Oh Canada! Yep, it's our National Holiday.

Merci à mon ami Forrest, en l'honneur du jour du Canada, je peux vous dire si vous ne le voyiez pas ici la première fois, pour aller montrebest beer commercial ever. Celui qui apporte une larme à l'oeil de chaque Canadien...

Right, I cheated and used Babelfish. If you think it's important, you can reverse translate it.

At least I'm not putting the quiz answers up in French!

Thanks to Tom Brodbeck’s column I can share this Canada quiz.
1. Where did the first European settlers in Canada come from?
Aboriginal people were the first ones here, but the first European settlers came from France. There were many Europeans who came before that, including Italian explorer John Cabot in 1497. But it was the French who settled permanently in Canada in the 1600s. (I could be really naughty and say I’d want to leave France too…)
Vive le Canada!
2. Who were the United Empire Loyalists?
Those were the folks who didn't want to live in the United States anymore during and after the American Revolution (1775-1783). So they came to the Great White North. Many settled in the Atlantic region. They went on to form the Liberal Party of Canada (kidding).
(I’m really made about that Liberal Party crack. Because the Ruttan’s were UEL. And by the way, when you have lineage from a Loyalist, you can apply to have the designation UEL put behind your name. Just that most Canadians don’t know what it means. But technically, I could be Sandra M. Ruttan, UEL. Wouldn’t want Kevin to feel inferior, though.)
3. When did the British North America Act come into effect?
I guess it's tough to answer this one when you DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE BNA IS. It's the act that officially created Canada, which came into effect July 1, 1867. Canada Day. Right. Now it's all coming together.
4. Which four provinces first formed Confederation?
A lot of people got this one right. It was Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and a very reluctant Nova Scotia.
5. What part of the Constitution legally protects the basic rights and freedoms of all Canadians?
That would be the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the one that got Maggie Trudeau off her drunk driving charge. (Bet it wouldn’t work for me. Not being a Trudeau.)
6. Which province is the only officially bilingual province?
No, it's not Manitoba. The Government of Manitoba is obliged to provide a number of services in both official languages. But it's not an officially bilingual province. And it's not Quebec. It's definitely not Quebec.
It's New Brunswick -- that charming little province where about a third of people live and work in French.
(Love New Brunswick. The photo on Spinetingler? I took that on Belle Isle Bay in New Brunswick. Doesn’t look like that in colour, though.)
7. What are the three main groups of aboriginal peoples?
Very few people got this one right. The three main groups are First Nations, the Metis and the Inuit. Need a little more work in the public school system on that one.
8. What is the tower in the centre of the Parliament Buildings called?
It's called the Peace Tower. You really should know that.
9. What is the population of Canada?
It's about 31 million people. One sharp cookie said six billion. That would be closer to the global population, Einstein.
10. Where does the name "Canada" come from?
It comes from the Huron-Iroquois word "Kanata," which means "village" or "settlement." Jacques Cartier popularized the word among Europeans. Please don't ask who Jacques Cartier is.
11. Who is Canada's head of state?
No, it's not Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It's Liz. Queen Elizabeth II. She's the formal head of state in Canada. Fortunately, she has no power whatsoever.
12. Why is the Constitution Act 1982 important in Canadian history?
That's the year we severed our last ties with the British Parliament. Until 1982, changes to Canada's constitution had to be approved by the British Parliament. Canada also got the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982.

So, there you have it, blogging friends. A bit more knowledge of Canada. But ONE QUESTION for you guys:
Who was Canada’s first Prime Minister>
If James and Stuart don’t know, they should be ashamed of themselves. Call themselves Scots…
And in honour of the day, some of my favourite Canada pictures.

There’s supposed to be a new post up at Killer Year, live from Thrillerfest but it isn’t there yet. Though some were emailing at 3 am, so they’re probably still asleep. I’m really tempted to call Brett’s cell right about now…
















Bank of British North America in the Yukon, Igloo Church in Inuvik
Flying to Tuktoyaktuk (you can see a Pingo)
The official marker of the Arctic Circle on the Dempster Highway
The Midnight Sun in Inuvik
Along the Dempster Highway
The unaltered picture on Belle Isle Bay

Managed to get a photo of Stuart after all