News quiz Nov. 23 | Smoking, voting, and Stanley Cups

Quiz time!

Let’s see if you’ve been paying attention to current events and northern issues. Five questions — giddy-up!

1. Daniel Qavvik resigned as Nunavut’s environment minister on Nov. 13 for “personal reasons,” Premier P.J. Akeeagok’s office announced. As of press time, how many of Nunavut’s cabinet ministers have quit since the last territorial election in October 2021?

A. Five
B. Six
C. Seven

2. Across Canada, 16 per cent of people aged 16 and older are smokers. What is the rate for Nunavut?

A. 29 per cent
B. 44 per cent
C. 70 per cent

3. Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. has chosen a controversial plan to drive up voter participation for its Dec. 9 presidential election. What is it doing?

A. Offering half-price Canadian North flights for any qualified voter who casts a ballot.
B. Promising a $100 gift card to Nunavut beneficiaries who show up at a polling station.
C. Distributing “free gas for a month” vouchers to everyone who votes.

4. A man named PJ Prosper was recently praised in Nunavut’s legislative assembly. Who is PJ Prosper and what did he do to earn the kind words?

A. He’s a Nova Scotia senator working on Nunavut-related issues while the territory’s Senate seat remains unfilled.
B. He’s a federal official who played a key role in getting the Nunavut Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement signed earlier this year.
C. He’s a developer from southern Canada with plans to build housing in several Nunavut communities.

5. Rankin Inlet’s Jordin Tootoo played all or part of 11 seasons in the National Hockey League, finishing with 65 goals and 161 points. What team did he win a Stanley Cup with?

A. Chicago Black Hawks in 2017.
B. Nashville Predators in 2012.
C. Tootoo did not play for a Stanley Cup champion.

From left, deputy Premier Pamela Gross, PJ Prosper and Premier P.J. Akeeagok meet at the legislative assembly earlier this month. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)

ANSWERS
1. B — Six cabinet ministers, or about one every six months, have quit cabinet for various reasons — Joelie Kaernerk, Karen Nutarak, Joanna Quassa, Craig Simailak, Adam Arreak Lightstone and now Qavvik.

2. C — 70 per cent of Nunavummiut age 16 or older are smokers, nearly four and a half times the rate recorded in the provinces, according to 2018 statistics cited in the Nunavut Health Department’s Tobacco and Smoking Act annual report for 2023-24 released in the legislative assembly on Nov. 5. Some communities reported a rate as high as 84 per cent.

3. B — NTI is giving away $100 gift cards. In the 2021 election, only 17.5 per cent of voters actually cast a ballot.

4. A — PJ Prosper is a senator for Nova Scotia helping Nunavut, because the territory’s only Senate seat has been allowed to remain open for the past 11 months.

5. C — Jordin Tootoo had a distinguished NHL career suiting up with the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Chicago Black Hawks, but did not win a Stanley Cup.