Feminist lawyer Pamela Cross among authors shortlisted for $60,000 Donner Prize

Pamela Cross’s book about what can be done to prevent intimate partner violence is among the works shortlisted for the $60,000 Donner Prize.

The Ontario lawyer and women’s advocate is a finalist with “And Sometimes They Kill You: Confronting the Epidemic of Intimate Partner Violence,” which jurors called “a sobering and profound” discussion of the crisis unfolding behind closed doors.

The Donner is awarded annually to the best public policy book by a Canadian.

Two selections examine Canada’s response to the COVID pandemic — one of them is “Fiscal Choices: Canada After the Pandemic” by Michael M. Atkinson and Haizhen Mou.

The other is “Seized by Uncertainty: The Markets, Media and Special Interests that Shaped Canada’s Response to COVID-19” by Kevin Quigley, Kaitlynne Lowe, Sarah Moore and Brianna Wolfe.

Also in the running is James B. Kelly’s “Constraining the Court: Judicial Power and Policy Implementation in the Charter Era,” which looks at what happens when a statute involving a public policy issue such as medical assistance in dying is declared unconstitutional by the Court.

Rounding out the short list is Bryce C. Tingle’s “Hard Lessons in Corporate Governance,” which is described as giving a road map for more effective and socially responsible internal governance.

The winner will be announced at a gala dinner in Toronto on May 15.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2025.