Canada Reads 2020 Day One: Watch the replay
CBC Books | | Posted: March 13, 2020 1:58 PM | Last Updated: July 21, 2020
The opening round of Canada Reads, the annual battle of the books, kicked off July 20, 2020 at 11 a.m ET.
Watch the Day One debates on this page or find other ways and times to tune in here.
Over four days, the five panellists will champion their book as the "one to bring Canada into focus." On Day One, they voted to eliminate the first title from the competition.
This year's host is comedian Ali Hassan.
Each panellist had an opportunity to deliver an opening pitch for their respective book, then defend it when the question turned to whether their book was truly the one that all Canadians need to read right now.
- Day One Highlight | Akil Augustine on how Radicalized puts Canada's most pressing issues into focus
- Day One Highlight | George Canyon and Kaniehtiio Horn discuss 'trauma porn' and portrayals of Indigeneity in literature
The Day One debates — which touched on themes such as racial harmony, gender dynamics, social inequality and class division — were constructive, engaged and passionate.
After one hour of debate, the five panellists had to vote one book off the show.
The contenders and their chosen books are:
- Alayna Fender defending Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles
- Akil Augustine defending Radicalized by Cory Doctorow
- Amanda Brugel defending We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib
- Kaniehtiio Horn defending Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
- George Canyon defending From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle
Here's where you can watch the following days of debate:
Here are some other ways you can tune into Canada Reads 2020:
ON THE RADIO: Canada Reads will air on CBC Radio at 11:05 a.m. ET, CT, MT, PT; at 1:05 p.m. in Atlantic Canada; and at 1:35 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador. A repeat of the show will air at 10:05 p.m. local time, 10:35 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador.
ON TV: CBC TV will broadcast Canada Reads at 4 p.m. local time.