In-Character vs. Out of Character
When you post a message, you are either doing it in-character (IC) or out of character (OOC). The first kind means you are speaking as your player (your MP) and saying something in one of the IC forums (Parliament, the Press, etc.). OOC means that you are speaking as yourself, the player, and this can only be done in the Game Affairs and OOC Forums, as well as election discussion threads during elections.
No OOC comments may be made in IC forums, and vice-versa.
Respect for Other Players
Players are expected to demonstrate a high level of respect for all other players. This means no hurtful arguing, no insulting other people, and most of all no unfair implications about their personal lives. In general, if you wouldn't want someone to say it to you, don't say it.
With the exception of vulgarity, attacks are fully allowed in-character within the limits of reality, but keep in mind that this can hurt your reputation with voters.
Any vulgarity or attacks on other players out of character is punished by this system:
* 1 Day Suspension for First Offence
* 1 Week Suspension for Second Offence
* 2 Week Suspension for Third Offence
* Indefinite Ban for Fourth Offence.
Official Language
The official working language of Politics Canada is English, and only English.
No other language may be used, unless it is accompanied by an accurate and exact English translation, with the exception of occasional French words such as "Oui" for votes.
This applies to all elements of gameplay, including books, statements in the house, fundraising, debates, press releases, speeches, and everything else.
House of Commons Protocol
When speaking in the House of Commons, except for the purposes of votes, you are expected to address the speaker. You do not always need to explicitly do so (Implying that you are addressing the speaker is sufficient), but you can never, never, never, never address another member, or someone in the gallery, or anything else. Just the speaker.
The speaker at the moment is Marcel Lambert, so he is to be addressed as Mister Speaker or Monsieur le Président.
Failure to address the speaker when speaking in the HoC is cause for a point of order against you, especially if you address another member in the comment.
The absolute worst thing you can do is name another member. If you're talking about another member, mention them by riding name, by party, or another title (see below), but never call their name. The speaker is the only one with the power to name a member, and usually only do so to order them removed from the house.
Common ways to refer to members:
* The Member for (riding)
* My Honourable Colleague
* The Honourable Member Opposite
* The Honourable Member for the (Party Name) Party
* The Minister of (ministry)
* The Prime Minister
* The Minister
Senate Protocol
The Senate works quite differently. Speeches are addressed not to the Speaker, though there is one, but to the Senators as a whole - thus one addresses "Honourable Senators". One may also refer to other Senators by name, but always as "Senator Smith" or "Senator Jackson", never in any other fashion. Addressing other Senators is also allowed, so saying "Honourable Senators, I would like to ask Senator Robinson - how will you be paying for this?" is perfectly alright.
Plagiarism
Speeches, books, and fundraisers may not be copied from other sources. If they are, and the copier is caught, there shall be in-game consequences. It is not acceptable to say that, for example, "this speech was written in 1980 and this is 1962, so it's not plagiarism".
Legislation may be copied from real life sources, but obvious copies may not improve your standing among many of the other players. The less original a bill is, the less it will benefit your player or your party.
Defectors
Members of Parliament are free to defect to a different party whenever they wish. However, the party in question must accept them (this is at discretion of the Party Leader). If this has occurred, the willing defector can then defect.
You must have been active for at least two full weeks before you can defect to another party.
'Killing' A Character
To kill your character, or have them resign or leave politics, you MUST first get permission and have an acceptable reason.
Any illness, crisis, or other in-character reason for a character to resign any positions must be approved by the A-team.
Making a New Character
If you currently have a character, and would like to start a new one, you must follow several guidelines and meet certain criteria. You must have an exceptional reason for needing a new character - not liking your current one is not good enough. The A-team will determine whether you have an exceptional reason or not. You must then have your character resign his seat in Parliament. After this, you must observe a two week waiting period before you can create your new character. This waiting period can be waived by an Administrator under exceptional circumstances, but this will be very rare.
Defecting, killing a character, and making a new character are strongly discouraged as they disrupt the flow of the game. Please do not utilize any of these actions unless you feel it is absolutely neccesary, and MAKE SURE that you have discussed it with an avatar.
Leadership
Do NOT run for the leadership of a party unless you are SURE that you will be able to devote the time to it. If you resign while leader of a party, you will be unable to create a new character for 4 weeks, and will only be able to run for a leadership position with clear consent of the Chief Administrator.
Leaks
Leaks are an essential part of politics. A leak can do several things for you: it can curry favour with the reporter, and it can end in cash rewards. This may end up in a personal endorsement from a paper editorial. If the reporter is not trustworthy, however, they might publish your name out of spite.
The A-team can access your party forums, but the public cannot. If you want to do an anonymous driveby mudslinging on someone, you find something they said that could be damaging, send it to the press, and voila! Instant dirt.
To send a leak, first select which newspaper you want to leak to. Then, send a PM to the Av responsible for that paper entitled "Leak", with the name of paper you want to leak to. Beneath that, write the leak, and the reporter may choose to contact you further.
Advertising other Games
Nobody may advertise his or her game, website, product, or any other such thing without the prior consent of the A-team.
Relationships with Non-Player Characters
Your character does not know any non-player characters or have any relationship with them unless this has been cleared by the A-Team. It's unfair to say "oh yeah, I'm a great friend of Tommy Douglas,", or "I was the best man at Lester Pearson's wedding".
Sometimes we'll let characters have relationships with NPCs, but you need to ask us about it first. If you don't you might see a story in the press or something with a statement from the NPC, saying that they don't really know you at all. And that would be embarassing.
Playing as a non-MP
All players must play as Members of Parliament in order to post in-character. Playing as a "candidate" is only allowed with explicit permission. There is one exception: Parties who have more players than seats in Parliament may appoint players to 4 "party strategist" positions. Having these positions entitles a player to post in-character in the press.
Outside Message Boards
The creation of outside, unaffiliated message boards or forums dealing with Politics Canada, whether in-character or out of character, is not allowed. Punishment for the operation or participation in such forums may range from removal of priveleges to suspension.
Complaints
If you have a complaint with an action of an Administrator or other problem with the way the game is run, please PM it instead of raising it publicly. Public complaints will likely be locked, whereas a simple private message to the Administrator will ensure action and a prompt response on the issue.
Home 
