The Handover : How Bigwigs and Bureaucrats Transferred Canada's Best Publisher and the Best Part of Our Literary Heritage to a Foreign Multinational

Until recently, McClelland and Stewart had been known as "The Canadian Publisher," the country's longest-lived and best independent press. Its dynamic leader Jack McClelland worked with successive provincial and federal governments to help draft policies in the 1960s and 70s which ensured that Canadian stories would, for the first time in the nation's history, be told and published by Canadians. M&S introduced Canadians to themselves while championing the nation's literature, bringing to the world Margaret Atwood, Leonard Cohen, Mavis Gallant, Farley Mowat, Rohinton Mistry, Alice Munro, Mordecai Richler, and many others. When 75% of M&S was gifted amidst great fanfare to the University of Toronto on Canada Day 2000—"To achieve the survival of one great Canadian institution," M&S owner Avie Bennett declared at the time, "I have given it into the care of another great Canadian institution"—one could've assumed that it would remain in Canadian hands and... Number of Words in Auth: 2 Formats : EPUB Number of Formats : 1 Has Cover : Yes Single Author : Elaine Dewar Original Source : Mirc New Files 02 10 U A Sorted Author by LN, FN: Dewar, Elaine Title Length : 013 Title Parm D : The Hand-over Title Parm F : The Hand-over Title Parm A : The Hand-over Title Parm B : ( Record ID : 4404 Uncomma Author : Elaine Dewar Num of Aut : 1

Until recently, McClelland and Stewart had been known as “The Canadian Publisher,” the country’s longest-lived and best independent press. Its dynamic leader Jack McClelland worked with successive provincial and federal governments to help draft policies in the 1960s and 70s which ensured that Canadian stories would, for the first time in the nation’s history, be told and published by Canadians. M&S introduced Canadians to themselves while championing the nation’s literature, bringing to the world Margaret Atwood, Leonard Cohen, Mavis Gallant, Farley Mowat, Rohinton Mistry, Alice Munro, Mordecai Richler, and many others. When 75% of M&S was gifted amidst great fanfare to the University of Toronto on Canada Day 2000—“To achieve the survival of one great Canadian institution,” M&S owner Avie Bennett declared at the time, “I have given it into the care of another great Canadian institution”—one could’ve assumed that it would remain in Canadian hands and under Canadian control in perpetuity.

But one would have been wrong.

In her controversial new book, Elaine Dewar reveals for the first time how M&S was sold salami-style to Random House, a division of German media giant Bertelsmann; how smart businessmen and even smarter lawyers danced through the raindrops of the laws put into place to protect Canadian cultural institutions from foreign ownership while cultural bureaucrats looked the other way; and why we should care. It is the story not just of the demise of the country’s best independent publisher, it is about the threats, internal and otherwise, facing Canadian culture. The Handover is more than just a CanLit How-Done-It: it is essential reading for anyone interested in the telling of Canadian stories.

In Her Controversial New Book, Elaine Dewar, Named Among 'canada's Best Muckrakers,' Reveals How Our Premiere National Publisher, Mcclelland And Stewart, Was Eventually Sold To Random House, A Division Of German Media Giant Bertelsmann, For A Dollar. Drawing On Interviews Done With Those Who Engineered The Deal, And On Documents Never Before Revealed, Dewar Tells The Story Of How A Savvy Businessman, An Accountant, A University President, And Three Major Law Firms 'danced Through The Raindrops' To Evade A Thirty-year-old Public Policy Created To Defend Canadian National Sovereignty. Part Investigation, Part Memoir By A Journalist Whose Career Was Shaped By The Investment Canada Act-the Federal Rules That Protect Canada's $40 Billion Cultural Industry-dewar Explores Both How The Act Was Enacted And How It Was Taken Down, Piece By Piece, Deal By Deal.-- Beginnings And Endings -- Citizens Beyond Suspicion -- Hints And Allegations -- Dragged In -- About Canadian Control -- When In Doubt, Ask -- Monopsony/ Oligopsony Revisited -- Avie's Version -- For An Exit Strategy, Call... -- The Gift That Kept Not Giving -- If Still In Doubt, Fippa -- And One More Thing... -- Unanswered Questions? Pester! -- The Accountant -- Back To The Board -- Fippa#2 -- Stoddart's Story -- Harlequin -- Endings And Beginnings -- The Wrap Up- Useful For Fish. Elaine Dewar. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 355-374) And Index. "In her controversial new book, Elaine Dewar, named among 'Canada's best muckrakers, ' reveals how our premiere national publisher, McClelland and Stewart, was eventually sold to Random House, a division of German media giant Bertelsmann, for a dollar. Drawing on interviews done with those who engineered the deal, and on documents never before revealed, Dewar tells the story of how a savvy businessman, an accountant, a University President, and three major law firms 'danced through the raindrops' to evade a thirty-year-old public policy created to defend Canadian national sovereignty. Part investigation, part memoir by a journalist whose career was shaped by the Investment Canada Act-the federal rules that protect Canada's $40 billion cultural industry-Dewar explores both how the Act was enacted and how it was taken down, piece by piece, deal by deal."-- Résumé de l'éditeur "In her controversial new book, Elaine Dewar, named among 'Canada's best muckrakers, ' reveals how our premiere national publisher, McClelland and Stewart, was eventually sold to Random House, a division of German media giant Bertelsmann, for a dollar. Drawing on interviews done with those who engineered the deal, and on documents never before revealed, Dewar tells the story of how a savvy businessman, an accountant, a University President, and three major law firms 'danced through the raindrops' to evade a thirty-year-old public policy created to defend Canadian national sovereignty. Part investigation, part memoir by a journalist whose career was shaped by the Investment Canada Act-the federal rules that protect Canada's $40 billion cultural industry-Dewar explores both how the Act was enacted and how it was taken down, piece by piece, deal by deal."-- Provided by publisher