Flag of Ontario
The People's Empire of Ontario or simply Ontario, is a charter member nation of the North American Union. The capital is at Sudbury, moved from Toronto in 1996, although Toronto remains its largest city. The Empire is known for its rampant corruption and disregard for its own Constitution, although the Emperor tends to rule benevolently.
At A Glance[]
Nation Name: The People's Empire of Ontario
Demonym: Ontarian
Capital: Sudbury
Independence or Founding Date: April 9, 1994
Population: (see list of countries by GDP)
Official Language(s): English
Government Type: Absolute Monarchy
Head of State: The Ontarian Emperor (unnamed)
Head of Government: Chancellor Juan Castro
Official Religion: Protestant Christianity
Largest Religion: Protestant Christianity
Constitution: Yes (though it is frequently ignored)
Economy Type: Mixed Market
Currency: Ontarian dollar (ON$) (ON$1.2=US$1)
Summer Time: Yes
Calling Code: 1 + area code
Internet TLD: .on
Maritime Boundary (nm): 24
Aircraft Registration Code: ONT
Political Rating: Idealistic Benevolent Monarchy
Military Size: 400,000 in peace time, can reach up to 2 million at wartime or higher if needed.
Military Capability Score (out of 100, rating by Worldwide Defence Trade Association (WDTA)): 70 (Above Average)
Technological Innovation Score: Military (WDTA): 85/100 (Good), Scientific (University poll): 60/100 (Average), Other (University poll): 74/100 (Above Average)
Economic Rating (by Standard & Poor): 83/100 (Good) (See list of countries by GDP)
Economic Freedom Index (by Standard & Poor): 90/100 (very little government interference)
Health Care Rating (by Doctors Without Borders): 70/100 (Above Average)
Health Care System: Two-tiered, only essential treatment covered by the government if the patient can prove they cannot afford it.
Political Freedom Index (by Reporters Without Borders): 0/100 (Very Poor). The country engages in complete censorship, with opposition and dissenting views brutally and swiftly repressed. Limited freedoms are supposed to exist as per the North American Constitution, but the government frequently ignores them. The only news outlets that operate in Ontario aside from state-run networks are CNN and the Roman Free Press, but their bureaus are tightly controlled by the Ontario government.
Drug Laws: Recreational drug trade is legal, but licensed.
Gun Control: Relaxed, very few restrictions.
Environmental Policy Rating (by Greenpeace): 76/100 (Above Average attention paid to environmental concerns)
Overview[]
Ontario is a self-described "rogue state", a term the government uses freely to insist that the country is free from global interference and will react strongly should other countries seek to act against it. Despite this, Ontario is known to seek influence in other countries' affairs, and because of its massive resource wealth, Ontario has managed to position itself as a significant regional power within North America, using its economic advantage to craft trade and access arrangements that largely benefit the country. It is also known to use repairs to the Nipigon Bridge- the fastest connection across the continent from Vancouver to Ottawa as well as New York and Boston- as leverage in deals with other NAU countries.
Culturally speaking, Ontario is described as an "idealistic socialist state", promoting ideas that are firmly to the left of Virtue politics, with a strong emphasis on environmental concerns, multiculturalism and an interest in the political issues of its minority groups. Some cultural ideas it does share with Virtue, in particular the tendency for the culture to prefer heteronormativity and monogamous relationships, although Ontario's culture is not as patriarchal as Virtue's is.
There are times, due to its emphasis on multiculturalism and minority interests, that Ontario's polices are unique to the world, with the Empire's ideas even being adopted by other countries to great success. Furthermore, Ontario is a strong supporter of the arts, producing a wide array of different forms of expression and formats and many world-class talents.
Thus, Ontario is often labelled as a "progressive" and "liberal" nation, but its detractors often claim this is an illusion. Because Ontario does not regulate the economy much and it does not have a robust social welfare system, the impoverished of Ontario receive little support, meaning peril arrives to anyone who loses their job or has difficulty finding work. Also, despite Ontario's record for coming up with "unique" political policies and its strong support of the arts, the government is known for its tight control on all forms of media, with differing views and opposition swiftly and brutally repressed. As the Visigoths' Avila Garcia stated in 1997, "you better not think that you live in anything other than an idyllic liberal Utopia in Ontario- otherwise, the Ontarian government will make sure that you do."
Lastly, Ontario does not hold elections for any government positions, with all government jobs- including the mayors of its cities- personally appointed by the Emperor. No government employee is named, and appointments- and firings- are done in secret. The format for succession for the Emperor is unknown, and the government is known to do everything it can to obscure the Emperor's identity. Nevertheless, the Emperor is widely believed to be Paul Jubin, a Toronto revolutionary who was a key figure in establishing Ontario's independence during World War III.
Honduras[]
Because of its secretive nature, Ontario was once called "Honduras" by Arletian Foreign Minister Avila Garcia during a speech in 1997. Garcia was referring to the just passed Ontario-Michigan War that saw Ontario be accused of multiple war crimes whose evidence Ontario managed to suppress. Garcia then used the term to describe the idea that there were "no depths the Empire won't go to cover up its faults" ("Honduras" is Spanish for "depths"). It has since become an unofficial name for Ontario, both used with pride and derision amongst people who talk about the country.