 March 1974 | |
| 10 | The gods from outer space theory is a fantasy | Ruth Tringham | Erich von Däniken | 14 March 1974 | |
| 11 | The police should be abolished | Jimmy Breslin | David Toma | 21 March 1974 | |
| 12 | (Academy Awards topic) | | | 28 March 1974 | |
| 13 | Man cannot live without god. | Malcolm Muggeridge | Charles Templeton | 4 April 1974 | |
| 14 | The monarchy should be abolished | William Hamilton | George Brown | 11 April 1974 | |
| 15 | (repeat of 24 January 1974; hockey) | | | 18 April 1974 | |
| 16 | (no detail available) | | | 25 April 1974 | |
| 17 | There is no scientific proof that ESP exists. | Daniel Cohen | J. B. Rhine | 2 May 1974 | |
| 18 | Virginity is a priceless asset | Wendy Robin | Albert Ellis | 9 May 1974 | Robin was president of the Virgin Liberation Front. |
| 19 | Freedom of speech is a danger to society | David DePoe | Irving Layton | 16 May 1974 | DePoe was with Students for a Democratic Society |
| 20 | There should not be a graduated income tax | William F. Buckley, Jr. | René Lévesque | 23 May 1974 | |

### 1974-75: second season

These episodes were listed as broadcast on Global Television, broadcast Thursdays and repeated Sundays.
| No. | Resolution | In favour | Opposed | Original air date | Notes |
| 1 | (season debut) | | | 5 September 1974 | |
| 2 | Bilingualism is unworkable. | Jacques Parizeau | George Springate | 12 September 1974 | |
| 2 | Canada should legalize abortion on demand | Henry Morgentaler | Heather Morris | 19 September 1974 | |
| 3 | | | | 26 September 1974 | |
| 4 | | | | 3 October 1974 | |
| 5 | | | | 10 October 1974 | |
| 6 | Nuclear reactors are necessary | Edward Teller | Gordon Edwards | 17 October 1974 | |
| 7 | The west should separate from Canada. | Milt Harradence | Réal Caouette | 24 October 1974 | |
| 8 | Playgirl magazine corrupts women. | Alan Abel as "Martin Swaig, Jr." | Marin Scott Milam | 31 October 1974 | Swaig was ostensibly head of the US office of media communications, Scott Milam was editor of Playgirl. However, Swaig was revealed to be satirist Alan Abel who was conducting a hoax on his opponent. |
| 9 | The Nixon-Ford pardon and tapes agreement violates the US Constitution. | I. F. Stone | John McLaughlin | 7 November 1974 | |
| 10 | The inflation crisis demands price and wage control. | Myron Sharpe | David Lewis | 14 November 1974 | |
| 11 | | | | 21 November 1974 | |
| 12 | Women's liberation is destroying society. | George Gilder | Germaine Greer | 28 November 1974 | |
| 13 | Credit cards do more harm than good. | Arthur Hailey | Robert M. MacIntosh | 5 December 1974 | Hailey was an author; MacIntosh was president of the Bank of Nova Scotia |
| 14 | | | | 12 December 1974 | |
| 15 | Prostitution should be legalized | | | 19 December 1974 | |
| 16 | Interracial marriage will benefit mankind. | David Suzuki | Roy Innis | 26 December 1974 | |
| 17 | | | | 2 January 1975 | |
| 18 | | | | 9 January 1975 | |
| 19 | Living together before marriage is a dangerous experiment | | | 16 January 1975 | |
| 20 | Having children should be controlled by law | | | 22 January 1975 | Moved to Wednesdays |

### 1975-76: third season

These episodes are listed as broadcast on the series new flagship station, CHCH-TV, Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
| No. | Resolution | In favour | Opposed | Original air date | Notes |
| 1 | That Exercise is a Waste of Time | Minnesota Fats | Ed Allen | 9 September 1975 | |
| 2 | Public service strikes should be outlawed | | | 16 September 1975 | |
| 3 | Mercy killing is justified | | | 23 September 1975 | |
| 4 | The Bermuda Triangle mystery defies natural explanation | | | 30 September 1975 | |
| 5 | | | | 7 October 1975 | |
| 6 | The Bermuda Triangle mystery defies natural explanation | | | 14 October 1975 | Repeat of 30 September 1975 |
| 7 | Movies should return to the happy ending | | | 21 October 1975 | |
| 8 | Dieting is useless | | | 28 October 1975 | |
| 9 | Ghosts exist | | | 4 November 1975 | |
| 10 | Modern birth control advocates are using women as guinea pigs | | | 11 November 1975 | |
| 11 | Violence on the screen is psychologically damaging | | | 18 November 1975 | |
| 12 | Capital punishment must be abolished | | | 25 November 1975 | |
| 13 | Divorce cases don't belong in the courts | | | 2 December 1975 | |
| 14 | History is bunk | | | 9 December 1975 | |
| 15 | Zionism | | | 16 December 1975 | Irving Layton vs. Sam Hadaur |
| 16 | The Christian religion has become inadequate | | | 23 December 1975 | |
| 17 | Homosexuals should have full civil rights | | | 30 December 1975 | |
| 18 | | | | 7 January 1976 | Moved to Wednesday evenings |
| 19 | Good breeding is still an asset | | | 14 January 1976 | |
| 20 | Canadian nationalism is dangerous | | | 21 January 1976 | |
| 21 | Intelligence is genetically inherited | | | 28 January 1976 | |
| 22 | The 1976 Olympic Games should be abandoned | | | 4 February 1976 | |
| 23 | Kids today have it too soft | | | 11 February 1976 | |
| 24 | Hunting is not a sport | | | 18 February 1976 | |
| 25 | The American dream has become a nightmare | | | 25 February 1976 | |
| 26 | Car racing is a bloody sport | | | 3 March 1976 | |
| | pre-empted | | | 10 March 1976 | |
| 27 | | | | 17 March 1976 | |
| 28 | | | | 24 March 1976 | |
| 29 | Repeat of mercy killing episode | | | 31 March 1976 | |
| 30 | Man should be master in the home | | | 7 April 1976 | |
| 31 | There should be total gun control | | | 14 April 1976 | |
| 32 | Repeat of Bermuda Triangle episode | | | 21 April 1976 | |
| 33 | Repeat of Movies should return to the happy ending | | | 28 April 1976 | |
| | pre-empted for movie | | | 5 May 1976 | |

### 1976-77: fourth season

The series was broadcast on CHCH-TV on Fridays at 8 p.m. Topics in this season included apartheid and lotteries.

### 1977-83: later episodes

The following episodes are on file with Library and Archives Canada:
| Resolution | In favour | Opposed | Item number (ISN) | Production date |
| Television is a destructive force in society | Mackenzie Porter | Peter Ustinov | 30143 | (unknown) |
| Sexual offenders should be castrated | William Mackie (lawyer) | Simma Holt | 30146 | 22 April 1977 |
| Sports is a masculine rite | Abby Hoffman | Alan Eagleson | 30144 | 18 September 1977 |
| Homosexuals should not be allowed to teach | David Gauthier (chair, University of Toronto Philosophy Department) | Dr John Lee (associate professor of Sociology, University of Toronto Scarborough College) | 30145 | 18 September 1977 |
| Involuntary commitment of mental patients violates their rights | Dr Thomas Szasz (psychiatrist) | Dr Derek Miller | 30147 | 16 October 1977 |
| There is a need for a coaches' union | Alan Eagleson | Dick Beddoes | 30148 | 28 October 1977 |
| Traditional train power is obsolete | Julius Lukasiewicz | Walter Steward | 30149 | 28 October 1979 |
| The Pope's theology belongs to the Dark Ages | Dr Kathryn Morgan | Dr Gregory Baum | 30151 | 30 October 1979 |
| Promiscuity in a woman is acceptable and desirable | Eleanor Wright Petrine | Joan Sutton | 30152 | 30 October 1979 |
| Nuclear generating stations are necessary and should be constructed | Jon Gilbertson | Norman Rubin | 30153 | 17 November 1979 |
| A North American common market would be the end of Canada | Bob Rae | John Belanger | 30154 | 17 November 1979 |
| Total disarmament is both possible and desirable | Nicolas Parissi | Geoff Buerger | 30155 | 17 November 1979 |
| The medical establishment is inhibiting cancer research | Peter Barry Chowka | Dr Emil Freireich | 30156 | 18 November 1979 |
| Traditional masculinity victimizes men | Dr Herb Goldberg | George Gilder | 30157 | 18 November 1979 |
| Teachers have the right to strike | Margaret Wilson | Dr Stewart Smigh | 30158 | 18 November 1979 |
| Strike breaking should be outlawed | Terry Meagher | David Somerville | 30159 | 20 November 1979 |
| The permissive society has been the worst disaster to hit democracy since Hitler | Sir Edwin Leather | Maryon Kantaroff | 30160 | 20 November 1979 |
| Modern medicine is geared for killing rather than healing | Dr Robert Mendlesohn | Dr Stuart Klein | 30161 | 29 November 1979 |
| Newspapers should be independent of all other business interests | Charles Lynch | Charles Templeton | 30165 | February 1981 |
| The West should separate | Elmer Knutson | Jack Horner | 30162 | 3 February 1981 |
| Modern cults are dangerous to society | Jane Hawtin | Bart Testa | 30163 | 3 February 1981 |
| Literary critics are irrelevant and irresponsible | Richard Rohmer | Lister Sinclair | 30164 | 3 February 1981 |
| All tobacco advertising should be banned | Garfield Mahood | Don Coxe | 30166 | 4 February 1981 |
| Labour unions are destructive to the economy | Frank Oberle | Desmond Morton | 30167 | 7 February 1981 |
| Rent controls are necessary | Frank Drea | Basin Kalymon | 30168 | 9 February 1981 |
| Writers' sources should be privileged and protected by law | Harold Horwood | Barbara Amiel | 30169 | 9 February 1981 |
| Women should not marry | Betty Jane Wylie | Catherine McKinnon | 30170 | 10 February 1981 |
| The family is being bombarded unnecessarily by professionals | Ed Shorter | Doug Barr | 30171 | 10 February 1981 |
| It is more rewarding to be short than tall | Ben Wicks | Michael Magee | 30172 | 10 February 1981 |
| Socialism holds more promise for the future than capitalism | Richard Johnston | James Taylor | 30173 | 17 November 1981 |
| The Bachelor of Arts degree is of no earthly use to anybody | Arnold Edinborough | Harold Kaplan | 30174 | 17 November 1981 |
| More sex education is needed | Laura Sabia | Ken Campbell | 30175 | 17 November 1981 |
| Chemical additives make food dangerous | Dr Ross Hume Hal | Dr George Fleishmann | 30176 | 18 November 1981 |
| Movies that depict the sexual exploitation of minors should be censored | Elwy Yost | Ron Base | 30177 | 18 November 1981 |
| Canada needs stronger military defense | Brig Gen Steven Andrunyk | Dr Norman Alcock | 30178 | 18 November 1981 |
| Human rights acts jeopardize civil liberties and human rights | George Jonas | Ian Scott | 30179 | 24 November 1981 |
| There is more fakery than science to para psychology | Henry Gordon | Howard Eisenberg | 30180 | 24 November 1981 |
| In the present context monetarism is bunk | Paul Hellyer | Prof Michael Parkin | 30181 | 24 November 1981 |
| Paid maternity leave is every woman's right | Grace Hartman | Larry Solway | 30182 | 25 November 1981 |
| Television evangelists are dishonest and deplorable | Tom Harpur | Rev Gerald Morgan | 30183 | 25 November 1981 |
| Women should marry younger men | Annabelle King | Sam Solecki | 30184 | 25 November 1981 |
| The Kent Commission proposals are a threat to freedom of the press | Bill Heine | Tom Kent | 30192 | 1982? |
| Society is overpoliced | Jack Gemmell | David Humphrey | 30185 | 23 March 1982 |
| Equal rights for women in the workforce should be law | Dierdre Gallagher | Claire Hoy | 30187 | 23 March 1982 |
| Legal abortion is a woman's right | Marian Engel | Laura McArthur | 30188 | 23 March 1982 |
| The prison system brutalizes and creates monsters | Dr Daniel Paitich | Robert McGee | 30189 | 23 March 1982 |
| All children have a right to public day care | Pat Schultz | Frank Drea | 30190 | 24 March 1982 |
| There should be compulsory retirement | Dennis Braithwaite | Ross Stevenson | 30191 | 24 March 1982 |
| Public taxes should go to the school of your choice | Lyle McBurney | Doug Little | 30193 | 30 March 1982 |
| Metric conversion is mandatory madness | Bob Runciman | Gerry McCauley | 30194 | 30 March 1982 |
| Scientific evidence better supports creation than evolution | Dr Walter Brown | Dr Peter Moens | 30195 | 31 March 1982 |
| Totally nude spectator sports should be banned | Carol Ruddell | Claire Berstein | 30196 | 31 March 1982 |
| Marijuana should be legalized | Edmond Brown | Dr Andrew Malcolm | 30197 | 31 March 1982 |
| Surrogate motherhood should be a right | Jerald Bain | Dr Suzanne Scorsone | 30198 | 24 October 1982 |
| Fear of crime is media induced | Barrie Zwicker | McKenzie Porter | 30199 | 26 October 1982 |
| Faith healing is a hoax | Dr Howard Seiden | Tom Harpur | 30200 | 26 October 1982 |
| Modern medicine is too expensive | Dr Harding Le Riche | Dr Mark Baltzan | 30201 | 27 October 1982 |
| The American political system is superior to the Canadian system | Charles Templeton | William Kilbourn | 30202 | 27 October 1982 |
| Lawyers should be allowed to advertise | | | 30203 | 27 October 1982 |
| Doctors should have the right to harvest transplant organs | Dr John Dossetor | Prof William Harvey | 30204 | 2 November 1982 |
| Canada does not need the Guardian Angels | William McCormack | Lisa Sliwa | 30205 | 2 November 1982 |
| The Western world should arm space | Nicholas Stethem | Prof John Polanya | 30206 | 2 November 1982 |
| We should revive the failure system in schools | Mark Holmes | Don Rutledge | 30207 | 3 November 1982 |
| Canada should prosecute war criminals | Irwin Cotler | Harold Levy | 30208 | 3 November 1982 |
| National security takes precedence over personal privacy | John Starnes | Alan Borovoy | 30210 | 3 November 1982 |
| Canada should abandon multiculturalism | Richard J Needham | James Fleming | 30211 | 18 January 1983 |
| Children's aid societies have too much power | Cyril Greenland | George Caldwell | 30212 | 18 January 1983 |
| Corporate bailouts bankrupt the economy | Jack Carr | James Gillies | 30213 | 18 January 1983 |
| Criminals should not profit from their pens | Kildare Dobbs | George Jonas | 30214 | 19 January 1983 |
| Violence is a viable political weapon | Desmond Ellis | Murray Thomson | 30215 | 19 January 1983 |
| The peace movement is a subversive force | Lubor J. Zink | Clarke MacDonald | 30216 | 19 January 1983 |
| God is not omnipotent | Russel Legge | James Olthuis | 30217 | 25 January 1983 |
| Homosexuals should be allowed to adopt children | John Lee | Blair Shaw | 30219 | 25 January 1983 |
| The arts must be subsidized | Lister Sinclair | Maryon Kantaroff | 30220 | 25 January 1983 |
| Everyone has a right to a job | Bob Rae | Dr John Crispo | 30222 | 26 January 1983 |

## Reception

During its initial month, The Great Debate gained a 3% share of the BBM television ratings, competing unfavourably to CTV which earned a 31% share for The Streets of San Francisco. By mid-1974, the show's ratings increased to 201,000 viewers from 106,000 within a three-week span.