Canada (1983: Doomsday)
From Alternative History
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| Capital: | St. John's | ||||||
| Largest city: | St. John's | ||||||
| Other cities: | Charlottetown, Iqaluit, Gaspé, Kuujjuaq, Sydney | ||||||
| Language: official: | French, Inuktitut, English | ||||||
| Other languages: | other Native American languages | ||||||
| Governor General: | Ben Fisher | ||||||
| Prime Minister: | Walter Natynczyk | ||||||
| Area: | Approximatly 1,800,000 km² | ||||||
| Population: | 1,100,000 inh. | ||||||
| Independence: | 1867 (Dominion)
1931 (Official independance) 1982 (Repatriation of Constitution) | ||||||
| Currency: | Canadian Dollar | ||||||
Canada is a parliamentary democracy that occupies the northeast coast of North America. The rest of the world often refers to this nation as the Canada Remainder Provinces.
Contents |
[edit] History
- See main article: History of Canada
[edit] The Rest of Canada
Canada, or the Canada Remainder Provinces, claims all of the original ten provinces and two territories of old Canada. In reality, mainland British Colombia, southern Québec, and most of Ontario are in a state of anarchy.
The government of the province of British Columbia survived because their capital was not nuked. They created the Republic of Victoria, named after their capital city. Relations between the two are fairly good.
The remnants of the Prairie provinces have organized a provisional government and are a members of the North American Union. It is still up in the air on what the relationship between this Canadian government and the Canada Remainder Provinces will be in the future since contact between the two is only recent.
Residents of the former territory of Yukon and the north of the former province of British Colombia have been trading with Alaska, and there had been some talk of annexation by Alaska.
[edit] International relations
Canada became a part of the Atlantic Defense Community at its founding in 2007. In 2008, Canada was selected to the High Council of the League of Nations as the representative of North America.
There is an ongoing dispute between Canada and the Republic of the French Southern Territories since the Republic claims all French territory including the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Tensions are also high with the Republic du Saguenay, especially since the Canada Remainder Provinces claim the entire territory of old Quebec and Saguenay sees the CRP as the successors to the government who led Canada into the disaster that was Doomsday.
[edit] Government
The post-Doomsday government of Canada is similar to pre-Doomsday, however some changes were made. Firstly, the office of Governor-General was kept in a ceremonial role, but new Governor-Generals are now chosen by the previous Governor-General. The Governor-General still represents the Monarch of Canada, even though the Canadian government had not met any British royalty until contact with the Kingdom of Cleveland in 1998. The role of Deputy Governor-General was also created, which is the successor to the Governor-General in the event of death or resignation. The Deputy Governor-General is appointed by the current Governor-General.
The second change was the Senate reform of 1986. The Senate was altered to consist of elected representatives that would serve as a counterbalance to the House of Commons, and would actually exercise their power when they deemed necessary. The Senators are still ceremonially appointed by the Governor-General, but are actually elected.
The third change was the implementation of a form of direct democracy, in which every month Canadian citizens would hold referenda on large issues regarding the nation, while the details would be handled by the politicians. This change was made in 1989.
[edit] Political Parties
Before Doomsday, Canada had three major political parties: the Liberal Party, the Progressive Conservative Party, and the New Democratic Party. After Doomsday, the New Democratic Party gradually lost support, and the new Canada First Party started gaining support.
The Liberal Party (Parti libéral) has existed since Confederation in 1867, with several of the greatest Prime Ministers to its name: Wilfred Laurier, William Lyon Mackenzie King, and Pierre Trudeau. As its name suggests, it follows the ideology of liberalism. The Liberal Party, under Pierre Trudeau, was in power in 1983, and was recently defeated in the 2009 election, after the Saguenay invasion of Quebec and the loss of faith in their leader, Jacques Ducharme.
The Progressive Conservative Party (Parti progressiste-conservateur) is the second oldest party, having been formed in 1942 as a successor to the former Conservative Party. Counting all of the Conservatives' previous incarnations, their most notable Prime Ministers include John A. Macdonald (the first Prime Minister) and Robert Borden. This party follows the ideology of conservatism. Their most recent Prime Minister was Len Simms.
The New Democratic Party (Nouveau Parti démocratique) is a more recent party, having been formed in 1961 as a unification of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the Canadian Labour Congress. This party has never formed the government of Canada on the federal level. The party's ideology is democratic socialism. In the years following Doomsday, it was the third most important party until the year 2000, when it was outpaced by the Canada First Party. Since the 2004 election it has had no representation in the House of Commons.
The Canada First Party (Parti de Primauté Canadienne) is the newest party, founded in 1991 after the visit by the USS Benjamin Franklin. The Canada First Party advocates isolation from international affairs and Canadian self-sufficiency. It recently skyrocketed in popularity after the Saguenay invasion of Quebec and the loss of faith in the Liberals under Jacques Ducharme. Their leader, and the current Prime Minister, is Walter Natynczyk.
| Name | Ideology | Foundation | Seats in the House of Commons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Party Parti libéral | Liberalism | 1867 | 31 |
| Progressive Conservative Party Parti progressiste-conservateur | Conservatism | 1942 | 29 |
| Canada First Party Parti de Primauté Canadienne | National self-sufficiency | 1991 | 78 |
| New Democratic Party Nouveau Parti démocratique | Democratic Socialism | 1961 | 0 |
[edit] Ridings
The country is divided up into ridings as it was before Doomsday. Each riding corresponds to a seat in federal parliament. There are 138 total ridings, much less than the 282 ridings before Doomsday. The ridings are not based on the previous federal ridings, instead they are based on the provincial electoral districts.
[edit] Canadian Provinces
This is a list of Canadian provinces and the date of reconfederation.
| Province | Capital | Reconfederation | Juristiction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | St. John's | 1984 | Pre-Doomsday Newfoundland | Founding Member, renamed from Newfoundland in 2001 |
| Prince Edward Island | Charlottetown | 1984 | Pre-Doomsday Prince Edward Island | Founding member |
| Québec | Gaspé | 1984 | Gaspé peninsula and Côte-Nord, claims southern Québec and Saguenay | Founding member |
| Nunavut | Iqaluit | 1984 | Baffin Island, other eastern islands and some coast, claims all of Pre-Doomsday Northwest Territories | Founding member, renamed from Northwest Territories in 1984 |
| Nouveau-Québec | Kuujjuaq | 1986 | Claims pre-Doomsday Nouveau-Québec, has less control in the southwest | Separated from Québec |
| Nova Scotia | Sydney | 2006 | Pre-Doomsday Nova Scotia | Latest province to join |
Additionally, Canada holds de facto control on the Hudson Bay coast of former Manitoba and Ontario, as well as the coast of the former New Brunswick, though these regions are not part of any province.
[edit] Proposals for new Canadian provinces
[edit] Saguenay
Canada hopes to one day convince Saguenay to join Confederation, though Saguenay is not interested as of now.
[edit] New Brunswick/Maine
Canada has made contact with Aroostook, a government that encompasses northern Maine and adjacent regions. A provincial government north of there may be possible. The Committee to Restore the United States of America has protested any Canadian expansion into American territory.
[edit] Ontario
This region is largely lawless, and is the hardest hit area in Canada. The most optimistic estimate of provincehood for this area is 2020. However, Canada has recently made contact with the fascist goverment of Thunder Bay, a government in the western part of the region.
[edit] Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Debates are ongoing with the Republic of the French Southern Territories. Their status now is a Canadian protectorate.
[edit] Hudson
"Hudson" is a proposed name for the coastal regions of Hudson's Bay that are under Canadian control. The main problems with this region is that it is sparsely populated. Churchill is a possible capital.
[edit] Federal District
There is some talk of creating a Federal District, either in St. John's, the current capital, or moving the capital so as not to favour Newfoundland. One of the heavily favoured candidates is Charlottetown, PEI. It is because of its reputation as the "Birthplace of Confederation".
[edit] Alberta and Saskatchewan
In 2009, Canada made contact with the Provisional Government of Canada in Saskatoon, which had for years administered the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan as part of the North American Union. The Saskatoon government has expressed the hope of reuniting with the rest of Canada, though the precise relationship would be unknown. Negotiations between Saskatoon and St. John's have not yet begun.
[edit] Demographics
English is the main language in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, while French is the dominant language in Québec and some regions of Nouveau-Québec. Native languages, especially Inuktitut, are dominant in Nunavut (from which it is named) and in Nouveau-Québec. Refugees from bombed areas have also brough their languages, though since the main source of refugees is the United States, it mostly means more Anglophone inhabitants. However, bilingualism is supported throughout the country, and almost a quarter of the population is bilingual in English and French as of the 2006 census.
The ethnicities also vary, firstly with the pre-Doomsday immigration, though many of these immigrants lived in major cities, and consequently died. The population is mostly white. Native Americans inhabit mostly Nouveau-Québec and Nunavut, with some in Labrador.
Most of the refugees picked up by ships live in coastal cities, such as Charlottetown and St. John's. The Gaspé peninsula and Nova Scotia is home to some refugees who came over land. New Brunswick is also a popular destination, though it is not yet part of Canada proper. The most populous province by far is Newfoundland and Labrador.
[edit] Economy
Like many post-Doomsday countries, the economy of Canada is a survivor economy, designed to survive the many dangers of a post-apocolyptic world. One main problem is food. Early on, Newfoundland provided much food with its cod fisheries, but cod numbers had been steadily declining for decades due to overfishing, and fallout did not help them at all. Today cod fishing in Newfoundland is a thing of the past. Whaling in the north increased, though Canadians tried to keep a balance between the food required to survive and avoiding extinction of whales. Other sources of food are farms in the Québecs, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island, especially the potato farms of the latter. Fishing of shellfish also alleviates the problem.
Canada does not have a critical shortage of fuel due to the natural gas reserves in the easily accessible Atlantic Ocean. Hydroelectricity is also used more and more frequently.
[edit] Military
The Canadian Military operates as a single unit, known as the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Canada is one of the few North American countries to have active land, naval and air forces. Canada's land forces are largely deployed in bases in the New Brunswick coast and in the Cote-Nord region of Quebec. The majority of the army was once in the Gaspe peninsula before the Saguenay invasion. Canada is the dominant naval power in the region. Its only enemy of any power in the sea is Superior, whose forces have to get through the St. Lawrence River to get to Canadian territory. Canadian air forces also are dominant in the region, though this is only because no other nation has much of an air force. However, all parts of the army were subject to cutbacks in government funding over the past few years, and it has only been with the start of the war with Saguenay that a significant amount of money has gone into it.
[edit] Law Enforcement
Each of the Canadian Provinces operates its own individual Police Forces. There is a Federal Law Enforcement Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the famous "Mounties".
[edit] Culture
After the first few years of survival, new books started being published more frequently, and radio shows began diversifying. Movies also began being shown again, after the theatres in the major cities were repaired. New movies, however, were scarce, and the theatres largely showed those from the pre-Doomsday era. Around the turn of the century, this changed, and new movies began being created. The most recent blockbuster was a movie called With the Gangs, about a man captured by the Lawrence Raiders and his eventual mistake. Though critisized about its inconsistancies with known facts, it grossed more than any movie in post-Doomsday Canada.
[edit] Education
The provinces are in charge of the educational system. Those with a higher -- and denser -- population, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and southern Quebec, generally have more schools. The less populated areas of Nouveau-Quebec and Nunavut have schools in major cities, however those living in these areas have few universities to go to inside their provinces.
[edit] Sports
The Canadian Hockey League - considered to be the successor to the old National Hockey League - is by far the most popular league in the country. There are seven teams, including a recently admitted one from Aroostook. The teams are:
- The St. John's Senators (they took the name from Ottawa's former team)
- The Corner Brook Royals
- The Nova Scotia Voyageurs
- The Charlottetown Princes
- The Gaspe Canadiens (named after the Montreal Canadiens)
- The Iqaluit Nunavummiut
- The Houlton Americans (Aroostook's team)
Some have suggested also competing with the teams in the Victorian Hockey League, of the Republic of Victoria, or even merging the two. This however is still hypothetical. Curling and lacrosse (Canada's official summer sport) are also popular.
[edit] Transportation
More to come...
[edit] Religion
Christianity is by far the largest religion in Canada, with both the Protestant and Catholic groups having many followers. Atheism and agnostism are also around. Other religions in the region are traditional Native American beliefs and other religions mostly brought by immigration.
[edit] Health
More to come...
[edit] See also
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