Quill and Quire

Awards

« Back to Omni
Articles

Indigenous justice, international relations among topics explored in shortlisted Shaughnessy Cohen titles

Canadian justice, international relations, and Indigenous rights are among the topics explored – often simultaneously – in the five books shortlisted for the Writers’ Trust’s 20th annual Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. The $25,000 prize will be presented Sept. 23 during a virtual version of the annual Politics and the Pen gala. The charity event has raised more than $4.5 million for the Writers’ Trust.

This year’s jury included Althia Raj, Ottawa bureau chief for HuffPost Canada; Paula Simons, an independent senator; and the late Greg Donaghy, a federal government historian who died on July 1 after suffering a heart attack. The prize is presented to a work of literary non-fiction on a political topic of relevance to Canadians.

This year’s finalists, listed below, will each receive $2,500.

  • Canada on the United Nations Security Council: A Small Power on a Large Stage, Adam Chapnick (UBC Press)
  • Peace and Good Order: The Case for Indigenous Justice in Canada, Harold R. Johnson (McClelland & Stewart)
  • Claws of the Panda: Beijing’s Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada, Jonathan Manthorpe (Cormorant Books)
  • Truth Be Told: My Journey Through Life and the Law, Beverley McLachlin (Simon & Schuster Canada)
  • Canadian Justice, Indigenous Injustice: The Gerald Stanley and Colten Boushie Case, Kent Roach (McGill-Queen’s University Press)