Best wishes to Alex and all of our Canadian friends for “Dominion of Canada Day” which they celebrate on July 1. The following quiz is for Alex and all of our Canadian friends. I won’t reveal the URL of the original quiz for a few days since it provides the answers.

The 'You're a Great Canadian' Canada Day Quiz 2003

True or false? Wilfrid Laurier was the first Prime Minister born in what is now Quebec

By Randy Ray and Mark Kearney

Canada Day is a time for enjoying a ball game, lounging around the pool or taking part in the fireworks and festivities at Parliament Hill. But let's not forget the other national pastime that commands the attention of Canadians -- politics.

Canadians of all stripes love talking, reading, and debating about the people and events that make up Canada's political scene. But while they may be familiar with the faces and issues, what do they know about our rich political heritage and the people who shaped it, especially all you political insiders on Parliament Hill and across the country?

On this Canada Day 2003, take a few moments to test your knowledge of the politicians, symbols and political events that are an integral part of Canada's history.

Score well and you might just deserve the title "Right Honourable."

1. Canadian-born Andrew Bonar Law was once Prime Minister of which country?

a) Great Britain b) Australia c) Canada d) South Africa

2. When Canada was formed in 1867, what was the maximum yearly salary a Member of Parliament could earn?

a) $300 b) $600 c) $1,200 d) $3,000.

3. What was Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's middle name?

a) Herbert b) Albert c) Michael d) George e) Arthur

4. What is the name of the statue on the dome of the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg?

5. True or false? Wilfrid Laurier was the first Prime Minister born in what is now Quebec.

6. In which year was "O Canada" officially proclaimed as Canada's national anthem?

a) 1939 b) 1967 c) 1977 d) 1980 e) never

7. Red and white are the colours of Canada's national flag. Who designated them as Canada's official colours?

a) King George V b) Prime Minister Lester Pearson c) Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent d) Queen Elizabeth II

8. In addition to being Prime Ministers of Canada, what do Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir John Sparrow David Thompson have in common?

a) both were born in Kingston b) both died while in office c) they were elected to the House of Commons on the same day d) neither ever married.

9. E.B. Eddy was the founder of a successful lumber, paper and match business in Hull and in the late 1800s, served as the community's mayor. While mayor, which of the following can he take credit for?

a) introduction of a bill to create the city of Hull b) a 50-per-cent reduction in property taxes for Hull businesses c) opening the first tavern in Hull.

10. Where in Canada did women first have the legal right to vote?

a) Quebec b) Ontario c) Nova Scotia d) Manitoba

11. Who held the office of Prime Minister for the shortest period of time?

a) Alexander Mackenzie b) Sir Charles Tupper c) Joe Clark d) John Turner

12. What final alteration was made in 1965 before the red and white Maple Leaf flag was adopted?

a) the maple leaf was enlarged by one inch b) a deeper shade of red was used c) two points were removed from the base of the maple leaf d) the stem of the maple leaf was shortened.

13. What was flying atop the Peace Tower on Feb. 15, 1965 before the first official raising of Canada's Maple Leaf flag took place?

a) the Union Jack b) nothing c) Red Ensign d) the Governor General's standard

14. Who was the first Senator to serve as Canada's Prime Minister?

15. In what year did the Conservative Party and the Progressive Party merge to become the Progressive Conservative Party?

a) 1939 b) 1952 c) 1941 d) 1954

16. What did the federal government outlaw in September 1972 for safety reasons?

a) firecrackers b) open-wheeled go-carts c) smoking in airplanes d) expense accounts for politicians.

17. I was a champion of justice issues including women's rights when I was elected to the House of Commons in 1921. Who am I?

18. Three of the four original provinces that made up Canada on July 1, 1867 were Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Name the fourth.

19. Where did MPs meet after fire gutted the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings in 1916?

a) The East Block b) Ottawa City Hall c) the Museum of Nature d) Lansdowne Park

20. Unscramble the following letters to form the name of one of Canada's Prime Ministers: tarruh gmeenhi.

Randy Ray of Ottawa, a former Parliament Hill correspondent, and Mark Kearney of London, Ont., are the authors of The Great Canadian Trivia Books and I Know That Name! The People Behind Canada's Best-Known Brand Names. For more Canadiana, visit their Web site at www.triviaguys.com

Amen to the "Best Wishes" part, for all the fine people of Canada. I've visited on three occasions, and encountered fine folks wherever I traveled.

I have found that those who are refered to as "right honourable" tend to come up short in either the "right" or the "honourable" category, or both.

Perhaps those in any country who seek power and who seek to retain power, are corrupted by the process. Best wishes, in spite of the judges and politicians.

John
Pilgrim and Odd Duck

Yeah, the power thing is a beast. But, I didn't quite feel that way in Canada. T'was such an experience being in another country and feeling totally at home.

The other aspect that was fascinating was the whole Quebec thing. Catholics everywhere. Crawling out from under rocks - - ALL Catholics. And of course the food. Who else would invent poutine - french fries smothered in melted cheese. Damn the cardiologists!!! Add more salt!!

And ANY nation that serves beer in regular bottles and then also the "grandes" is deserving of a hat raise.

Three cheers for Dudley Dooright!!!

God bless our Canadian kinfolk. As I say to some disgruntled folks who think we Americans are just trying to consider them a colony: "la meme famille dans une autre maison". [same family; different household].

Blessings!!

Blessings!!

I'll answer one of the quiz questions. Andrew Bonar Law was prime minister of Great Britain, and if I remember correctly (I'am going strictly from memory) I believe he was born in Newfoundland. Not too popular with Catholics in Northern Ireland either.

Yeah, he was known as the "unknown Prime Minister" followed by Baldwin and Ramsey MacDonald

Speaking of trivia, IF Andrew Bonar Law was born in Newfoundland, he wasn't born in Canada! At the time of his birth, Newfoundland was a separate entity and remained so until the 1940s.

I was WRONG, Bonar Law was born in New Brunswick. Probably best remembered as a staunch opponent of Home Rule for Ireland.

I thought all along that Canada WAS the 51st in the Union!

At any rate, vive les Canadiennes!!!

Amado

Sung to the tune of the Canadian national anthem:

Oh Canada!
Cold Molsen in my hand.
Hockey on TV,
I'm happy as can be!


Yours,

kl

Once when I was in Toronto, I went to the fights at Maple Leaf Gardens, and a Hockey game broke out. By the way, does anyone know if Wayne Gretzky is Byzcath or Ortho.

Dear Lawrence:

Being of Belarusian extraction like Kirk Douglas, Olga Korbut, Robert Sarnoff, and many other famous Canadians and Americans, Wayne Gretzky could also be Yiddish, i.e., Jewish.

But as a proper "Russian," the "Great One" could very well be Russian Orthodox or, at least, a Byzantine (Russian) Catholic!

Let's ask him when he next visits Chicago with his hockey FIGHTING team.

Amado

Happy Canadian Dominion Day!

Long may our neighbors to the North find that their neighbors to the South cherish the ties between and among us. May we continue to share an open border for millenia to come!

Vive la difference!

Steve

Dear Friends,

Thank y'a, kindly, eh!

I took Friday off for a blissful five day Dominion of Canada Day long weekend!

(I congratulate the Administrator for coining "Dominion of Canada Day" - a term I've long used in political speeches for members of parliament I've worked with)

I'm still too cross-eyed to work on the Administrator's questions, but I wanted to share with you why we are still officially a "Dominion."

In 1867, the Fathers of Confederation wanted to call Canada a "Kingdom" composed of the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

The Americans to the south threatened to invade Canada if they did.

Britain told Canada to be nice to the Americans.

And so Canada adopted the term "Dominion" from Psalm 72, "He shall have dominion from sea even unto sea, and from the River unto the ends of the earth."

"Dominion" was simpy another word for "kingdom" but the Americans didn't know that, and so accepted that title . . .

"From sea unto sea" became our national motto, and so the red bars on our flag represent the two oceans - King George V approved our coat of arms and our two national/royal colours of red and white and so blue was out.

The other part of the sentence refers to the St Lawrence river (not the Euphrates ) and the islands of the Northwest Territories.

I flew the Loyalist Flag on Dominion of Canada Day yesterday - the Union Jack without the Saltire of St Patrick.

This flag once flew over all of Canada and the U.S. under the British.

It was also the flag that George Washington flew over his home - I mean the thirteen stripes with that flag in the corner rather than the stars - the "Grand Union Banner."

The U.S. ISN'T part of the British Empire and English Commonwealth?

Since when??

Alex