CBC Canada Reads winner

Loghan Paylor’s *The Cure for Drowning* won CBC’s Canada Reads 2026 on April 16, after four days of on-air debate and elimination voting. (cbc.ca) The novel was defended by musician and writer Tegan Quin, and CBC called it Canada’s “must-read book” for 2026 at the end of the competition’s 25th edition. (cbc.ca) Canada Reads is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s annual “battle of the books,” where five celebrity panelists argue for one title over four broadcast days. This year’s debates ran April 13 to April 16 and were hosted by Ali Hassan, his 10th year in the role. (cbc.ca, quillandquire.com) The 2026 theme was “One Book to Build Bridges,” which pushed panelists to argue not just for literary quality but for a book they said could connect readers across differences. CBC carried the debates on radio, television, streaming and YouTube. (cbc.ca, cbc.ca) Paylor’s debut novel was published in 2024 by Random House Canada and is set during the Second World War. CBC and the publisher describe it as a historical love story centered on queer and non-binary characters. (quillandquire.com, penguinrandomhouse.ca) In a CBC Books interview before the debates, Paylor said they wrote the novel to place queer and transgender people back into Canadian history after seeing those stories go unrecorded or unrecognized. Quin said the book’s themes felt universal as well as specific to LGBTQ readers. (cbc.ca) The final round came down to *The Cure for Drowning* and *Searching for Terry Punchout* by Tyler Hellard, which was championed by hockey analyst and podcaster Steve “Dangle” Glynn. The other three books were eliminated earlier in the week. (cbc.ca, quillandquire.com) Those earlier eliminations were *Foe* by Iain Reid, defended by Josh Dela Cruz; *A Minor Chorus* by Billy-Ray Belcourt, defended by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers; and *It’s Different This Time* by Joss Richard, defended by Morgann Book. The five-book shortlist had been selected from a 15-book longlist announced earlier in 2026. (cbc.ca, quillandquire.com) After the win, Paylor said the result felt especially meaningful in a year built around “Building Bridges,” and linked the book’s reception to empathy and support for libraries, readers and Canadian publishers. The show’s format is over for 2026, but CBC has posted replays and winner coverage across its platforms. (cbc.ca, cbc.ca)