News quiz Nov. 22 | Finding fossils, picking politicians

Lots of news going on this week, much of it in the realm of politics. So let’s go.

1. When newly elected MLAs convened this week, their first order of business was to elect a Speaker. Which MLA was elected?

A. Simon Kuliktana
B. David Joanasie
C. Abraham Qammaniq

2. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government got its first budget approved this week, by the thinnest of margins — a 170-168 vote in favour. How did Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout vote?

A. She voted against the budget.
B. She voted in favour of the budget, bucking the NDP trend.
C. She abstained, which helped to allow the budget to be passed.

3. Prime Minister Mark Carney was busy again announcing major infrastructure projects deemed in the national interest will be fast-tracked for approval. Which Nunavut proposal did he add to his list last week?

A. Grays Bay road and port
B. Qikiqtarjuaq deepsea port
C. Iqaluit hydroelectric project

4. First, it was the discovery of a fossil from an Arctic rhinoceros in the High Arctic that set archeologists’ hearts racing. Last week, Nunatsiaq News reported on another fascinating find related to an ancient animal in the Arctic — what kind of animal was it?

A. Woolly mammoth
B. Siberian tiger
C. Arctic Tyrannosaurus rex

5. A day-long event was held in Kuujjuaq on Nov. 11, but it had nothing to do with Remembrance Day. What was it all about?

A. Prime Minister Mark Carney visited
B. The 50^th anniversary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement signing
C. The annual Santa Claus parade

One MLA was elected by colleagues this week to serve as Speaker in the Nunavut legislature. Who was it? (File photo)

Answers

1. B — David Joanasie, the MLA for South Baffin, was elected Speaker by secret ballot in the legislature Tuesday.
2. C — Nunavut MP Lori Idlout was one of two NDP members who sat out the vote. That, along with two Conservative members also abstaining plus Green Party MP Elizabeth May’s vote supporting the budget, gave the Liberals enough votes to pass their financial blueprint and avoid a possible defeat of the government.
3. C — The Iqaluit hydroelectricity project was named to the federal government’s list of nation-building projects. Proponents say it will create hundreds of jobs and cut Iqaluit’s reliance on diesel fuel to power its generators.
4. A — We reported on the discovery more than 125 years ago of a tooth from a woolly mammoth. Re-examining it, scientists concluded the mammal actually ranged much farther in eastern Canada than originally believed.
5. B — The event commemorated the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, featuring speeches and all sorts of cultural performances ending with a flurry of fireworks that night.