Ivo Robotnik

Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik (born September 24, 1962) is a Canadian politician and the presumptive winner of the 1998 Reform Leadership Elections. He has been a member of parliament (MP) continuously since 1993, representing the province of Saskatchewan.

Prior to entering politics, Robotnik was employed by the Canadian government for his skills in Robotics and became well known for his revolutionary drone technology. Over the course of his career, he gained a perfect operations record and allegedly helped with several incidents, including a coup in Pakistan and an uprising in 'Azerbaijanistan.' However, Robotnik also developed a notorious reputation that left his superiors unwilling to involve him in most affairs. He was eventually fired due to his obsession with capturing Sonic the Hedgehog, which enflamed his bitter, reactionary politics and fueled his desire to reform the Canadian government.

Robotnik was elected to Parliament in the 1993 Canadian federal election, as part of the 'Farmer wave' that dramatically increased the Reform Party's relevancy in Canadian national politics. Robotnik was successfully reelected in 1997, expanding on the Reform Party's margin in Saskatchewan, and then successfully campaigned for the position of Reform Leader the following year.

Childhood
Growing up in Saint Patrick's Catholic Orphanage in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Robotnik came to resent the society responsible for his misfortune. He quickly displayed signs of extreme intelligence and work ethic, but he was extremely antisocial and unpopular with other children. While attending school, Robotnik was harassed by a school bully, who punched him in the face in the cafeteria, giving him a black eye and 'humiliating him' in front of the whole school. However, instead of reporting him to the principal, Robotnik achieved revenge on his bully by constructing an elaborate torture device in his school's Robotics club, injuring the bully so severely he spent the next year 'eating through a straw.'

Education
Dr. Robotnik acquired five PhDs from the University of Saskatchewan by the age of 16, and he received training from the Native American Shadow Wolves in animal tracking the following year. After his formal education ended, Robotnik's contempt for society, sociopathic behavior, and skills in robotics led him to become a dastardly technocratic villain, performing 'roboticization' experiments of questionable scientific value on local animals and wildlife. To power his increasingly elaborate machines, Robotnik began searching for the 'Chaos Emeralds,' seven mythical artifacts of infinite power that he believed to be real. While he was unable to locate these gems, his study of 'chaos energy' allowed him to construct a fleet of highly advanced drones that he used to further his schemes.

Career in the public sector
In order to prove that he could 'straighten out' to his father, Gerald Robotnik (who was disappointed with his son's choice of career), Ivo began working for the Canadian federal government in 1980, using his high-tech drones to complete covert operations on their behalf. He quickly rose through the ranks as a dependable and capable leader in tough situations, and the government became increasingly reliant on his services. However, Robotnik's ego and irritability frustrated his superiors and subordinates alike, who found the increasingly hostile work environment he cultivated counterproductive. Regardless, Robotnik's unique skills meant that the government had no choice but to continue relying on his support throughout the early-to-mid 1980s.

Initial encounters
Late during Robotnik's tenure working alongside the Canadian federal government, Robotnik was assigned to capture and study a mysterious blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named 'Sonic the Hedgehog.' Robotnik's failed efforts to capture the hedgehog tarnished his once flawless operations record, and according to superiors he became increasingly obsessed with eliminating Sonic, even after he was ordered to focus on other assignments. He went to great lengths to eliminate the hedgehog, who was able to routinely escape Robotnik's clutches thanks to his 'super-speed.' Eventually, Robotnik embezzled thousands of dollars of federal funds to create Metal Sonic, a robot modeled after Sonic's likeness, in an attempt to defeat him. When Robotnik's embezzlement was discovered, he was promptly fired, but the government decided not to pursue legal action against him due to his previous record of good service.

Discovery of the Chaos Emeralds
After returning home to Saskatoon with Metal Sonic and his fleet of drones, Robotnik continued working on a plan to capture and eliminate Sonic. His drones, now powerful enough to detect chaos energy precisely, led Robotnik to the location of the seven Chaos Emeralds, which he gathered and attempted to use as a power source. While Eggman determined that the Chaos Emeralds could potentially be used in this way, he did not possess the funding or resources necessary to harness their power. It was around this time that Robotnik encountered a canvasser for the Reform Party of Canada, and began to develop a plan to acquire the funding he'd need to harness the power of the Emeralds. Remembering the seemingly endless sums of money he had access to when employed by the federal government, Robotnik decided to run as a political candidate for the Reform Party, seeing it as a vehicle for him to amass power. Eventually, he would use his newfound power within the government to acquire funding for his robotic schemes. Robotnik registered as a candidate for the party in 1992 and won a seat in Parliament during the 1993 Canadian federal election. Throughout this time, Robotnik would continue to regularly do battle with Sonic, but he was able to hide these activities from the public.

First term in Parliament
After being elected to parliament, Robotnik led a relatively uneventful career as a rank-and-file Reform member, learning the procedures of the House of Commons and familiarizing himself with party insiders. He began to find that the Reform Party's message resonated surprisingly strongly with him, and he began to take more interest in working for the betterment of the country rather than simply using its government as a vehicle to destroy Sonic. Robotnik grew more outspoken in the press, particularly in his criticism of Prime Minister Peter Osterfield and Deputy Prime Minister Aisaka Taiga, whom he believed were harming the country by working with the Progressive Party of Canada. A negative encounter with the Democratic Speaker of the House also soured Robotnik's opinion of the party as a whole, and led him to believe that the rules of the House of Commons were inefficient and undemocratic.

1997 federal election
In the lead-up to the 1997 Canadian federal election, Robotnik wrote the book 'Common Sense: A Vision for a Better Canada,' which made the case for the ideology he had settled into during his first four years in Parliament. The novel's overnight success made Robotnik a notable figure in the Party, and he used his newfound popularity among rural and religious conservatives to challenge the neoliberal world order that he claimed was 'tearing the country apart'. Robotnik brought a civil suit against the Democratic Worker's Rights Act, a case that made national headlines. He also authored the 'Robotnik Plan,' a series of policy proposals to abolish the welfare system, provide firearms to every Canadian citizen, and dramatically reduce federal spending, which would go on to be embraced by the national Reform Party under the leadership of Wilbur Farmer.

Leadership race (1998-present)
In 1998, Robotnik launched a campaign for the leadership of the Reform Party of Canada. In the months leading up to the campaign, Robotnik authored the 'Better Representation Act,' a policy proposal intended to rectify the 'wasted votes' created by the Canadian electoral system's 5% popular vote requirement to be awarded seats in a given province. The bill became a central focus of Robotnik's campaign, as he attempted to energize voters against the popular Mike Oxlong (his main rival in the leadership race). He also began to act on his longstanding resentment of the Speaker of the House of Commons, demonizing them heavily in the press and drafting legislation to force them to treat each party equally. He became the presumptive nominee in late June 1998 when Oxlong unexpectedly dropped out of the race despite his narrow lead in the polls. Shortly afterwards, Robotnik announced that he had selected Oxlong to serve as his Deputy Leader.