[War] Canada: "Guilt breeds Justice."

[Iain]

"Guilt breeds Justice."
Prime Minister Chloe Taylor
Canada

<26th June, 2012>

As the Prime Minister, Chloe Taylor had got used to the invariable shouting
- sometimes for her attention, sometimes in objection at her presence but
often just incoherent to her ears - that accompanied her visits to the
people of Canada. Nor was she unfamiliar with the calls of her security
detail for the selfsame people to 'keep back'. And so, as she shook hands
with one of the elder Iroquois she now faced, it was with a calm demeanour
despite the background noise in the dilapidated-looking village they stood
at the centre of. 

"Prime Minister, I am glad you have come to meet with us, however I must."

The greying, long haired man stopped mid-sentence and Taylor's head flew
around as two sharp cracks rang out. The sight of her military escort with
weapons drawn and what looked like two people lying down beyond made her
heart began to beat faster and her breathing became more ragged as she began
to approach the scene. Seeing a man lying there beyond the soldiers,
stock-still eyes-open with a pool of blood beneath him and a younger
dark-haired woman in an equally large pool of crimson ever-expanding but in
the throws of some sort of fit as he body began to shut down, a large hole
in the centre of her chest, Taylor gasped loudly. The woman held what
appeared to be a small pistol, and as Chloe's mind pieced together the
probable events. Her heart took on a whole new strength of pounding as she
felt herself become the centre of a military huddle, one she had been
trained to move with in the event of an emergency. She would like to have
said she took this in her stride, the protection training and a sense of
duty or righteous anger taking over, but in truth it was al she could do to
hold the ever-decreasing grasp on consciousness that the curtain of fear
that had descended on her induced.

Vague memories of being bundled into a military helicopter and being
'briefed' on the situation and where she was being taken were difficult to
pull to her recall even shortly after the event. How she managed to make a
statement that both seemed coherent and diplomatic, she would never know.
All she did remember clearly after the two bodies lying on the ground, dead
or dying, was collapsing onto her sofa, curling up and crying for a solid
hour.

<23rd January 2013> 

"Prime  Minister, that money is really needed in projects we already have
underway in Vancouver and rural Nova Scotia to upgrade science facilities in
the more outdated school buildings, I just think that-"

Taylor cut off her Education Minister before he could rehash the argument
they had been having for the past twenty minutes. "Mr. Fauxton, I am aware
of what that money was originally earmarked for. Lord knows, you have made
that clear over the past *four* of our meetings. However, I am *telling* you
now, that the First Nations communities this government, and several of its
predecessors has promised improvement, have been failed consistently. We
make the promises but there are always other more 'important' projects that
come up, or 'emergency' situations that need additional funding. The irony
of putting extra funding into the armed forces in Southern Ontario to keep
the Iroquois situation under control I'm sure is not lost on you. So, I
don't care where it is pulled from, I want some of the money that has yet to
be physically put anywhere to make a start on improved schools for First
Nations communities." The tone of her voice, the emphasis that she carried
let Ronald Fauxton know that there was no room for negotiation, nor was
argument to be brokered.

"Understood, madam Prime Minister." He used the title in spite, knowing how
she loathed it to be used by those she met with regularly, but still
somewhat seething from having his budget interfered with so late in the
financial year. "I will, however, inform you now that what can be achieved
with that money will look like a token gesture at best and outright
insulting at worst."

"I understand it will not be much," Taylor stood, indicating their meeting
was drawing to a close. She began to lead the minister towards the door.
"But I'm sure the speech you make to the media on how this is only the
beginning of a new initiative aimed at First Nation development will do much
to improve how this appears."

Nodding slightly as he stood by the door held open by Taylor, Fauxton
sniffed slightly. Now the content of his media engagements was being
dictated? This was not acceptable to him, but now was clearly not the time
to object. "Thank you *madam* Prime Minister." 

Fauxton was unsurprised to hear the door all but slam behind him as he made
his way down the corridor.


Actions:
(Not many, mainly set up for future policy etc)

1) Divert money to building/upgrading First Nation education facilities.
2) Inform press of new initiative to continue this development of First
Nation communities