Come to think of it, I can't name three

Rick Mercer's post today presented an interesting challenge:

You could take a hundred bucks, you could stand on a any street corner in Canada, offer people five bucks if they can name three cabinet ministers off the top of their head – double their money if they can name the minister of health. At the end of the day you'd still have enough money for dinner and a movie.

When I first saw it I thought, "I can do that!"  I'm up on current events, I listen to CBC radio every morning and evening, I glance at the newspaper (my Post-doc work which involved reading 11 papers a day for 6 months killed any desire I have to read the paper).  But guess what, I can't do it.

I'm rather ashamed really.  Wait, I can do it... (It was really bothering me).

Tony Clement (Health, I think)

Stockwell Day (Security something or other or something like that)

Jim Flaherty (Finance Minister)

Weirdly, I have that guy, the one from Nova Scotia in my head.  The one who dated Belinda Stronach...He's a cabinet minister, but for the life of me I can't think of his name.  Sure it would make four and I'm being a keener, but it's bugging me.

Let me go Google and see if I'm right.

I'll be back...

***

(5 minutes later)

Okay I'm back.  I went to this site (the first one that comes up when I google "parliament of Canada cabinet ministers").  It doesn't work.  Did Rick Mercer break the server?  Or is Stephen Harper up to something?

This one does work.

Peter McKay is the guy I couldn't remember and he's Minister of Defense.

Stockwell Day is Minister of Public Safety

I got Jim Flaherty right (all those years in Mike Harris' fucked up Ontario make him hard to forget)

And woohoo for me, Tony Clement is the Minister of Health.  (It's not good for Canada as a whole, but I'm feeling good about my political awareness).

So where's my 15 bucks?

Comments

[Knittripps]

Will a virtual high five do?!

It is refreshing to find someone who is up on current issues and the world around them. Sadly, most people I encounter on a daily basis don't even watch the news, let along listen to NPR or read the paper.

[Suzanne V. (Yarnhog)]

I'm pretty sure Canadians could beat out Americans in any contest of political awareness. There is no other explanation (that I can stomach) for how Bush got elected, not once, but twice.

[Seanna Lea]

I find it hard to be really politically aware in the US. It always feels like the media is too prone to hype to truly cover a story, so it always involves me digging around for information. Something I'm bad at when it comes to politics and good at when it comes to reading about genetics (not that I do that often anymore either). I can't name 3 cabinet officials for the US off the top of my head.

[not an artist]

Ok, I am sad to admit that I could only come up with two before I scrolled down and read your answers. Stocky of course (Minister of um, external defense or something like that?), and for some reason I remembered that John Baird is Minister of the Environment. I didn't realize that Peter MacKay was in cabinet. Those Tories let just anyone into their cabinet, don't they?

[deeni]

How could you not remember Peter McKay? Egads!! He's the one who told Alexis MacDonagh to go home and knit something. This was a few years ago during some radio program.

I always thought someone should send him a copy of "Men with Balls" because as far as I'm concerned he ain't got any.

Did you like Mercer's closing line? Laughed me arse off when I heard it.

Gary Lunn MNR (carpenter teacher turned nuclear safety expert), Flatulating Flaherty, and Bev 'Yoda' Oda (she used to hold the portfolio that cut funding to some of the women issue programs).

He really does have a tight muzzle on all of them doesn't he?? Wonder how he managed it? You should hear our local MP speak.....He has memorized everything Harper has ever said, which isn't that hard since Harper never really 'says' anything. Amazing. You'd swear it's Harper in the room.

[Carolyn from Canada]

Great post. I've been thinking about this lately. As a SAHM, the news isn't on much at our house. Treehouse rules the airwaves. It's sad, but I can probably name more people in the US government then I can the Canadian. Very embarassing. I've bookmarked your links. Will there be a quiz later?

[Ellen]

Americans can't name our officials either. I always have to look up which district I am in. I think most of us are so disgusted and discouraged that we've given up.

[Emma]

Bet if you ask any American to name their senators and congresspeople they couldn't either. But I guess that's not really a good thing, if we're all equally ... well, politically illiterate.

[kmkat]

I can name my governor, both senators, and my congressional representative (I'm in US) but after considerable thought, I can only name 2 cabinet secretaries, Gates (defense) and Condie Rice (state). Damn.

What is really weird is that I can still name every one of John F. Kennedy's cabinet. Talk about useless information...

[Em]

Hey, you got the Minister of Health, so really you should be getting $30! Far better than I, really - I don't think I could name a one of them, which is pretty sad...

[cedar]

Great post, and I too, am one of those ashamed Canadians, who apprently knows more about american politics than Canadian...perhaps I should move to Ottawa and wear grey...

[Carol]

Huh. Me neither. Although once someone SAYS the name, I'm all like,"Yeah, that's it"

[Saskboy]

$10, right?