Weekly Quiz: Polar Power Plays, Corporate Compensation, and Post-War Progress

1 2 const title = "Polar Power Plays, Corporate Compensation, and Post-War Progress"; const date = "May 17, 2025"; const data = [ { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/Rawlings_HaskellLibrary-1800.jpg", title: "The Line between Canada and the US Cuts through the Haskell Free Library", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/haskell-free-library/", question: "The line between Canada and the US literally cuts through the Haskell Free Library, a symbol of unity and a space both Canadians and Americans could use without border clearance, at least until recently. What solution did the library put in place to continue to serve its Canadian patrons?", options: [ "It served Canadians through a storage room that did not require a border crossing to access", "It started a crowdfunding campaign to build a new location on the Canadian side of the border", "It established a virtual library that exclusively serves Canadian patrons", "It designated certain browsing hours exclusively for Canadian patrons", ], answer: "It served Canadians through a storage room that did not require a border crossing to access", correct: "On March 18, US authorities announced that Canadians without a valid library card would be prohibited from accessing the library unless they passed through a full border check at the nearby crossing. Even those with a card, the library has been told, should carry valid ID, as they would to cross the border, and are also subject to searches by border guards. In response to the closure of the library entrance to Canadians—who represent at least half of the library’s clientele—the Haskell did what libraries do: found a way to serve its community anyway. It opened a back door, allowing all Canadians to continue to access the library via a small storage room, without crossing the border. Haskell also set up a fundraising drive to renovate this entrance and make it more accessible, asking for $100,000. In under two weeks, it raised $170,000 and counting.", incorrect: "On March 18, US authorities announced that Canadians without a valid library card would be prohibited from accessing the library unless they passed through a full border check at the nearby crossing. Even those with a card, the library has been told, should carry valid ID, as they would to cross the border, and are also subject to searches by border guards. In response to the closure of the library entrance to Canadians—who represent at least half of the library’s clientele—the Haskell did what libraries do: found a way to serve its community anyway. It opened a back door, allowing all Canadians to continue to access the library via a small storage room, without crossing the border. Haskell also set up a fundraising drive to renovate this entrance and make it more accessible, asking for $100,000. In under two weeks, it raised $170,000 and counting.", }, { title: "China Stakes Claim in the North, Redefines Arctic Politics", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/china-stakes-claim-in-the-north-redefines-arctic-politics/", question: "The Arctic Council has three tiers of membership: eight countries that make up the Arctic, thirteen observer countries, including China, and six Indigenous representative organizations. China is now pushing for more control in the North. Why have they set their sights on the Arctic?", options: [ "They want to build the Polar Silk Road", "They want access to the Arctic’s vast natural gas reserves", "They want to expand their scientific research in areas like climate change and marine ecosystems", "They want to establish a cultural exchange program with Indigenous communities in the Arctic", ], answer: "They want to build the Polar Silk Road", correct: "In 2021, China’s National People’s Congress formally adopted its latest Five-Year Plan, the fourteenth in total and the first to mention the Arctic. But what it chose to include could reasonably be inferred to highlight Beijing’s priority in the northern polar regions. China will, it read, “participate in practical cooperation in the Arctic and build the ‘Polar Silk Road.’” The Polar Silk Road was announced as a component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has been described as “one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever created.” When it was announced in 2013, it was portrayed as a “vast collection of development and investment initiatives . . . originally devised to link East Asia and Europe through physical infrastructure,” which in the decade since “has expanded to Africa, Oceania, and Latin America, significantly broadening China’s economic and political influence.", incorrect: "In 2021, China’s National People’s Congress formally adopted its latest Five-Year Plan, the fourteenth in total and the first to mention the Arctic. But what it chose to include could reasonably be inferred to highlight Beijing’s priority in the northern polar regions. China will, it read, “participate in practical cooperation in the Arctic and build the ‘Polar Silk Road.’” The Polar Silk Road was announced as a component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has been described as “one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever created.” When it was announced in 2013, it was portrayed as a “vast collection of development and investment initiatives . . . originally devised to link East Asia and Europe through physical infrastructure,” which in the decade since “has expanded to Africa, Oceania, and Latin America, significantly broadening China’s economic and political influence.", }, { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/WEB_AtTheThrough_MAY2025-735x490.jpg", title: "Corporate Welfare Is Canada’s Most Expensive Addiction", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/corporate-welfare-is-canadas-most-expensive-addiction/", question: "Over the past decade, the federal government’s investment in corporate welfare has ballooned. In 2014/15, it provided approximately $14 billion in subsidies to businesses, about $390 for every person in Canada. By 2027/28, this figure is projected to grow to what amount?", options: [ "$20 billion", "$30 billion", "$40 billion", "$50 billion", ], answer: "$50 billion", correct: "Laurent Carbonnea, director of policy and research at the Council of Canadian Innovators, puts it plainly: in nine years, over the lifetime of the Trudeau government, federal subsidies to business more than doubled through the introduction of over 100 new programs. Every Canadian went from paying just over $310 to businesses large and small to over $800 per year in 2023/24. This does not include two important families of subsidies: measures intended to reduce businesses’ carbon emissions or those that were intended to support businesses through the pandemic. Adding numbers from climate-related business policies to our annual tally makes them bulge noticeably, up to $40 billion in 2023/24, or $1,007 for each Canadian. And as more announced measures of all kinds come online, subsidies will reach $50 billion every year by 2027/28. Assuming no more get announced between now and then is, of course, a fairly unlikely scenario.", incorrect: "Laurent Carbonnea, director of policy and research at the Council of Canadian Innovators, puts it plainly: in nine years, over the lifetime of the Trudeau government, federal subsidies to business more than doubled through the introduction of over 100 new programs. Every Canadian went from paying just over $310 to businesses large and small to over $800 per year in 2023/24. This does not include two important families of subsidies: measures intended to reduce businesses’ carbon emissions or those that were intended to support businesses through the pandemic. Adding numbers from climate-related business policies to our annual tally makes them bulge noticeably, up to $40 billion in 2023/24, or $1,007 for each Canadian. And as more announced measures of all kinds come online, subsidies will reach $50 billion every year by 2027/28. Assuming no more get announced between now and then is, of course, a fairly unlikely scenario.", }, { title: "What Would It Take to Rebuild Syria?", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/what-would-it-take-to-rebuild-syria/", question: "Syria’s new government faces major post-war challenges, including restoring services, rebuilding infrastructure, and enabling the return of displaced citizens. When it comes to the country’s economic recovery, there is one major obstacle standing in the way of progress. What is it?", options: [ "Relentless power cuts interrupting the flow of money to and from banks", "Lack of subsidies offered by the transitional government to support industries in disrepair", "Western-imposed sanctions prohibiting third-party material assistance", "Inability to complete critical manual labour due to population shortages", ], answer: "Western-imposed sanctions prohibiting third-party material assistance", correct: "While many have pointed to sanctions as the main barrier against economic progress, Dima Moussa, a lawyer who’s worked in the Syrian opposition since 2011, believes Syrians will have to face up to the reality that the sanctions won’t be lifted completely anytime soon. Moussa met with al-Sharaa in early February as part of a delegation from the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, where she served as vice president until recently. While the European Union and some countries, including Canada, have announced they will ease or suspend select restrictions, “we don’t know yet how effective these will be in light of the Caesar Act,” she said. She was referring to the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, a 2019 US law that expanded on existing sanctions against Syria to, among other things, target third parties that offer the country material assistance. This means any entity trying to invest in Syria’s reconstruction risks losing access to US and international trade. In mid-March, the European Commission announced $6.5 billion (US) in loans and grants; some experts expect Syria’s reconstruction will cost up to $400 billion (US).", incorrect: "While many have pointed to sanctions as the main barrier against economic progress, Dima Moussa, a lawyer who’s worked in the Syrian opposition since 2011, believes Syrians will have to face up to the reality that the sanctions won’t be lifted completely anytime soon. Moussa met with al-Sharaa in early February as part of a delegation from the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, where she served as vice president until recently. While the European Union and some countries, including Canada, have announced they will ease or suspend select restrictions, “we don’t know yet how effective these will be in light of the Caesar Act,” she said. She was referring to the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, a 2019 US law that expanded on existing sanctions against Syria to, among other things, target third parties that offer the country material assistance. This means any entity trying to invest in Syria’s reconstruction risks losing access to US and international trade. In mid-March, the European Commission announced $6.5 billion (US) in loans and grants; some experts expect Syria’s reconstruction will cost up to $400 billion (US).", }, ]; The post Weekly Quiz: Polar Power Plays, Corporate Compensation, and Post-War Progress first appeared on The Walrus.