Canada Reads host Jian Ghomeshi poses with, from left, panellists Debbie Travis, Ali Velshi, Lorne Cardinal, Georges Laraque and Sara Quin. Seated, from left, are authors Ami McKay, Terry Fallis, Carol Shield's daughter Anne Giardini, Angie Abdou and Jeff Lemire. (CBC)

Canada Reads panellists have eliminated their first title from the annual book debate, which for the first time is being both broadcast and streamed live on the internet.

SPOILER ALERT: This story reveals which book has been eliminated.

After a debate that touched on the need to get people to read more, the graphic novel Essex County by Jeff Lemire was eliminated by the panel of five Monday morning.

Several members of the Canada Reads panel, including actor Lorne Cardinal, CNN journalist Ali Velshi and TV personality Debbie Travis, spoke out against the book in Monday's debate.

"It's not because of the graphic content," Cardinal said. "It's because it's a short story format."

Cardinal said the graphic novel, the first ever debated on Canada Reads, impressed him and he identified with the character of Jimmy Leboeuf, the gas station attendant who once played one game with the NHL. But he said there was too little writing to have the book be seen as a novel. Travis agreed.

"It's like saying tweeting with 140 characters get you writing. It's not writing, it takes you in another direction," she said. "The whole world today is about the shortcut."

More traditional format sought

Ali Velshi said he enjoyed Essex County, but believed it is part of the Canada Reads mandate to get more people to read and that would mean reading a book in a more traditional format.

Sara Quin, the panellist who defended Essex County, said the book would encourage younger readers to pick up a novel.

"It's the heartbreaking simplicity…some would say fewer words... that makes this book really strong," she said in her defence of the title.

After Essex County was voted off by four of the five on the panel, Quin said she was disappointed, but not surprised.

"You're the demographic that isn't going to read this book," she told her fellow panellists, referring to many of them being older.

The decision may prove unpopular with Canada Reads followers. An online poll showed the Canada Reads choice readers most wanted to eliminate was Carol Shield's Unless.

Essex County's elimination got a groan from the audience and many comments on the live chat accompanying the live stream expressed disappointment that it was no longer in the running.

On Tuesday, the debate resumes. The remaining books are Unless, The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou, The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis and The Birth House by Ami McKay.