MosaiCanada 2017 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gordon Lightfoot

Gordon Lightfoot sang "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy" over a live broadcast on January 1, 1967, to kick off the CBC's Centennial celebrations. It received a lot of airplay in Canada that year, particularly around July 1, known as Dominion Day at the time, and has now become a Canadian treasure. I'm not sure where Lightfoot would place this work in his hierarchy of favorite compositions, but I consider it among his very best. For those unfamiliar with Lightfoot or this particular piece, versions are available on YouTube. The other two Lightfoot songs noted in the question were "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and "Black Day in July".

When Canada became independent in 1867, there were only four provinces, all in the eastern half of the country, and the western half was largely uninhabited virgin territory administered by the United Kingdom. The extreme west coast was becoming populated due to the commercial opportunities in fur trading, mineral deposits and forestry, and in order to entice that area to join the Canadian confederation, a means to connect it to the eastern provinces, in ways other than a four-month boat trip around South America, was imperative. A railroad was the answer and British Columbia became a province in 1871 based on the promise that a rail link would be completed within ten years. It took a little longer but as the railway extended westward, emigrants from Europe flocked to Canada to settle the rich farmland on the prairies. Canada was well on its way to becoming a viable country!

Answer: Saskatchewan

Upon the formation of Canada, outside of British Columbia, all the land west of the Great Lakes was divided into two territories named Rupert's Land and the North-West Territory and were owned by the Hudson Bay Company. In 1870, the company ceded the lands to Great Britain who in turn transferred them to Canada where they became the Northwest Territory.

It now became necessary to patrol the territory and a force of between 100-150 men were recruited for that purpose and named the North West Mounted Rifles.

The "Rifles" component of the name was changed to "Police" to appease the U.S. who were concerned that the force would be used for military purposes. When the NWMP were combined with the Dominion Police Force in 1920, they became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the law enforcement agency for the entire country, although Ontario and Quebec now have their own independent provincial police forces. Regina has served as the training depot for the force since 1885.

Answer: Wild Rose

The wild rose (Rosa acicularis) is also known as the prickly wild rose, the prickly rose, the bristly rose, the wild rose and the Arctic rose. The plant is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to three metres high and can be found in the northern regions of Europe, Asia and North America.

The flowering blooms are almost always pink. Alberta is known as "wild rose country" and the flower is featured on the province's license plate.

Answer: Newfoundland and Labrador

The Atlantic or common puffin (Fratercula arctica) belongs to the Auk family of seabirds. In Europe, it breeds in Iceland, Greenland, Norway and the Faroe Islands and ranges from those regions as far south as the Iberian Peninsula. In North America, both its range and breeding grounds extend from Newfoundland to Maine.

Although their current adult population numbers about 10,000,000, they are considered a vulnerable species as their numbers have dwindled considerably this century. Movements are afoot to curtail this trend particularly by outlawing hunting but habitat loss and other human activity continues as an going concern.

A popular pastime for both tourists and bird watchers is to observe, from afar and by boat, their nesting grounds on seaside cliffs.

Answer: Jacques Cartier

Cartier's first voyage in 1534 consisted of two ships and about 65 men with the goal of finding precious metals and if possible, to discover a passage to the Pacific Ocean and the Orient. He followed the south shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island) before reaching Gaspé and the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, the first recorded person in history to do so. There he encountered Iroquois Indians including their chief Donnacona. He then returned to France with two of the chief's sons with a promise to return the following year.

The second voyage in 1536 was bigger, three ships and 110 men, and guided by Donnacona's sons, he travelled all the way up the St. Lawrence to the Indian village of Stadacona near present day Quebec City. He sailed further up the river to the Indian village of Hochelaga (present-day Montreal), and the Iroquois there told him about a vast inland sea, no doubt Lake Superior. Perhaps, he thought, the route to the Orient? They spent the winter near Stadacona, surviving the harsh winter with the native's help, and returned to France the following summer.

Conflicts between Spain and France prevented Cartier from returning to the area until 1541 when his entourage consisted of over 800 men with intentions to start colonizing the area. Unfortunately, the cordial relations between his men and the natives in earlier visits turned sour and bloody skirmishes between the two persisted over the winter. Cartier had had enough and decided to return to France with as many native metals as he could collect. The expedition turned out to be a total failure as the "precious" metals proved to be worthless. The dream was shattered but the goal of colonization was to be realized half a century later with the expeditions of Champlain.

Answer: Prince Edward Island

There are an abundance of red foxes on Prince Edward Island, and they were a natural for selection as the province's symbolic animal. There was a period between 1890 and the 1920s when fox fur was in high demand, and fox farms were one of the major industries in PEI. In the mid-1920s, there were about 450 fox farms in the province and today there are only 35 in the entire country!

The Charlottetown Conference was the first significant meeting of Canada's colonies to consider some sort of confederation. Originally, it was designed for the maritime colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI who felt consolidation of some sort was necessary, not only for economic reasons, but in concern that when the American Civil War ended, they could be liable for annexation by their southern neighbour. The colonies of Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) expressed a desire to attend and were invited accordingly. Many Canadians feel that this conference directly led to confederation and attendees have been dubbed as "the Fathers of Confederation". However, these were only preliminary discussions and the event was significantly more "social" than "political", but it did result in resolutions to meet again later that year in Quebec City. That meeting propelled things further and when representatives from Canada met with the British in London in 1866, the British North America Act was ratified and Canada's independence granted as of July 1, 1867.

Answer: From France with French settlers in the mid 1600s

Horses were introduced to Canada in 1659 when Louis XIV sent a shipload to the French settlers of New France. They were a variety of breeds: Belgian, Percheron, Breton and Dales and over the years, they interbred to create a new distinctive Canadian breed. They are smart, strong, tough, and versatile, perfect for the tasks they were asked to perform. Today a breeding program is in place to assure the breed continues and they currently number about 6,000 specimens.

I couldn't determine if that first shipment of horses went to French settlers in New Brunswick. However, since the first French settlement in New France was established in 1604 near present day Saint John, New Brunswick, I can only assume that the living sculpture of the Canadian horse would be designated to that province for that reason.

Spanish conquistadors and Moors from Arabia never ventured to Canadian shores, and there never has been an influx of Argentinian polo players with their equine partners.

Answer: British Columbia

Vancouver Island is part of the province of British Columbia and the site of its capital, Victoria. Alaska and Washington are bordering American states.

I find this depiction of the orca quite interesting and I suspect whoever designed it had a background in native Indian art, perhaps of the Haida tribe who are renowned for their artistic designs.

It is estimated that approximately 50,000 orcas populate the planet with about 2500 to 3000 calling the waters along the upper Pacific coast their home. They are the largest member of the dolphin family and are apex predators meaning that they are the prey of no other animal. Their diet consists of thirty different species of fish, cephalopods, birds, sea turtles and other marine mammals including whales. Attacks on humans in the wild are exceedingly rare and normally due to misidentification, but attacks on humans while in captivity are not unknown, probably a response of the orca to that captivity. Orcas can live to the age of 90, and females can give birth up to about the age of 50 when, like humans, they enter a menopause phase of life. They live in pods as all orcas live with their mother for the duration of their life, only leaving the pod for short periods during mating season. They are, indeed, remarkably interesting social animals!

Answer: Lobster

Lobster fishing is a $600M per year industry in Nova Scotia, obviously a significant contributor to the province's economy. In most areas of the province, the only period that lobster can be caught is in the spring from April to July. However, a second fishing season occurs from late November to sometime in January along the province's southern coast and in the Bay of Fundy.

In the photo you can see wooden traps, called lobster pots. They are baited with small fish then lowered down to the ocean floor where lobsters plod along looking for their food, normally smaller fish and crustaceans.

There is an escape hatch in the lobster pot to allow smaller lobsters and fish to escape the trap but the large ones suitable for human consumption are doomed. Between 5-12 lobsters can be caught in each pot.

Answer: Churchill

All your other choices are communities in the southern part of Manitoba, a considerable distance from Hudson Bay where Churchill is located.

Ecotourism is a major component of Churchill's economy. Bird watching season lasts from May to August, and a popular attraction in July and August is the beluga whales which calve in the warmer waters of Hudson Bay before returning to their usual habitat in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Polar bears can be seen throughout the year, to some extent, but optimal opportunities occur during October and November when the animal congregates in the area waiting for the Bay to freeze over. They will then disperse onto the ice to pursue their primary food source, the ringed seal. Churchill is known as "The Polar Bear Capital of the World" and is the most southerly part of the world serving as a habitat for these remarkable creatures. As a bonus for those coming to observe the bears is the prospect of viewing the northern lights which can be viewed throughout the year but are best during the winter when nights are longer. The inukshuk displayed in this photo exists along the shore near Churchill. Together with the northern lights, it would be a classic Kodak moment.

The polar bear/northern lights tour is a "bucket list" item for many people. It will generally cost about C$1000/day for five or six day tours. As Churchill is very small (population 900) with limited accommodations, reservations must be made early. A two-hour flight into Churchill is your best transportation option. Rail service from Winnipeg takes two days and occasional local flooding can wash away the rails. Due to sub-service permafrost, roads can not be built to service the community.

Answer: Voyageur

Let's hope they weren't voyeur voyageurs!

The need for voyageurs developed in the late 1600s when the demand for fur pelts in France, especially beaver to make fashionable men's hats, outdistanced their availability in Quebec and the maritime regions. The only way to meet the demand was to expand their trapping territory westward, and by the end of the 1700s, the French and their British rivals, courtesy of the Hudson Bay Company, had trading posts and voyageurs as far west as present-day northern Alberta.

Most voyageurs resided in Montreal, and loaded with tons of merchandise, would canoe westward in groups ranging in size from 6 to 12 down the St. Lawrence, Lake Huron and Lake Superior trading items like guns, cloth, mirrors and other assorted baubles for the precious furs, then canoe back home. Other voyageurs would work individually or in pairs in the western areas, trapping over the winter. With the arrival of spring, they would canoe eastward as far as 1500 miles to the western end of Lake Superior with their goods then travel right back before the end of autumn to re-start the cycle. Needless to say, it was hard, dangerous work and many died in the process. However, just as many of the survivors were voyageurs for over forty years and were legends in their own time among their peers. As the 19th century progressed, the cachet of furs in Europe was diminishing with the emergence of silk and the development of railroad transportation reduced the voyageurs to redundancy.

I wish to point out that there actually was another living sculpture representing Ontario. For the purposes of this quiz, the sculpture was akin to a cubist painting by Picasso... open to interpretation and very difficult for me to connect the sculpture to its intent. For that reason, I substituted the sculpture of the voyageur to represent Ontario.

Answer: 1896-1899

"There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;"

Robert Service's famous poem, "The Cremation of Sam McGee" was written in homage to the men who participated in the Klondike gold rush. In the summer of 1896, an American named George Carmack, his native C/L wife Kate, her brother Skookum Jim Mason, and their nephew Dawson Charlie, were casually prospecting for gold on Rabbit Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River, when they actually found vast deposits of the mineral among the stones. Word of the discovery spread rapidly and when winter passed, 100,000 prospectors made their way to Skagway, Alaska, to start the difficult trek through the mountain passes to Dawson, Yukon, to find their fortune. The journey proved so treacherous that many died en route while many more weren't up to the task and turned back. Just 30,000 actually reached their destination only to find that most of the promising prospecting sites has already been claimed by locals over the winter. Very few made money, let alone a fortune, and the few brief successes were among the entrepreneurs who made money by owning bars, casinos, hotels, brothels and other businesses to service the prospectors. However, because there was little gold left to find, most people left soon after their arrival and the 30,000 dwindled to 2,000 by 1899. The Klondike gold rush was over just in time for the Alaska gold rush when gold was discovered in Nome. Of the original four who initiated the Klondike rush with their discovery, only Carmack, who moved to California with his wealth, lived a life of luxury.

Of your other choices, the first gold rush was California's from 1848 to 1860. Gold had been discovered in Australia before then, but the government was reluctant to open the country up to a "gold rush" fearing labor shortages which might destabilize the economy. The success of the California discovery encouraged Australia to reverse course in this regard and there was much activity from 1851 to the end of the century. The Otago gold rush in New Zealand took place between 1861 and 1864.

Answer: Muskox

From 1870 until Nunavut broke away to become its own territory in 1999, Northwest Territories (NWT) was the largest geographical entity in Canada... by far! It's now third in area behind Nunavut and Quebec and sits 11th of 13 in terms of population with approximately 44,000 folks, slightly more than half being aboriginal. The only Europeans to venture north prior to the 20th century were fur trappers and there were few of them. NWT is home to Canada's largest lake entirely within the country, Great Bear Lake (8th largest in the world) and the deepest lake in North America, Great Slave Lake (10th largest in the world).

Gold was discovered in 1898 near Yellowknife on the shores of Great Slave Lake but not in significant quantities to divert attention away from the Klondike, especially considering the remoteness of Yellowknife. More gold deposits were found in the area in the 1930s and several mines were established over the years and with the resulting growth and economic importance of Yellowknife, it became the capital of NWT in 1967. All the gold mines were closed by 2004 but deposits of diamonds were discovered in 1991 and that, along with some activity in oil and gas, are the current drivers of the economy.

Unlike its tame cousin the yak, whose habitat is in Central Asia, muskox are very difficult to breed in captivity so despite their value for their succulent meat and their inner wool named qiviut, which can be woven into cozy sweaters and scarves, they remain largely a wild species roaming the Arctic. They are prey to wolves and occasionally, if in the wrong place at the wrong time, polar bears.

Answer: Nunavut

Nunavut is big... very big. The largest of Canada's provinces and territories, if it were its own country, it would rank 15th in size between Indonesia and Sudan. It consists of land to the west of Hudson Bay and most of the Canadian Arctic archipelago including three of the world's ten largest islands; Baffin Island at 5th, Victoria Island at 9th and Ellesmere Island at 10th. Despite this vast size, it is home to only about 34,000 residents, almost all of them Inuit natives. The capital city, Iqaluit, has a population of 7,700 and is on the site of an old fishing village on Baffin Island.

Among almost all North American native cultures, drummers and dancers are separate entities and based on my limited research, I could find no other aboriginals other than the Inuit where the dancer does his own drumming. Originally, drum dancing had spiritual roots and would only be performed on rare special occasions to protect the community or as a prayer to ask for good hunting or fishing. Over the course of time, it came to be performed for birthdays, funerals, or weddings until finally it became a routine social practice whenever the community came together.

This photo encapsulates the living sculptures of all three territories; from left to right, the drum dancer, the muskox and the prospector with the bonus of the northern lights inukshuk. It was accidental... I wasn't aware of it until doing this quiz! It also wraps up the section of this quiz devoted to Canada's provinces and territories. The balance of the quiz details some of Canada's most famous people, both real and fictional.

Answer: Anne of Green Gables

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) was raised by her maternal grandparents from the age of two in Cavendish, PEI. Her mother died in 1876 from TB and her father moved to the western prairies in 1881. Earning a teaching diploma in 1893, she followed that vocation for several years and wrote short stories in her spare time until 1908 when "Anne of Green Gables" was published and proved to be a best-selling success.

She would write five more novels with Anne as the central character and another five where she is a supporting character in stories about her children or friends. All the stories were works of fiction but certainly were autobiographical to the extent that her life experiences influenced them.

They were translated into 36 different languages and served as reading material for English students in several countries, particularly in Japan where the books were accorded iconic status, something to which I can personally attest. During a visit to PEI in 2000, I saw several groups of young Japanese adults making a pilgrimage to the area where Anne "grew up". Most were just beaming with joy, and some, girls particularly, were so overwhelmed by the experience that they were crying. Civil matrimonial ceremonies for Japanese couples at the green gabled home where she lived are not uncommon. Never having read any of those books growing up, I was astonished to witness such devotion to a literary character created by a Canadian author. Anne's place in MosaiCanada is well deserved!

Answer: Belgium

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the poem on May 3, 1915, shortly after presiding over the funeral of a close companion who was killed during the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium. He himself died in France of pneumonia on January 28, 1918 at the age of 45.

The poem was first published in "Punch" magazine in December of 1915, and for the remainder of the war, served as a rallying cry for the Allied forces and was used in funding campaigns for the war effort. A volunteer worker for the American YMCA Overseas War Secretaries Organization, Moina Michael, first wore a poppy in 1918 and vowed to do so every year thereafter on November 11th as a symbol of remembrance for those who fought in the war. The cause was taken up by a French woman in 1920, Anna Guerin, and silk poppies were made for sale to support war veterans and war widows in France. In 1921, all the countries of the British Commonwealth were on board and continue to be to this day through the efforts of Legions and Veteran Service organizations in those countries. For those unfamiliar with the poem, here it is.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Answer: Classical

Glenn Gould (1932-82) was a child prodigy and his development into a piano virtuoso followed the usual pattern for the gifted: composing musical pieces by the age of five and performing them in public venues; attending a music conservatory at age ten and graduating with his classes' highest grades two years later; performing in front of a full orchestra at the age of thirteen and a solo recital a year later; and his performances being recorded by the age of seventeen. He was considered to be one of the world's foremost interpreters of the compositions of Bach and Beethoven.

Like many a genius, Gould was somewhat eccentric. He would only play in "his" chair that his father had built for him, the seat of which was exactly 14 inches from the floor. For a Canadian kid, he hated the cold and even when he was in warm climates, he would wear wool mittens and hats and heavy clothing. Over the course of his professional career, 38 years, he made less than 200 public performances. Somewhat neurotically, he felt that people attended his concerts to witness him making an error and consequently, he gave his last public performance in 1964, retiring to the recording studio for the balance of his career. He died following a massive stroke shortly after his 50th birthday.

Answer: Canada's victory over the USSR in the 1972 Summit Series

From 1920 to 1952, there were seven Olympic Games in which countries competed for gold medals in ice hockey and Canada won six of them. Their only defeat was in 1936 when the Great Britain team, composed almost entirely of players born and raised in Canada but with dual citizenship, were victorious. During that same period, 19 International World Championships were held and Canada won all but four of those. All these victories were won by amateurs... Canada's best players were professionals and were not permitted in these tournaments. Clearly it was Canada's game!

Then, horrors! The USSR won the World Championship hosted by the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) in 1954 and the Olympic Gold medal in 1956 and then again in 1964, 1968 and 1972 with the U.S. team authoring an upset in 1960. In the World Championships, Canada won on four occasions in eight events between 1955 and 1962 but then the USSR won the title in nine consecutive tournaments from 1963 to 1971. From the inception of the World Championships in 1930, and up to 1969, 32 events had been held in Europe and Canada, the home of the game, had not hosted one of them. The Europeans, through the IIHF, were profiting from Canada's participation but would not permit its best players, professionals, to play. Meanwhile, countries behind the iron curtain, the USSR particularly, were icing their best players in these tournaments under the guise of amateurs. They held "positions" in the military or government-sponsored industries but their only job was to play hockey. When the IIHF rebuffed Canada's insistence that their best players be allowed to participate in their events, Canada withdrew altogether. Meanwhile, negotiations were underfoot to have an eight-game tournament between the USSR's best players and Canada's best, NHL professionals. The hockey match of the century and the Canadian attitude was "we'll show 'em"!

The first four games were held in Canada and when the Canadians were drubbed 7-3 in the first game, the apprehension that maybe we would lose was quite palpable. The next three games were split evenly with each squad winning a game and the other tied. When the games resumed in Moscow, the USSR won the first game and the chances of a Canadian victory in the series was bleak. They would have to win all three games. They did win the first two games in hard fought battles with much controversy. In the final game, the USSR dominated the first two periods and were leading 5-3 going into the final frame. At that point, the Soviets decided to deploy a kitty-bar-the-door defensive style of game and the Canadians took advantage with a furious offensive assault resulting in two goals and a tie game with seven minutes left. Then, with 32 seconds left on the clock, Paul Henderson, playing the best hockey of his career, potted the winning goal! Canada was vindicated and were, once again, on top of the hockey world.

Answer: Noah

In North American native folklore, it is believed that in the long ago, all animals shared the earth amicably until one day, they became enemies and began to fight one another. Kichi Manito, the Creator, became angry and decided to flood the earth but before doing so, advised his son Wisakedjàk of his intentions and asked him to collect a representation of Earth's animals and place them in a canoe to survive the deluge.

When the rains ceased, Wisakedjàk advised the animals that one of them would have to dive into the depths and return with soil upon which the new earth could grow.

In turn, the loon, the duck, the otter, the mink and the beaver tried their best but were unsuccessful in their attempts and barely survived the ordeal. The last to try was the muskrat and after three days without emerging, it was assumed that he had succumbed, but then he surfaced and in his paw was a clump of soil. Wisakedjàk took it, placed it on the back of a turtle and the earth was born again.

Answer: Mother Earth

After Wisakedjàk came Aataentsic and each native culture has a variation of her legend but, essentially, she is portrayed as being Mother Earth. Most native cultures believe that she fell from an opening in the sky and landed on the turtle with the patch of earth on its shell. Dependent on the culture, she is the mother or grandmother of two boys: one, Sky-Holder, represents creation, life, day and summer; the other, Flint, represents destruction, death, night and winter. When she died and was buried, she became the seed from which all plants grew.

This particular plant sculpture was deemed to be the highlight of the exhibit.

Now, a few details about the exhibit itself. It was grown in Jacques Cartier Parque in Gatineau, Quebec, just across the river from Canada's capital of Ottawa. During Canada's Sesquicentennial celebrations in 2017, over 1.3 million patrons visited the display during the 107 days it was open, June 30 to October 15. 33 plant-based sculptures were on display comprised of over 3 million individual plants. 40 horticulturists were necessary to tend to the exhibit's plants and patrons were required to negotiate one kilometer of trails to see each sculpture. Due to popular demand, the display was reopened in 2018 but was permanently dismantled at the end of that year. Each sculpture was supposed to be reassembled in the province or region it represented but I'm not sure that ambition was realized.