The Hand-over

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...