Bourrie was recently named the winner of the 2025 Governor General’s History Award for Popular Media.
The $5,000 Pierre Berton Award, as it is also known, is administered by Canada’s National History Society and honours someone whose work has made Canadian history engaging and broadly accessible.
The Governor General’s History Awards are Canada’s top honours in the field of history and heritage, presented to Canadians who have made outstanding contributions in teaching, museums, scholarly research, community programming and popular media.
Bourrie is a journalist, lawyer, and author who has written 14 nonfiction books, including Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, published by Biblioasis, which won the final RBC Taylor Prize. Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia, also published by Biblioasis, was a finalist for the J.W. Dafoe Prize. His most recent book, Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre, was published last year in advance of the federal election.
“Mark Bourrie makes our country’s history as vivid as anything happening today,” Melony Ward, president and CEO of Canada’s History Society, said in a press release. “He embraces the complexity of the past to create works that brim with conflict, struggle, and larger-than-life characters, all firmly grounded in research.”
In addition to earning his JD at uOttawa, Bourrie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Waterloo. He also holds a diploma in public policy and administration from the University of Guelph, a master's degree in journalism from Carleton University, and a doctorate in Canadian media history from the University of Ottawa. His doctoral thesis examined Canada's World War II press censorship system and was published by Douglas & McIntyre as "The Fog of War".
The Globe and Mail described another of his books Bushrunner: The Adventures of Pierre Radisson, a biography of French fur trader and adventurer Pierre Radisson, as "a significant contribution to the history of 17th-century North America". The book won the RBC Taylor Prize for non-fiction in 2020.
Bourrie worked as a journalist for nearly four decades, from 1978 until 2017. His articles have appeared in most Canadian newspapers and been published in many Canadian magazines including Toronto Life, Saturday Night, Maclean’s, Canadian Business, Canadian Lawyer, The National and Ottawa magazine. He won a National Magazine Award and was nominated for a National Newspaper Award.
He is a member of the Bar of Ontario concentrating on media law and cases that have a nexus between law and politics.
According to the award announcement: “As both historian and journalist, Mark Bourrie has built a distinguished career bridging scholarship and public engagement. Over four decades, his writing has revealed the complexity and richness of Canada’s history — from early encounters between Europeans and Indigenous peoples to the political struggles, wars, and media forces that have shaped the country’s modern identity. A gifted storyteller, Bourrie crafts deeply researched narratives that inform and captivate readers.
“Through his teaching, public lectures, and advocacy for Canadian non-fiction, Bourrie has championed the role of history in shaping national identity and independence. His wide-ranging subjects and passion for storytelling have broadened the reach of Canadian history and deepened its conversation.”
Congratulations to Mark on this award!