CANADA READS | AN OVERVIEW & LINKS TO PREVIOUS YEARS’ DEBATES

I’ve never really felt all that Canadian. My parents came to Canada just a year before I was born, and didn’t really take to a lot of the quintessentially Canadian pastimes and cultural touch points. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot I love about my country. It’s beautiful, diverse, full of opportunities and social services our southern cousins lack. It’s also relatively safe and clean, and accepting of difference and alternative lifestyles. There’s a lot it has going for it. But I just never felt Canadian in the small day-to-day ways my peers did. I didn’t grow up playing or watching hockey (though I do enjoy watching it now). I can barely stand upright in skates. I’ve never eaten poutine. I don’t like Tim Horton’s. Or any form of salmon. I don’t particularly enjoy camping or hiking. But there is one thing that I have in common with my homeland – we both love books. And Canada Reads is my favourite national competitive sport.

Those of you who are reading this from abroad may be a little bit confused right now. I doubt you’ve ever heard of Canada Reads, and you’re probably wondering how reading can be considered a sport. So allow me to fill you in.

Canada Reads is an annual battle of the books where five prominent Canadian personalities (everyone from musicians to politicians to war heroes to comedians to actors and many more) each select a Canadian book (and not necessarily one published recently, another fun element to the competition) that they will defend in a debate-style panel. Debates discuss the merits of each book, in terms of content, literary style and relevance to today’s biggest issues. But because they’re discussed by a varied group of people, one of the things that makes it interesting is that they’re not picking the BEST book. They’re basing decisions based on how well each panelists defends their book, the arguments they make, and the passion they bring to the table. The event takes place over consecutive days, and each day one book is voted out by the panelists. Eventually there is one book left standing, and that is the book that best addresses a particular topic relevant to life in Canada, and is the number one book that every Canadian is urged to read that year.

In true Canadian style, the competition isn’t just about picking a winner. All the books on the panel are promoted by publishers and bookstores, and sales for all five books increase by thousands. The true aim is to encourage Canada to read – and to read books by Canadians. In addition to the benefits directly to the books involved in the competition, the publisher of the winning book makes a donation to a literacy-based charity to further support books and reading in our country.

It’s pretty epic. It’s broadcast and live-streamed by the CBC, and thousands of people across the country tune in to hear the year’s five panelists duke it out…. over books.

This alone is enough to make me a very proud Canadian (though, to be clear, it’s not the only thing that I’m proud of).

This year I’m trying to read at least a couple of the books before the debate. But you don’t have to have read the books to enjoy the discussions – in fact, I’ve been listening back over as many past years’ debates as I can find, and thoroughly enjoying myself despite a shamefully low percentage read. (I plan to rectify that.) There is the occasional spoiler, but I find that a small price to pay to hear such intelligent and impassioned discussion of literature.

I’m going to do a separate post on the 2018 longlist, shortlist and panelists in the next week (this year’s debates will be taking place from March 26-29th, so we’ve got about a month). But I wanted to take this opportunity to give you all an overview of what Canada Reads is, and link you to some further information and as many audio and video recordings of previous years’ debates as I can find, along with lists of each year’s contenders and defenders. So get yourself a snack and a cup of tea (or Tim Horton’s coffee – it might not be my thing, but millions of Canadians can’t all be wrong!) and get to know some of our books!

Official Info About Canada Reads:

Five books, five champions, one winner: CBC’s annual Battle of the Books has been getting people listening, watching and, of course, reading, for the past 17 years.

Canada Reads is a “literary Survivor,” with celebrities championing books. Books are  voted “off the bookshelf,” one each day, until one book is chosen as the title the whole country should read this year.

In 2001, CBC producers noticed the popularity of One Book One Community programs, where everyone in a city or town is invited to read and talk about one book. It was also the early days of reality TV shows. The producers thought it would be cool to get a whole country to read together. And to make it interesting, the focus would be about choosing the one book very publicly, in an on-air debate.

The final ingredient was inviting celebrities who were avid readers but not the “usual suspects” when it came to talking about books on the CBC. Athletes and musicians, humanitarians and comedians, a hip hop artist and an astronaut have defended books in the Canada Reads no-holds-barred debates.

Canada Reads first aired as a radio show in 2002. In 2010, the program shifted to live shows in studio with audiences. Today, Canada Reads is broadcast on CBC Radio, CBC-TV and cbcbooks.ca.

Canada Reads also gets people buying books. The first winner, Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion, sold 70,000 copies after the show, years after the novel was first published. Since then, every winning book has become a national bestseller, and in recent years, all five books have become bestsellers. – Canada Reads Website

I’m not going to mark which book won in each year so as not to spoil the listening/watching experience for those new to Canada Reads. To see a full list of all past shortlist contenders, defenders and winners visit the Canada Reads website here. 

2002

Books and Defenders:

• In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje, defended by Steven Page (founding member of the band Barenaked Ladies)
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, defended by Kim Campbell (Canada’s first and only female Prime Minister)
• Whylah Falls by George Elliott Clarke, defended by Nalo Hopkinson (Jamaican-Canadian writer and editor)
• The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence, defended by Leon Rooke (author and artist)
• ​A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, defended by Megan Follows (actress, best known as Anne in Anne of Green Gables, more recently as Queen Catherine de’ Medici in Reign)

I wasn’t able to find any recordings of the 2002 Canada Reads panel (if any of you Canadians out there know where I can find it, please share in the comments!) but I’ll update if I find any!

2003

Books and Defenders:

• Sarah Binks by Paul Hiebert, defended by Will Ferguson (travel writer and novelist)
• Next Episode by Hubert Aquin, translated by Sheila Fischman, defended by Denise Bombardier (journalist, writer and media personality)
• The Lost Garden  by Helen Humphreys, defended by Mag Ruffman (comedian, actress and television host)
• The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston, defended by Justin Trudeau (current Prime Minister of Canada)
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel, defended by Nancy Lee (short story writer and novelist)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

2004

Books and Defenders:

• Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King, defended by Glen Murray (former mayor of Winnepeg, first openly gay mayor of a large North American city)
• The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro, defended by Measha Brueggergosman (award-winning soprano opera singer and concert artist)
• The Heart Is an Involuntary Muscle by Monique Proulx, translated by David Homel and Fred A. Reed, defended by Francine Pelletier (journalist and founder of feminist newspaper La Vie en Rose)
• The Last Crossing by Guy Vanderhaeghe, defended by Jim Cuddy (singer-songwriter, lead singer of Blue Rodeo)
• Barney’s Version by Mordecai Richler, defended by Zsuzsi Gartner (author and journalist)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

2005

Books and Defenders:

• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, defended by Olivia Chow (politician – former Member of Parliament and Toronto city councillor)
• Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen, defended by Molly Johnson (Juno Award-winning singer\songwriter)
• Volkswagen Blues by Jacques Poulin, translated by Sheila Fischman, defended by Roch Carrier (French-Canadian writer and novelist – probably the best known Quebecois writer amongst English-speaking Canada)
• No Crystal Stair by Mairuth Sarsfield, defended by Sherraine MacKay (Canadian Olympic épée fencer)
• Rockbound by Frank Parker Day, defended by Donna Morrissey (novelist)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

2006

Books and Defenders:

• Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, defended by Nelofer Pazira (award-winning Afghan-Canadian director, actress, journalist and author)
• Deafening by Frances Itani, defended by Maureen McTeer (author and lawyer, wife of Joe Clark, the 16th Prime Minister of Canada)
•  A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews, defended by John K. Samson (singer-songwriter, frontman of indie folk/rock band The Weakerthans)
• Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets by Al Purdy, defended by Susan Musgrave (poet and children’s writer)
• ​Cocksure by Mordecai Richler, defended by Scott Thompson (actor and comedian, best known as a member of The Kids In the Hall)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

2007

Books and Defenders:

• Natasha and Other Stories by David Bezmozgis, defended by Steven Page (founding member of the band Barenaked Ladies, formerly defended Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion in the 2002 Canada Reads debates)
• The Song of Kahunsha by Anosh Irani, defended by Donna Morrissey (novelist, formerly defended Frank Parker Day’s Rockbound in the 2005 Canada Reads debates)
• Children of My Heart by Gabrielle Roy, translated by Alan Brown, defended by Denise Bombardier (journalist, writer and media personality, formerly defended Hubert Aquin’s Next Episode in the 2003 Canada Reads debates)
• Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill, defended by John K. Samson (singer-songwriter, frontman of indie folk/rock band The Weakerthans, formerly defended Miriam Toews’ A Complicated Kindness in the 2006 Canada Reads debates)
• Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor, defended by Jim Cuddy (singer-songwriter, lead singer of Blue Rodeo, formerly defended Guy Vanderhaeghe’s The Last Crossing in the 2004 Canada Reads debates)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

2008

Books and Defenders:

• King Leary by Paul Quarrington, defended by Dave Bidini (musician and writer, founding member of the band Rheostatics)
• Not Wanted on the Voyage by Timothy Findley, defended by Zaib Shaikh (actor, writer and director; City of Toronto Film Commissioner and Director of Entertainment Industries)
• ​From the Fifteenth District by Mavis Gallant, defended by  Lisa Moore (writer)
• Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson, defended by Jemeni (actress, writer, activist, broadcaster and community worker)
• Icefields by Thomas Wharton, defended by Steve MacLean (astronaut and former President of the Canadian Space Agency)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

2009

Books and Defenders:

• Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards, defended by Sarah Slean (singer-songwriter, musician, poet, visual artist and actress)
• The Book of Negroes  by Lawrence Hill, defended by Avi Lewis (documentary filmmaker, former host of shows on Al Jazeera and the CBC)
• The Outlander by Gil Adamson, defended by Nicholas Campbell (Gemini Award-winning actor and filmmaker)
• Fruit by Brian Francis, defended by Jen Sookfong Lee (Chinese-Canadian novelist and radio personality)
• The Fat Woman Next Door Is Pregnant by Michel Tremblay, translated by Sheila Fischman, defended by Anne-Marie Withenshaw (television and radio personality)

** I couldn’t find any official recordings of the Canada Reads 2009 debates, but there is a video of the winners as linked below.

The Winners of Canada Reads 2009

2010

Books and Defenders:

• The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy, defended by Samantha Nutt (physician and founder and Executive Director of War Child Canada)
• Generation X by Douglas Coupland, defended by Cadence Weapon (rapper)
• Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner, translated by Lazer Lederhendler, defended by Michel Vézina (French-Canadian writer and comedian)
• Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott, defended by Simi Sara (radio and television broadcaster)
• Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald, defended by Perdita Felicien (retired World champion hurdler)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

Winners Interview

2011

Books and Defenders:

• The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou, defended by Georges Laraque (sports commentator, politician, and former NHL hockey player)
• Essex County by Jeff Lemire, defended by Sara Quin (singer-songwriter from musical duo Tegan and Sara)
• The Birth House by Ami McKay, defended by Debbie Travis (British-Canadian television personality, self-taught interior decorator, and former fashion model)
• Unless by Carol Shields, defended by Lorne Cardinal (stage, television and film actor and former rugby union player, best known for portraying Davis Quinton in Corner Gas)
• The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis, defended by Ali Velshi ( television journalist, a senior economic and business correspondent for NBC News since October 2016 and co-anchor with Stephanie Ruhle of Velshi & Ruhle on MSNBC)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Winners’ Interview

2012

Books and Defenders:

• Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre, defended by Shad (alternative hip hop recording artist and broadcaster former host of Q on CBC Radio One, and host of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series Hip-Hop Evolution)
• On a Cold Road by Dave Bidini, defended by Stacey McKenzie (fashion model, runway coach and most recently a model coach and judge on the Canadian reality television show Canada’s Next Top Model)
• The Game by Ken Dryden, defended by Alan Thicke (actor, songwriter, game and talk show host; father of singer Robin Thicke)
• Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat, defended by Arlene Dickinson (businesswoman, investor, author, and television personality)
• The Tiger by John Vaillant, defended by Anne-France Goldwater (lawyer and television personality)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 3 Q & A | Day 4 | Finale Day 4 | Day 4 Q & A | Canada Reads 2012: True Stories

2013

Books and Defenders:

• The Age of Hope by David Bergen, defended by Ron MacLean (sportscaster for the CBC and Sportsnet who is best known as a host of Hockey Night in Canada)
• Two Solitudes by Hugh MacLennan, defended by Jay Baruchel (actor, screenwriter, model, director, and producer)
• Away by Jane Urquhart, defended by Charlotte Gray (British born Canadian historian and author)
• February by Lisa Moore, defended by Trent McClellan (stand-up comedian, main cast member of This Hour Has 22 Minutes)
• Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, defended by Carol Huynh (first gold medalist for Canada in women’s wrestling and first gold medalist for Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics)

Pre-Debate Videos:

Canada Reads launch: Jay Baruchel & Douglas Gibson | Canada Reads launch: Ron MacLean & David Bergen | Canada Reads Launch: Trent McClellan & Lisa Moore | Canada Reads Launch: Carol Huynh and Richard Wagamese | Canada Reads 2013: Sneak Peek

Panel Debates:

Canada Reads 2013: Carol Huynh (Day One) | Turf Wars Episode 1 | Day 1 Q&A | Turf Wars Episode 2 | Day 2 Q&A | Turf Wars Episode 3 | Turf Wars Episode 4

2014

Theme: One novel to change our nation

Books and Defenders:

• The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood, defended by Stephen Lewis (politician, public speaker, broadcaster and diplomat)
• The Orenda  by Joseph Boyden, defended by Wab Kinew ( politician – Leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, musician, broadcaster and university administrator)
• Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan, defended by Donovan Bailey (“World’s Fastest Man” – retired Canadian sprinter, once held the world record for the 100 metres, gold medal winner at the 1996 Olympic Games)
• Cockroach  by Rawi Hage, defended by Samantha Bee (Canadian-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, media critic, and television host)
• Annabel by Kathleen Winter, defended by Sarah Gadon (actress known for performances in David Cronenberg’s films A Dangerous Method and Cosmopolis; Canadian Screen Award-winner)

Canada Reads 2014: Panelist Wab Kinew’s spoken word opening

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 1 Q&A | Day 2 | Day 2 Q&A | Day 3 | Day 3 Q&A | Day 4 | Day 4 Q&A

2015

Books and Defenders:

• Intolerable by Kamal Al-Solaylee, defended by Kristin Kreuk (actress known as Lana Lang in the superhero television series Smallville and Laurel Yeung in the Canadian teen drama Edgemont)
• ​The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King, defended by Craig Kielburger (author and activist for the rights of children, co-founder of the Free the Children)
• Ru by Kim Thúy, translated by Sheila Fischman, defended by Cameron Bailey (film critic and festival programmer, artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival since 2012, Gemini Award-winning writer)
• When Everything Feels like the Movies by Raziel Reid, defended by Elaine “Lainey” Lui (television personality, writer, reporter, infotainer, self-proclaimed gossip maven)
• And the Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier, translated by Rhonda Mullins, defended by Martha Wainwright (Canadian-American folk-rock singer-songwriter)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 1 Q&A | Day 2 | Day 2 Q&A | Day 3 | Day 3 Q&A | Day 4 | Day 4 Q&A

Highlights:

Cameron Bailey’s powerful final statement about Ru | Kristen Kreuk | Lainey Lui to LGBT youth: “We see you. We see you.” | Lainey Lui calls out Barbara Kay

2016

Books and Defenders:

• The Illegal by Lawrence Hill, defended by Clara Hughes (cyclist and speed skater, dual-season Olympian and fourth athlete to ever to win medals at the Winter and Summer Games – only athlete in history to win multiple medals at both)
• The Hero’s Walk by Anita Rau Badami, defended by Vinay Virmani (actor)
• Birdie by Tracey Lindberg, defended by Bruce Poon Tip (entrepreneur best known for founding the travel company G Adventures, bestselling author)
• Bone and Bread by Saleema Nawaz, defended by Farah Mohamed (Ugandan-Canadian award-winning activist, founder and CEO of G(irls)20, a global social profit enterprise to promote the economic and educational empowerment of girls and women)
• Minister Without Portfolio by Michael Winter, defended by Adam Copeland (actor, podcaster, and retired professional wrestler known by his ring name Edge, member of the WWE Hall of Fame)

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 2 Q&A | Day 3 | Day 3 Q&A | Day 4 | Day 4 Q&A

Highlights and Extras:

Canada Reads authors give pep talks to their panelists | Bruce Poon Tip on Birdie and the struggle for Canadian identity | Vinay Virmani on The Hero’s Walk and literary beauty | Clara Hughes on literary lessons in The Illegal | Clara Hughes on her favourite scene in The Illegal | Farah Mohamed on the strong women characters in the two final books | Adam Copeland on why being a Canada Reads panellist was so important to him | Bruce Poon Tip makes an exciting announcement | Lawrence Hill makes a special appearance | Vinay Virmani on Anita Rau Badami’s inspiring true story | Ask a Writer: Lawrence Hill

2017

Books and Defenders:

• Company Town by Madeline Ashby, defended by Measha Brueggergosman (award-winning soprano opera singer and concert artist, former defender of Alice Munro’s The Love of a Good Woman in the 2004 Canada Reads debates)
• Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis, defended by Humble The Poet (elementary school teacher and Toronto bred MC/Spoken Word Artist)
• The Right to Be Cold by Sheila Watt-Cloutier, defended by Chantal Kreviazuk (singer-songwriter, guitarist, classically trained pianist)
• Nostalgia by M.G. Vassanji, defended by Jody Mitic (politician – Ottawa City Councillor, author, former Canadian army elite sniper, contestant on Amazing Race Canada)
• The Break by Katherena Vermette, defended by Candy Palmater (comedian and broadcaster. creator and writer of The Candy Show for APTN, and host of The Candy Palmater Show on CBC Radio One)

Podcast Preview

Panel Debates:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Highlights and Extras:

Candy Palmater makes an impassioned plea for The Break | Chantal Kreviazuk and Jody Mitic spar over The Right to be Cold on Day One | Humble The Poet comes out swinging for Fifteen Dogs | Canada Reads panelists receive words of encouragement from their biggest supporters | Why Jody Mitic chose to defend Nostalgia by M.G. Vassanji | Chantal Kreviazuk defends The Right to Be Cold by Sheila Watt-Cloutier | Measha Brueggergosman discusses the characters of Company Town | Humble The Poet on how Fifteen Dogs teaches us to forgive ourselves | Measha Brueggergosman on the value of sci-fi novels | Best of Canada Reads 2017

**Note this is a living post. I will be updating it as I find more information or as you guys provide me with any links or info I haven’t already included!