Book about Canada's immigration system, 'Borderline Chaos,' wins Donner Prize

The cover of Globe and Mail columnist Tony Keller's book "Borderline Chaos" is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout, Sutherland House Books (Mandatory Credit)

A book about Canada’s immigration system has won the Donner Prize for public policy writing.

“Borderline Chaos: How Canada Got Immigration Right, and Then Wrong” was awarded the $60,000 literary prize at a gala dinner in Toronto late Thursday.

Author Tony Keller, a columnist with the Globe and Mail newspaper, was praised for outlining how Canada’s immigration system can be rebuilt, with judges calling it “compelling” and “essential” for any policy-maker grappling with immigration.

The other shortlisted titles each received $7,500.

They include “Breaking Point: The New Big Shifts Putting Canada at Risk” by Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson, and “21 Things You Need to Know About Indigenous Self-Government: A Conversation About Dismantling the Indian Act” by Bob Joseph.

Also shortlisted were “A New Blueprint for Government: Reshaping Power, The PMO, and the Public Service” by Kevin G. Lynch and James R. Mitchell, and “The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity” by Tim Wu.

“‘Borderline Chaos’ is a perfect example of excellent policy writing — detailing how government took an excellent system, broke it and describing for policy-makers how it can be fixed,” said jury chair André Beaulieu in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2026.

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press