JURY AND CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ANNOUNCED
FOR $35,000 2009 DONNER PRIZE

THE HONOURABLE A. ANNE MCLELLAN TO CHAIR JURY

TORONTO, OCTOBER 15, 2009 – Allan Gotlieb, Chairman of the Donner Canadian Foundation, today announced the official Call for Submissions and Jury for the twelfth annual Donner Prize. In a statement released in Toronto, he says "The Donner Canadian Foundation is once again looking for the best books on Canadian public policy. Last year’s shortlisted books certainly generated a great deal of discussion on a number of topical, provocative and controversial subjects. We are eagerly waiting to see what the authors have in store for us this year, and who will eventually take home the $35,000 prize."

Mr. Gotlieb also announced this year’s Prize Jury. "It is my pleasure to announce that the Honourable Anne McLellan will take the helm as this year’s jury chair. We are also pleased to welcome two new jurors: Wendy Dobson and Robert Lacroix, who will join our returning jurors Peter Harder and Denis Stairs."

Regarding her new role as jury chair, Anne McLellan said "The Donner Prize acknowledges the important work being done by outstanding Canadians in areas of critical public policy. I am proud to be chairing the jury this year and look forward to the submissions." McLellan has served on the Donner Prize jury for the past two years. She joined Bennett Jones LLP after a distinguished career in federal politics, where she served four terms as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre from 1993-2006. During her political career McLellan was Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Minister of Health, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister of Natural Resources and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians.

Dr. Wendy Dobson is Co-director of the Institute for International Business in the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. She is a former Associate Deputy Minister of Finance and a former President of the C.D. Howe Institute. Robert Lacroix is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Economics and former rector (1998-2005) of the Université de Montréal. He also served at the Université as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and President and Executive Director of CIRANO (Centre for Interuniversity Research and Analysis on Organizations).

Returning to the jury are Peter Harder, Senior Policy Advisor to Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Harder has been at the centre of government decision making for over thirty years and was the longest serving Deputy Minister in the Government of Canada; and Denis Stairs, Professor Emeritus in Political Science at Dalhousie University. A past-President of the Canadian Political Science Association and founding Director of the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies

The Donner Canadian Foundation, one of Canada’s largest foundations, created the prize to encourage increased research into public policy in Canada and to promote the discussion of policy issues in the public arena. The winner of the Donner Prize, the award for best book on Canadian public policy, will receive $35,000, with $5,000 being awarded to the other shortlisted titles (to a maximum of five titles). In giving this annual award, the Foundation seeks to not only broaden policy debate, but also to increase general awareness of the importance of policy discourse. "Winning the Donner Prize was a terrific honour," said Ken Coates, winner of the 2008 Prize. "The award drew attention to our work, generated renewed interest in the subject and allowed us to reach new audiences."

Thomas Allen Publishers’ Patrick Crean went on to say, "We are very proud to be the publishers of a book – Arctic Front by Ken Coates, Whitney Lackenbauer, William Morrison, and Greg Poelzer – that won Canada’s premier prize for ideas and public policy, The Donner Prize. This is an important and necessary award that helps draw attention to noteworthy books of social and political import."

Books submitted for the prize should focus on Canadian public policy issues, for example: regulatory and legal reform, public finance, the environment, urban affairs, health care, and education reform. Submissions must be written by Canadian citizens, but they may be published by non-Canadian publishing houses, so long as the books have implications for Canada. For the 2009 prize, books that are written by Canadians in either English or French, between January 1, and December 31, 2009, are eligible. See www.DonnerBookPrize.com for complete rules regarding eligibility and submission procedures.

The $35,000 Donner Prize for 2008 was awarded to Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North by Ken S. Coates, P. Whitney Lackenbauer, William R. Morrison & Greg Poelzer (Thomas Allen Publishers). The $5,000 shortlisted titles were: Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State by Tarek Fatah (John Wiley & Sons, Canada), Fixing the Future: How Canada’s Usually Fractious Governments Worked Together to Rescue the Canada Pension Plan by Bruce Little (Rotman / University of Toronto Press Publishing.), The Limits of Boundaries: Why City-regions Cannot be Self-governing by Andrew Sancton (McGill-Queen’s University Press), and Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation by Frances Widdowson & Albert Howard (McGill-Queen’s University Press).

The deadline for submissions for this year’s prize is November 30. A shortlist will be announced late March 2010, and the winner will be proclaimed at a gala dinner in Toronto in April 2010.

For further information, please contact:
Sherry Naylor
MDG & Associates
Phone: (416) 368-8253
E-mail: sherry@mdgassociates.com
www.donnerbookprize.com

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11th ANNUAL DONNER PRIZE WINNER ANNOUNCED

A clarion call to all Canadians about our endangered Arctic region takes home $35,000 prize.

Toronto, Thursday, April 30th – The winner of the prestigious Donner Prize, an annual award for best book on Canadian public policy, was announced this evening by Allan Gotlieb, the Chairman of the Donner Canadian Foundation, at a gala awards dinner at the Carlu.

Ken S. Coates, P. Whitney Lackenbauer, William R. Morrison & Greg Poelzer were awarded the $35,000 prize for Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North, published by Thomas Allen Publishers. The authors were also presented with a Claire Brunet brass sculpture that has been a part of the Donner Prize since its inception in 1998.

“An integrated volume by four of Canada’s leading Northern specialists, each author’s expertise has enriched the text; a very useful, topical and policy-relevant book. Unquestionably, this book deals with a subject of major public importance and interest,” said Jury Chairman Grant Reuber, “This is a substantial and accessible book that should be widely read by everyone interested in an insightful introduction to this subject.”

Ken S. Coates was short-listed for the Donner Prize in 2000 for The Marshall Decision and Native Rights (McGill-Queen’s University Press). He is currently Professor of History and Dean of Arts, University of Waterloo.
P. Whitney Lackenbauer is an Assistant Professor of History at St. Jerome’s University, University of Waterloo.
William R. Morrison is Professor of History, University of Northern British Columbia.
Greg Poelzer is the founding Dean of Undergraduate Studies for the University of the Arctic and an Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Saskatchewan.

The other nominated titles, each of which received $5,000 each, were:

Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State by Tarek Fatah (John Wiley & Sons, Canada)
Fixing the Future: How Canada’s Usually Fractious Governments Worked Together to Rescue the Canada Pension Plan by Bruce Little (Rotman / University of Toronto Press Publishing)
The Limits of Boundaries: Why City-regions Cannot be Self-governing by Andrew Sancton (McGill-Queen’s University Press)
Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation by Frances Widdowson & Albert Howard (McGill-Queen’s University Press)

Last year’s winner of the $35,000 Donner Prize was David E. Smith for his book The People’s House of Commons: Theories of Democracy in Contention, published by University of Toronto Press.

The winner of the Donner Prize was chosen from an impressive list of 69 submissions and a shortlist of five by a five-member jury: Grant L. Reuber (chairman), Claude E. Forget, V. Peter Harder, A. Anne McLellan and Denis Stairs.

“I have been on the Donner Jury since its inception and over the years, have been consistently impressed at the quality and variety of books that are submitted for the prize. Winning the Donner Prize is a career highlight for many of the authors. I am delighted that I have been able to bring these issues to the public’s attention as a member of the Donner jury,” said Grant Reuber.

The Donner Foundation wishes to thank Grant L. Reuber for his dedication and commitment to the Donner Prize over the past eleven years. Reuber has announced that it will be his last year as Jury Chair.

Allan Gotlieb also announced today that Anne McLellan has been selected as Jury Chair for the 12th annual Donner Prize. The call for submissions for the 2009/2010 Donner Prize will go out in September 2009.

The Donner Prize annually rewards excellence and innovation in Canadian public policy writing; inspiring lively debate on public policy issues and rewarding provocative and excellent work that speaks to an informed readership and an open exchange of ideas and public debate. In bestowing this award, the Donner Canadian Foundation seeks to broaden policy debates, increase general awareness of the importance of policy decision making and make an original and meaningful contribution to policy discourse.

For further information, please contact:
Debby De Groot
Meisner, de Groot & Associates
Phone: (416) 363-1448
E-mail: debby@mdgassociates.com
www.donnerbookprize.com

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11th ANNUAL DONNER PRIZE SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

Challenging topics, challenging solutions

The Arctic, the Islamic State, Canada Pension Plan, Cities, and Aboriginal Cultural Preservation

TORONTO, MARCH 31, 2009 –
The five finalists competing for the 2008/2009 Donner Prize, the award for best book on Canadian public policy, were announced today by Allan Gotlieb, Chairman of the Donner Canadian Foundation.

"The Donner Prize annually rewards excellence and innovation in Canadian public policy writing; inspiring lively debate on public policy issues and rewarding provocative and excellent work that speaks to an informed readership and an open exchange of ideas and public debate. In bestowing this award, the Donner Canadian Foundation seeks to broaden policy debates, increase general awareness of the importance of policy decision making and make an original and meaningful contribution to policy discourse," said Mr. Gotlieb.

Jury Chairman Grant Reuber commented on this year’s shortlist: "It is our responsibility as a jury to identify outstanding books on issues that Canadians think and care about. We feel this year’s Donner Prize shortlist meets those criteria, with the writers exploring a broad range of public policy issues that are both timely and controversial. We hope that the books on this year’s shortlist will stimulate discussion among Canadians on a number of public policy issues of current concern."

The Donner Prize was established in 1998 to recognize and reward the best public policy thinking, writing and research in Canada. The 2008/2009 Shortlist books were chosen from 69 submissions. The winner of this year’s Donner Prize will be announced at an awards ceremony in Toronto on Thursday, April 30, 2009. The winner will receive $35,000, with $5,000 awarded to the other finalists.

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For further information, please contact:
Debby De Groot
Meisner, de Groot & Associates
Phone: (416) 363-1448
E-mail: debby@mdgassociates.com
www.donnerbookprize.com

The 2008/2009 Donner Prize Finalists are:

Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North by Ken S. Coates, P. Whitney Lackenbauer, William R. Morrison & Greg Poelzer (Thomas Allen Publishers)

Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State by Tarek Fatah (John Wiley & Sons, Canada)

Fixing the Future: How Canada’s Usually Fractious Governments Worked Together to Rescue the Canada Pension Plan by Bruce Little (Rotman / University of Toronto Press Publishing)

The Limits of Boundaries: Why City-regions Cannot be Self-governing by Andrew Sancton (McGill-Queen’s University Press)

Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation by Frances Widdowson & Albert Howard (McGill-Queen’s University Press)

The 2008/2009 Donner Prize Shortlist

Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North by Ken S. Coates, P. Whitney Lackenbauer, William R. Morrison & Greg Poelzer (Thomas Allen Publishers)

A truly integrated volume by four of Canada’s leading Northern specialists, Arctic Front is a clarion call to all Canadians about our endangered Arctic region, challenging the country to step away from the symbols and myth making of the past and toward the urgent political, environmental and economic realities of the 21st century.

Ken S. Coates was short-listed for the Donner Prize in 2000 for The Marshall Decision and Native Rights (McGill-Queen’s University Press). He is Professor of History and Dean of Arts, University of Waterloo. P. Whitney Lackenbauer is an Assistant Professor of History at St. Jerome’s University, University of Waterloo. William R. Morrison is Professor of History, University of Northern British Columbia. Greg Poelzer is the founding Dean of Undergraduate Studies for the University of the Arctic and an Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Saskatchewan.

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Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State by Tarek Fatah (John Wiley & Sons, Canada)

A fascinating book that seeks to differentiate between the Islamic State and the state of Islam. Can a millennia of aggression be brought to a halt? Chasing a Mirage is unequivocal in its answer and its remedy to end political violence that is inimical to Islam and its state of grace and peace.

Tarek Fatah is host of the weekly TV show, Muslim Chronicle, and a frequent contributor to the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, and the National Post. The National Press Club of Canada awarded Fatah the 2007 Press Freedom Award. In 2002, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for his work in the community.

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Fixing the Future: How Canada’s Usually Fractious Governments Worked Together to Rescue the Canada Pension Plan by Bruce Little (Rotman / University of Toronto Press Publishing)

While the deficit battles have been recounted many times, the story of the reform that rescued the CPP has gone almost entirely untold. In the readable and authoritative Fixing The Future, Bruce Little explains the CPP overhaul and shows how it stands as one of Canada’s most significant public policy success stories.

Bruce Little has worked as a journalist and policy analyst, primarily at The Globe and Mail as an economics writer and columnist, and recently as Special Adviser to the Governor of the Bank of Canada.

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The Limits of Boundaries: Why City-regions Cannot be Self-governing by Andrew Sancton (McGill-Queen’s University Press)

With city-regions becoming increasingly important as sources of innovation and wealth in our society, does it follow that their institutions of government will become increasingly autonomous and ultimately self-governing? Andrew Sancton combines his own broad knowledge of global changes with an outline and comparison of the viewpoints of prominent social scientists to challenge accepted wisdom.

Andrew Sancton is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Local Government Program at the University of Western Ontario.

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Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation by Frances Widdowson & Albert Howard (McGill-Queen’s University Press)

Despite the billions of dollars devoted to aboriginal causes, Native people in Canada continue to suffer all the symptoms of a marginalized existence: high rates of substance abuse, violence and poverty. Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry argues that the policies proposed to address these problems are in fact contributing to their entrenchment.

Frances Widdowson is a faculty member, Department of Policy Studies, Mount Royal College. Albert Howard has worked as a consultant for government and Native groups and is currently an instructor and Director of Programs, Kennedy College of Technology, Toronto.

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