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Rick Mercer wins 2022 Stephen Leacock Medal

Rick Mercer

Comedian Rick Mercer has been named the winner of this year’s $25,000 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.

Mercer won the award for his memoir Talking to Canadians (Doubleday Canada).

Mercer’s book was one of three shortlisted for this year’s award. The other two finalists – Mark Critch for his book An Embarrassment of Critch’s (Viking Canada) and Dawn Dumont for her book The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour (Freehand Books) – each received $4,000.

This year marked the 75th anniversary of the award, which honours Canadian humour writing.

Mercer received the award at a gala in Orillia, Ontario, on September 17 – the first time the award has been given in person since the start of the pandemic. Finalists and winners of the 2020 and 2021 awards were also honoured at this year’s gala.