From a media release:

RICK MERCER, KIM CATTRALL, MEASHA BRUEGGERGOSMAN and ALLAN HAWCO TO PRESENT AT THE 2012 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE

• The 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize will be broadcast on CBC Television at 9:00 p.m. (9:30 NT) on Tuesday, October 30, 2012.

CBC is thrilled to announce the roster of esteemed presenters that will participate in the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize gala on Tuesday, October 30, 2012. The five finalists Will Ferguson, Alix Ohlin, Nancy Richler, Kim Thúy and Russell Wangersky will be introduced by the following special presenters: CBC Television’s host of The Rick Mercer Report, Canadian comedian, political satirist and blogger, Rick Mercer; Golden Globe Award winning actress Kim Cattrall; Juno Award winner Canadian soprano, Measha Brueggergosman; Television writer, producer and lead actor in CBC Television’s Republic of Doyle, Allan Hawco. A fifth presenter is still to be announced, as well as the musical performance for the evening, more details will follow shortly.

The Scotiabank Giller Prize gala will be hosted by Jian Ghomeshi (CBC Radio One and TV’s arts and culture program, Q), and be broadcast at 9:00 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC Television from the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Toronto. It will also be live-streamed on CBC Books with a concurrent live chat, so that many more Canadians can be part of the Giller experience. With a winner being crowned and awarded the prize that night, the presenters will join the authors on stage to celebrate the year’s biggest achievements in Canadian arts and letters. The winner’s interview on Q the following morning will be the first national broadcast feature interview for this year’s winner.

“The CBC has outdone itself again. I can’t think of a more fitting way of celebrating the Giller finalists and their books than pairing them with true fans that also happen to be Canadian icons”, says Jack Rabinovitch, founder of the Scotiabank Giller Prize. “I think they and Canadian audiences everywhere are in for quite a treat on October 30th.”

“It is an honour to be a part of such a prestigious celebration of the arts,” says Kim Cattrall. “It is so important to give recognition and praise to these talented writers and their gift of storytelling.”

The five presenters will introduce:

• Rick Mercer will introduce Will Ferguson and his novel, 419
• TBA will introduce Alix Ohlin and her novel, INSIDE
• Kim Cattrall will introduce Nancy Richler and her novel, THE IMPOSTER BRIDE
• Measha Brueggergosman will introduce Kim Thúy and her novel, RU
• Allan Hawco will introduce Russell Wangersky and his collection of short stories, WHIRL AWAY

With a chance to win the $50,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize, the five authors were selected by a uniquely pedigreed jury made up of some of the finest writers in Europe and North America including: Irish author and screenwriter Roddy Doyle; writer and essayist Anna Porter; and American author and satirist Gary Shteyngart.