Republique du Quebec

[New Frontier]

[center][img]http://www.sublet.com/information/images/quebec_flag.jpg[/img]

[b]Republique du Quebec[/b]

[b]Government Type:[/b] Democratic Parliamentary Republic
[b]Head of State:[/b] His Excellency Maxime Vigneault, President of Quebec
[b]Head of Government:[/b] The Right Honourable Alexandre Picard, Prime Minister of Quebec

[b]Population:[/b] 31 323 000, approximately
[b]Capital City:[/b] Quebec City
[b]Religion:[/b] Catholic (74%), Protestant Christian (13%), Jewish (6%), Other/None (7%)
[b]Official Language:[/b] Quebec French, although a significant minority (20%) claims English as their native tongue.
[b]Demonym[/b] Quebecer, Quebecois[/center]

Edited May 30, 2011 by New Frontier

[New Frontier]

[center][size="7"]Government[/size]

The Republic of Quebec is a democratic republic based primarily upon the Westminster model. The entire population of Quebec elects a President every five years to serve as head of state, fulfilling the role of the sovereign. In practice, however, the majority of the governmental power rests with the National Assembly, the unicameral legislature made up of elected representatives styled as Members of the National Assembly, or MNA.

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/19/Assembl%C3%A9e_nationale_du_Qu%C3%A9bec.svg/434px-Assembl%C3%A9e_nationale_du_Qu%C3%A9bec.svg.png[/img]

The National Assembly is made up 310 MNAs, of which 108 are from the Montreal metropolitan area, 56 are from the Province of New Brunswick, 42 are from the Quebec City metropolitan area and 10 are from the Province of Prince Edward Island. The rest of the seats are from various smaller cities and regions, with most of them coming from the more populous south. The current NA is governed by the Parti Quebecois, nicknamed the Pequistes, with a majority government. The PQ is represented by 165 of the ridings and is led by its party leader, Prime Minister Alexandre Picard. The PQ is a big-tent party that finds its basis in the common agenda of Quebec sovereignty. Now that this goal has been realized and the Republic of Quebec has become a reality, the party's future is uncertain as it is comprised of politicians with vastly different political ideologies.

The Official Opposition is formed by the Bloc Populaire, a right-wing populist party led by Georges Etienne-Cartier. The BP holds 75 seats in the National Assembly.

The two other parties represented in the National Assembly are the Unionistes and the Progressive Conservatives. The Unionistes are a left-wing party backed by the powerful unions and farmer's groups, led by Michelle Beauchamps. The Unionistes hold 44 seats in the National Assembly. The Progressive Conservatives are a centrist party with support almost exclusively among the Anglophones in the province of New Brunswick, led by Douglass Prewett. The PCs hold 21 seats in the National Assembly, with only one of those coming from outside of New Brunswick.

The Cabinet of Quebec is appointed by the Prime Minister and is made up of senior members, the Ministers, and junior members, the Assembly Secretaries. Assembly Secretaries typically lead sub-departments under the jurisdiction of a Minister.

The current government of Quebec is as follows:[/center]

Maxime Vigneault, President of the Republic of Quebec

Alexandre Picard, Prime Minister of the Republic of Quebec and Leader of the Parti Quebecois

Cherie Lalonde, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Quebec
Patrice Laboulet, Minister of Justice and Attorney General for the Republic of Quebec
Marc-Andre Benoit, Minister of Defence for the Republic of Quebec
Philippe Cornet, Minister of the Treasury Board and Revenue for the Republic of Quebec
Bernadette Mulcaire, Minister of Finance for the Republic of Quebec
Thomas Garneau, Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation for the Republic of Quebec
Mila Muscovy, Minister of Heritage and Culture for the Republic of Quebec
Georges Laraque, Minister for the Environment for the Republic of Quebec
Christopher Cornet, Minister for Education for the Republic of Quebec
Dominique Normandeau, Minister for Health and Public Service for the Republic of Quebec
Guy Geoffrion, Minister for Labour and Unions for the Republic of Quebec

Gregory Ramos, Assembly Secretary for North American Cooperation and Arctic Sovereignty
Guillaume Gandeneau, Assembly Secretary for International Agreements and Consular Affairs
Guinevere Laplante, Assembly Secretary for the Status of the French Language
Jacques Frontiac, Assembly Secretary for Industry
Nicola Balliante, Assembly Secretary for Sports and Recreation
Ruth Ellen Brousseau, Assembly Secretary for Northern Quebec Economic Development
Marc Cornet, Assembly Secretary for Southern Quebec Economic Development
Denis St. Pierre, Assembly Secretary for Colleges and Universities
Thomas Briere, Assembly Secretary for Media and Communication
David Bern, Assembly Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries
Martin Mulcahey, Assembly Secretary for Tourism
Pierre Bouchard, Assembly Secretary for Trade
Monique Gagner, Assembly Secretary for Minority Rights and Aboriginal Affairs
James McCourt, Assembly Secretary for English Affairs

Christine St. Pierre, Presidential Liaison to the National Assembly
Michael Sabourin, Assembly Liaison to the President’s Office

Georges Etienne Cartier, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and Leader of the Popular Front

Edited June 3, 2011 by New Frontier

[Benoit]

[quote]Ruth Ellen Brousseau, Assembly Secretary for Northern Quebec Economic Development.[/quote]

Ruth for predz! Les Québécois sont tellement désabusé et désintéressé de la politique, qu'ils sont bien capable de l'élire première ministre.

Edited May 29, 2011 by Benoit

[New Frontier]

[size="7"]Important Figures[/size]

[b]Maxime Vigneault, President of Quebec[/b]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Jim_Flaherty_2007.JPG/225px-Jim_Flaherty_2007.JPG[/img]

Vigneault is a long-time supporter of Quebec sovereignty and currently serves as the elected figurehead of the Republic of Quebec. As an ambitious man, however, he seeks more for both himself and the country he loves. In Vigneault's perfect world, he stands at the vanguard of a large and thriving Quebec. Vigneault is well connected within the Quebecois government, and as a devout Catholic he is a favourite son of the country's religious establishment.

[b]Alexandre Picard, Prime Minister of Quebec and Leader of the Parti Quebecois[/b]

[img]http://cdn.msg.com/polopoly_fs/1.57345.1292963827!/image/1284864936.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/1284864936.jpg[/img]

The compromise candidate of the various factions of the bloated Parti Quebecois, Picard enjoys very little power within his caucus and is, in practice, little more than a puppet of the more powerful forces behind the Quebec government. Still, Picard is very popular among the Quebec people for his affable personality. Before entering into politics, Picard was a Professor at Dennemonte University.

[b]Georges Etienne-Cartier, Leader of the Official Opposition and Leader of the Bloc Populaire[/b]

[img]http://www.thehockeynews.com/imgs/dynamique/photos/original/article_12218_2.jpg[/img]

Etienne-Cartier is a very charismatic politician that is seen as the head of the conservative movement within the country. Etienne-Cartier is a devout Catholic and is also well-connected within the religious establishment and often works together with President Vigneault.

[b]Father Dominic LaBalliante, Archbishop and Cardinal of the Holy Catholic Church[/b]

[img]http://www.gospa.org/galleries/articles/archbishopDiNardo.jpg[/img]

LaBalliante is the head of the Catholic Church in the Republic of Quebec, and a well-respected and powerful figure in the Church worldwide. As such, he enjoys great influence both in Quebec and the Vatican, and is able to open doors at any level of government. While LaBalliante is genuinely devout, he is also very politic and interested in the global advancement of the Catholic Church, the Republic of Quebec and the French people's of the world. As the ranking Catholic in Quebec, he is also the head of Les Chevaliers du Saint-Jean-Baptiste, a powerful and shadowy Catholic military organization based in Montreal.

[b]Victor Goldbloom, Owner and CEO of QueComm, Wealthiest Living Quebecer and a Pillar of the Jewish Community[/b]

[img]http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Business/images/world-billionaire/DarylKatz.jpeg[/img]

Multi-billionaire Victor Goldbloom is the richest individual in Quebec and one of the world's leading businessmen, head of the QueComm empire. He is also a heavily politically involved individual and has donated generously to the Bloc Populaire in the past. A practicing Jew, Goldbloom is generally seen as the face of the small but influential Jewish community in Quebec and is respected around the world for his contributions to the Jewish community.

[b]Sir Joseph DeBlasio, Knight Commander of Les Chevaliers du Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Lt. General of the Quebec Armed Forces[/b]

[img]http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/19/xinsrc_272040519060587590826.jpg[/img]

DeBlasio is the ranking officer of Les Chevaliers du Saint-Jean-Baptiste, or simply Les Chevaliers. Les Chevaliers are a secretive but powerful political and, more importantly, military organization under the joint direction of the Catholic Church and the Government of Quebec that represents the pinnacle of military training, discipline, equipment and . DeBlasio reports directly to LaBalliante, although he is also involved in the overarching strategic planning of the Quebec Armed Forces. An incredibly devout Catholic, it is likely that DeBlasio's ultimate loyalty would lie with the Vatican, not with the Quebec National Assembly.

[b]Cherie Lalonde, Foreign Minister for Quebec[/b]

[img]http://images.wikia.com/liberapedia/images/3/3f/Rona_Ambrose.jpg[/img]

Lalonde is Quebec's highest ranking diplomatic official and a sitting member of the National Assembly. Politically, Lalonde is a very powerful member of the Parti Quebecois and is seen as the leader of the Nationalist faction of the party, that being the group closest to the President and the Catholic Church and seeking to advance Quebec's profile on the international stage. When the Parti Quebecois inevitably splinters she is seen as one of the most likely candidates to replace Picard as Prime Minister.

[b]Louis Prefontaine, Head of the Prefontaine Crime Family[/b]

[img]http://www.hebdoweb.com/wp-content/uploads/MilliardaireLinoSaputo.jpg[/img]

The Prefontaines are the premier criminal organization in Quebec, having held a near stranglehold on the French-Canadian underworld for over a century. In many ways, the Prefontaine Family is nearly equal in power to the Catholic Establishment, and Louis rules the organization with an iron fist. A strong Catholic, Prefontaine makes sizable donations to the Church and is well-connected within it.

[b]Jacques Perreault, Quebecois Catholic Agent in the Vatican[/b]

[img]http://assets.5by5.tv/avatars/rick-perreault-standard.jpg?1296179095[/img]

While not necessarily an objectively important figure, Perreault is going to be a fairly major character in my RP. Jacques Perreault is a former Catholic priest who now serves as a representative of the Quebec government and Catholic Church in the Vatican.

Edited June 4, 2011 by New Frontier

[New Frontier]

[size="7"]Provinces and Territories of Quebec[/size]

The Republic of Quebec is divided into three provinces, those being Greater Quebec, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

[size="6"]Greater Quebec[/size]

By far the largest of the three provinces, Greater Quebec is comprised of what has historically been known as Quebec.

[b]Population:[/b] 86 000 000~
[b]Provincial Capital:[/b] Montreal
[b]Representation in National Assembly:[/b] 279
[b]Provincial Government:[/b] Parti Quebecois Majority Government

Due to its vast size, Greater Quebec is divided into five territories, each responsible for many of the administrative roles that the Provincial governments of PEI and New Brunswick manage. These are Kativik, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Outaouais-Laurentides and Jamésie. Each of these territories are overseen by sub-groups of the Greater Quebec Provincial Legislature.

[size="6"]Province of New Brunswick[/size]

The second province in population, New Brunswick is a maritime region with an approximately even split of English and French speaking citizens.

[b]Population:[/b] 5 000 000~
[b]Provincial Capital:[/b] Fredericton
[b]Representation in National Assembly:[/b] 21
[b]Provincial Government:[/b] Progressive Conservative Majority Government

[size="6"]Province of Prince Edward Island[/size]

By far the smallest province in both population and land mass, Prince Edward Island is comprised of a single, small island. It is the only province in which English is predominantly spoken.

[b]Population:[/b] 2 000 000~
[b]Provincial Capital:[/b] Charlottetown
[b]Representation in National Assembly:[/b] 10
[b]Provincial Government:[/b] Progressive Conservative Majority Government