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The Canada Day Quiz

In honour of Canada’s 137th birthday, here are 137 questions relating to The True North Strong and Free.

History

1. Long after Leif Erikson landed in North American, another explorer, a European, befriended the native peoples and charted the St. Lawrence River. What was the name of this explorer and for which country did he claim the region?

2. Canada’s name is derived from the word "Kanata." What does that word mean?

3. Who was looking for a navigable water route to the Pacific when he decided to go west of the Rockies in 1885?

4. Canada was created with the British North America Act in 1867. Which were the first four provinces in the BNA Act?

5. The Last Spike of the Canadian Pacific Railroad was driven into the ground on a rainy November afternoon in 1885, marking the realization of a dream that had been promised to British Columbia in 1871 – Canada was now linked from sea to sea. Where was the Last Spike driven into the ground?

6. Louis Riel was the leader of the Metis people who was hanged in Regina on November, 1885. What was the charge against Riel?

7. At the end of the 1890s thousands of prospectors rushed north to the Yukon in the search of gold. What was this period in Canadian history called?

8. On Dec. 12, 1901 Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic signal from England, marking the beginning of long-distance communication. Where did Marconi receive his signal?

9. What was the deadliest avalanche in B.C.’s history?

10. In April 1915 a Canadian doctor called John McCrae was in the trenches near Ypres, Belgium. The Germans used deadly chlorine gas against the Allied troops and hundreds of soldiers died. How did McCrae commemorate the dead?

11. One of the worst accidents in Canadian history happened on Dec. 6, 1917 at the height of the First World War. On that day 1,600 were killed and another 9,000 were injured. What happened?

12. In 1928 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the BNA Act does not define women as "persons" and they are therefore not eligible to hold public office. When were women legally declared "persons" in Canada?

13. Who was the first U.S. president to make an official visit to Canada?

14. When did Canada enter World War II and who was Prime Minister at the time?

15. What was the last province to join Confederation? Who was premier of that province when it joined Canada?

16. Canada was the third country in the world after Russia and the United States to design and build its own satellite. What was the first Canadian research satellite called and when was it launched into space.

17. Who declared "Vive le Quebec libre!" from the balcony of Montreal’s city hall on July 24, 1967?

18. In 1970 British trade commissioner James Cross was kidnapped by the FLQ, precipitating the October Crisis. Next Pierre Laporte, Quebec’s labour and immigration minister was kidnapped and later found murdered. What did Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau do to control the situation?

19. In 1980 "O Canada" was proclaimed Canada’s national anthem. What song, written by Alexander Muir, was regarded the national song of Canada for several decades before that?

20. In Montreal on Dec. 6, 1989 14 female engineering students are separated from their male colleagues and murdered by gunman Marc Lepine, who then committed suicide. What university was the setting for the Montreal Massacre?

Politics

21. Which province in Canada has the same number of representatives in the House of Commons as it does in the Senate?

22. What year was Paul Martin first elected to federal parliament?

23. What three entities make up the Canadian Parliament?

24. Which Prime Minister was married to the same women for 66 years?

25. How many judges from the Quebec bar must be on the panel of nine Supreme Court judges at all times?

26. When do federal Supreme Court judges have to retire?

27. Who was the youngest person to be appointed to the Canadian Senate?

28. Where was Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s wife born?

29. Who was Canada’s second prime minister?

30. Who was the second Aboriginal Canadian appointed to cabinet?

31. Which province or territory was the first to pass legislation giving women the right to vote?

32. When was the last time a MP who didn’t belong to a "conservative" party won a federal election in what is now known as the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast riding?

33. In the Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon riding there are two candidates running that have extensive military experience. Which one of them was a soldier serving the Canadian Army and United Nations?

34. When Norm Siefken is not running for office for the Marijuana Party in Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon what does he do?

35. What was the Absolutely Absurd Party?

36. What does the Green Party’s West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast candidate, Andrea Goldsmith, and her housemates, call the house they live in?

37. How many children and grandchildren does West Vancouver Sunshine Coast Conservative MP John Reynolds have?

38. From 1914 to 1919 the Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon riding was known as what?

39. Why are ridings redrawn and who is in charge of redrawing them?

40. Who was the last Canadian Prime Minister that was born outside of Canada?

 

Geography

41. What is the capital of Nunavut (hint: the name is Inuit for "many fish")?

42. This walled city was the first in North America to be placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list.

43. What is Canada’s deepest lake?

44. Which major Canadian city has the most wet days per year?

45. What group of islands once petitioned the federal government to become part of Canada?

46. The five highest mountains in Canada are all located in which province or territory?

47. The three tallest waterfalls in Canada are all located in which province or territory?

48. Between them, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut contain what percentage of the world’s fresh water?

49. What is the world’s largest wetland?

50. Approximately how long does it take water to pass through the Great Lakes, from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean?

51. Which is the only Canadian city to make the list of top 10 coldest places in the world?

52. To which country belong St. Pierre and Miquelon, two islands found between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia?

53. An Act of Parliament passed in 1943 declared one of the rooms in the Ottawa Civic Hospital the sovereign territory of which country?

54. Which Great Lake has the most area on the Canadian side of the Canada/U.S. boundary?

55. What is the only public highway above the Arctic Circle open-year round?

56. What is the largest lake wholly in Canada?

57. What is the world’s only capital city colder than Ottawa?

58. What is the longest Canadian river?

59. What is the name of the waterway between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick?

60. If you wanted to see a hoodoo, where would you go?

Arts and Entertainment

61. What notorious rock gods partied with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s wife Margaret Trudeau on the couple’s sixth wedding anniversary in 1977?

62. On the Showcase TV series Trailer Park Boys , how does Bubbles make a living?

63. What is the name of the double-speaking hero of late novelist Mordecai Richler’s children’s books?

64. What Edmonton alt-rock band consisted of Reform Party leader Preston Manning’s sons and nephews?

65. What British new wave singer/songwriter recently married Nanaimo-born jazz singer Diana Krall?

66. Which long running TV series set in P.E.I. helped launch the career of outspoken actress/filmmaker Sarah Polley?

67. What pop group was the featured musical act for the 1989 Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Wayne Gretzky?

68. What William Shatner-penned sci-fi series set in the 22 nd Century features an ex-cop, androids, and designer drugs?

69. What’s the southern Alberta hometown of rock ’n’ roll hall of fame folksinger Joni Mitchell?

70. Which CBC children’s television series featured puppets Rusty the Rooster and Jerome the Giraffe?

71. How was Comox B.C.-born Playboy super-Playmate Pamela Anderson "discovered"?

72. Which city did indie-rock legends The Pixies choose to launch their highly anticipated comeback tour last April?

73. Which former SCTV cast members were reunited to play folk-singing duo Mitch and Mickey in the Christopher Guest-directed mockumentary A Mighty Wind ?

74. What 1999 film featured Kevin Spacey singing along passionately to The Guess Who’s classic rock anthem American Woman ?

75. What alias did the Tragically Hip use for their surprise show at the Boot Pub here in Whistler last October?

76. What former International Olympic Committee member recently published a book titled Inside the Olympics: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Politics, the Scandals, and the Glory of the Games?

77. Which actress from the Canadian television drama Street Legal is married to CBC National News anchorperson Peter Mansbridge?

78. What ex-MuchMusic VJ currently hosts CBC Radio One program "Definitely Not the Opera?"

79. Denys Arcand’s 2004 Oscar- and Gemini-winning film The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions Barbare) was a sequel to which 1986 Arcand film, also an Academy Award nominee?

80. What is Rush guitar player Alex Lifeson’s real name?

Olympics

81. In 1972 American Frank Shorter pulled the U.S. into the running boom by winning the gold medal in the marathon at the Munich Olympics. Where was Shorter born?

82.Name the only athlete to ever win medals in high-jumping, hurdling, and the javelin?

83. What year did communist China enter its first Olympic Games?

84. At which Games did more spectators than athletes attend?

85. Who is the only man ever to win gold medals in the 5000 metres, the 10,000 metres, and the marathon in the same Olympiad?

86. Which city hosted the first Latin American Olympics?

87. Who is the oldest woman ever to compete at the Olympic Games?

88. At the first Olympic games what metal was used for the first place medals.

89. Name the IOC president who has competed in the Olympics?

90. Who was the founder of the modern Olympics?

91. What year did the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics split up?

92. What year did Canada first compete in the Winter Games?

93. How many times has Europe hosted the Winter Games?

94. When was Canada’s first ski club formed?

95. When did luge make is Olympic debut?

96. When did Skeleton return to the Winter Games?

97. What are the origins of the Paralympic Games?

98. What sports are included in the Paralympic Winter Games? 99. When did Canada start participating in the Paralympics?

100. What local boy won an Olympic bronze medal at the 1980 Lake Placid Games?

Sports

101. To all the hockey fans out there: before the Calgary Flames this year, what was the last Canadian team to make the Stanley Cup finals?

102. What awards did the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards claim this year in addition to the Stanley Cup?

103. Which Stanley Cup finalist had the most Canadians on the roster, the Calgary Flames or Tampa Bay Lightning?

104. The Canadian women also had a solid year, defending their World Championship title against a tough American squad. Who was the goalie?

105. What Canadian athlete was finally presented with her gold medal from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games on June 25 in a Vancouver ceremony?

106. When it comes to Canadians in the NBA, most people know Victoria’s Steve Nash, a standout pointguard on the Dallas Mavericks. There are three other Canadian players in the NBA right now, not counting another half-dozen in the NBA draft this year – can you name them and the teams they play on?

107. Which Canadian men from Question 6 will be playing in the Olympics this year?

108 In 2003, Canadian Paul Tracy won the overall CART championship title with a record three consecutive wins and top-three starts in 13 out of 18 races. Who does he race for?

109. This winter the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team won the Nation’s Cup with a record number of podium appearances, despite a spate of injuries. How many medals did they win?

110. Before he was sidelined with an injury, Tremblant’s Erik Guay became only the second Canadian male to reach the podium at a World Cup downhill event at home, finishing second at Lake Louise. Who was the first?

111. What Canadian snowboarder claimed his fourth consecutive overall World Cup title this winter?

112. Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ontario was the first Canadian to claim a Masters title back in 2003. Where did he finish overall on the PGA Tour World Money List last year?

113. Name the last three CFL Champions (2003, 2002, 2001).

114. How many Canadian players do CFL teams have to have on their rosters?

115. Where did the Canadian women’s soccer team finish in the 2003 World Cup?

116. Canada has yet to name its flag bearer for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Who carried the flag in Sydney in 2000?

117. What two Canadian motorsport events are we on the verge of losing for a variety of different reasons?

118. What current Canadian soccer player elected to play for England?

119. What pair of Canadians figured heavily in the 2003 World Ironman Triathlon Championships?

120. For years Daniel Nestor has been one of the most dominant doubles tennis players in the world, winning countless championship titles as well as a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics. His first Olympic gold was one with Sebastien Lareau of Quebec. Who is his partner this summer?

Canadians

121. Who is the provincial politician generally credited with bringing about the defeat of the Meech Lake Accord?

122. Which Canadian was the first film star to be named producer of her own movies?

123. Name the former Whistler resident who recently received the Order of British Columbia.

124. Who was Canada’s first ambassador to Washington? (Hint: He also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957.)

125. Who is the chair of the Council of Canadians?

126. Who is the Canadian writer whose novel inspired the 1989 film Field of Dreams?

127. Two Canadians played prominent roles in founding Hollywood studios and lent their names to those studios. Who are the Canadians and which studios are they associated with?

128. Who was the Canadian who co-created Superman?

129. A Canadian is generally credited with inventing Java script. Name him.

130. Which Canadian painter wrote of her painting adventures in a book titled Klee Wyck ?

131. Who was the first Canadian prime minister of French ancestry?

132. Name the Canadian entrepreneur, known best for brewing, whose steamship line prospered by carrying British troops to the War of 1812.

133. Who was Canadian Parliament’s first poet laureate?

134. Which World War II hero is a professional hockey team named after?

135. Englishman Archie Belaney (1888-1938) is recognized as an important early conservationists who lectured, wrote and lived in the woods in a manner he learned from the Ojibway. It was only after his death, however, that the world learned his true identity. What name did he go by during most of his life?

136. Who was the Canadian commander of UN peacekeeping forces in Rwanda in 1994?

137. Which fictional Royal Northwest Mounted Police officer had a horse named Rex and a dog named Yukon King?



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