The finalists for the Shaughnessy Cohen prize for Political Writing, from left, Raymond Blake, Stephen Marr, Jane Philpott, Alasdair Roberts and Tanya Talaga are recognized by the Speakers of the House of Commons in Ottawa on Wednesday.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Raymond Blake, a University of Regina history professor, has won the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, for his book Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Shaping of a National Identity.
The award was announced Wednesday night at the Politics and the Pen fundraising gala in Ottawa.
Mr. Blake’s book, published by UBC Press, explores how Canada’s prime ministers after the Second World War understood the concept of nationalism and how they articulated a new rhetoric of national identity.
“They promoted a particular understanding of the Canadian political community and national identity that, on the whole, transcended their personal agendas and partisan views,” Mr. Blake writes.
Mr. Blake, also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, was among five finalists for the prize, which has been increased to $40,000 from $25,000 in honor of the competition’s 25th anniversary. Shortlisted finalists will receive $5,000, up from $2,500.
“Raymond B. Blake’s comprehensive and compelling analysis of prime ministerial storytelling in the post-war era is remarkably well-timed for this anxious geopolitical moment,” a statement from the competition’s jury said.
Raymond Blake wins political writing prize for book on Canada’s postwar prime ministers
“This engaging book brings a unique perspective to the question of how leaders leave their imprint on a nation.”
The prize, named after the late MP for Windsor, Ont., and sponsored by the Canadian National Railway Co., honours a book of literary non-fiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers and that has the potential to shape or influence thinking on Canadian political life.
Jury members were Jennifer Ditchburn, the president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Research on Public Policy; Sara Mojtehedzadeh, who is an investigative reporter with The Globe and Mail; and Christopher Waddell, a professor emeritus at Carleton University.
The other finalists were:
The prize was established in 2000 and is presented annually at the Politics and the Pen fundraising event, which has raised more than $7-million to support the Writers’ Trust of Canada.