Join the new world

Today I present to you Derek Harland's platform for the eCanada presidential elections on December 5th. I want to start off by wishing my opponents a good campaign and good luck in the elections. No matter who is elected president I am confident that we will have a great leader to continue our country's progress. Next month will be a month of change and one of probable peace. Our country has been so used to war for the last 5 months from July all the way to November. We have had our whole country annexed by the enemies and completely regained in a short period of time. There is no doubt that we are beginning to become unfamiliar with the meaning of "peacetime" as most of us can only remember war in our country and our allies' countries as well. The next month we will need a president who can lead us in this time of peace and help us to develop our country into one that can live in peacetime without all of us fighting with each other and yet continue to improve our country economically, socially and militarily. I believe I can be that president to do all of these things and more. As a DAL member, I heavily support our incredible platform we just recently released to the public. As a co-author of the platform I am extremely pleased with the way we worked on it and a lot of the ideas I strongly believe in and will include in my platform.

The Military


Our military has seen incredible improvements the past couple of months and it is in large part due to the war and the intense amount of action and battles it fought in and also the funding William Duncan has put into it to continue to level up our soldiers and continue to increase the damage barriers our army can reach as a total. Another thing that has been very encouraing to the overall effectiveness of our military is the timed strikes we have planned and initiated have gone so well. In certain missions we have got the CAF to get on the CAF #IRC channel so the whole army can hit the wall at a planned time. This allows for large amounts of damage at strategic times. We have had some amazing turnouts lately and the results have been outstanding. This is something I want to continue doing and encourage even more participation. While the CAF and our citizen's strength in general has seen amazing progress and improvements, there is one major thing that I think should be done to help improve our force.

Inclusion of resistance armies: Our resistance armies have proved that they are extremely loyal to eCanada and are also instrumental in the progression and development of quite a few new citizens who have joined such resistance armies as the Crimson Canucks and the Canadian Resistance Movement. They have done a lot for our country all while being self-sufficient and self-funded. They have been a very key part of daily life in the New World for many eCanadians and they deserve to be recognized as a legitimate organization. That is why I support including them with the government-funded CAF or at least offer them funding for when it is needed. Not only is this very well-earned but it will also help our country a lot more to offer big amounts of damage as these armies have quite a few members in them who are constantly levelling up. It is time that they are recognized and I hope they get what they deserve. This will also be a huge boost to our army and offer more soldiers. It is a win-win on every side.

CAF Funding: The CAF is currently funded very strongly and it allows for a lot of progress from our soldiers. The CAF deserves every penny they get as the soldiers we have in the army fight with all they have. They risk their wellness, a paycheck, their homes and their weapons to do all they can for our country and it is only fair if we continue to invest in our army. Our country isn't one of the strongest military forces in the New World and we accept that. However, we are a rising nation and our army is constantly improving. Our Field Marshalls are at a very low number and the CAF helps to fund generals level up to FMs to better our damage and the number of FMs we have in our arsenal. Also, as we have new soldiers start up in the Rangers and slowly work their way up, they continue to level up as well which allows us to not only invest in the present but also in the future. The soldiers we sign up today are going to be the battlefield powerhouses of tomorrow and we are investing in a strong future with every new soldier who joins with the CAF. Not only does this help our CAF to level up, it is also a very huge part of our economy and is a great stimulus. I will encourage our CAF suppliers to only purchase supplies from Canadian companies so we help to invest in our economy as well. The military does a lot of purchasing and without it, some companies might not make it. It is important to keep funding the military to keep it improving and to keep our economy flowing.

CAF Size and Structure: Currently the CAF is constantly growing and we have recently added a new 4th division with more to come soon. I will make sure that we are regularly putting articles advertising the CAF into the media to encourage new members to get involved with the Rangers. The CAF is not only a military group. It is also a social group. For some members, the CAF is the only reason they keep playing this game and it allows them to get involved in the social aspect of this game which is for some people, the best part about eRepublik. It is extremely crucial that the new eCanadians we get every day continue playing this game and get involved in the society and the CAF is a great gateway for this. That is why I will make sure we are recruiting new CAF members regularly and efficiently.

The structure and supply structures the CAF uses right now are very strong and I support the use of them. They do a great job organizing the members themselves and also in working with their soldiers. The CAF currently gets supplies out very quickly and even faster when it is urgent. Supplying is a very tedious and time-consuming job and for that reason, I will try to make sure that for each supplying division there is more than one person with access to the supply org so whenever supplies are needed there is someone who will be able to get supplies out quickly. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I want the resistance armies to grow almost as one with the CAF. That won't be an easy process but I will make sure I work with the leaders of the RAs and make sure their voice is heard. If their joining doesn't go as planned, I will make sure they get a bit of funding for them to help cover their costs.

The Economy

The definition of a good economy in eRepublik is when businesses, citizens and governments alike all benefit from the economy. A strong, well-rounded economy is the key to prosperity within citizens and our key to a greater country. It is crucial for us to improve and develop our people, our army and our companies. I am not the smartest economic whiz in this game, I admit to that. However, that is why I want to work as closely as possible with strong economic minds as advisors and in my cabinet I have created the Economic Advisory Panel to guide me on economic issues and keep me up-to-date with how the economy is doing in eCanada. Some of the issues I believe in are:

Taxes: I believe in what our current tax plan now is for Income Tax and VAT taxes. The income taxes are low enough to make sure our citizens and companies are prosperous but also ensures our government daily tax money to help fund our country's programs, army and other needs. However, I also am a big supporter in high import taxes across the board, apart from iron. Congress has the final say on tax issues but I will support higher income taxes in most sectors. It is important to look after our Canadian companies who provide us with our daily needs. I believe in protecting our companies and allowing them to have a better market for their products. Not only that, the markets are very oversaturated in a lot of sectors and all it does is drive down prices and make it tough to sell products.

Currency Value: I have heard both sides to the case of the devaluation of our dollar VS. keeping our dollar at a high level. There are many advantages to both sides but the most important thing is that a figure is decided and then stabilized to prevent it from getting out of control. I will make sure that if elected, the Economic Advisory Panel is put to the task of figuring out what is best for the economy. A high dollar gives the government much greater purchasing power while a lower dollar gives our companies a better chance to export and make a profit out of it. I think the best solution is to find a solid middleground so that both sides benefit better.

Stockpiles: Currently the Ministry of Industries and Canadian National Defense are creating strategic stockpiles on weapons, food, iron, moving tickets and gold. It is important that we continue this process and continuously stockpile up resources. Our country needs to be prepared with large quantities of products in the case of any crisis that arises. I also encourage that the government cut back on spending whenever possible to further create a strategic resources reserve if we are ever in need of it.

Government Spending: The government is another resource that is helping keep companies afloat and creates a big market for companies in eCanada. I will make sure that we are buying from Canadian companies whenever we buy resources such as the Meals on Wheels Canada program or the Canadian Health Services. These two both include buying large quantities of products from the market and it is important that when they do buy their products they purchase from Canadian-owned companies so we keep the money in our economy instead of letting it spread to other countries and we support our buyers and sellers.

Crown Corporations: Crown Corporations are a great asset for a government to have in opening up well-paying jobs for new citizens and providing us with stockpiles and resources we need for programs such as MoWC and CHS. They provide products to our citizens and help to keep the markets flowing and our economy flowing. The current Minister of Industries, Citizen B, does a fantastic job running the companies and I will continue to support all of his needs.

Foreign Affairs Policy

I have always believed in helping not only Canada but also our friends and allies from other countries. We support helping our allies improve as much as we want to see Canada improve. By improving our allies and helping them develop their armies and their economy, it helps them to be strong and helps defend Canada. Canada has helped fund a Q5 hospital for Switzerland so they can work on improving their population base and attract more immigrants and new players. The result is the strength of our friends abroad, and continued and new alliances that will help protect and defend Canada. I support continuing the Canadian policy of helping our allies and friends.

The last wave of PEACE GC attacks ended with great successes in part due to Canada’s great alliances. This proves why we need to continue to work with EDEN and the Brolliance. Like the demise of the Berlin wall, PEACE GC has fallen apart. We strongly believe in working with our allies to liberate regions abroad, to fight oppression and to dismantle enemy alliances. We shall never forget what our allies have done for us in the past, and we still stand by our allies during their times of need too. We are a slowly improving country but we still depend largely on our allies and they are very important to us. Whenever they need help, we should be here to support them. I will support EDEN and Brolliance-initiated operations and make sure that our citizens and our army is doing all they can to help out our amazing allies.


I support a strong foreign affairs program. This program is embodied in Canada’s many Ambassadors and in the CSIS. Through both of these operations we can keep an ever vigilant watch and communications with the other nations of the world. As it was said in the past, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. These programs provide Canada with the intelligence we need to ensure our defense and to keep us at the ready should a new threat emerge. I support the continued active use of both our Department of Foreign Affairs and the CSIS. When I was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I helped get the ambassador program going and started it off by getting active citizens working for the government and keeping the government updated with their respective countries. I appreciate all of what our ambassadors do for our country and will make sure they continue to get treated with respect.

Domestic Affairs

One of my main goals as President is to bring together our country and unify us as one people, instead of the multiple different associations we are associated with. With World War III coming to a halt, most of us don't know what it is like to live in peacetime as we are so accustomed to the battlefields. War does one thing for eCanadians, it unites us under one common goal of achieving success in a battle. Without it, boredom is sure to arise and the only thing that leads to is internal fighting and bickering and the only thing that does is hurt the productivity of our nation. I am known as someone who does not pick fights and I live to that policy as best as I can. I only want success for our country and I want us all to be united. It is an impossible dream as there are always going to be people who just want to watch the world burn but for the people who do care about our success, I want to work with and reward them.

Apart from that, there are multiple things that needed to be done on the homefront.

THOR: William Duncan introduced the THOR concept in his article here: THOR. Basically, it is a school that brings new citizens from all over the world to gather and learn from the most experienced and most knowledged citizens about the game, how to get involved and how to work your way up the ranks. This school is intended to develop our allies next Presidents, war strategists, generals, congressmen, cabinet members, politicans and company owners. I want to make sure that this gets up-and-running and has success in its goals. I believe it will inspire two-clickers to become more involved in the game and new players to get involved in the game and stay with the game for many months to come.

Ministry of Education: The Ministry of Education is making great strides in a few different projects. Booleus is the Media Director and he releases almost daily articles that include a very detailed getting started guide. The articles are a great tool for newer citizens to learn how to get involved in the game and to understand game mechanics and how it works much better. Adasko is the Minister of Education and he has been working hard on a Mentorship Program to continue to give our newer citizens experience and knowledge injected into them. coach_nyta is the Deputy and has also been developing a citizen registry to give us more knowledge about our citizens and what they are looking for. All three of these ministers combine to make a great team and I will continue to support their programs and encourage them to get them up-and-running.

Ministry of Health and Social Services: Artorius Perim has done a great job getting two government-funded social programs for the public started and expanding. The Canadian Health Services offers cheap gifts to citizens so they can improve their wellness. This also circulates back into our economy and strength as high wellness means more productivity and more damage on the battlefield. High wellness is crucial for a country's production and damage rates. Another program Artorius has started is Meals on Wheels Canada which has been giving subsidized food to newer citizens. A citizen's first few days are always the hardest as you don't make a lot of money and it is tough to buy goods. That is why this program should encourage citizens to stay active and also to keep their wellness up high. I will push Artorius to expand these two programs and take in more clients. This may include updating the New Citizen Message to make sure the message gets out.

Government Communication: Many people complain that the government doesn't communicate enough with the public in the media, however I believe it has done a good job with communication, however there is still room for improvement. The Press Office will be hassled to get out constant communication alerts about battle orders, programs we are starting, volunteers we need and updates about what the government has been doing for you. Apart from the Press Office, I will also write articles from my daily newspaper connecting with the public and trying to update them as best as possible.

Also, I believe we should do everything we can to recognize our Official Languages and our Heritage. Nic007 and Arche8 are the two cabinet ministers involved with the Francophone community and they have done an excellent job communicating their concerns with us. I will also make sure all government issues are translated into French so there is a larger base of citizens reading it, including articles from my own personal newspaper.

Sincerely,
Derek Harland