Weekly Quiz: Pretendians, Poor Policing, and the Plight of Performers

1 2 const title = "Pretendians, Poor Policing, and the Plight of Performers"; const date = "June 28, 2025"; const data = [ { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/WEB_PretendiansInCourt_JUN25-1536x1024.jpg", title: "Can You Be Sued for Saying Someone Isn’t Indigenous?", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/can-you-be-sued-for-saying-someone-isnt-indigenous/", question: "In Canada, many Indigenous people are frustrated by the rise of “pretendians,” or people who falsely claim Indigenous identity for personal gain. Members of the Eastern Metis movement—​​which is widely decried by the Metis Nation and First Nations—are known for claiming Indigenous identity based on what justification?", options: [ "“Spiritual” connections in dreams or visions", "Past participation in cultural practices like drumming", "Family rumours about distant Indigenous ancestry", "DNA tests purchased from commercial ancestry websites", ], answer: "Family rumours about distant Indigenous ancestry", correct: "The individuals and groups that make up the Eastern Metis movement differentiate themselves from the federally recognized Metis Nation of the plains, claiming to be the unacknowledged descendants of Indigenous people and French settlers. But the Walrus contributing writer Michelle Cyca has observed that many people who self-identify as Eastern Metis have nothing more than a family rumour about distant Indigenous ancestry. Still, the movement has seen its numbers explode in recent decades, with dozens of organizations springing up across the eastern provinces, representing thousands of members. Some organizations have even produced membership cards mimicking Indian status cards.", incorrect: "The individuals and groups that make up the Eastern Metis movement differentiate themselves from the federally recognized Metis Nation of the plains, claiming to be the unacknowledged descendants of Indigenous people and French settlers. But the Walrus contributing writer Michelle Cyca has observed that many people who self-identify as Eastern Metis have nothing more than a family rumour about distant Indigenous ancestry. Still, the movement has seen its numbers explode in recent decades, with dozens of organizations springing up across the eastern provinces, representing thousands of members. Some organizations have even produced membership cards mimicking Indian status cards.", }, { title: "Bill C-5 Was a Swift Victory for Carney. Now Comes the Hard Part", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/as-carney-will-learn-canada-is-a-country-that-grinds-down-every-prime-minister/", question:"Mark Carney’s challenges as prime minister aren’t just about legislation but turning Canada’s optimism into trust. So far, he’s earned a high approval rating from Canadians, but The Walrus contributing writer David Moscrop says there are already indications that his government is struggling. What does Moscrop cite as the first indicator of a potentially bumpy road ahead?", options: [ "The lack of response to Donald Trump’s increased steel and aluminum tariffs", "Cabinet infighting over the elimination of the consumer carbon tax", "The ambiguity in Carney’s messaging around reconciliation with Indigenous communities", "Concerns about the countries chosen for Carney’s first official foreign visits", ], answer: "The lack of response to Donald Trump’s increased steel and aluminum tariffs", correct: "Moscrop suggests that Canadians have already seen some indications that the government is having more of a rough time of things than the neophyte prime minister might have expected. There’s US President Donald Trump’s increased steel and aluminum tariffs and the government’s decision to take its time in responding—a reminder that managing the US will take more than impassioned speeches about national sovereignty and keeping our elbows up.", incorrect: "Moscrop suggests that Canadians have already seen some indications that the government is having more of a rough time of things than the neophyte prime minister might have expected. There’s US President Donald Trump’s increased steel and aluminum tariffs and the government’s decision to take its time in responding—a reminder that managing the US will take more than impassioned speeches about national sovereignty and keeping our elbows up.", }, { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/Palango_RCMP_1800-1536x1024.jpg", title: "The RCMP’s Rent-a-Cop Policing Led to the Worst Killing Spree in Canada", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/the-rcmps-rent-a-cop-policing-led-to-the-worst-killing-spree-in-canada/", question: "To the public, the RCMP may be a national symbol, but behind the scenes, independent studies have found that the force is suffering from a toxic and broken culture. Politicians have often avoided addressing this issue effectively and have opted to throw money at it instead. How much funding does the RCMP receive annually?", options: [ "$500 million", "$850 million", "$1 billion", "$5 billion", ], answer: "$5 billion", correct: "No matter what the RCMP does wrong, it continues to have access to the public purse, and fixing the RCMP is about as unpalatable a subject as there might be for Canadian politicians. They just keep throwing money at the problem, now more than $5 billion a year. “Give us some of that money and we’ll show you how policing should work,” one Canadian municipal police chief, who was reluctant to speak on the record out of a very real fear of retribution from the RCMP, told investigative journalist Paul Palango. Ultimately, the RCMP is a guardian institution that operates and comports itself like a business. It’s the Canadian way.", incorrect: "No matter what the RCMP does wrong, it continues to have access to the public purse, and fixing the RCMP is about as unpalatable a subject as there might be for Canadian politicians. They just keep throwing money at the problem, now more than $5 billion a year. “Give us some of that money and we’ll show you how policing should work,” one Canadian municipal police chief, who was reluctant to speak on the record out of a very real fear of retribution from the RCMP, told investigative journalist Paul Palango. Ultimately, the RCMP is a guardian institution that operates and comports itself like a business. It’s the Canadian way.", }, { title: "The Death of the Middle-Class Musician", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/the-death-of-the-middle-class-musician/", question: "For Canadian artists, it’s easier than ever to make music—and harder than ever to make a living from it. What is one measure artists say the federal government should take to support the livelihood of Canada’s middle-class musicians?", options: [ "Establish a national streaming platform for Canadian music", "Increase investment in grants and live-music infrastructure", "Require all music festivals held in Canada to ensure at least 50 percent of their performers are Canadian", "Regulate venue ticket prices using subsidies", ], answer: "Increase investment in grants and live-music infrastructure", correct: "Throughout 2024, journalist Luc Rinaldi asked a wide array of artists, label heads, and industry executives: What can possibly restore music’s middle class? The most common answers he heard involved a universal basic income, an Online Streaming Act, which would force Spotify, Netflix, and Amazon, among others, to promote CanCon and contribute 5 percent of their revenue to funding Canadian media productions. But Rinaldi says most working artists want something much simpler: continued investment in grants and live-music infrastructure.", incorrect: "Throughout 2024, journalist Luc Rinaldi asked a wide array of artists, label heads, and industry executives: What can possibly restore music’s middle class? The most common answers he heard involved a universal basic income, an Online Streaming Act, which would force Spotify, Netflix, and Amazon, among others, to promote CanCon and contribute 5 percent of their revenue to funding Canadian media productions. But Rinaldi says most working artists want something much simpler: continued investment in grants and live-music infrastructure.", }, ]; The post Weekly Quiz: Pretendians, Poor Policing, and the Plight of Performers first appeared on The Walrus.