The Giller Prize has parted ways with its lead sponsor Scotiabank more than a year after members of the literary community began protesting the bankB次元官网网址檚 ties to an Israeli arms manufacturer.

The Giller Foundation, which administers CanadaB次元官网网址檚 richest fiction prize, said its 20-year relationship with Scotiabank ended Monday, but organizers of the No Arms in the Arts campaign say their boycott of the literary institution will continue.

B次元官网网址淲e wish that this had happened a lot sooner,B次元官网网址� said Noor Naga, an early signatory of a letter calling for the Giller tocut ties withScotiabank.

B次元官网网址淲e wish that it hadnB次元官网网址檛 taken so much out of the entire CanLit community pressuring them, and weB次元官网网址檙e waiting to see what will happen with their other sponsors.B次元官网网址�

Protesters also take issue with Indigo and the Azrieli FoundationB次元官网网址檚 sponsorship of the Giller, said Naga, who was shortlisted for the prize in 2022 for her novel B次元官网网址淚f an Egyptian Cannot Speak English.B次元官网网址�

Until the Giller ends those partnerships, Naga said, many authors will continue to boycott the prize.

The Giller Foundation did not address the protests in its statement about the split from Scotiabank.

B次元官网网址淔ollowing discussions, Scotiabank and the Giller Foundation decided that the best path forward was an end to the partnership,B次元官网网址� executive director Elana Rabinovitch said in an email.

She declined to comment on the cause for the change or which party initiated those discussions, but in a written statement from the foundation, she said the Giller was B次元官网网址渋ndebtedB次元官网网址� to the bank.

B次元官网网址淭heir support has helped transform the Giller Prize into one of the foremost literary awards in Canada, and we look forward to building on that legacy as we move into an exciting new era,B次元官网网址� Rabinovitch said.

The foundation said it will now B次元官网网址渆xplore new opportunities and collaborations,B次元官网网址� and Rabinovitch didnB次元官网网址檛 answer questions about the future of the prize or whether the purse would shrink.

When Scotiabank first joined ranks with the Giller Foundation, the prize was worth $25,000. Over the years, it swelled to $100,000 for the winner.

The prize carried ScotiabankB次元官网网址檚 name from 2005 until last September, when the award reverted to its original name B次元官网网址� a move Rabinovitch said was meant to keep the focus on B次元官网网址渢he prize and the art itself,B次元官网网址� rather than politics.

Pro-Palestinian activists began protesting the Giller at the 2023 ceremony, and members of the literary community joined their cause within hours.

The ceremony was held in November 2023, less than a month after Israel declared war on Hamas over an attack in which the militant group kidnapped scores of Israeli hostages. Israel says 1,200 people were killed in HamasB次元官网网址� initial attack.

GazaB次元官网网址檚 health ministry says more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent bombardment, many of them women and children.

The Giller protesters jumped on stage at the 2023 ceremony, objecting to a Scotiabank subsidiaryB次元官网网址檚 stake in Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.

Several of the protesters were arrested, and a group called CanLit Responds formed to support them. It included past Giller winners such as Madeleine Thien and Omar El Akkad, as well as Sarah Bernstein, who took home the award that night.

Since then, the group launched a boycott against the Giller as part of a campaign called No Arms in the Arts and protested outside last yearB次元官网网址檚 ceremony.

Charges against most of the initial protesters were withdrawn in December 2024.

In a written statement, CanLit Responds said the Giller Foundation B次元官网网址渃anB次元官网网址檛 unring that bellB次元官网网址� of failing to act sooner.

Michael Ondaatje, Suzette Mayr and other past winners have also called for Scotiabank to divest from Elbit Systems.

A Scotiabank representative said by email the bank had no comment on its split from the Giller, aside from the foundationB次元官网网址檚 statement.

Protesters also object to the GillerB次元官网网址檚 partnerships with Indigo, for its CEOB次元官网网址檚 charity that supports Israeli Defense Force officers from abroad, as well as the Azrieli Foundation, in part for its connection to Israeli real estate company Azrieli Group, which has a stake in Bank Leumi. The United Nations Human Rights Office has included Bank Leumi on a list of businesses involved in activities relating to settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Both Indigo and the Azrieli Foundation are still listed as sponsors on the GillerB次元官网网址檚 website.

Naga said Rabinovitch and the Giller Foundation have not acknowledged the calls to cut ties with Indigo and the Azrieli Foundation.

That the foundation remains silent on these calls suggests it isnB次元官网网址檛 taking protestersB次元官网网址� concerns seriously, beyond the high-profile Scotiabank protests, she said.

B次元官网网址淚t does feel like this is a sort of move to save their reputation, rather than a sort of genuine political awakening, and thatB次元官网网址檚 kind of frustrating to see,B次元官网网址� she said.

Avik Jain Chatlani, who pulled his debut novel B次元官网网址淭his Country Is No Longer YoursB次元官网网址� from Giller consideration last year, said he has no plans to submit future works.

B次元官网网址淭he Giller Foundation was made aware of this in November of 2023. WeB次元官网网址檙e now in Feb of 2025 and theyB次元官网网址檝e done this very quietly, after months and months of pressure,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 an insincere move.B次元官网网址�