The World Affairs Conference

The World Affairs Conference, also known as WAC, is Canada's oldest annual student-run current affairs conference. It was first held in March 1983 and initiated by UCC student David James Wilson, working in collaboration with faculty advisor, Paul W. Bennett. The first Keynote Speaker was Dr. William Epstein, United Nations Expert on the Nuclear Arms Race. The program format combined speakers, panels, theme plenaries and student-moderated discussions, first initiated by Stephanie Reford's Introducing the World Program. In 1984 and 1985, UCC student Ira Nishisato became Chair and WAC expanded. In February 1985, WAC attraced some 1,600 students from over 70 different high schools across North America. A student organizing committee carried the conference forward over its first 10 years, guided at first by Paul Bennett, then by Thomas Matthews. Both Faculty Advisors went on to become Headmasters in other Canadian independent schools. Among the most popular keynote speakers in the first decade were former UN Ambassador Stephen Lewis, Editor Robin Morgan, Ralph Nader, and Lord David Owen. Senior students from UCC and Branksome Hall began working together in the late 1980s and have sustained the annual conference for over 25 years.

Today, WAC continues to be held annually for two days at Upper Canada College located in Toronto, Ontario, attended by over 750 international students from 20 schools; providing a forum for students to hear opinions of leaders in the Global Community and discuss current and pressing world issues amongst themselves. More recent speakers have included Michael Ignatieff, Susan Faludi, Gwynne Dyer, Bob Rae, Jeffrey Sachs, Samantha Nutt, Dambisa Moyo and Thomas Homer-Dixon, all of whom have spoken on a variety of topics including Human Rights, Gender Issues, Justice, Globalization,and Health Ethics. Focused on a central theme, the annual two-day conference has discussed topics ranging from demographics, human rights, gender issues, justice and health ethics.