The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation:

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge in this Honourable House the winners of the 2020 Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards.

Sharon Bala was chosen in the fiction category for her novel The Boat People. Inspired by events surrounding the 2010 arrival of a cargo ship in Vancouver carrying Tamil refugees, the author has masterfully and compassionately crafted insight into the experiences of refugees, immigrants, and the people who determine their fates. Sharon Bala’s The Boat People has won numerous literary awards, and is available in multiple languages worldwide.

The winner of the Children’s/Young Adult Literature award was Charis Cotter for her novel The Ghost Road. As cousins Ruby and Ruth work together to unravel a mysterious family secret, they are both helped and hindered by an irritable witch, a mischievous old storyteller, and a swath of ghostly characters. This unique tale, which combines our province’s folklore and natural history, was inspired by Ms. Cotter’s upbringing. The Ghost Road is her third novel – which she considers a love letter to her home province.

Mr. Speaker, our government proudly supports this province’s artists. To further support the arts community, we invested an additional $1 million for ArtsNL in Budget 2020, bringing the annual provincial investment to ArtsNL to nearly $4 million.

I ask all Honourable members to join me in congratulating Sharon Bala and Charis Cotter as recipients of the 2020 Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards, as well as the other nominees in both categories for their contributions to Newfoundland and Labrador literary arts.