TEST YOUR 2017 TRIVIA

Our 40-question news quiz

1. François Legault said he was “annoyed,” Jean-François Lisée said he was “insulted,” and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said he was “irritated” — by what? a) The latest budget tabled by the provincial government b) The low number of Québécois players on the Montreal Canadiens c) The growing use of “BonjourHi” as a greeting d) Evidence of anti-francophone sentiment in Nelson, B.C.

2. On many days in the summer, between 150 and 300 people made an unauthorized crossing into Quebec from the United States, hoping to live permanently in Canada. The majority of these people were citizens of what country? a) Haiti b) Syria c) Eritrea d) Guatemala

3. The Vegas Golden Knights picked a Montreal Canadiens defenceman in the June expansion draft. Was it: a) Brandon Davidson b) Nathan Beaulieu c) Alexei Emelin d) Serge Savard

4. Why did Gilbert Rozon resign from his position as chair of the Just for Laughs comedy festival? a) He intends to create a new festival in Quebec City b) He faces accusations of sexual misconduct from several women c) He took responsibility for the festival’s financial difficulties d) He plans to run in the next election for Coalition Avenir Québec

5. It was revealed in December that in a two-year period between 2015 and 2017, a total of 1,581 Quebec doctors had sought help from the province’s Programme d’aide aux médecins, mostly for reasons of mental health. What did the health minister, Gaétan Barrette, say in response? a) “It’s fake news. I don’t believe these numbers.” b) “It’s a direct result of the changes imposed on the healthcare system, and I take full responsibility.” c) “These figures are probably no worse than you find in other jurisdictions.” d) “There is no real increase. But a taboo is disappearing, and doctors are no longer afraid to admit their unhappiness.”

6. In October, leaders from Quebec’s Inuit, Innu, Cree and Naskapi nations signed an agreement in Montreal. What was its purpose? a) To develop new strategies for dealing with violence against women b) To improve relations with the Quebec government c) To co-operate in preserving caribou herds d) To provide more housing in remote communities

7. Units of the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed in Quebec this year. Why? a) To help deal with the flooding that hit the province in May b) To prevent confrontations between far-right and far-left political factions in the Quebec City area c) To rebuild bridges and highways in the Outaouais after extreme rainfall at the end of October d) To help maintain order at selected border crossings following the influx of refugees

8. In June, the Montreal police department announced that the rate of one type of crime had fallen to its lowest level since the formation of an island-wide police force in 1972. What is the crime in question? a) Rape b) Arson c) Vehicle theft d) Homicide

9. Blade Runner 2049 was a tremendous critical hit directed by which Quebec filmmaker? a) Philippe Falardeau b) Denis Villeneuve c) Kim Nguyen d) Xavier Dolan

10. In 2017, the Gulf of St. Lawrence witnessed an alarming number of deaths of a type of marine mammal. Name the mammal. a) North Atlantic right whale b) Beluga c) Blue whale d) Grey seal

11. What was the main reason why Uber threatened to quit the province in 2017? a) Quebec wanted Uber drivers to buy new and expensive permits b) Quebec wanted Uber to use more French in its advertising c) Quebec wanted Uber to use only hybrid or electric vehicles d) Quebec wanted Uber drivers to be given 35 hours of training

12. This year the Association des microbrasseries du Québec reacted with “stupefaction and desolation” to the sale of another small Quebec brewery to a large company. Which of the following microbreweries was gobbled up in November? a) Les 3 Brasseurs b) Unibroue c) Microbrasserie Archibald d) Le Trou du Diable

13. One of Canada’s most likely medallists in the upcoming Olympic Winter Games is a moguls skier from SainteAgathe-des-Monts who this month won his ninth straight World Cup moguls event. Is he: a) Erik Guay b) Mikaël Kingsbury c) Charles Hamelin d) Alex Harvey

14. Which retired politician took to the stage this year and performed an original song that featured the lines “With the 375th, we have to take a lot of lumps, / Not to mention all those granite stumps”? a) Frank Zampino, former chair of Montreal’s executive committee b) Peter Trent, former mayor of Westmount c) Yolande James, former Quebec minister of immigration and cultural communities d) Irwin Cotler, former federal minister of justice

15. Why did Montrealers place hundreds of calls to 911 on a single night in March? a) They were taking part in a conceptual art project organized by students at CEGEP du VieuxMontréal b) They were reporting power outages during a brief but intense ice storm c) They were stuck in their cars for hours during a snowstorm after an accident blocked Highway 13 d) They were reporting a series of arson attacks on restaurants

16. According to the latest ranking of Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants, three of the best four in the country are in Montreal. To no one’s surprise, they include Toqué! and Joe Beef. But which other local restaurant also made it into the top four? a) Nora Gray b) Montréal Plaza c) Le Vin Papillon d) Maison Publique

17. What do Avik Caron and Richard Vallières have in common? a) They were both sentenced to jail for taking part in a huge theft of maple syrup b) They both had tryouts with the 2017 Montreal Alouettes c) They both ran for borough mayor in the Montreal municipal election under the banner “Équipe Denis Coderre” d) They almost got into a brawl on the TV show Tout le monde en parle

18. Why did Lana Del Rey, Sting, Elvis Costello and k.d. lang all appear in Montreal at the same event? a) To celebrate the city’s 375th birthday with an outdoor performance on Mount Royal b) To take part in a conference at Concordia University on the future of the music industry c) To honour Leonard Cohen in a tribute concert at the Bell Centre d) To join a march in support of international LGBT rights

19. In March, Christ Church Cathedral announced an $8-million fundraising campaign to pay for much-needed repairs to the landmark building on Ste-Catherine St. What is the most urgent problem facing the Anglican cathedral? a) The spire is in danger of collapsing b) The electrical, heating and lighting systems need to be upgraded c) The floor, interior plaster and pews all need to be refurbished d) The roof and exterior masonry need to be repaired

20. Why do many people in Quebec City look on Azzeddine Soufiane as a hero? a) He prevented a local couple from jumping off a high bridge b) Because of conversations with him, several members of the far-right group La Meute left the organization c) He encouraged public dialogue between worshippers at the city’s Catholic cathedral and its Mosquée de la Capitale d) He is believed to have saved lives in the Jan. 29 attack on a local mosque

21. This year eight Quebecers, including director Jean-Marc Vallée, were nominated for an Emmy Award thanks to their work on a new miniseries. Was it: a) Big Little Lies b) Fargo c) The Handmaid’s Tale d) Genius

22. In April, why did the nonprofit group Les Amis de la Montagne obtain nearly 33,000 signatures on a petition? a) The petition asked the city to impose heavier penalties for snowboarding down Mount Royal b) The petition demanded stricter controls on skyscrapers being built near the mountain c) The petition asked for changes in traffic rules on the mountain after the death of a young cyclist d) The petition asked the Canadian government to propose to UNESCO that Mount Royal be named a World Heritage Site

23. In a provincial cabinet shuffle, Kathleen Weil, the MNA for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, was made minister responsible for relations with anglophones — a new position. What was Weil’s previous job? a) Minister of the Environment b) Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusiveness c) Minister responsible for Native Affairs d) Minister of Transport

24. Then-mayor Denis Coderre unveiled a new version of Mon- treal’s official flag in September. How is it different from the previous flag? a) It no longer contains a thistle, which symbolized the Scots but which was often misinterpreted b) It now features a blue cross instead of a red cross, to highlight the city’s French origins c) It now includes a pine tree at the centre, to symbolize the contributions of Indigenous Peoples d) It now has an orange traffic cone at the centre, to symbolize the power of the construction industry

25. This year the Quebec government made an important announcement about the future of Anticosti Island. What was it? a) It will no longer allow oil and gas exploration anywhere on the island b) It will share control of the island with the Innu nation c) It has sold rights to two companies, Petrolia Inc. and Trans American, allowing them to drill for oil and shale gas d) It will introduce wolves to control the more than 100,000 deer on the island

26. Caroline Ouellette, a fourtime winner of an Olympic gold medal for women’s hockey, and an assistant captain of Les Canadiennes de Montréal, gave birth to her first child in November. Name her partner, who is also a professional hockey player. a) Max Pacioretty b) David Desharnais c) Julie Chu d) Antoine Vermette

27. In light of the federal government’s plan to legalize marijuana as of July 1, 2018, how has the Quebec government decided to implement marijuana sales? a) Marijuana will be available through all stores run by the Société des Alcools du Québec (SAQ) b) Marijuana will be available only at the SAQ’s high-end Signature and Dépot stores c) Marijuana will be available in most SAQ outlets and many private stores d) Marijuana will be available at only 15 stores, all operated by the new Société Québécoise du Cannabis (SQC)

28. The 2017 award for best actress in Quebec’s annual film awards, the Prix Iris, went to Mylène Mackay for her role in a movie based on the life of a Montreal writer. Name the writer in question. a) Nelly Arcan b) Gabrielle Roy c) Alice Parizeau d) Marie Uguay

29. Which two of these suburban municipalities elected a new mayor in 2017? For two bonus points, how did each of them upend tradition in the process? a) Beaconsfield, Côte-St-Luc b) Pointe-Claire, Dollard-desOrmeaux c) Dorval, Baie-d’Urfé d) Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Westmount

30. Why are environmentalists concerned about a recycling crisis in Quebec? a) Quebec’s recycling program is not in compliance with federal environmental laws b) After an initial spurt of enthusiasm, many Quebecers no longer bother to use their recycling bins c) Quebec’s exports go mainly to China, but China is now planning to ban most shipments of foreign waste d) Some municipal politicians outside Montreal are no longer in favour of recycling

31. Montreal’s Olympic Stadium made headlines in November. Why?

a) A poll revealed that 79 per cent of Montrealers believe the stadium should be demolished

b) The Quebec government announced it would pay for a new $250-million roof

c) It was declared the main site for the 2018 Montreal International Fireworks Competition

d) Rats, skunks and raccoons were discovered to be infesting the stadium

32. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts welcomed more than 300,000 visitors in the first half of 2017 for a show devoted to a single artist. Name the artist. a) Georgia O’Keeffe b) Peter Doig c) Wassily Kandinsky d) Marc Chagall

33. Montreal’s new executive committee, named in November by Mayor Valérie Plante, was widely criticized for what reason? a) Not enough cultural and linguistic diversity b) Over-representation from Plateau Mont-Royal c) Insufficient gender balance d) Lack of municipal experience

3 4. What happened to François-Philippe Champagne in January?

a) He was named executive director of Cirque du Soleil b) He was appointed managing partner of the Montreal office of Stikeman Elliott

c) He was arrested in a crime bust targeting the Mafia

d) He joined the federal cabinet as Minister of International Trade

35. In October, the Metro Inc. chain of supermarkets announced plans for a $4.5-billion takeover offer of which Quebec company? a) Dollarama b) Le Groupe St-Hubert c) Jean Coutu Group d) Alimentation Couche-Tard

36. After a disappointing year on the soccer field, the Montreal Impact announced the hiring of a new head coach. Name him. a) Hassoun Camara b) Rémi Garde c) Patrice Bernier d) Mauro Biello

37. Before Montreal’s new mayor, Valérie Plante, decided to cancel the 2018 Formula E car race, where did she say she wanted it to be held?

a) On the same circuit of downtown and east-end streets as the 2017 race

b) On the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Parc Jean-Drapeau, where the Formula One race is held each year

c) On the West Island, in the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro and neighbouring municipalities

d) On the far east of the island, in Rivière-des-Prairies and Pointeaux-Trembles

38. In October, a Quebec musician topped the Billboard Canadian Albums chart — the first time in more than a year that a French-language singer had done this. Who was the singer in question? a) Pierre Lapointe b) Céline Dion c) Souldia d) Dan Bigras

39. The Quebec Writers’ Federation honoured Philip Lanthier this year. Why?

a) He won the Cole Foundation Prize for translation

b) He won the Mavis Gallant Prize for non-fiction

c) He won the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for fiction d) He won the Judy Mappin Community Service Award

40. Which multinational company announced in November that it plans to hire about 1,000 new employees in Montreal? a) Ubisoft b) Apple c) Bombardier d) Pfizer ■ QUIZ ANSWERS ON PAGE B6.