So how much did you pay attention to politics last year? Given the kind of year it was, I sincerely hope the answer is “not much”. But if you want to reminisce about the year that was, you can take my year in review quiz*.
*although I say “my quiz”, it’s possible some questions were written by Helena Guergis’ assistant
1. Which city’s airport did Helena Guergis call a “hell hole”?
2. Which cabinet minister got into a heated argument after trying to bring a bottle of tequila onto an airplane?
3. Which Premier flew to the US for heart surgery?
4. Whose sexting inspired the “A Fare to Remember” newspaper headline this spring?
5. How many premiers left office this year or announced their departure? (and Jean Charest digging his political grave doesn’t count)
6. When not turning water to wine, Danielle Smith leads the Wildrose Alliance, a party threatening to topple the 40 year PC dynasty. How many MLAs does the Alliance currently have?
7. This inanimate object drew headlines after it was revealed to cost 1.9 million (or $57,000, depending on who you ask):
A. Stockwell Day’s murse
B. Fake Lake
C. Rahim Jaffer’s cocaine
D. Michael Ignatieff
8. Who did James Moore christen as “Canada’s Team” a week before their exit from the NHL playoffs?
9. In which of the following cities were incumbent mayors defeated this fall?
A. Calgary
B. Toronto
C. Winnipeg
D. Ottawa
10. This year, the Alberta PC government stopped listing the following as a mental disorder just 37 years after the American Psychiatric Association made the same decision:
A. Depression
B. Homosexuality
C. Adultery
D. Voting Liberal
11. What reason did Stockwell Day give as a reason for spending 11 billion dollars on new prisons?
A. “This is part of the stimulus program.”
B. “We need a place to put the Liberals connected to Adscam.”
C. “We’re very concerned about the increase in the amount of unreported crime.”
D. “Boy, crime, I dunno.”
12. The Ottawa Sun praised the naming of David Johnson as Governor General for which of the following reasons?
A. He’s distinguished
B. He has accomplished a lot in his career
C. He’d represent Canada well
D. He’s a white male
13. What 2010 event did Larry Smith call a “catastrophe”?
A. The BP oil spill
B. The Haiti earthquake
C. The Roughriders performance in the Grey Cup
D. His new senate salary of $132,000 a year