[War_ooc] Canada 2013

[Iain]

Canada

Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II via Governor General Jeffrey Masterson

Head of Government: Prime Minister Chloé Taylor

Population: 34,571,728

GDP (PPP): $1.362 trillion

GDP (PPP) per capita: $40,750

Unemployment: 6.8%

Economic Growth: 3.1%

 

Political Landscape:

 

Steven Harper’s minority government surpassed all expectations by lasting
for a further two years after it’s re-election in 2008. However, between
2009 and 2010 it was plagued by infighting and a handful of very public
scandals. Several of the more moderate members of his Conservative party
openly questioned his stand on civil liberties such as gay marriage and also
his well-documented Christian views. On the other side of the party, more
traditional conservatives – mostly those who had been with the party and its
predecessors for years, accused him of becoming more centrist and ignoring
some of the party’s right-wing ideals. Rumours of potential leadership
challenges were rife throughout this period.

 

The choice of Harper to involve the military in breaking up the race riots
in Toronto and Vancouver in November 2009 was largely opposed and condemned
as ‘overkill’ by the opposition. Images of violence from forces in Vancouver
were broadcast internationally although the fact these episodes had been in
self-defence was largely unreported.

 

As the images faded from national memory, with the exception of the anti-war
protesters who maintained a vigil outside the House of Commons, disaster
struck. In April 2010, massive flooding and the loss of a major
hydroelectric dam in New Brunswick (which led to a period of power loss in
the region) reignited the disgruntlement of many citizens. The government
was portrayed as unprepared for the event, despite the potential for just
such an event to occur for many years previous. Criticism was also levelled
at Harper when he was slow to call on military resources during this
emergency than during the violence of the previous year. However, many were
thankful that the death toll only totted up to double figures with many
escaping mostly unscathed.

 

Harper remained strong in his position due to the unyielding support of his
cabinet ministers, and he returned this with equal fervour. This ultimately
proved to be his downfall when several members of his cabinet (including his
Finance Minister) were investigated for accepting ‘donations’ on behalf of
the party from companies seeking government contracts which were never
officially declared. The government’s popularity with the people hit an all
time low, and an imminent no-confidence motion from the Liberals looked
likely to pass in parliament.

 

During the week leading up to the no confidence motion, the Liberals were
plagued by several scandals of their own. The party had been accepting
donations that broke the Party Funding Reform of two years previous and were
forced to apologise and return the donations. Furthermore, the deputy leader
and shadow minister for agriculture were linked to deviant sexual practices
in several tabloids further weakening the Liberal Party.

 

The no-confidence motion passed in November 2010, and Governor General
Michelle Jean dissolved parliament. During the election campaign, both of
the main parties immediately began denouncing corruption and promoting
family values in a hope to allow the scandals in both parties to be ‘swept
under the mat’. In the end, the elected members of the House of Commons
returned in a more fractured state that ever before in Canadian political
history. Having been disillusioned with the main parties, many voters had
registered a protest-vote leading to 7 independent MPs being elected, and
the Green Party having a decent representation for the first time with 6
MPs. The Bloc Quebecois and New Democrats also increased their overall share
of the vote but with little change in representation. The Liberal party came
out on top by a narrow margin, and secured their position further by
successfully forming a coalition with the Green Party following failed talks
with both the Bloc Quebecois and New Democrats.

 

The coalition government was formed under leadership of Prime Minister
Michael Ignatief and was plagued by difficulties from the offset. Due to
concessions being made to the Green Party to ensure continuation of the
coalition, the Liberal party found generating motions to the House of
Commons increasingly difficult. Those that were made went through several
consultations and revisions more than usual. This was, however, seen as a
good thing by the people and gave the Liberals the advantage of being seen
as increasingly environmentally and socially aware - their new Emergency
Flooding Plan was met with particular enthusiasm given recent events despite
having been generated by the Green Party.

 

The First Nation protests of 2011 bring about a large faux-pas, with
Ignatief quickly relying on RCMP to intervene and (in his own words) ‘stamp
out’ the violence. It takes intervention from his Culture Minister Jean
Chatierre, whom was well liked for previous work with First Nation
communities, to personally visit in an attempt to smooth things over. The
withdrawal of the RCMP from many communities stimulated First Nationals to
take control of the situation themselves, and Chatierre promised to lobby
his party to commit to improving conditions for them. A promise that has yet
to come to fruition, leaving tensions high despite the lack of actual
protesting.

 

During the Nav Canada crisis, Prime Minister Ignatief is unfairly implicated
of involvement in a security breach following the arrest of a Parliament
Hill technical expert for questioning related to the matter. Both are later
cleared but protests of the crisis centre around this issue nonetheless.
Ignatief becomes less public-facing and many interviews are now handled by
more junior members of his cabinet or even those in the party without
portfolios.

 

When “Operation Dirty Snow” sees the arrest of several MPs from both parties
including Cabinet and shadow cabinet ministers for funding violations,
bribery in by-elections and outright money-laundering, no-one is surprised
by a motion of no-confidence introduced in parliament. What does surprise
many is that it comes from former-Minister of Health Chloé Taylor, who had
resigned from the cabinet immediately following the arrest of the 36 MPs.
She renounces the behaviour of all involved, and demands the immediate
resignation and apology of those guilty along with promises to do her utmost
to ensure their punishment to ‘the fullest extent of the law’.

 

Whilst her words ring somewhat hollow given her own party’s involvement and
the similar scandal of 2010, it does give her the front-runner position for
leadership when Michael Ignatief resigns from politics following the
dissolution of parliament in May by Governor General Jeffrey Masterson,
appointed the year previous. Taylor, after some initial contesting
eventually emerges as the only candidate for leadership of the Liberals and
despite several protest-resignations over the newcomer, heads up the
campaign for re-election of a Liberal government.

 

Having lost several high-ranking members to the Dirty-Snow scandal, the
Conservatives are left floundering with in-fighting and several efforts to
reshuffle plaguing their campaign. Two months later, the Liberals are
re-elected to government and Chloé Taylor appointed to the Prime
Ministership. The Greens, earmarked for a possible continuation in
government alongside the Liberals, find themselves with only 1 MP and are
shunned by Taylor’s administration leading to further displeasure among her
parliamentary colleagues. The Conservatives remain in opposition, and like
the Liberals find themselves with surprisingly recovered numbers following
an “only two parties have the potential to govern” campaign. Only a handful
of those involved in “Operation Dirty Snow” find themselves with custodial
sentences, most are faced with community service and hefty fines and there
are grumbles about Taylor’s “fullest extent of the law” remarks. The issue
is never raised again by Taylor’s administration and her popularity takes a
beating.

 

The new government faces its first challenge in the form of Iroquois in
Southern Ontario. Taylor initially attempts a peaceful resolution by
appearing in the area (albeit under heavy military escort) and meeting with
some of the Iroquois leaders to open talks regarding the dispute. An
attempted attack on the Prime Minister, however, and subsequent
over-reaction of her on-edge escorts leads to the death of two Iroquois and
an escalation in the violence in the region. The military is deployed in
force amid images reminiscent of the 2010 First Nations nightmare. The
Iroquois are placated and a “peace-keeping” presence is left in the area.
Comparisons are made to the subjugation of the Iraqi people in recent years
by an occupying force, Conservatives openly question the tactics condoned by
the Government. Taylor plays down the incident, and talks more about he fact
that the plight of these people is now known nationally and legislation is
being planned to aid all First Nation communities to improve living
standards and representation. This statement is largely ignored due to the
First Nations crisis in 2010 never having been resolved.

 

Towards the end of 2012, attacks on Canadian Muslims and ethnic minority
groups throughout the country take place in a seemingly organised fashion.
Investigations are commenced into all attacks, and the Taylor Government
goes out of its way to condemn them all. However, progress is slow and
suspects few leading to accusations of incompetence of both the police
forces and the Liberals.

 

Economics:

 

The economic slump of recent years has undoubtedly affected the Canadian
economy, with a decline in purchase of luxury goods and therefore the same
decline in production of these. However, the country’s ability to be
reasonably self-reliant in terms of manufacturing, energy and raw materials
has allowed it to ride the wave better that some comparable economies.
Growth slowed throughout the credit crunch; however only for a period of 6-8
months in 2010 did the economy actually deflate. The government of the time
was applauded for it’s handling of the situation by promoting Canadian-made
products and services over those from abroad to assist in maintenance of
Canadian employment and to keep money in the country. Despite the best
efforts, however, unemployment remains higher than pre-credit crunch.

 

Confidence in government handling of the larger economic situation is at an
all-time low following the scandals of 2010 and 2012 involving the same
politician who were meant to be looking after public money. Economic growth
continues to improve, however, so in real-terms Canada and her government
appears to be doing a good job of recovery.

 

Social Issues:

 

First Nation disgruntlement with failed promises of increased standards of
living and education continue to threaten to spill over into violence once
again. The Government has been slow to act on these promises, and is losing
the faith of not just these communities, but a large proportion of voters
who have been following the well-publicised incidents of recent years. 

 

The resurgence of religion in Canada is unprecedented, with far more
Christian Groups seemingly taking extreme positions and much more lobbying
of the House of Commons. Pressure is on over issues such as abortion,
homosexual rights, teaching of Creationalism, and the setting up of more
Christian schools. So far the Liberal government has not caved to pressure
as most of the Christian stances are incompatible with party ideals, but
questions of whether these groups are beginning to represent a larger
percentage of the people of Canada increase the pressure.

 

Quebec remains near the top of every agenda – with Bloc Quebecois MPs
continuously raising the issue of sovereignty (and being continuously shot
down) along with demands for continued recognition (and ideally spread) of
the French language throughout Canada. Bilingualism is slowly on the rise,
however current BQ initiatives centre on compulsory teaching of French
throughout the education system.

 

Addressing unemployment has been a very difficult issue of late. With a
return to purchasing of luxury goods and services, the service sector is
once again growing and government initiatives are aimed at training and
promotion of working in these vocations.

 

Defense:

 

Following the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2011, the Government actually
decreased spending in Defense from 1.8% GDP in 2011 to 1.0% in 2012 with
money diverted to environmental initiatives and economic recovery. This has
increased again to nearer 2% in 2013 with upgrades to outdated equipment and
vehicles beginning. Although this has met with resistance from the normal
quarters – the upgrades are generally accepted as a long-term investment -
more reliable equipment and weapons will mean less need for expenditure in
the future and more money for elsewhere.

 

Foreign Relations:

 

Despite the troubled nature of Canadian internal politics, Canada has
maintained a decent international profile with continued participation in UN
discussions, peacekeeping forces and joint-nation NATO training manoeuvres.
Recent relations with the United States have been minimal, owing to Canada
trying to maintain economic independence from American markets during the
credit-crunch – as recovery is underway, however, things may change on this
front.

 

Some nations have expressed concern over the recent militant policy of
Canada’s Government when dealing with internal matters, and this has damaged
relations with nations who, like Canada, refused to participate in the
‘illegal’ occupation of Iraq.

 

Canada remains committed to peace in the Middle-East and several leaders and
cabinet ministers have undertaken visits to the region over the past 4
years. However, as Harper’s government became accused of siding with Israel
and the Jewish community, statements have become a lot broader and
assistance and support distributed elsewhere within the region.

 

Timeline

November 2009: Following several scandals in national media, rumours of
potential leadership challenges to Prime Minister Stephen Harper begin.
Riots in Toronto and Vancouver against the Muslim community get out of hand
and the military is called in – images of violence from these forces are
broadcast internationally.

April 2010: Thaws and heavy rainfall lead to widespread flooding and the
bursting of the Tinker hydroelectric dam. Power outages and substantial
damage coupled with the government being slow to react led to
disgruntlement.

September-November 2010: Several scandals involving both parties precede a
successful no-confidence motion, leading to the dissolution of parliament in
November.

January 2011: The Liberals form a coalition government with the Green Party
amid a decline in voter confidence and with the most fractured House of
Commons in Canadian history. Michael Ignatief is appointed Prime Minister.

March 2011: Outgoing Governor General Michelle Jean is replaced by Jeffrey
Masterson – a more traditionalist selection that most previous occupants.

August 2011: First Nation protestors are outraged at the language used by
the Prime Minister and the tactics of the RCMP against what are largely
peaceful protests with sparse outbreaks of violence. Somewhat placated by
Chatierre’s promised of assistance, the protests dissipate but tensions
remain high.

November 2011: Nav Canada experiences ‘technically difficulties’ later found
to be caused by hackers. The extent of systems failure is revealed in
tabloids along with links of Prime Minister Ignatief, he becomes more
reclusive.

March 2012: Operation Dirty Snow – MPs from all parties arrested for various
charge of corruption. Chloé Taylor resigns as Health Minister.

April 2012: No confidence motion introduced by Taylor passes in parliament.
Both main party leaders resign, several of MPs arrested are found guilty.
Taylor named leader of the Liberal party, several Liberal MPs resign in
protest.

June 2012: Liberal party wins election with a majority, shunning it’s former
Green Party partners. Chloé Taylor appointed Prime Minister. Iroquois
clashes with police get out of hand, Taylor visits personally and is
attacked, the response leads to the deaths of two Iroquois and military
actions. A “peacekeeping” force is deployed and remains in the area.

November 2012-January 2013: Several attacks on Muslim citizens and Christian
extremists, Taylor government condemn all.

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://esteroic.com/pipermail/war_ooc_esteroic.com/attachments/20090705/bc03b6a9/attachment-0001.html