The J.W. Dafoe Foundation is proud to announce that Gerald Friesen has won the $12,000 John Wesley Dafoe Book Prize for The Honourable John Norquay, published by @@umanitobapress.bsky.social !

"To help break down the silos between the stories that we tell about ourselves, about
each other, and most specifically about this complex, challenging yet beautiful country
we call Canada."

Read the full Q&A with Jody Wilson-Raybould and Roshan Danesh on our website now: dafoefoundation.ca/news/

"If we are to survive as a country, fending off the influence and threats of the United States and overcoming the internal forces of division, we need to understand how we got to the place where we are."

Read the Full Q&A with Mark Bourrie on our website now: dafoefoundation.ca/news/

"I wanted... to reveal a little of the intellectual challenges and partisan realities that shaped the electoral fortunes and fate of this one good person, John Norquay."

Read the full Q&A with Gerald Friesen on our website now: dafoefoundation.ca/news/

"By the time I was twelve, I wanted to be a writer. The celebrated Jack Kerouac novel On the Road inspired me to venture out into the great wide world. Kerouac was adventurous, an explorer, a writer who reveled in real-world experience."

Read the Q&A with Ken McGoogan now: dafoefoundation.ca/news/

Read the full Q&A with Crystal Gail Fraser, including what made her want to pursue writing, her influences while writing her most recent book, and why writing about Canada is important, on our website now: dafoefoundation.ca/news/

We are proud to announce the 2025 J.W. Dafoe Book Prize Shortlist!

Congratulations to all!

Before we announce the winner on October 14th, we will be highlighting each remarkable title and sharing a Q&A with the author.

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Niigaan Sinclair delivers a defining collection on the resilience of Indigenous Peoples. We meet creators, leaders & everyday people preserving the beauty of their heritage. We also meet the ugliest side of colonialism, the Indian Act & communities who suffer most from it.
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A veteran diplomat and the last Representative of Canada in Kandahar, Tim Martin, combines his personal experiences with those of his colleagues (Afghan and Canadian) to examine Canada’s mission to Afghanistan at a human level.

Read more about Unwinnable Peace here: dafoefoundation.ca/news/

Historian Mark Bourrie, recounts missionary Jean de Brébeuf's fascinating life and tells the tragic story of the remarkable people he lived among. He shows how Huron leaders tried to navigate this new world and how the people struggled to cope as their nation came apart.

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This book on our longlist explores the possibility of democratic collapse in the US and its implications for Canada.

Shadows of Tyranny is an alarming and engrossing work of non-fiction from acclaimed Canadian author Ken McGoogan.

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The Honourable John Norquay was Once described as Louis Riel’s alter ego, he skirmished with John A. Macdonald, clashed with railway baron George Stephen, and endured racist taunts while championing the interests of the Prairie West.

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Combining brilliant prose, thoughtful, candid observation, & a lifetime of exploring how individuals are shaped by the places and communities we have lived and the histories that haunt them, Nowhere, Exactly examines the space between identity and belonging.

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The John Wesley Dafoe Foundation is once again pleased to receive submissions for its annual J.W Dafoe Book Prize. The prize will be awarded to a 2025 publication that contributes to the understanding of Canada, Canadians, and/or Canada's place in the world.

For more info: dafoefoundation.ca/news/

Building a Special Relationship draws on a wide array of archival sources, presenting a vital interpretation of how North American diplomacy in the Eisenhower years continues to influence the “special relationship” between Canada and the United States.

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Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Shaping of a National Identity offers a unique telling of Canada’s post–Second World War political history. An analysis of speeches and rhetoric utilizing the latest theoretical approaches in the study of rhetoric, nationalism, and identity.

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Reconciling History shares voices that have seldom been heard, aiming to tell the story of this country in a way that prompts readers to look from different angles, to see its dimensions, its curves, and its cuts.

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By Strength We Are Still Here is led ed by Survivor testimony.

Fraser shows the roles both students and their families played in disrupting state agendas, including questioning and changing the system to protect their cultures and communities.

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We are proud to announce the 2025 J.W. Dafoe Book Prize Longlist!

Congratulations to all of the phenomenal authors on the list.

Keep in touch, to learn more about each of these titles. We will be announcing the five shortlisted books on September 25th and the winner on October 14th.

We will be announcing the JW Dafoe Book Prize Longlist on September 2nd! Keep up to date with all our announcements by following us on all socials.

Introducing our final juror!

Greg C. Mason joined the Department of Economics at the University of Manitoba in 1974. Recently he has written on the economics of COVID, telemedicine, electronic health records, the modern annuity, and urban reserves.

Read more: dafoefoundation.ca/2025/08/23/m...

Our next juror is Dale Barbour!
Dale grew up in Manitoba’s Interlake, worked in journalism & communications before getting into history. He's taught at UManitoba, UWinnipeg and BrandonU. He is author of two books, Undressed Toronto and Winnipeg Beach.

Read more: dafoefoundation.ca/2025/08/23/m...

Ahead of the announcing the J.W. Dafoe Book Prize Longlist, we'd like to introduce you to our jurors!

Patricia Bovey, the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Director Emerita, is a Winnipeg-based art historian, arts advocate, museologist, author, and professor.

Read more: dafoefoundation.ca/2025/08/23/m...