TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

On June 2, Ontarians head to the polls to vote in members of the provincial parliament. To test your political mettle, Jamie Bradburn looks backs at our election history

1. In 1772, Nathaniel Pettit was the first person elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, representing the area that later became Toronto. Before he emigrated north, why was he imprisoned during the American Revolution?

a) He convinced Benedict Arnold to switch sides to aid the British

b) He raised a battalion of 500 men to fight for the British

c) He protested the tarring and feathering of a business partner

d) He wrote a pamphlet that mocked the revolutionary leaders

2. What unusual step did Lieutenant-Governor Sir Francis Bond Head, later famous for his role in the Rebellions of 183738, take during the previous year’s Upper Canadian election campaign?

a) He moderated a Toronto candidate debate and threw William Lyon Mackenzie out of the room

b) He openly and aggressively campaigned against Reform candidates

c) He ran (and won) a seat in Toronto representing the Family Compact

d) He ruled that candidates could not run ads and notices in newspapers

3. In 1902, Margaret Haile became the first female candidate for the Ontario legislature, earning fewer than 100 votes in North Toronto for which party or organization?

a) Canadian Socialist League

b) Equal Rights Association

c) Patrons of Industry

d) Woman’s Christian Temperance Union

4. During the 1914 provincial election, Premier James Whitney made only one campaign appearance, speaking at a Conservative rally at Massey Hall. Why was this the case?

a) He attended to a family crisis in Great Britain for most of the campaign

b) He’d been in power for a decade and thought campaigning was unnecessary

c) He thought his presence would distract from his party’s candidates due to an ongoing scandal

d) He was recovering from a heart attack, and would die shortly after being re-elected

5. For decades, York South was represented by the leader of Ontario CCF/NDP. Who never held this seat, representing voters in Scarborough instead?

a) Ted Jolliffe

b) Stephen Lewis

c) Donald MacDonald

d) Bob Rae

6. After losing his seat in High Park to a temperance advocate in the 1948 provincial election, which position did Premier George Drew accept a few months later?

a) Ambassador to Great Britain

b) Chairman of the Board of Canada Packers

c) Chancellor of the University of Toronto

d) Leader of the federal Progressive Conservatives

7.

Which major change to voting laws occurred before the 1971 provincial election?

a) Indigenous people received full, unconditional voting rights

b) The last income requirements to vote were abolished

c) The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18

d) Voters with disabilities were allowed to use a support person

8.

What platform did the Progressive Conservatives under Mike Harris run on to win the 1995 provincial election?

a) Common Sense Revolution

b) The Big Blue Book

c) For the People

d) The Road Ahead

9. According to Elections Ontario, which of these were not required of those seeking to become a candidate in the current provincial election?

a) A nomination paper with the signatures and addresses of at least 25 electors in the riding b) Proof that they are not disqualified by legislation governing elections

c) A $1,000 nomination filing fee

d) Residency in the province for at least six months before Election Day

10. Besides Michael Ford, which current city councillor is running for a seat at Queen’s Park during this election campaign?

a) Ana Bailão

b) Mike Layton

c) Michael Thompson

d) Kristyn Wong-Tam