Dominion of Vancouver Island

Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies
Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies
	Flag Great Seal
	Motto: "Resolution and Discovery"
	Anthem: God Save the Queen;
	Claimed territory highlighted in orange
Status	Self-proclaimed dominion
Location	Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands
Capital	Victoria
Official languages	English; French
Recognised regional languages	Comox; Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakʼwala
Ethnic groups (2021)	86.66% European; 13.33% Indigenous
Religion	Anglicanism; Roman Catholicism; Indigenous beliefs
Demonym	Vancouver Islander
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch	Elizabeth II
• Governor General	Dustin Carlson
• Prime Minister	Matthew Baker
• Chief Justice	Thomas Martin
• House Speaker	Kevin Dundstan
Legislature	Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island
Foundation
• Colony established	13 January 1849;; 173 years ago
• Merger with British Columbia	6 August 1866;; 155 years ago
• Joined Confederation	20 July 1871;; 150 years ago
• Independence declared	15 July 2019;; 2 years ago
Area
•	32,305.94 km2 (12,473.39 sq mi)
Population
• 2021 census	16
HDI	▼ 0.929; very high · 16th
Currency	Pound Sterling (£); Canadian Dollar ($)
Time zone	(UTC−8)
• Summer (DST)	(UTC−7)
Date format	mm/dd/yyyy
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+1
Internet TLD	.ca

Not to be confused with the Colony of Vancouver Island (1849-1866).

The Dominion of Vancouver Island, officially the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies, is a North American micronation established in 2019. It is a self-declared restoration of the 19th century Crown colony that claimed Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands of the Strait of Georgia as its sovereign territory. The country seeks to achieve dominion status and international recognition as a self-governing Commonwealth realm.

The dominion was founded by Canadian citizen Dustin Carlson initially as a hobby political project, but later transformed into a more dedicated venture with multiple participants involved in its daily operation. Its government exercises no authority over the territory it claims, nor is its existence acknowledged by the Crown or any sovereign nation. Nevertheless, the country maintains its seat of government and high commission in the city of Victoria and advocates for Vancouver Island's independence from Canada, which it asserts has drifted too far away from its traditional British identity. The official mission statement of the Dominion describes their primary goal as"[..]to protect and promote our cultural heritage, and seek peaceful secession from the government of Canada in the aim of truly serving the Crown in the name of Her Majesty The Queen."

Claim to sovereignty

The Dominion of Vancouver Island, or "Second Restoration", justifies its existence based on historical evidence from the former colony, as well as opposition to the current Canadian political situation. Primary examples include:

The authoritarianism of the Douglas governorship and corruption of the Hudson's Bay Company which administered practically all goods and services on the island, resulted in the guaranteed rights and privileges of both settlers and First Nations people as subjects of the Crown being wrongfully diminished. The full economic potential of the colony was therefore restricted and led to the eventual forced amalgamation with the Colony of British Columbia in 1866.

While joining Canadian Confederation may have ultimately be inevitable, the people of the Colony of Vancouver Island were still denied the future possibility of achieving constitutional status equivalent to that of a dominion, such as the Dominion of Newfoundland in 1907.

Under the current Trudeau government, the Dominion asserts that Canada is falling short of living up to its standard of "First of the Realms", and that the people of Vancouver Island have a duty to preserve and protect their history as subjects of the British Empire if they so choose.

Structure and name

The modern day Dominion of Vancouver Island is an aspiring Commonwealth Realm that takes its name from the former colony it is based upon. Its physical territorial possessions consist of two small enclaves; one located in the town of Comox and one in the city of Victoria, although it lays claim to the entirety of Vancouver Island and the nearby Gulf Islands. The nation's government seeks the independence of its territory and right to home rule as a sovereign dominion of Her Majesty The Queen.

History

Colonial period

Main article: Colony of Vancouver Island

Background

The history of the Dominion of Vancouver Island dates back to mid 2018, when Canadian micronationalist Dustin Carlson founded the People's Republic of Courtica. The tiny nation existed until the summer of 2019, when it was merged with the neighboring Democratic People's Republic of Lerwick to establish the Vancouver Island Soviet Socialist Republic (VISSR). The VISSR quickly became one of the leading communist micronations, and experienced rapid development and population growth. However, its planned economy led to economic stagnation and multiple diplomatic conflicts arose with its fellow micronations due to the VISSR's promotion of soviet communism. The nation fell into a slow and steady decline in the fall of 2020.

Foundation of a Dominion

Dustin Carlson had also been assisting other local micronationalists in their pursuit of statehood, and together with close friend Dionne Anderson they founded the Commonwealth of Lazonesia. After a short stint as the country's first Prime Minister, Carlson stepped aside to avoid a conflict of interest with his primary duties as leader of the VISSR. With Lazonesia flourishing, and the VISSR's full potential being limited by it's rigid Soviet system, Carlson and Anderson began diplomatic discussions about a possible merger of the two nations to properly represent the interests of the people of Vancouver Island. On February 18 2021, the VISSR-Lazonesia Act of Union was signed. This act formalized the annexation of the Commonwealth of Lazonesia by the Vancouver Island Soviet Socialist Republic, and combined the assets and populations of both nations. The ruling communist party of the VISSR was denounced, and the new unified country was officially renamed the Dominion of Vancouver Island. It was decided that the new dominion would be founded as a successor state to the former Colony of Vancouver Island that existed before Canadian Confederation in 1867. Its new government was founded upon the principles of parliamentary democracy, and officially declared Queen Elizabeth II as head of state with a primary aim to be recognized as a Commonwealth Realm. After doing extensive research on the topic, Dustin Carlson came to the conclusion that membership in the commonwealth would be the most logical path to follow on his journey to sovereign statehood. Like the VISSR, the Dominion was founded partially as a means of protest against the current political trajectory of its host nation of Canada, while also striving for peaceful coexistence with its much larger neighbor and primary trading partner.

Geography

The country's seat of government, known as Government House, is located in Victoria, British Columbia, which is the primary source of contact with foreign nations, processing citizenship requests, and serving the needs of the Vancouver Islander diaspora scattered across Canada, the United States, and overseas. Government House is located on a private residential property which is completely surrounded by Canada's sovereign territory, making it similar in composition to the Vatican City in Rome, albeit much smaller.

Politics

Government

The dominion is governed as a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is the nation's monarch and head of state, although this claim is not currently acknowledged by Her Majesty, or the government of any other Commonwealth Realm. The highest government official within the dominion itself is the Governor General who represents the monarch. The Prime Minister is the country's head of government, a duly elected official who, once sworn in, serves at Her Majesty's pleasure. The dominion is a non-partisan democracy, meaning there are no political parties. Candidates for political office are chosen directly by their constituents, and elected to power by simple popular vote. The Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island is the country's unicameral parliament, tracing its lineage back to the colonial colonial legislative assembly which was founded in 1856, and serves as an official revival in micronational form.

Laws

The nation's government, as a policy, follows all Canadian federal, provincial and local laws at all times and expects that all Vancouver Islanders living abroad obey the laws of their chosen homelands. In Canada, its citizens are all tax paying, law abiding Canadian citizens who live peacefully alongside the people of their much larger host nation. The Supreme Court of the Dominion of Vancouver Island handles all internal legal matters on a micronational scale, such as disagreements between its various citizens or government officials. Situations of conflict with other micronations are referred to Parliament for discussion and implementation of resolutions.

Culture

The national identity of Vancouver Island is one of pride in Britain's colonial history, and traditional Canadian values. The nation was initially founded upon a basis of opposition to current Canadian politics, and out of frustration with the policies of the Trudeau government. The culture of the dominion reflects its ethnically diverse population and featured an eclectic assortment of art, music and cuisine. Its government and constitution are dedicated to upholding the highest possible standard of human rights, tolerance, sexual orientation and diversity. The dominion's constitution guarantees universal equal rights to citizens and visitors of all walks of life. Like its host nation Canada, English and French are the two official languages. Animal welfare was an important aspect of the country, with several dogs, birds, and fish making their homes in the various homes and offices of its government officials. Sports play in integral role in the dominion's society, with ice hockey and football being popular pastimes. The Vancouver Island national hockey team was the winner of the 2021 MIHF Ice Hockey World Cup.

Religion

Anglicanism is the official state religion of Vancouver Island. However, freedom of religion is a protected constitutional right across the dominion with various denominations of Christianity being practiced as well as Judaism and Islam. Faith in God is the one overarching cultural aspect of the dominion that all of it's inhabitants share. Upon becoming a faithful subject of Her Majesty, all new citizens swear an oath of fealty beginning with the phrase "in the presence of Almighty God..." which can be interpreted in a manner unique to each persons individual faith. Religious holidays are protected under federal law, with labor on those days being forbidden under an official Act of Parliament.

Cuisine

National symbols

Main article: National symbols of the Dominion of Vancouver Island

The Dominion adopted the Flag of Vancouver Island as its national flag and civil ensign. The flag was designed by Michael Halleran in 1988 as an unofficial flag for Vancouver Island. The flag is a defaced defaced Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the badge of the Colony of Vancouver Island on a white disk on the fly.

The Royal Union Flag (known as the Union Jack outside Canada) serves as an official variant flag for the nation. It is constitutionally enshrined to be afforded equal status to the Vancouver Island flag, and may be flown at parity, or alone, anywhere in the dominion.

The nation's formal coat of arms and primary identifying heraldic symbol is the Great Seal of the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies. The modern design is a recreation of the same seal used by the former colony, designed in 2021 by His Highness Ronnie Miller, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. The seal contains the same elements from the 19th century seal designed in 1849/50 by Benjamin Wyon, Chief Engraver of Her Majesty's Seals. Its main features are the Royal Arms of Queen Victoria atop the Trident of Neptune and the Caduceus of Mercury crossed in saltire. These symbols represented the island colony’s relationship with the sea and trading. The pinecone and beaver symbolize the forest and other natural resources of the fur trading inhabitants of Vancouver Island at the time.

Economy

The nation has a small, but vibrant free market economy and is thoroughly capitalist in nature. Its government officials and many of its citizens are employed in various sectors such as small business ownership, healthcare, retail management and as private landlords. Being primarily an import economy, the country receives most of it's goods and services from surrounding Canadian territory. The United States is also a major trading partner.

Military

The armed forces of the Dominion are known as the Vancouver Island Armed Forces. It consists of both ground and naval branches, the Vancouver Island Army and Royal Vancouver Island Navy respectively. Since the country's government rejects any notion of micronational warfare, its armed forces serve primarily as a volunteer self defense force. Its main priorities are emergency response, disaster relief, first aid courses, and cadet training programs.

Foreign relations

The Dominion of Vancouver Island recognizes the sovereignty of over 200 nations, and its government has been known to be very receptive to approaches from other world leaders interested in opening dialogue. All formal diplomatic treaties must be reviewed and approved by a majority of MPs in the Legislative Assembly prior to any agreement being finalized. The nation seeks to join the International Monarchist League and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization. It is currently a member of the Union Against Micronational War, the Micronational Association of the Americas, and is a signatory of the Wrythe Convention, and Montediszamble Convention.

Nations unilaterally recognized by Vancouver Island

Recognition refused

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Formal diplomatic relations

Name	Date
Republic of Cascadia	15 July 2019
Republic of Suverska	19 July 2020
Federated States of Martian Olympus	20 November 2020
Kingdom of Grýttlund	10 January 2021
Humanitarian Empire and Realm	15 January 2021
Res Publica Ensia	22 January 2021
Southern Confederation of Angosvria	29 January 2021
Kingdom of Gnome	21 February 2021
Republic of HwaPyong	26 February 2021
New Aquilia	4 March 2021
Principality of Woodlandia	16 March 2021
Zooxaloo	30 March 2021
Holy Canadian Empire	21 April 2021
Karno-Ruthenian Empire	5 May 2021
Kingdom of Queensland	1 June 2021
Kingdom of Robe	1 June 2021
Democratic Christian Republic of Melite	27 September 2021
Uris	10 October 2021

Gallery

External links

References