2009 Saguenay War (1983: Doomsday)
From Alternative History
 This 1983: Doomsday page is a Proposal.
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The 2009 Saguenay War was a conflict in North America primarily between Canada and Saguenay, but it drew in other nations from North America and Europe.
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[edit] Background
The background of the war can be traced back to 1759. In that year, invading British troops took control of the French colony of Nouvelle-France. Under them, it became known as Quebec after its capital city.
Since this day, some Quebecois, as they were called, wished to be independant of Britain, and later Canada. Their influence was particularly strong in the Saguenay region of Quebec. This resulted in the FLQ (Front du liberation du Québec) terrorist attacks in the seventies. In 1980, an referendum on Quebec independence failed. The independence movement, however, did not give up.
A chance to free themselves manifested itself in the aftermath of Doomsday, in 1983. With the destruction of Ottawa, the capital, and of the provincial capital of Quebec City, surviving members of parliament from the Saguenay region took charge and declared independence, blaming Canada's NATO membership for the targeting of Quebec City and Montreal.
Since 1984, Saguenay has had contact with the Canadian Remainder Provinces, which considers them as part of Canada along with the rest of their former country. Because of Canadian dominance in the region and international participation, Saguenay remained unrecognised by all countries save one; the American survivor nation based in former Michigan's upper peninsula, Superior.
Though Saguenay remained unrecognised by Canada, under Canadian Prime Minister Jacques Ducharme relations began improving, and by the most optimistic peaceful reintegration seemed possible. But, in 2001, when Canada reinforced the Gaspé peninsula in order to prevent raids by bandits in the St. Lawrence area, Saguenay took this as a threat, and relations quickly deteriorated.
Conditions seemed perfect for a war; all that was needed was a spark. This spark came in the assassination of Saguenay's Prime Minister Stéphan Tremblay on September 9, 2009, by a radical element of one of Canada's political parties. War was declared the next day by Saguenay. Calls for peace by the Celtic Alliance were ignored and on September 10, Saguenay announced over radio that there was a state of war between Canada and Saguenay.
[edit] Active stages of the war
Fighting officially began on September 12 when Canadian forces were able to repel a small force of the Saguenay army near the town of Forestville, Quebec. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Jacques Ducharme urged the Canadian people to be calm during the crisis and also announced that Canadian military recruitment levels would be increased. Reports already showed an upswing in volunteers for the Canadian military.
[edit] Northern Front
The fighting first began on the northern front, which is the northern part of the province of Quebec as well as the south of the province of Nouveau-Quebec. The fighting here has so far consisted of raids and skirmishes, not large armies intent on conquering. Saguenay forces have attacked several power plants in the area, causing disturbances in production and commerce in the region. Canada and the Celtic Alliance have begun air raids on Saguenay, disrupting them as well.
[edit] Southern Front
The southern front consists mainly of the Gaspe peninsula, originally a Canadian region, now occupied by Saguenay.
On September 13, Saguenay troops launched a surprise amphibious assault on the fortified Gaspe peninsula. The Canadians were not prepared for an attack on the peninsula, as it is far away compared to nearer targets in North Quebec and Nouveau-Quebec. The Canadian navy started scrambling to find the secret Saguenay naval base that must have been in the area. Some analysts believe that Saguenay is working with the criminal warlords collectively known as the Lawrence Raiders, based around the nearby St. Lawrence River. This is mainly due to the fact that reinforcements from Superior have been able to get through, despite the lack of another route. However, allegations of this time have been around since Canada first began investigating the raiders.
On September 17, Saguenay's blitz through Gaspesie ended. The entire peninsula is now under Saguenay occupation, and reports seem to suggest that they are trying to get the culturally-similar population of the peninsula to help them. Saguenay and Superior have now established a state in the former Gaspe peninsula called the Republic of St. Lawrence, though this is viewed as a puppet state by Canada and the local resistance.
[edit] Naval Conflict
Naval conflicts in the war have been limited, mainly by the lack of ships, especially by Saguenay. Canada originally thought that Saguenay had no naval forces. However, their navy was used to attack the Gaspe peninsula, giving the Saguenay a tactial advantage. Canada found Saguenay's naval base on the 18th of October, and destroyed the base. Now any Saguenay ships come from the occupied Gaspe peninsula, and Superior ships have to travel all the way from the Great Lakes. Some battles have been fought in the St. Lawrence River, and a few in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. However, Saguenay forces are often less powerful, and thus normally attempt to flee rather than fight.
[edit] Air Forces
As at sea, Canada has superior air forces. Saguenay's small air force consists mostly of Superior equipment, as well as some airplanes in the region at Doomsday, converted to military use. Canada's air force has fought in the first battles of the war, however since part of it was being transferred to the northern front even before the war, it didn't affect Saguenay's advance into Gaspesie so much. The Celtic Alliance has also used their air forces to attack Saguenay.
[edit] Humanitarian impact and war crimes
[edit] Infrastructure damage
[edit] Responsibility for the war and motives
Saguenay and Republic of Superior demanded early on it the war that Canada immediately ban the Canada First Party, under the pretext that it is a militant terrorist organization, and that its leaders be extradited for conspiracy to force Saguenay to join Canada. The Canada First Party has called these demands an interference in Canadian internal affairs, and has always asserted that the assassination was carried out by a rogue element not under the direct command of party leaders.
[edit] Reactions to the conflict
The following are reactions from various nations who are not combatants during the war:
The Provisional Republic of Aroostook has officially announced its neutrality in the conflict, warning both sides that any aggressive act against Aroostook will be considered an act of war. The population, however, remains split on the issue. The town meeting of Aroostook, New Brunswick even passed a resolution declaring they will leave the Republic if Aroostook ever comes into conflict with Canada. When reports, however, came out that Saguenay and Superior were working with elements of the Lawrence Raiders, public opinion swung sharply against those nations.
The PM of New Britain issued a statement supporting Canada and blamed Saguenay for starting the war.
The Republic of the French Southern Territories on November 5, 2009 diplomatically recognized Saguenay and denounced Canada for its expansionist policies against the nations in the region. This reaction came as no surprise considering the long standing dispute that the Republic has had with Canada over the ownership of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
Vermont has taken no official position on the conflict, but President Jim Douglas has publicly said that he hopes all sides in the dispute can agree to a peaceful resolution.
Thunder Bay has taken no official position in the conflict. However, President Leppe's rhetoric includes support of Saguenay and denoucement of Canada on a regular basis.
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