Saturday, August 23rd Nanaimo, BC
They had arrived early that morning to set up the chairs. Harry was physically exhausted, but the only thing he could feel was the energy in the room and the hope that all would go well. The few that weren’t connected online, he had been able to contact by phone. As this was summer, which meant good weather on all parts of the island, most had no difficulty with the journey to Nanaimo. They knew this was important; somehow they had all arranged to come. When the last one arrived, Harry nodded to his nephew Keith, who got up and stood guard outside the door. Keith was as big as the door, his uncle had chosen well.
Harry stood so that he could be easily heard, and laid it out, plain and clear. “In the new government, if it happens, there will be no Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs. No welfare checks, no entitlement checks. The only thing that will still be provided,” he looked at Wilma, who nodded confirmation, “is health care. That will still be there for everybody.”
Old Simon Begay shouted from the back of the room: “What the hell are we supposed to do, Harry? Go back to wearing skins? I don’t think Mary could chew me one anymore.” Simon’s words were crazy, of course, and nobody they knew had chewed skins for over a hundred years, but suddenly they could all see old Mary, sitting outside of her house, gumming away on a piece of sealskin. Their faces went even longer at the shared image; Harry used most of his remaining energy to keep a straight face.
“We get the parks.”
Harry Thorn brought the small crowd to a dead stop with his words.
Finally, Simon found his voice, “We get the parks. What do you mean we get the parks?”
They were stunned as Harry explained.
“I mean we get the parks. All of the Provincial Parks on Vancouver Island will belong to us. For this to happen, though, there are some things we have to do.”
“One - We have to figure out how we want to divide them up between us.”
“Two - We have to keep this absolutely secret. If anyone outside of us here in this room finds out – and by ‘anyone’ I mean everybody, spouses, family, other tribal members – if anyone finds out, then all hell will break loose, the new country wont happen, and we’ll be Wards of the US of A’s Bureau of Indian Affairs.”
Harry continued, “Now – I’ve brought plenty of maps, I’ve got my laptop if there is anything anybody wants to research. Oh, I didn’t mention the last thing. Three – We can’t leave here until we have it all worked out.”
He pointed towards the door. “My nephew, Keith, can arrange for food to be brought in, and anything else you may need. You can call whoever you need to call to clear your schedule or let folks know you will be here for a while. Those without a cell phone can use mine. Wilma is the liaison on our behalf and will oversee the transfer of ownership of the property in the manner of our decisions. She will also record our words here today, to help us remember them later, if that becomes necessary. There are a lot more changes that you don’t know about yet – but you will be told everything. And everyone will speak today; all voices will be heard. But first, lets get settled in, shall we? Now – who needs to use my phone?”
The roar was deafening. Some sat dumbfounded, not sure whether to believe their ears or not. Others, those who knew Harry Thorn, knew every word he spoke was the truth. Keith, outside, leaned against the door and smiled. His uncle had been right. It was to be a lively meeting, indeed.
After centuries of peace between Canada and the United States, many people on both sides of the border advanced the idea of one great nation.
Many also resisted it.
As Provinces across the mainland begin to leave Canada to become part of the USA, a few people from Vancouver Island develop their own plan: they would steal Canada, before it vanishes.
From a beautiful island off the western coast of Canada, follow this powerful tapestry of political deals, human struggles and triumphs, as it weaves from Victoria to Halifax, from Manhattan to Seattle, from Ottawa to the White House to Buckingham Palace.
Many also resisted it.
As Provinces across the mainland begin to leave Canada to become part of the USA, a few people from Vancouver Island develop their own plan: they would steal Canada, before it vanishes.
From a beautiful island off the western coast of Canada, follow this powerful tapestry of political deals, human struggles and triumphs, as it weaves from Victoria to Halifax, from Manhattan to Seattle, from Ottawa to the White House to Buckingham Palace.
Authors
The Mace is authored by individuals with thirty years in the political, legal and technical worlds of Canada, the US, Europe and Asia. In the five years since the release of The Mace, a number of the predictions in the novel have begun to occur.
Letters
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Author's Note: ~
The first printing was ready on October 4th - the very day that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were to arrive in Victoria. Because Buckingham Palace plays such a crucial role in the successful and happy ending to the story, we felt that, if we could make it happen, we wanted her to have the first books off the press.
Through some wonderful and gracious people that were involved in this great event, we were able to take the very first two copies of The Mace over to Government House to be given, on our behalf, to Her Majesty and Prince Philip. It is truly wonderful that so much of the fictional story that was written months before their arrival, Her Majesty was able to experience.
~ Rene Howard
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October 30, 2002
Thank you for your thoughtful letter and for sending me a copy of your recently published book, The Mace.
I greatly appreciate your courtesy and generosity in presenting me with this gift. Also, thank you for your kind words of support. I would like to reiterate what an immense privilege it has been to represent my fellow Canadians, allthese years. Above all, I feel especially honoured by the trust they have shown me time and time again. Throughout my life I have endeavoured to live up to their expectations, and your portrayal suggests that, in certain instances, I have clearly succeeded.
Thank you, again, for your good wishes.
Sincerely,
Jean Chretien
Prime Minister of Canada
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October 30, 2002
Thank you very much for sending me a copy of your novel entitled The Mace. I am pleased that you were able to offer assistance to BCBC and the Ministry of Management Services.
It was interesting to read about the Plan for the independence of ...
[spoiler edited]. This fast-paced story was told with intrigue, ingenuity, and a unique writing style. I appreciate receiving a copy and wish you all the best.
Again, thank you for the gift. It was good to hear from you again.
Sincerely,
Gordon Campbell
Premier of British Columbia
~~~~~~~
Author's Note: ~
The first printing was ready on October 4th - the very day that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were to arrive in Victoria. Because Buckingham Palace plays such a crucial role in the successful and happy ending to the story, we felt that, if we could make it happen, we wanted her to have the first books off the press.
Through some wonderful and gracious people that were involved in this great event, we were able to take the very first two copies of The Mace over to Government House to be given, on our behalf, to Her Majesty and Prince Philip. It is truly wonderful that so much of the fictional story that was written months before their arrival, Her Majesty was able to experience.
~ Rene Howard
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
October 30, 2002
Thank you for your thoughtful letter and for sending me a copy of your recently published book, The Mace.
I greatly appreciate your courtesy and generosity in presenting me with this gift. Also, thank you for your kind words of support. I would like to reiterate what an immense privilege it has been to represent my fellow Canadians, allthese years. Above all, I feel especially honoured by the trust they have shown me time and time again. Throughout my life I have endeavoured to live up to their expectations, and your portrayal suggests that, in certain instances, I have clearly succeeded.
Thank you, again, for your good wishes.
Sincerely,
Jean Chretien
Prime Minister of Canada
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
October 30, 2002
Thank you very much for sending me a copy of your novel entitled The Mace. I am pleased that you were able to offer assistance to BCBC and the Ministry of Management Services.
It was interesting to read about the Plan for the independence of ...
[spoiler edited]. This fast-paced story was told with intrigue, ingenuity, and a unique writing style. I appreciate receiving a copy and wish you all the best.
Again, thank you for the gift. It was good to hear from you again.
Sincerely,
Gordon Campbell
Premier of British Columbia
~~~~~~~
Press Articles
NOTICE !!
STORY SPOILERS
IN PRESS ARTICLES
AUTHOR SWINGS THE MACE AT CANADA-U.S. RELATIONS November 18, 2002, Nanaimo News Bulletin By: Chris Bush, The News Bulletin
If times got tough enough, could Canada/US relations get a lot closer? Could provinces even start joining the Union to the south? Nanaimo author Rene Howard envisions scenarios where it could happen.
Picture this: Saskatchewan, birthplace of the CCF, bastion of Canadian socialism, pushed to the brink of economic disaster by years of drought and crop failures, casts its eye south of the border for help from its equally thirsty neighbouring states.
The Midwest has capital, no water. Saskatchewan has abundant quantities of water, but no finances to access it.
So begins the domino-effect fragmentation of Canadian confederation along north/south economic corridors that already exist. So does the drought in the prairie provinces and the U.S. Midwest.
The authors hold dual Canada/U.S. citizenship.
“We started to develop an idea. Could Vancouver Island stand on its own if there was a natural catastrophe? Could it weather the storm?”
But there doesn’t have to be a disaster here. Just follow the news.
“As we were writing the book, things were happening,” he says. “The drought in Saskatchewan, the terrible situation with the horses dying and the locusts and grasshoppers. The drought extended all the way down into the Midwestern United States.”
In this political mystery thriller, Vancouver Islanders must react quickly to events happening in mainland Canada and, if possible, save Canada - perhaps even steal it.
What evolved was three months of planning and nine months of “1,000 words a day or bust” hard writing to launch The Mace by October in time for the Christmas season.
“It takes place in the near future. We call it reality fiction because we wanted to make it real, but it’s set in the future so we could fictionalize and not take liberty with politicians, governments, people and businesses here.”
Commentary has already come from some fairly high level officials, including Premier Gordon Campbell who sent a letter containing references to passages in the book one would only know from reading it, indicating how much he enjoyed The Mace.
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PORT ALBERNI STARS IN POLITICAL FICTION BOOK November 1, 2002, The Alberni Valley Times By: Siobhan Burns, AV Times
The authors, from Nanaimo, launched their political fiction book called, The Mace, on Saturday, Oct 26 at Woodgrove Centre in Nanaimo. The book, written under the pen name Rene Howard, was released on Oct 4. “It’s political fiction, there are two main story lines. One is the situation going on between Canada and the U.S. Each of the provinces on their own decided to leave Canada to become part of the U.S.,“ said Rene. The second story line is about a small group of people, some from Port Alberni, that try to save Canada.
The authors have lived in Nanaimo for one year. Before they moved to Nanaimo they lived in Victoria for a few years. “We’ve lived on both sides of the border so we come from experience. We’ve done a lot of work with the political system, both in the U.S. and Canada”.
We call the book “reality fiction”. “The people are fictional. The settings are real. The events have already begun,” reads the back cover of their book.
The couple said they have worked together on a lot of projects and that they enhanced each other’s skills when writing the book. “Two-thirds of what we wrote didn’t end up in the book”. One of the biggest challenges that we found is that you have to edit a lot. Editing can sometimes take longer than writing”.
The very first book off the press went to Queen Elizabeth and the second went to Prince Philip.
It’s also doing quite well in town.
“I’ve sold it surprisingly well. Their first delivery to me was sold out and we’re working on the second one,” said John Templeman, owner of Curious Coho in Port Alberni. “It’s the very first book either fiction or non-fiction which had put natives of the West coast, Port Alberni in particular, in a very positive light. The Saturday they brought it in to me, I read it right through. It’s very possible and probable. It was well rounded and an interesting read - which is unusual for a first novel,” said Templeman.
