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Canadian Confederation of States
CanadaFlag1
Official languages English, French, Cree, Wendat, Standard Dene, Inuktitut (other languages official regionally)
Capital Kitchissippi
Largest City Toronto
Union formed 1991
Currency CCS Dollar (AKA Canadian Dollar) (CND) - All countries' currencies are separate but are pegged to each other and are currently used interchangeably.
Our Timeline Equivalent Canada, minus British Columbia and Anishinaabe areas.

The Canadian Confederation of States is a supranational union made up of Canada and the five states that seceded from it during the period of 1981 to 1991. The six nations are thus:

Athabaska

Canada

Cree

Nunavut

Quebec

Wendat


History[]

While the Canadian Confederation of States is a relatively young organization, its origins can be traced to the very beginning of Canadian history.

As with other regions of Pemhakamik, the territory of the Canadian Confederation of States (referred to as Greater or Cultural Canada) was inhabited by various indigenous people with beautiful and unique cultures. Unlike other regions though, the harsh climate caused most of Cultural Canada to be sparsely populated. The area and its people were generally untouched by the outside world until the late 1500s. At this time, French ships exploring the New World reached the shores of what would later be called by Quebec, but at the time was claimed under the title of French Terra Nova.

By the early 1600s, French colonists began to settle the snowy lands of Cultural Canada. The vast majority of these colonists were French Cathars would fell in love with the beauty that the land had to offer, and the fact that its low population meant they could live their lives in peace without harming Indigenous cultures or the land itself. Sadly, this demographic trend ended up displeasing members of the French aristocracy.

While tolerance between French Cathars and Catholics had existed for centuries by this time, the still predominately Catholic aristocracy remained more concerned with profit than the non-Catholic beliefs of the commoners. At the time, the only true source of economic profit in Canada was the fur trade. Because the Cathars’ vegetarian beliefs dominated the area, few in the colony were willing to become trappers. The French aristocracy tried to solve this problem by encouraging additional immigration, which only resulted in more Cathar immigrants, or those who were apathetic towards the French Crown (such as the Scots of Nova Scotia).

FrenchCanadianProtest1929-Vegetarian World

French Canadians protesting in 1929, in front of the capital building.

By the time of the Treaty of Paris was being formed, the French government wanted to rid itself of what it considered an economic drain. As a result, the French negotiated to sell the lands of Quebec and Acadia to the English. Once the Treaty of Paris was signed, the “Quebec-Acadian Purchase” had become official. Over the next few decades, the lands of Canada came under the influence of cultural trends that were happening in New England (such as the rise of Deism). At the same time, a unique Canadian culture was beginning to develop, and would continue to slowly develop until the Great Pemhakamik war.

As with New England, Canada was given Dominion status in 1867 due to the perception that administrative failures lead to the rebel colonies leaving the British Empire. Originally, Quebec and Acadia were going to become part of the Dominion of New England, but protests lead to the establishment of a separate dominion. The Dominion officially formed after the British had settled previously unresolved border disputes with the Sioux and Anishinaabe nations. Once British control of Pacifica was firmly cemented, border disputes between Canada and Pacifica began to develop over their unmapped border. By the late 1890s, the border between Pacifica and Canada was finally established.

The success that Canada experienced during these years sped up the growth of a unique Canadian identity and culture. At the same time, French Canadians, and Aboriginal Canadians were becoming uncomfortable with the perceived dominance of Anglo-Canadians. This displeasure grew slowly until Canada gained complete independence in 1931.

Ironically, Independence had the unanticipated side-effect of speeding up the development secessionist feelings among the various semi-autonomous entities of Canada. By 1979, a vocal Independence movement had developed in Quebec and managed to get an initiative for complete independence on the ballot. The price for this measure was that Quebec was required to have an unspecified “Special Relationship” with Canada. When the Initiative passed in 1980, the people of Quebec and the rest of Canada were in an uproar. Many believed that two-thirds, or three-fourths of the vote should be required for independence. Likewise, many also believed that secession of any sort was illegal. Despite the anger of the Anti-Independence crowd, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled in favor of the secessionists. The 50th anniversary of the Statue of Westminster was chosen by Quebecois officials as the date of independence due to the symbolic nature of the date. By 1981, Quebec was officially independent of Canada.

Quebec’s successful attempt at independence served to only fuel the growth of secessionist movements in the other semi-autonomous entities of Canada. By 1985, Athabasca became the first Aboriginal nation to succeed from Canada. For many years, the Athabascan leaders had felt closer to their brethren in Pacifica than to the other citizens of Canada. A small minority even wanted to join Pacifica, but in the end, Independence won out among Athabascan voters with more than 60% of the vote.

Athabasca’s independence further served to inspire the rest of the semi-autonomous Aboriginal entities in Canada. The Cree in particular had become excited by the idea by the idea, but faced one major obstacle. Unlike other cultural groups, the Cree people were divided into three geographically isolated semi-autonomous entities. Over the next two years, leaders of the three Cree territories discussed whether they should stay in Canada, become three independent nations, or unite as one nation. These discussions soon became known as the “Great Cree Sovereignty Debate.” Finally, the people voted for unity among the three territories in 1987. Eventually, Nunavut achieved Independence in 1989, and Wendat did likewise in 1990.

Still, the independence achieved in the Great North came with one nasty side-effect. Unlike other nations during the Modern Renaissance, Canada and its new neighbors weren’t blessed with economic growth, but instead faced an economic downturn. The new currencies of Quebec and the Aboriginal states were unstable and fluctuated for much of the 80s. Likewise, the value of the Canadian dollar fell due to the loss of tax revenue and resources. It had soon become clear among many in all six nations that something must change.

The first sign of Canadian “reunification” came during the international response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and its atrocities in Basra. The League of Nations had condemned Iraq’s actions, and asked all member nations to join an international coalition to topple the Iraqi government. Of the Canadian nations, Canada and Quebec were the only ones with any real sort of army or militia, but even its troops weren’t enough to create separate divisions. Thus the League of Nations established a “Greater Canadian” division composed of volunteers from Canada, Quebec, and the Aboriginal nations. Noticing how successful cooperation amongst the nations was during the war, talks began about cooperation in fighting the economic problems that had recently arisen in the separate nations. This soon led to debates about forming a supranational organization that would essentially be “the best of both worlds.” Despite criticism from those who wanted full re-unification, and those who thought a supranational organization would defeat the point of independence, the Canadian Confederation of States was officially formed on December 25th 1991.

The first goal of the Canadian Confederation of States was the establishment of economic and political cooperation. For example, there were many Cree and Canadian Citizens who were angry with having to go through the hassle of crossing international borders just to travel to another part of their own country. In response, an open border and free trade policy was established to allow hassle free travel, trade, and immigration amongst member nations. Likewise, all members' currencies were pegged to each other to increase their value and stability, but also allow flexibility that couldn’t be achieved with a united currency. As a result, the Canadian nations experienced relatively impressive economic growth in the 1990s.

Other goals of the Canadian Confederation of States was the protection and promotion of unique “Canadian” cultures. This was achieved through such methods as financially supporting “Canadian-made” TV shows and movies. The other goal was the desire for the continued protection of the environment, a desire which could be traced to the region’s Cathar and Aboriginal heritage. The Confederation’s first major success was the Great Lakes Environmental and Economic Treaty, otherwise known as GLEET. For decades, there had been no official treaty regarding the environmental or economic issues of the Great Lakes, but the Confederation’s love of nature lead to a treaty finally being signed in 1998. Signed by the Confederation, New England, Iroquois, Anishinaabe, Sioux, and with Great Britain as an observer, GLEET established a number of precedents involving the Great Lakes. Besides decreasing the amount of shipping and fishing allowed in the Great Lakes, it also greatly increased the amount of water and land that was set aside for nature preserves. Proud at its success, the Confederation continued to support pro-environmental activities around the world. By 2004, the Confederation sponsored another international environmental treaty which focused on the Arctic Ocean and surrounding shores instead. The Environmental Preservation of the Arctic Treaty, or EPAT was signed by the Confederation, Pacifica, Russia, the Scandinavian League, and various North Asian nations. The League of Nations, Great Britain, and New England were observers.

Currently, the Canadian Confederation of States is in a state of economic and cultural prosperity. As of now, members of the Confederation are also members in other organizations such as the League of Nations, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Still, members of the Confederation have increasingly let the Confederation itself represent them in other supranational organizations. Another recent cultural development is the increasing number of people in all member nations, who refer to themselves as Greater, Cultural, New Canadians, etc. despite the fact that support for full re-unification is at its lowest levels since the formation of the Confederation.

In addition, the Confederation continues to have a great relationship with the Iroquois nation. Ever since the Confederation supported its secession from New England in 1995, the Iroquois Nation has become closely integrated economically with the Confederation. In some ways, the Iroquois have a relationship to the Confederation that shares a remarkable similarity to Taiwan’s relationship with the Chinese Union. Unlike Taiwan though, there is no serious discussion on ever fully joining the Confederation. On the other hand, many of the Aboriginals of Greenland have been very vocal on their desire to cut their ties with the Kingdom of Denmark in favor of joining Confederation. This is due to a variety of reasons such as economic benefits, geographical proximity, cultural similarities, etc. As of 2010, Denmark and the rest of the Scandinavian League has agreed to help prepare Greenland for independence in hopes that Greenland can achieve independence by 2012. Current consensus among the Confederation’s members is that while Greenland has never been politically “Canadian” it would still be a lovely addition to the Confederation. Political Analysts have recently predicted 2013 as the year that Greenland would become “the seventh Canadian nation.”

Flag[]

The flag of the Canadian Confederation of States was first used just after the formation of the Confederation. The blue on top represents the Arctic Ocean, as well as the blue skies, and the white on the bottom represents the snowy land. In the middle is a red maple leaf to signify nature and the will of the Canadian people.

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