The Writers’ Trust of Canada has announced five finalists for the 2023 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy.

The $60,000 annual award, now in its third year, recognizes nonfiction books that advance policy discussions about social, political, economic, and cultural topics that are relevant to Canadians. It is funded by tech entrepreneur Jim Balsillie as part of his commitment to supporting Canadian literature.

Each finalist receives $5,000. The jury, comprised of author and physician Samantha Nutt, policy expert Taki Sarantakis, and digital strategist Scott Young, chose the shortlisted books from 43 titles submitted by 25 publishers.

The finalists are:

• Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence by Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, and Avi Goldfarb (Harvard Business Review Press)
• Truth Telling: Seven Conversations about Indigenous Life in Canada by Michelle Good (HarperCollins Canada)
• Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional Dust-Ups: Canada’s Quest for Interprovincial Free Trade by Ryan Manucha (McGill-Queen’s University Press)
• Our Tribal Future: How to Channel Our Foundational Human Instincts into a Force for Good by David R. Samson (St. Martin’s Press/Raincoast Books)
• The Compassionate Imagination: How the Arts Are Central to a Functioning Democracy by Max Wyman (Cormorant Books)

The winner will be announced at a private dinner at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto on November 28.