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We are talking with Minister Alexander Rearden, one of the longest serving Canadian public officials.

The Freeholder Press: Many citizens are aware of who you are, certainly every company owner in Canada is, but perhaps people do not realize the full extent of your resume. Would you care to share with us some details of your history? It is often useful to know where one has been to figure out where one is going.

Alexander Rearden: Its been a long road, I started out as a congressmen with the Norsefire party last August. It was then I got my first taste of Canadian politics. In October I was selected by then President Banach to be General of the Canadian Armed Forces, the first in its history, and worked to help bring about the military vision in the mind of Banach but the uncertainty about V1 and the resulting turmoil of V1 launch disrupted the formation of an effective military. Oh and somewhere along the way I was chosen by Tom Hagen as a forum administrator. V1 really changed things up, under the Triumvirate of October I became Deputy Minister of Finance which helped set me up for November where I became Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister under the Tantis Administration. From there on out I was Minister of Finance, throw in a couple of congress terms in there. The exception was January, I had helped groom Mesther for the MoF spot because I knew I was going to get busy in the real world however by mid-January I had returned to the Ministry of Finance as Deputy MoF. From February till now I have remained as both a Forum/IRC Administrator and Minister of Finance.

FHP: Where you surprised by Bruck's announcement that he would not seek another term?

AR: I wasn't surprised at all, I had laid the foundations for this presidential the day after Bruck won the May elections and had talked to him off and on since helping to gain CEP support for my Presidential Run.

FHP: In your recent role as Finance Minister, you have managed to be slightly removed from the political process. By that we mean that you did not appear to be unduly influenced by the desires of government and special interests, preferring to put the interests of the majority of Canadians first and foremost. You have announced this week your intentions to run for President. Why suddenly the desire to enter this partisan arena?

AR: It hasn't been that sudden as I said I had been planning for a month, but I feel I have a lot more I can bring to Canada. The biggest concern that the veteran boomers I have seen is the lack of the rule of law. I want to change that in a big way and an effective way, a new constitution where Boomers and the handful of Beta Giants still around can create a balanced system where the Executive gets the autonomy it needs to keep the nations government moving and the oversight to protect citizens interests. The judicial branch and a legal system, pioneered by the Judiciary Act, will be given more influence and an effective internal policing force is something I hope to see come out of the Constitutional debates. The Constitution, in my mind, should be a massive document containing most of the current legislation tweaked to be more inline with the game. It should be something any Canadian can and should read and get a solid understanding of how eCanada works. Its a lofty goal and even if we get 60% of the way to perfection we will still be miles ahead of where we are.

FHP: You have been endorsed by Bruck and yet from the tenor of some comments posted in newspaper articles as well as some increasingly personal attacks on you, there appears to be a "anyone but Rearden" movement growing. Why do you think there is so much hostility to your current bid? Where has the goodwill gone towards the man who has shepherded our currency to its current levels and made our economy one of the most robust while controlling wages?

AR: Because I have made choices people, business owners in particular, have not liked. I have went against the business owners time and time again on tax reform making me seem like a tyrant. I have never banned anyone, deleted posts, closed threads or anything that would stifle the rights of a dissenter, but the fact that I have both authority and disagree makes me a "financial tyrant" as Derakor so eloquently labeled me. Though I am certain it is not only my not-so-business-friendly policies that have incurred the wrath of certain individuals, but it has appeared to be the largest. And then there is Dean, he is just cranky no nation on the planet will accept him or even pay attention to him.

FHP: We think more needs to be said about wage control in this nation. Canada has one of the tightest job markets of the New World, certainly one of the most controlled when it comes to raw material rich nations. This means that although the local market can be highly competitive and cutthroat, Canadians companies have a distinct advantage on the world stage. Would this be an accurate statement and what would you answer to all the company owners who claim not to be able to generate a profit?

AR: Well, that's a really complicated question. I am not sure I feel your statement is 100% accurate, yes we have huge amounts of natural resources but my control over the wage market is pretty indirect. I control imports which helps determine the price of goods, which in turn determines the number of companies the market will support at that price since companies leaving the market increase the labour pool of available. A larger labour pool and then prices decrease, we have seen this pretty clearly, we were hit by another boom about three weeks ago which eased wages that were climbing in some sectors. This climbing was due to the near parity between companies to labour which overall has a larger demand for labour then supply. Just the opposite is now true in many sectors, there are now a lot of mid-skill range boomers making less partly because there are more of them with a similar number of new firms. Meanwhile, manufactured goods are still rather expensive across the board in relation to the larger global markets. This leads me to believe that company owners aren't as bad off as many of them complain to be its also why I have given little ground to such claims in actual policy. There is a minimal increase in Grain and Food imports which will allow more firms in the market, hopefully drive up the weaker wages and give the current firms a bit more breathing room. However, if prices get unattainable import taxes will be reduced again. So to answer the question more directly, my answer to the company owners is. Chances you are doing something wrong if you aren't surviving in the current markets, don't undercut your competitors if they are domestic, sell your goods at cost or with a small profit you will be better off. Q1 is always the hardest quality to survive in, if you can make it to Q2 you can get some breathing room.

FHP: We have read your platform and proposed cabinet but we would like to know, for those readers that do not have the patience the go through the document and are looking for quick soundbites, can you characterize your bid in one of two sentences?

AR: Canada has been ran by precedence and personality, we now need to codify that precedence as well as embrace the in-game rules in establishing law. Also, we need to resolve the issues we currently face in security and foreign policy.

FHP: I think we would be remiss if we did not address Canada and its position in the world directly, specifically in regards to world alliances and a few specific regional conflicts. The Germano-Swedish-Pole wars have a potential to be extremely divisive and damaging to many nations not necessarily involved in the war. What specific policy or position would a Canada led by Alexander Rearden adopt with regards to this conflict?

AR: Its another internal squabble on the European continent from two nations that have not liked one another since beta. Canada has very little at stake with either power, and we just happen to maintain an MPP with Germany from a previous era. As a result we benefit from training wars. I am very pragmatic when it comes to diplomacy, you will get little ivory-tower idealism when it comes to international politics. I look out what is best for Canada in the long run.

FHP: It is now common knowledge that the Canadian Congress rejected the PEACE overtures to join their alliance. We also know that ATLANTIS is dead. What do you think the immediate repercussions of the Congress vote will be and where do you think Canada is headed? More importantly, where do you think it needs to be headed and if we really do need this global alliances?

AR: Our foreign policy must be regionally based, they are the powers most likely to agree with us, have the same goals and can achieve the level of organization necessary to be a global player. Foreign Policy is going to be a high priority in my administration it is why I am keeping Bruck on board as National Security Adviser. He, Marcchelala and I will work with Americans, Brits and possibly a few other nations in developing a new alliance to secure the long run security of Canada. We will insure we have the power to withstand any PEACE aggression while not directly antagonizing PEACE.

FHP: Brazil proposed and signed a peace treaty with Canada. After so long hearing that nothing could be done about the France problem, it appears like there may have been alternate diplomatic means to put pressure on the French and close that open war. Following the Brazilian lead, would the Rearden administration further seek compromise on the international stage?

AR: I think a white peace is our best option. Both parties simply end it. We have no expansionary ideals, we will insure training wars will continue either by helping the occasional European ally or through Ireland/CAN battles. Neither of us have the power to effective seize the other nation, they have all of PEACE behind them and they would trigger our MPPs with a move against us. That is another foreign policy goal of my administration, hopefully by Mid Term.

FHP: Thank you for time and consideration Minister Rearden. We would like to give you a chance at this time to address our readers on any point not covered by this interview or if you wish, to just make a statement.

AR: No other candidate has put forth a coherent vision for the future. Establishing a time line and solid goals for change in Canada. Make the right choice, Vote Rearden.

This concludes our interview with Alexander Rearden, candidate in the upcoming Presidential elections and longtime servant of the citizens of Canada.

*The above was an article from a Member Paper of the Writers' Guild of Canada*