Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing
Winner: $25,000; Finalists: $2,500
Sponsored by 
Winner
John English
Just Watch Me:
The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-2000
Published by Knopf Canada
Citation
Drawing upon previously inaccessible materials, John English deepens our understanding of the private, as well as the public, life of Pierre Trudeau. Just Watch Me is a magisterial work of art. English’s ability to convey meaning through descriptive imagery and close observation sets a new literary standard for Canadian political biography.
About the Book
Written with exclusive access to Trudeau’s private papers and letters, and based on interviews with numerous people associated with him both publicly and personally, Just Watch Me explores one of the most intriguing, remarkable political leaders of our times. English illuminates Trudeau’s strengths and weaknesses and shows that Canada would have developed as a different country without him.
About the Author
John English is a professor of history at the University of Waterloo and a former Member of Parliament. The first volume of his life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Citizen of the World, won the Dafoe Book Prize and the University of British Columbia Medal for Canadian Biography, and was nominated for the 2006 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. He lives in Kitchener, Ontario.
Finalists
(Click on covers more info)
About the Prize
Established in honour of the late, outspoken, and popular MP, the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize is presented to an author of a non-fiction book that captures a subject of political interest to the Canadian reader and enhances our understanding of the issue. The winning work will combine compelling new insights with depth of research and be of significant literary merit. Strong consideration will be given to books that have the potential to shape or influence Canadian political life. The winner, selected by a three-member, independent judging panel, is announced annually at the Politics and the Pen Gala in Ottawa.
About the Sponsor
CTVglobemedia Inc. is Canada's premier multimedia company with ownership of CTV, Canada’s #1 television network, and The Globe and Mail, Canada’s #1 national newspaper. They have sponsored this prize since its inception in 2000.