Canada Reads 2021 Day One: Watch the replay
The opening round of Canada Reads, the annual battle of the books, kicked off March 8, 2021 at 11 a.m ET.
Watch the Day One debates on this page or find other ways and times to tune in here.
The champions and their chosen books are:
- Olympian and broadcaster Rosey Edeh champions The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
- Singer-songwriter Scott Helman champions Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica J. Lee
- Actor and filmmaker Devery Jacobs champions Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
- Actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee champions Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
- Chef, recording artist and TV host Roger Mooking champions Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
Over four days, the five panellists will champion their book as the "one to transport us." 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 champion it when the question turned to whether their book was truly the one that all Canadians need to read right now.
The Day One debates — which touched on themes such as escapism, moral relativism and power and authority — were passionate, engaged and thoughtful.
After one hour of debate, the five panellists had to vote one book off the show.
Check this link to find out which book was voted off on Day One of Canada Reads 2021.
Want to learn more about the books? Check out the Canada Reads 2021 podcast.
GIVEAWAY: Win a set of the Canada Reads books!
HOW TO ENTER: Email [email protected] with the subject line: "Canada Reads Giveaway." Answer this question in your email: What Canada Reads book would you pick up to read first? Must enter by Thursday, March 11, 2021 at midnight ET.
CBC Contest rules apply. Four winners will be randomly selected and notified by email.
Here are some other ways you can tune into Canada Reads 2021:
ON RADIO: Canada Reads will air on CBC Listen at 11:05 a.m. ET, CST, MT, PT at 1:05 p.m. in AT, and at 1:35 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador.
ON TV: CBC TV will broadcast Canada Reads at 1 p.m. ET, CST, MT, PT; at 2 p.m. in AT; and at 2:30pm in Newfoundland and Labrador.
PODCAST: New episodes of Canada Reads will be posted daily on CBC Listen. You can also download them wherever you get your podcasts.
ONLINE: CBC Books will livestream the debates at 11 a.m. ET on CBCBooks.ca, YouTube, Facebook and Gem. The debates will be available to replay online each day. The livestreams on YouTube and Facebook will be available to watch outside Canada.
