The Donner Prize is an award given annually by one of Canada's largest foundations, the Donner Canadian Foundation, for books considered excellent in regard to the writing of Canadian public policy.George Jonas, "Donner Prize likely to remain private initiative but Walk of Fame may not". Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, May 20, 1999. The prize was established in 1998,Martin Levin, "Prizes and plans". The Globe and Mail, October 17, 1998. and is meant to encourage an open exchange of ideas and to provide a springboard for authors who can make an original and meaningful contribution to policy discourse. The Donner Canadian Foundation also established the prize to recognize and reward the best public policy thinking, writing and research by a Canadian, and the role it plays in determining the well-being of Canadians and the success of Canada as a whole.
The grand prize is $60,000 and short-listed finalists receive $7,500 each."Donner Prize purse increased to $50,000". The Globe and Mail, November 8, 2011. To be eligible, a book must be on a theme relevant to Canadian policy and be authored by one or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Entries are submitted by publishers, and selected by a five-person jury whose members are drawn from the ranks of Canadian professors, university administrators, businesspeople, and politicians. The committee announces a short list in April of each year. The winners and runners-up are announced at an annual awards banquet in April or May.
Funding organization The Donner Canadian Foundation was established in 1950, and for 43 years was a typical, uncontroversial Canadian charitable fund. From 1993, under the leadership of executive directors Devon Gaffney Cross and then Patrick Luciani, the foundation provided the seed money to start several conservative Canadian think-tanks and publications, and became the "lifeblood of conservative research" in Canada.
The first Donner Prize was awarded in 1998.
Winners and nominees
YearAuthorTitleRef 1998 Thomas Courchene, Colin Termer From Heartland to North American Region-State: The Social, Fiscal, and Federal Evolution of Ontario "Courchene wins first Donner prize". St. Catharines Standard, May 14, 1999. Sidney L. Harring White Man's Law: Native People in Nineteenth Century Canadian Jurisprudence "Policy books shortlisted". The Globe and Mail, April 20, 1999. Michael Harris Lament for an Ocean: The Collapse of the Atlantic Cod Fishery Mark Holmes The Reformation of Canada's Schools C. Michael MacMillan The Practice of Language Rights in Canada Bob Rae The Three Questions: Prosperity and the Public Good William Watson Globalization and the Meaning of Canadian Life Jeremy Wilson Talk and Log: Wilderness Politics in British Columbia 1999 David Gratzer Code Blue: Reviving Canada's Health Care System "Student wins Donner prize for best book on public policy". Moose Jaw Times-Herald, May 4, 2000. Stéphane Dion Straight Talk: Speeches and Writings on Canadian Unity "Politician Dion on Donner Prize shortlist". St. Catharines Standard, April 1, 2000. Matthew Fraser Free-for-All: The Struggle for Dominance on the Digital Frontier David Paciocco Getting Away With Murder: The Canadian Criminal Justice System Kent Roach Due Process and Victims' Rights: The New Law and Politics of Criminal Justice Jocelyne Saint-Arnaud Enjeux éthiques et technologies biomedicales Donald J. Savoie Governing from the Centre: The Concentration of Power in Canadian Politics 2000 Tom Flanagan First Nation? Second Thoughts "Calgary professor wins $25,000 Donner Prize". Prince Albert Daily Herald, May 10, 2001. Alan C. Cairns Citizens Plus: Aboriginal Peoples and the Canadian State "Aboriginal theme dominates books shortlisted for Donner Prize". Trail Times, March 30, 2001. David R. Cameron, Graham White Cycling Into Saigon: The Conservative Transition in Ontario Ken Coates The Marshall Decision and Native Rights Daniel Madar Heavy Traffic: Deregulation, Trade, and Transformation in North American Trucking Fred McMahon Retreat from Growth F.L. Morton, Rainer Knopff The Charter Revolution and the Court Party 2001 Marie McAndrew Immigration et diversité a l'école: le débat québécois dans une perspective comparative "Marie McAndrew wins Donner Prize". Orillia Packet and Times, May 11, 2002. Geoffrey Hale The Politics of Taxation in Canada "Globe writer Simpson up for Donner Prize". The Globe and Mail, April 11, 2002. Jack M. Mintz Most Favoured Nation: Building a Framework for Smart Economic Policy Stan Persky, John Dixon On Kiddie Porn: Sexual Representation, Free Speech and the Robin Sharpe Case Kent Roach The Supreme Court on Trial: Judicial Activism or Democratic Dialogue Donald J. Savoie Pulling Against Gravity: Economic Development in New Brunswick During the McKenna Years|- | align="center" | Jeffrey Simpson | align="center" | The Friendly Dictatorship |- | align="center" rowspan=7 | 2002 | align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | John F. Helliwell| align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Globalization and Well-Being| "UBC professor wins Donner Prize". National Post, May 9, 2003. |- | align="center" | Elizabeth Brubaker | align="center" | Liquid Assets: Privatizing and Regulating Canada's Water Utilities | rowspan=6| "Seven books shortlisted for Donner Prize". North Bay Nugget, April 11, 2003. |- | align="center" | Christopher Essex, Ross McKitrick | align="center" | Taken by Storm: The Troubled Science, Policy and Politics of Global Warming |- | align="center" | Michael Hart | align="center" | A Trading Nation: Canadian Trade Policy from Colonialism to Globalization |- | align="center" | Mark Jaccard, John Nyboer, Bryn Sadownik | align="center" | The Cost of Climate Policy |- | align="center" | Michael Jackson | align="center" | Justice Behind the Walls: Human Rights in Canadian Prisons |- | align="center" | Daniel Stoffman | align="center" | Who Gets In: What's Wrong With Canada's Immigration Program and How to Fix It |- | align="center" rowspan=4 | 2003 | align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Michael Adams| align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Fire and Ice: The United States, Canada, and the Myth of Converging Values| "Donner Prize goes to book on Canada, U.S. values". Halifax Daily News, May 1, 2004. |- | align="center" | Lydia Miljan, Barry Cooper | align="center" | Hidden Agendas: How Journalists Influence the News | rowspan=3| "Shortlist chosen for Donner Prize". Orillia Packet and Times, March 31, 2004. |- | align="center" | Eric Montpetit | align="center" | Misplaced Distrust: Policy Networks and the Environment in France, the United States and Canada |- | align="center" | David E. Smith | align="center" | The Canadian Senate in Bicameral Perspective |- | align="center" rowspan=5 | 2004 | align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | David Laidler, William Robson| align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Two Percent Target: Canadian Monetary Policy Since 1991| Judy Stoffman, "Fiscal analysis earns Donner prize; Public policy prize worth $35,000 Book called 'clear and enticing'". Toronto Star, April 29, 2005. |- | align="center" | Peter S. Grant, Chris Wood | align="center" | Blockbusters and Trade Wars: Popular Culture in a Globalized World | rowspan=4| "Shortlist unveiled for public-policy book prize". The Globe and Mail, March 31, 2005. |- | align="center" | Frank P. Harvey | align="center" | Smoke & Mirrors: Globalized Terrorism and the Illusion of Multilateral Security |- | align="center" | Christopher P. Manfredi | align="center" | Feminist Activism in the Supreme Court: Legal Mobilization and the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund |- | align="center" | L.W. Summer | align="center" | The Hateful and the Obscene: Studies in the Limits of Free Expression |- | align="center" rowspan=5 | 2005 | align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Mark Jaccard| align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Sustainable Fossil Fuels: The Unusual Suspect in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy| "SFU prof wins national award for his book". Burnaby News Leader, April 28, 2006. |- | align="center" | Ronald J. Daniels, Michael Trebilcock | align="center" | Rethinking the Welfare State: The Prospects for Government by Voucher | rowspan=4| "Donner prize finalists". National Post, March 30, 2006. |- | align="center" | John Ibbitson | align="center" | The Polite Revolution: Perfecting the Canadian Dream |- | align="center" | David Johnson | align="center" | Signposts of Success: Interpreting Ontario's Elementary School Test Scores |- | align="center" | James B. Kelly | align="center" | Governing with the Charter |- | align="center" rowspan=3 | 2006 | align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Eric Helleiner| align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Towards North American Monetary Union? The Politics and History of Canada's Exchange Rate Regime| "Helleiner wins Donner Prize". Prince George Citizen, May 4, 2007. |- | align="center" | Roy Rempel | align="center" | Dreamland: How Canada's Pretend Foreign Policy Has Undermined Sovereignty | rowspan=2| "Three books named as Donner Prize finalists". The Globe and Mail, March 29, 2007. |- | align="center" | Donald J. Savoie | align="center" | Visiting Grandchildren: Economic Development in the Maritimes |- | align="center" rowspan=5 | 2007 | align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | David E. Smith| align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | The People's House of Commons: Theories of Democracy in Contention| "Saskatchewan professor earns best book prize". Ottawa Citizen, April 17, 2008. |- | align="center" | Rodrigo Bascunan, Christian Pearce | align="center" | Enter the Babylon System: Unpacking Gun Culture From Samuel Colt to 50 Cent | rowspan=4| "Books about gun culture, Afghanistan make Donner Prize short list". Waterloo Region Record, March 26, 2008. |- | align="center" | Michael C. Chettleburgh | align="center" | Young Thugs: Inside the Dangerous World of Canadian Street Gangs |- | align="center" | Robert L. Evans | align="center" | Fuelling Our Future: An Introduction to Sustainable Energy |- | align="center" | Janice Gross Stein, Eugene Lang | align="center" | The Unexpected War: Canada in Kandahar |- | align="center" rowspan=5 | 2008 | align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Ken Coates, P. Whitney Lackenbauer, William R. Morrison, Greg Poelzer| align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North| "Arctic book wins $35,000 Donner Prize". The Daily Gleaner, May 2, 2009. |- | align="center" | Tarek Fatah | align="center" | Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State | rowspan=4| "Books on the Arctic, Islam, city politics among Donner Prize finalists". Canadian Press, March 31, 2009. |- | align="center" | Bruce Little | align="center" | Fixing the Future: How Canada's Usually Fractious Governments Worked Together to Rescue the Canada Pension Plan |- | align="center" | Andrew Sancton | align="center" | The Limits of Boundaries: Why City-regions Cannot be Self-governing |- | align="center" | Frances Widdowson | align="center" | Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation |- | align="center" rowspan=4 | 2009 | align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | Brian Bow| align="center" style="background:lightyellow" | The Politics of Linkage: Power, Interdependence and Ideas in Canada–US Relations| rowspan=4| Peter Scowen, "Brian Bow wins Donner Prize". The Globe and Mail, April 29, 2010. |- | align="center" | Michael Byers | align="center" | Who Owns the Arctic? Understanding Sovereignty Disputes in the North |- | align="center" | Larry Campbell, Neil Boyd, Lori Culbert | align="center" | A Thousand Dreams: Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and the Fight for Its Future |- | align="center" | Evan H. Potter | align="center" | Branding Canada: Projecting Canada's Soft Power through Public Diplomacy |-