UPDATED WITH ANSWERS: An ITQ Quiz: Forget the doctor - is there a linguist in the House?

Why yes, as it turns out – but we’re not going to tell you who it is, because that would take all the fun out of today’s quiz, which I’ll get to in a minute.

Anyway, while attempting to back up the contention that there has been at least one Attorney General who wasn’t a lawyer (which actually doesn’t seem to be true, although it’s apparently not officially required, and yes, this was all about the whole Jason Kenney for Justice Minister thing), I found myself once again transfixed by the treasure trove of arcane historical information buried within the parliamentary website: this time, by the occupations database, which contains a complete record of pre-political careers for every MP who has ever sat in the House of Commons, from 1867 until today – although it hasn’t yet been updated to include the freshman class of 2008.

Gone, sadly, are the days when gentlemen and persons of independent means sat in the House alongside telegraphers and distillers; somehow, “businessman” – of which there were 63 in the last parliament - doesn’t have quite the same cachet, although at least that’s a little less ephemeral than “consultant”(43), “manager” (27) and “advisor” (6).

And so, the challenge –- unmask the following twelve mystery MPs based on their previous (or, in some cases, ongoing) occupations:

UPDATE: Scroll down -- waaaaay down -- for the answers.

• Life insurance broker, public relations officer, radio announcer
• Columnist, communication consultant, policy analyst, public policy consultant, senior public servant
• Author, broadcaster, editor, journalist, musician, negociator [sic], singer
• Author, journalist, professor
• Union organiser
• Executive director, taxpayer advocate
• businessman, stockbroker
• Economist, lecturer, writer
• Community-development worker, criminologist, executive assistant, political assistant, political attaché
• Carpenter, unionist
• Entrepreneur, environmentalist
• Director, instructor, recreationist, teacher

No outside sources are allowed – no Google, no Wikipedia, and especially no parl.gc.ca – but, in the interests of fairness, a few hints:  There are three Conservatives, three Liberals, three New Democrats, two Bloc Quebecois and one Independent, of which two are party leaders, and three are women – and since the database has not yet been updated with information on newly elected MPs, all are returning members.

And just for fun, a bonus round:

Which MP lists one of his or her occupations as …

• Linguist?
• Professor of political science?
• Film producer?
• Innkeeper?
• Auctioneer?

And the answers:

Life insurance broker, public relations officer, radio announcer: Denis Coderre

Columnist, communication consultant, policy analyst, public policy consultant, senior public servant: Rona Ambrose

Author, broadcaster, editor, journalist, musician, negociator, singer: Charlie Angus

Author, journalist, professor: Michael Ignatieff

Union organiser: Gilles Duceppe

Executive director, taxpayer advocate: Jason Kenney

Businessman, stockbroker: Bill Casey

Economist, lecturer, writer: Stephen Harper

Carpenter, unionist: Pat Martin

Entrepreneur, environmentalist: Joyce Murray

Director, instructor, recreationist, teacher: Alex Atamanenko

And the bonus round:

Linguist - Randy Kamp

Professor of political science - Stephane Dion

Film producer - Rod Bruinooge

Innkeeper - Gord Brown

Auctioneer - Stockwell Day