Writers' Trust of Canada
Donate

Discover exceptional Canadian writers and writing for your to-read pile

Writers & Books

Each of these authors has benefitted from Writers' Trust awards or programs.

Awards

Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing

2025

Finalists
Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Shaping of a National Identity 

Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Shaping of a National Identity 

Raymond B. Blake

The Prince: The Turbulent Reign of Justin Trudeau 

The Prince: The Turbulent Reign of Justin Trudeau 

Stephen Maher

Health for All: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Healthier Canada 

Health for All: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Healthier Canada 

Jane Philpott 

The Adaptable Country: How Canada Can Survive the Twenty-First Century 

The Adaptable Country: How Canada Can Survive the Twenty-First Century 

Alasdair Roberts

The Knowing 

The Knowing 

Tanya Talaga

2024

Winner
Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast

Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast

John Vaillant

John Vaillant

Finalists
Not Here: Why American Democracy Is Eroding and How Canada Can Protect Itself

Not Here: Why American Democracy Is Eroding and How Canada Can Protect Itself

Rob Goodman

Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial

Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial

Benjamin Perrin

Canada: Beyond Grudges, Grievances, and Disunity

Canada: Beyond Grudges, Grievances, and Disunity

Donald J. Savoie

The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart

The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart

Astra Taylor

2023

Winner
How to Be a Climate Optimist: Blueprints for a Better World

How to Be a Climate Optimist: Blueprints for a Better World

Chris Turner

Chris Turner

Finalists
Kinauvit?: What’s Your Name? The Eskimo Disc System and a Daughter’s Search for her Grandmother

Kinauvit?: What’s Your Name? The Eskimo Disc System and a Daughter’s Search for her Grandmother

Norma Dunning

From Left to Right: Saskatchewan’s Political and Economic Transformation

From Left to Right: Saskatchewan’s Political and Economic Transformation

Dale Eisler

Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy

Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy

Josh O’Kane

Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation

Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation

Andrew Stobo Sniderman

and

Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii)

2022

Winner
China Unbound: A New World Disorder

China Unbound: A New World Disorder

Joanna Chiu

Joanna Chiu

Finalists
The Two Michaels: Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the US-China Cyber War

The Two Michaels: Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the US-China Cyber War

Mike Blanchfield

and

Fen Osler Hampson

The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future 

The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future 

Stephen Poloz

Flora!: A Woman in a Man's World

Flora!: A Woman in a Man's World

Geoffrey Stevens

and

Flora MacDonald

“Indian” in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power

“Indian” in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power

Jody Wilson-Raybould

2021

Winner
Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society

Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society

Ronald J. Deibert

Ronald J. Deibert

Finalists
Can You Hear Me Now? How I Found My Voice and Learned to Live with Passion and Purpose

Can You Hear Me Now? How I Found My Voice and Learned to Live with Passion and Purpose

Celina Caesar-Chavannes

The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power

The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power

Desmond Cole

Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada

Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada

Alex Marland

The Abortion Caravan: When Women Shut Down Government in the Battle for the Right to Choose

The Abortion Caravan: When Women Shut Down Government in the Battle for the Right to Choose

Karin Wells

2019

Winner
Truth Be Told: My Journey Through Life and the Law

Truth Be Told: My Journey Through Life and the Law

Beverley McLachlin

Beverley McLachlin

Finalists
Canada on the United Nations Security Council: A Small Power on a Large Stage

Canada on the United Nations Security Council: A Small Power on a Large Stage

Adam Chapnick

Peace and Good Order: The Case for Indigenous Justice in Canada

Peace and Good Order: The Case for Indigenous Justice in Canada

Harold R. Johnson

Claws of the Panda: Beijing’s Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada

Claws of the Panda: Beijing’s Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada

Jonathan Manthorpe

Canadian Justice, Indigenous Injustice

Canadian Justice, Indigenous Injustice

Kent Roach

2018

Winner
Boys: What it Means to Become a Man

Boys: What it Means to Become a Man

Rachel Giese

Rachel Giese

Finalists
Breaching the Peace: The Site C Dam and a Valley’s Stand against Big Hydro

Breaching the Peace: The Site C Dam and a Valley’s Stand against Big Hydro

Sarah Cox

Pipe Dreams: The Fight for Canada’s Energy Future

Pipe Dreams: The Fight for Canada’s Energy Future

Jacques Poitras

Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees

Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees

Harley Rustad

Homes: A Refugee Story

Homes: A Refugee Story

Winnie Yeung

and

Abu Bakr al Rabeeah

2017

Winner
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City

Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City

Tanya Talaga

Tanya Talaga

Finalists
Unbuttoned: A History of Mackenzie King’s Secret Life

Unbuttoned: A History of Mackenzie King’s Secret Life

Christopher Dummitt

All We Leave Behind: A Reporter’s Journey into the Lives of Others

All We Leave Behind: A Reporter’s Journey into the Lives of Others

Carol Off

Out Standing in the Field: A Memoir by Canada’s First Female Infantry Officer

Out Standing in the Field: A Memoir by Canada’s First Female Infantry Officer

Sandra Perron

Robert Bond: The Greatest Newfoundlander

Robert Bond: The Greatest Newfoundlander

Ted Rowe

2016

Winner
Brown: What Being Brown in the World Today Means (To Everyone)

Brown: What Being Brown in the World Today Means (To Everyone)

Kamal Al-Solaylee

Kamal Al-Solaylee

Finalists
Life Sentence: Stories from Four Decades of Court Reporting – or, How I Fell Out of Love with the Canadian Justice System (Especially Judges)

Life Sentence: Stories from Four Decades of Court Reporting – or, How I Fell Out of Love with the Canadian Justice System (Especially Judges)

Christie Blatchford

The Vimy Trap: Or, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Great War

The Vimy Trap: Or, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Great War

Ian McKay and Jamie Swift

Turmoil, as Usual: Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador and the Road to the 2015 Election

Turmoil, as Usual: Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador and the Road to the 2015 Election

James McLeod

The Candidate: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail

The Candidate: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail

Noah Richler

2015

Winner
Stephen Harper

Stephen Harper

John Ibbitson

John Ibbitson

Finalists
Grit: The Life and Politics of Paul Martin Sr.

Grit: The Life and Politics of Paul Martin Sr.

Greg Donaghy

O.D. Skelton: A Portrait of Canadian Ambition

O.D. Skelton: A Portrait of Canadian Ambition

Norman Hillmer

Slick Water: Fracking and One Insider’s Stand Against the World’s Most Powerful Industry

Slick Water: Fracking and One Insider’s Stand Against the World’s Most Powerful Industry

Andrew Nikiforuk

The Right to Be Cold: One Woman’s Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic, and the Whole Planet

The Right to Be Cold: One Woman’s Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic, and the Whole Planet

Sheila Watt-Cloutier

2014

Winner
Enlightenment 2.0: Restoring Sanity to Our Politics, Our Economy, and Our Lives

Enlightenment 2.0: Restoring Sanity to Our Politics, Our Economy, and Our Lives

Joseph Heath

Joseph Heath

Finalists
The Morning After: The 1995 Quebec Referendum and the Day that Almost Was

The Morning After: The 1995 Quebec Referendum and the Day that Almost Was

Chantal Hébert and Jean Lapierre

This Changes Everything: Capitalism Vs. the Climate

This Changes Everything: Capitalism Vs. the Climate

Naomi Klein

The Comeback: How Aboriginals Are Reclaiming Power and Influence

The Comeback: How Aboriginals Are Reclaiming Power and Influence

John Ralston Saul

What I Learned About Politics: Inside the Rise—and Collapse—of Nova Scotia’s NDP Government

What I Learned About Politics: Inside the Rise—and Collapse—of Nova Scotia’s NDP Government

Graham Steele

2013

Winner
The Longer I'm Prime Minister: Stephen Harper and Canada, 2006 –

The Longer I'm Prime Minister: Stephen Harper and Canada, 2006 –

Paul Wells

Paul Wells

Finalists
The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914

The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914

Margaret MacMillan

Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design

Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design

Charles Montgomery

Whatever Happened to the Music Teacher? How Government Decides and Why

Whatever Happened to the Music Teacher? How Government Decides and Why

Donald J. Savoie

The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan

The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan

Graeme Smith

2012

Winner
Walls: Travels Along the Barricades

Walls: Travels Along the Barricades

Marcello Di Cintio

Marcello Di Cintio

Finalists
Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile

Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile

Taras Grescoe

What We Talk About When We Talk About War

What We Talk About When We Talk About War

Noah Richler

Chronic Condition: Why Canada's Health-Care System Needs to Be Dragged into the 21st Century

Chronic Condition: Why Canada's Health-Care System Needs to Be Dragged into the 21st Century

Jeffrey Simpson

The Merger Delusion: How Swallowing Its Suburbs Made an Even Bigger Mess of Montreal

The Merger Delusion: How Swallowing Its Suburbs Made an Even Bigger Mess of Montreal

Peter Trent

2011

Winner
Nation Maker: Sir John A. Macdonald: His Life, Our Times; Volume Two: 1867-1891

Nation Maker: Sir John A. Macdonald: His Life, Our Times; Volume Two: 1867-1891

Richard Gwyn

Richard Gwyn

Finalists
The Last Act: Pierre Trudeau, the Gang of Eight, and the Fight for Canada

The Last Act: Pierre Trudeau, the Gang of Eight, and the Fight for Canada

Ron Graham

Trudeau Transformed: The Shaping of a Statesman, 1944-1965

Trudeau Transformed: The Shaping of a Statesman, 1944-1965

Max & Monique Nemni

Empire of the Beetle: How Human Folly and a Tiny Bug Are Killing North America’s Great Forests

Empire of the Beetle: How Human Folly and a Tiny Bug Are Killing North America’s Great Forests

Andrew Nikiforuk

Imaginary Line: Life on an Unfinished Border

Imaginary Line: Life on an Unfinished Border

Jacques Poitras

2010

Winner
The Ghosts of Europe: Journeys Through Central Europe's Troubled Past and Uncertain Future

The Ghosts of Europe: Journeys Through Central Europe's Troubled Past and Uncertain Future

Anna Porter

Anna Porter

Finalists
The Madman and the Butcher: The Sensational Wars of Sam Hughes and General Arthur Currie

The Madman and the Butcher: The Sensational Wars of Sam Hughes and General Arthur Currie

Tim Cook

Polar Imperative: A History of Arctic Sovereignty in North America

Polar Imperative: A History of Arctic Sovereignty in North America

Shelagh D. Grant

Harperland: The Politics of Control

Harperland: The Politics of Control

Lawrence Martin

Arrival City: The Final Migration and our Next World

Arrival City: The Final Migration and our Next World

Doug Saunders

2009

Winner
Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-2000

Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-2000

John English

John English

Finalists
Murder Without Borders: Dying For the Story in the World’s Most Dangerous Places

Murder Without Borders: Dying For the Story in the World’s Most Dangerous Places

Terry Gould

Who We Are: A Citizen’s Manifesto

Who We Are: A Citizen’s Manifesto

Rudyard Griffiths

Six Months in Sudan: A Young Doctor in a War-torn Village

Six Months in Sudan: A Young Doctor in a War-torn Village

James Maskalyk

René Lévesque

René Lévesque

Daniel Poliquin

2008

Winner
An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action in the Twenty-first Century

An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action in the Twenty-first Century

James Orbinski

James Orbinski

Finalists
The Secret Lives of Saints: Child Brides and Lost Boys in Canada’s Polygamous Mormon Sect

The Secret Lives of Saints: Child Brides and Lost Boys in Canada’s Polygamous Mormon Sect

Daphne Bramham

The Sun Climbs Slow: Justice in the Age of Imperial America

The Sun Climbs Slow: Justice in the Age of Imperial America

Erna Paris

Where the Pavement Ends: Canada’s Aboriginal Recovery Movement and the Urgent Need for Reconciliation

Where the Pavement Ends: Canada’s Aboriginal Recovery Movement and the Urgent Need for Reconciliation

Marie Wadden

Dry Spring: The Coming Water Crisis of North America

Dry Spring: The Coming Water Crisis of North America

Chris Wood

2007

Winner
The Unexpected War: Canada in Kandahar

The Unexpected War: Canada in Kandahar

Janice Gross Stein and Eugene Lang

Janice Gross Stein and Eugene Lang

Finalists
Urban Meltdown: Cities, Climate Change and Politics as Usual

Urban Meltdown: Cities, Climate Change and Politics as Usual

Clive Doucet

John A: The Man Who Made Us; The Life and Times of John A. Macdonald, Volume One: 1815–1867

John A: The Man Who Made Us; The Life and Times of John A. Macdonald, Volume One: 1815–1867

Richard Gwyn

Why Mexicans Don’t Drink Molson

Why Mexicans Don’t Drink Molson

Andrea Mandel-Campbell

The People’s House of Commons: Theories of Democracy in Contention

The People’s House of Commons: Theories of Democracy in Contention

David Smith

2006

Winner
Young Trudeau: Son of Quebec, Father of Canada, 1919-1944

Young Trudeau: Son of Quebec, Father of Canada, 1919-1944

Max & Monique Nemni

Max & Monique Nemni

Finalists
Citizen of the World: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Volume 1: 1919-1968

Citizen of the World: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Volume 1: 1919-1968

John English

The Way it Works: Inside Ottawa

The Way it Works: Inside Ottawa

Eddie Goldenberg

The Washington Diaries, 1981-1989

The Washington Diaries, 1981-1989

Allan Gotlieb

Bitter Chocolate: Investigating the Dark Side of the World’s Most Seductive Sweet

Bitter Chocolate: Investigating the Dark Side of the World’s Most Seductive Sweet

Carol Off

2005

Winner
The Drug Trial: Nancy Olivieri and the Science Scandal that Rocked the Hospital for Sick Children

The Drug Trial: Nancy Olivieri and the Science Scandal that Rocked the Hospital for Sick Children

Miriam Shuchman

Miriam Shuchman

Finalists
Loss of Faith: How the Air-India Bombers Got Away with Murder

Loss of Faith: How the Air-India Bombers Got Away with Murder

Kim Bolan

Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada

Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada

William Johnson

How the Cold War Began: The Gouzenko Affair and the Hunt for Soviet Spies

How the Cold War Began: The Gouzenko Affair and the Hunt for Soviet Spies

Amy Knight

Starlight Tour: The Last, Lonely Night of Neil Stonechild

Starlight Tour: The Last, Lonely Night of Neil Stonechild

Susanne Reber and Robert Renaud

2004

Winner
Dark Age Ahead

Dark Age Ahead

Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs

Finalists
Future: Tense: The Coming World Order

Future: Tense: The Coming World Order

Gwynne Dyer

Who Killed the Canadian Military?

Who Killed the Canadian Military?

J. L. Granatstein

At Home in the World: Canada’s Global Vision for the 21st Century

At Home in the World: Canada’s Global Vision for the 21st Century

Jennifer Welsh

Greenpeace: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists and Visionaries Changed the World

Greenpeace: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists and Visionaries Changed the World

Rex Weyler

2003

Winner
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda

Romeo Dallaire

Romeo Dallaire

Finalists
The Story of Jane Doe

The Story of Jane Doe

Jane Doe

The Road to Hell: How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada

The Road to Hell: How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada

Julian Sher and William Marsden

2002

Winner
Fights of Our Lives: Elections, Leaders, and the Making of Canada

Fights of Our Lives: Elections, Leaders, and the Making of Canada

John Duffy

John Duffy

Finalists
Uncle Sam and Us: Globalization, Neoconservatism, and the Canadian State

Uncle Sam and Us: Globalization, Neoconservatism, and the Canadian State

Stephen Clarkson

Well of Lies: The Walkerton Water Tragedy

Well of Lies: The Walkerton Water Tragedy

Colin N Perkel

The Lawmakers: Judicial Power and the Shaping of Canadian Federalism

The Lawmakers: Judicial Power and the Shaping of Canadian Federalism

John T Saywell

Who Gets In: What’s Wrong with Canada’s Immigration Program – and How to Fix It

Who Gets In: What’s Wrong with Canada’s Immigration Program – and How to Fix It

Daniel Stoffman

2001

Winner
In the Name of the Father

In the Name of the Father

Daniel Poliquin

Daniel Poliquin

Finalists
Another Season's Promise

Another Season's Promise

Ingeborg Boyens

The Cult of Efficiency

The Cult of Efficiency

Janice Gross Stein

All You Can Eat

All You Can Eat

Linda McQuaig

Until you are Dead

Until you are Dead

Julian Sher

2000

Winner
Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History

Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History

Erna Paris

Erna Paris

Finalists
Distant Relations: How My Ancestors Colonized North America

Distant Relations: How My Ancestors Colonized North America

Victoria Freeman

The Next Canada: In Search of our Future Nation

The Next Canada: In Search of our Future Nation

Myrna Kostash

The Lion, the Fox, & the Eagle: A Story of Generals and Justice in Rwanda and Yugoslavia

The Lion, the Fox, & the Eagle: A Story of Generals and Justice in Rwanda and Yugoslavia

Carol Off

The Ethical Canary: Science, Society and the Human Spirit

The Ethical Canary: Science, Society and the Human Spirit

Margaret Somerville