Victoria (1983: Doomsday)

The Republic of Victoria is a Canadian survivor nation centered on Vancouver Island in former British Columbia, and encompassing most of the BC coastline and the northern coast of Washington State.

History

 * See main article: 

Government
The government of Victoria is a Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Republic. The head of State is the British monarch, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor, who's duties include calling elections, and diplomatic relations. The head of Government is the Premier, who is the head of the majority party elected to parliament.

The electoral system of Victoria is a proportional system. Each electoral district is allotted 10 seats in parliament, and each of those 10 seats is determined by a percentage of the popular vote. The exception to this is the Washington Protectorate, which has their own Legislative assembly, which appoints a representative to parliament.

The Washington Legislative Assembly was established by the Protectorate Act of 1990. It is made up of a council of representatives from the major towns of the Washington Protectorate. They determined official policy of the Washington territories and appoint a representative to parliament. It will be abolished after the 2010 election due to the Washington Protectorate voting to be integrated with Victoria.

Politics
There are currently 3 major political parties holding seats in the Republic of Victoria


 * Social Credit Party: A fiscal and socially conservative party, their policies have become for the most part unpopular among the populace. They were the party in power during the 1983 attacks.


 * Social Survival Party: A Social democrat party that was created from an amalgam of the New Democratic Party and several other socialist parties. They have remained in power since the founding of the republic.

Other minor parties include:
 * Liberal Capitalist Party: A libertarian party devoted to privatising nationalised industries and re-establishing contact with the outside world. Currently the official Opposition party.
 * Canadian Reunification Party: A single issue party advocating reconfederation with the Canadian Remainder Provinces.


 * Conservative 'Socialist Coalition: A social conservative, fiscal socialist party. Their opinions are quite militant, their popularity is growing in the rural areas of the Prince Rupert area.
 * Washington Unification Federation: A single issue party devoted to fully integrating the Washington Protectorate into Victoria, as well as claiming all of Washington State for the Republic. This party is gaining support in the Greater Victoria area, and the Western Washington Territories

Foreign Relations
The Republic of Victoria has made contact with several of the emerging governments in the days after Doomsday, but maintains official relations with only a few of them so far. There are currently ambassadors to, the MSP, ANZC, Hawaii, , and the Canadian Remainder Provinces. Relations with all are positive, but the situation regarding the proposed annexation of northern British Columbian towns by Alaska could cause some animosity between the two nations. There are negotiations ongoing to establish an embassy in New Britain, Japan, Mexico, and the various states of the South American Confederation.

Victoria is a member League of Nations.

Military
Both CFB Comox and CFB Esquimalt survived the attacks of 1983 leaving Victoria with most of Canada's Pacific fleet and pacific maritime air patrol squadrons under their command. This leaves Victoria as a major naval power in the region as well as having a major air defence presence. The addition of the northern territories of the Washinton Protectorate gave Victoria control of the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. While many of the pilots and staff had moved on following the attacks, much of the aircraft and facilities remained.

The Social Survival Party government instituted a military incentive program, providing government housing and supplies for those enlisting in the Victorian military. This took advantage of the many refugees that had found themselves homeless and without work but ensured that Victoria had an ample defence and expeditionary force. The training facilities at Comox and Esquimalt ensured a highly trained naval and air force, but the lack of any Army training facilities and the destruction or isolation of the majority of the 39 Brigade leaves the majority of the Victorian Army with little training so far as well as little to no armored vehicles, but a few artillery guns. Construction of Army facilities is ongoing, the major army installations being Fort Bennet in Mount Vernon, and Fort Grant in Nanaimo. Fort Elizabeth in Prince Rupert is under construction to aid in the defence of Prince Rupert against Prince George raiders, as well as a staging ground for eventual military action against the city-state.

Starting January 1 2010 the various military forces of Victoria will be reoganized into the Royal Victorian Defence Force. Independent command centers will be set up in Esquimalt for Naval Command, Comox Valley for Air Command, and Nanaimo for Ground Command. A joint command center will be set up in Victoria to coordinate commands.

The Washington Defence Force is a force made up of mostly Washington territories volunteers trained and armed by the Victorian forces. They serve under command of the the RVDF Ground Command, and if the Protectorate votes for integration, will become part of the RVDF.

Economy
The economy following Doomsday was heavily socialised in order to survive. While trying to maintain an aura of capitalism in a socialist economy, the government ended up fueling inflation which led to much needed economic reforms. All non-essential service industries were privatised while utilities and resource industries remained under crown control. This balance ensured crown coffers remained full from the sales of raw materials to the private sector, allowing for the large amount of public works projects needed in the post-doomsday world. It also ensured a measure of economic growth. Industries are also heavily regulated to ensure the fair treatment of consumers and employees.

Currently the largest industry in Victoria is construction. With many new companies and industries starting up due to the lack of foreign imported goods, many new factories and offices are being constructed around the country. Immigration is also a factor. Due to the stability of Vancouver Island, and re-establishment of regular transportation to and from Washington and Vancouver Island, many people from the Washington territories sick of the hard life and reconstruction efforts move to Vancouver Island to seek a better life. This has fed an increased demand for housing in many of the urban centers of Vancouver Island. With new mining, logging, agricultural, and manufacturing jobs opening up in the northern regions undamaged by the Doomsday bombs, many sleepy towns are becoming larger urban centers.

Culture
Victoria as a city is likely the most "British" of Canadian cities. Its architecture is purposefully classic, its public transit uses double decker buses, and many UK English terms and slang are used. Becoming the dominant urban center of the Republic of Victoria has caused this British culture to spread amongst the surviving populace of the republic.

After the adoption of the constitution, the old CBC stations were nationalised by the Victorian government, the company was rebranded the Victorian Territorial Broadcasting Company and reorganized into a more BBC-like system. Advertising space was cut and a license fee was added to all television subscribers to fund original programming and news. All other private broadcasters were left private in order to promote accountability. The VTBC would be ineffective as a propaganda delivery system if private broadcasters are able to counter the claims of the VTBC.

Hockey is still a major part of the culture of the Victorian people, and Doomsday wiped out or cut off most of the leagues or teams. In 1994 Lieutenant-Governor Stephen Cromwell announced plans to establish a Victorian Hockey League, rebuilt from the old British Columbia Hockey League. With a grant from the Ministry of Social Projects, he had arenas built in Comox Valley, Port Angeles, Prince Rupert, and Campbell River. Teams would play for a cup commissioned by the LG in the spirit of Lord Stanley himself. While officially the prize is referred to as the VHL Championship, it is more commonly known as the Cromwell Cup. It was established in 1996 with 9 teams in Prince Rupert, Campbell River, Powell River, Comox Valley, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Duncan, Victoria, and Port Angeles. In 1998 teams were added to Bellingham and Mt Vernon. In 2004 a team was added to Everett and the league was organized into two Conferences, Island, and Mainland. An organized sports league was viewed as a way for people to get their minds off the struggles of post-doomsday life as well as building town pride.

Religion
Breakdown of religious association as of the 2005 Census(does not include Washington Territories):