Canadian Political Parties – Lecture #2 – The DAL

Day 955, 17:02 • Published in Canada Canada • by Sperry


Hello Canadians!

This article is the second lecture in a series about Canadian political parties. If you would like to read the previous article, please click here.

Today we’re going to take a look at the DAL – the Democratic Action League. This massive party, the largest in Canada, has a lot to be proud of. They’ve been around for well over a year, in which time they’ve put many members into Congress, Cabinet, and positions of influence around Canada. Most recently, the DAL are known for forwarding successful candidates to the presidency. Every elected President since April has won under the DAL.

So where did it all begin?

The DAL was formed in March 2009 after the Royal Feudalist Party decided to become a serious political party in Canada. The RFP is only a minor part of DAL history – after 1 month under Dominik, the RFP gave up its gigglesome approach, and for the last 16 months the DAL have seen 10 different people try their hand at party leadership. Who and when? Take a look:

(Click to make me big!)


Clearly, a lot of people have headed the DAL. How has that changed the party over time?

The DAL I knew a year ago, and the one which is spoken of extensively in their wiki archives, is a unified one. Party Presidents were chosen mostly unanimously as the party shifted from being a small-time player to a major contender. Today the DAL is known for its massive population, which many attribute to long-time Minister Citizen B. This staggering population has kept the DAL in the top 5 for most of its life, but it is now a source of trouble for the party. The party has lost 10% of its members in the last 15 days, largely due to a steady death of inactive accounts. Because of their newfound Presidential successes and long-term membership rates, the DAL also faces a marketing challenge.

2009’s DAL was the “little kid’s party.” New players were welcome to join a new, democratic party that countered the long-standing parties like the CSD and the CEP. 2010’s DAL is not a little kid. It is large, it is powerful, and for the past 3 months it has been the government. Accordingly, the DALers of 2010 have faced strong criticism from their rivals while they ponder their newfound position.

So the DAL is successful – but how successful?

Many party politicians view congress as the best measure of success. So take a look for yourself at how DAL has done in Congress for the past 12 months:



Most obviously, the DAL’s success is fairly consistent. They have won 19-30% of congress every month since the Peace Invasion, which not every Top 5 party is capable of boasting. Points of note include the highs under Scorpius, Karesten, and Nea; and the mid-range performance during Citizen B’s lengthy leadership in the Winter.

Is DAL the party for me?

Could be. Despite recent criticisms, the DAL includes roles for highly active players, political leaders, ambitious authors, and plain-old party supporters. Wonder where they sit compared to you? I asked 3 highly influential DALers to take a political test to determine their leanings. After removing unrelated questions (there’s no abortion debate in eRepublik!) and averaging their scores, this is where they sit:



What’s that mean? In-game, the DAL are a little more Libertarian & Left than the real-life NDP. They’re also not far from Gandhi’s political position.

Whether they’re a scary big brother or the true people’s party, the DAL is more complicated than what a short article can describe. If you want to learn more about them, check out their forums or get in touch with them at #DAL on the IRC. I’m sure they’ll be more than willing to answer your questions.

Next week: Major Party and Congress Success; the CPF!