David E. Smith, Senior Policy Fellow with the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy (SIPP), has been named the winner of the 2008 Donner Prize, the award given annually to the author of the best book on Canadian public policy.

Smith's award-winning book, entitled The People's House of Commons: Theories of Democracy in Contention, examines the major questions of parliamentary governance facing Canadians today. Published by the University of Toronto Press, The People's House of Commons outlines the historical foundations of Canadian parliamentary, constitutional and electoral democracy, and considers the ramifications of many of the changes currently being proposed to Canada's political system.

In awarding Smith the Donner Prize, Jury Chairman Grant Reuber stated: "Smith's scholarship is impeccable and the result of his labours is a thorough and thoughtful review of the House of Commons as the pre-eminent institution of Canada's parliamentary democracy, and of the criticisms and concerns that have been expressed in relation to it. This is an important book that should be widely read by everyone interested in government in Canada."

Smith, who currently conducts research and teaches at the University of Regina as Senior Policy Fellow at SIPP, is a professor emeritus in the Department of Political studies at the University of Saskatchewan. He was a finalist for the Donner Prize in 2003 for his previous book entitled The Canadian Senate in Bicameral Perspective.

The Donner Prize includes a monetary award of $35,000.