OTTAWA, March 2, 2015
Every year, the RBC Taylor Prize—Canada’s most prestigious award for literary non-fiction—celebrates excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing by honouring an outstanding English-language author.
I am proud to congratulate this year's winner, Plum Johnson, for her work They Left Us Everything. I would also like to applaud the other finalists: David O’Keefe for One Day in August: The Untold Story Behind Canada’s Tragedy at Dieppe, Barbara Taylor for The Last Asylum: A Memoir of Madness in our Times, M.G. Vassanji for And Home Was Kariakoo: A Memoir of East Africa, and Kathleen Winter for Boundless.
Our Government is proud to support Canada’s book industry, an important part of our identity and economy. Book publishers in Canada generate approximately $2 billion in revenue every year and directly employ around 9,000 people. Through the $39.1‑million Canada Book Fund, the Department of Canadian Heritage supports more than 300 book publishers and industry organizations every year in over 80 communities.
On behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Government of Canada, I commend the Charles Taylor Foundation on its efforts to recognize excellence among Canadian non-fiction writers.
Marisa Monnin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
819-997-7788
