Here are the answers to my Canada day quiz. No one has tried it yet : (

1. Name the current Prime Minister of Canada (Bonus: name the party that is currently heading the government)

Stephen Harper, Conservative Party.

Aside: most people agree that our most right-winged party (the conservative party) is more liberal that the democratic party of the US.

2. Name the capital

Ottawa, Ontario. It’s a beautiful city!

3. Name 4  of the 13 Canadian provinces or territories

Provinces: Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Price-Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia.

Territories: Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut

4. Name as many Canadian musicians as you can think of

Some that stick out in my mind: Celine Dion (say what you will but that woman has PIPES), Leonard Cohen, Paul Anka, James Ehnes my fave violinist, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Nelly Furtado, Diana Krall, Joni Mitchell, Tegan & Sara, Neil Young and…. RAFFI!

Bands: Alexisonfire, Bif Naked, Blue Rodeo,  The Tragically Hip, Great Big Sea, Crash Test Dummies, The Dears, The Guess Who, Metric, Rush, The Rankins (couldn’t resist), The Weakerthans

And MORE!

5. Name Canada’s only certified bilingual province

New Brunswick! Betcha thought it was Quebec eh? Quebec is legislated francophone but definitely not bilingual.

6. What is the name of the federal police force of Canada? (famous for their uniform)

RCMP, or Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Fondly dubbed the “mounties”. Most of the time they ride around in cars, not on horses. Their red uniform (called the red surge)  is famous but they usually wear normal police outfits

7. How many times have the Olympics been in Canada (excluding Vancouver/Whistler 2010 coming up)

Twice. 1976 Summer games in Montreal and 1988 Winter games in Calgary. Both were before I was born.

8. Where in Europe is there Canadian land?

Vimy Ridge in France. Vimy was the site of an important battle during WW1 where the Canadian forces made great contributions. The land was granted to Canada in 1922 in perpetuity. I visited Vimy in 2007 for the 90th anniversary of the battle, it was a phenomenal experience.

9. Which sport is Canada’s obsession?

Hockey! If you didn’t know that, you are crazy.

HAPPY 4th OF JULY TO MY AMERICAN FRIENDS