The 2000 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were presented by Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, and Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman of the Canada Council for the Arts, on November 14 at Rideau Hall. English-language finalists Fiction Michael Ondaatje, Anil's Ghost Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin Austin Clarke, The Question David Adams Richards, Mercy Among the Children Eden Robinson, Monkey Beach Poetry Don McKay, Another Gravity George Bowering, His Life A. F. Moritz, Rest on the Flight into Egypt John Pass, Water Stair Patricia Young, Ruin and Beauty Drama Timothy Findley, Elizabeth Rex George Boyd, Consecrated Ground Linda Griffiths, Alien Creature Daniel MacIvor and Daniel Brooks, Monster Jason Sherman, It's All True Non-fiction Nega Mezlekia, Notes from the Hyena's Belly Robert Bringhurst, A Story as Sharp as a Knife Trevor Herriot, River in a Dry Land A. B. McKillop, The Spinster and the Prophet Children's literature (text) Deborah Ellis, Looking for X Martha Brooks, Being with Henry Sharon E. McKay, Charlie Wilcox Sheldon Oberman, The Shaman's Nephew Duncan Thornton, Kalifax Children's literature (illustration) Marie-Louise Gay, Yuck, A Love Story Nelly and Ernst Hofer, The Snow Queen Marthe Jocelyn, Hannah's Collections Regolo Ricci, The Market Wedding Cybèle Young, Pa's Harvest French-to-English translation Robert Majzels, Just Fine (France Daigle, Pas pire) Sheila Fischman, Terra Firma (Christiane Frenette, La Terre ferme) Linda Gaboriau, Down Dangerous Passes Road (Michel Marc Bouchard, Le chemin des Passes-dangereuses) Bobby Theodore, 15 Seconds (François Archambault, 15 secondes) French-language finalists Fiction Jean-Marc Dalpé, Un vent se lève qui éparpille Christiane Duchesne, L'Homme des silences Roger Magini, Styx Pierre Samson, Il était une fois une ville Alison Lee Strayer, Jardin et prairie Poetry Normand de Bellefeuille, La Marche de l'aveugle sans son chien Martine Audet, Orbites Joël Des Rosiers, Vétiver Madeleine Gagnon, Rêve de pierre Claude Paré, Exécuté en chambre Drama Wajdi Mouawad, Littoral Geneviève Billette, Crime contre l'humanité Serge Boucher, 24 Poses Jasmine Dubé, L'Arche de Noémie Lise Vaillancourt, Le petit dragon and La balade de Fannie et Carcassonne Non-fiction Gérard Bouchard, Genèse des nations et cultures du Nouveau Monde Brian T. Fitch, À l'ombre de la littérature Olga Hazan, Le mythe du progrès artistique Yves Lavertu, Jean-Charles Harvey Robert Major, Convoyages Children's literature (text) Charlotte Gingras, Un été de Jade Guy Dessureault, L'homme au chat François Gravel, L'été de la moustache Gilles Tibo, La Planète du petit géant Hélène Vachon, Le délire de Somerset Children's literature (illustration) Anne