The Challenge
Students will inherit the systems that govern their lives—healthcare, education, infrastructure, public safety—without ever learning how those systems actually work.
Civics education tells them what government does. It doesn't show them how decisions get made, or why every choice involves a tradeoff.
When graduates enter the workforce, start families, and become voters, they're asked to evaluate policies they've never had to think through. They inherit a democracy they don't fully understand.
The Solution
Ducklings puts students in the decision-maker's seat.
Working with Canada's actual $2.4 trillion budget, students don't just learn about government—they run it. They allocate real budgets to real departments. They face real constraints. And when they make choices, they see real consequences.
It's not a game about winning. It's a simulation about understanding.
What Students Learn
Skill
How Ducklings Teaches It
Fiscal Literacy
Students manage actual government budgets—billions of dollars across hundreds of departments. They learn what money buys and what happens when it's cut.
Critical Thinking
Every budget decision has tradeoffs. More for healthcare means less for infrastructure. Students must defend their choices with evidence and reasoning.
Collaboration
Teams of up to five students work together, dividing research, debating priorities, and building consensus—just like real governance.
Time Management
Hard deadlines mirror the real legislative process. Miss a deadline, and your input isn't counted.
Adaptability
Midway through each cycle, a crisis hits. Plans must adapt. Students learn that governance isn't about perfection—it's about response.
Democratic Participation
Proposals aggregate from school to district to province to nation. Students experience how individual voices combine into collective decisions.
How It Works
Real Data, Real Decisions
Ducklings uses actual Canadian government budget data:
- 214 federal agencies with real allocations
- Provincial ministries with real budgets
- Municipal departments with real constraints
- Live economic variables like exchange rates and interest rates
When a student proposes cutting healthcare by 5%, they're working with the same numbers a real finance minister would see.
Semester Cycles
Each simulation runs for one school semester:
- Weeks 1-4: Research, form teams, develop proposals
- Week 5: Crisis event introduces unexpected challenges
- Weeks 6-10: Adapt plans, finalize proposals, vote
- End of semester: See the consequences of collective decisions
Voting That Matters
Student proposals don't disappear into a void. They aggregate upward:
Individual → Team → School → District → Province → Nation
A student in rural Alberta has the same voice as a student in downtown Calgary. Ideas rise on merit, not geography.
Consequences You Can See
At the end of each cycle, students see trajectory reports:
- Did healthcare access improve or decline?
- Is infrastructure being maintained or degrading?
- Can the budget handle the next crisis?
- What did their choices actually change?
There are no winners. There are only consequences—and the understanding that comes from experiencing them.
What Makes Ducklings Different
It's Not Hypothetical
Other simulations use made-up scenarios. Ducklings uses real Canadian budget data, real government departments, and real economic variables. When students cut the Canada Border Services Agency budget, they're cutting a real $2.4 billion allocation.
It Levels the Playing Field
A 200-student school in rural Alberta competes on equal terms with a 2,000-student school in the city. Same platform, same data, same opportunity. The student who understands fiscal policy best can rise to lead—regardless of where they live.
It Teaches Tradeoffs, Not Ideology
Ducklings doesn't tell students what to believe. It shows them what happens when they make choices. Cut taxes? Revenue drops. Increase services? Spending rises. Every position has consequences. Students discover their own values by experiencing the tradeoffs.
It Connects to Real Civic Discourse
Ducklings is part of the CanuckDUCK ecosystem. The same platforms adults use to discuss Canadian civic issues feed into the simulation. Students aren't learning in isolation—they're connecting to real democratic participation.
The Crisis Engine
Governance isn't just about planning. It's about responding when plans fail.
Midway through each cycle, Ducklings introduces a crisis:
Crisis
What It Teaches
Wildfire Season
Emergency response, resource reallocation, climate adaptation
Healthcare Backlog
Capacity planning, short-term vs. long-term solutions
Infrastructure Failure
Maintenance investment, deferred costs, public safety
Economic Downturn
Revenue volatility, stimulus vs. austerity debates
Talent Exodus
Workforce retention, wage competitiveness, immigration policy
Housing Crisis
Zoning, development, competing stakeholder interests
Students learn that the best-laid plans must adapt. The budget they carefully crafted now faces a flood, a pandemic, or an economic shock. What do they do?
For Educators
Curriculum Alignment
Ducklings supports learning outcomes in:
- Social Studies (government structure, democratic processes)
- Mathematics (budgeting, percentages, large numbers)
- Language Arts (persuasive writing, evidence-based argumentation)
- Career & Life Management (financial literacy, decision-making)
Flexible Implementation
- Run as a semester-long project
- Integrate into existing civics curriculum
- Use for Model Parliament preparation
- Adapt for economics or business courses
Minimal Teacher Overhead
- Students self-enroll with access codes
- Teams form and collaborate independently
- Deadlines are system-enforced
- Progress tracking available in admin dashboard
Privacy by Design
- No personal student information collected
- Only school ID and password retained
- Canadian data sovereignty (all data stored in Canada)
- Students can request data deletion at any time
For Students
You're Not Pretending
This isn't a game where you roleplay a made-up country. You're working with Canada's actual budget. The departments are real. The constraints are real. The tradeoffs are real.
Your Voice Matters
Your proposals don't just get graded—they aggregate with your classmates, your school, your district, your province. You're part of a national simulation where ideas compete on merit.
You'll Face Real Challenges
Halfway through, something will go wrong. A crisis will hit. Your careful plans will need to adapt. That's not failure—that's governance. Learning to respond is as important as learning to plan.
You'll Understand Why It's Hard
After Ducklings, you'll never look at a government budget the same way. You'll understand why politicians disagree. You'll see why there are no easy answers. And you'll be ready to participate in democracy with real knowledge, not just opinions.
What Students Say
"I thought cutting the military budget would be easy. Then I saw what it actually funds."
"Our team spent three weeks on the perfect healthcare plan. Then the flood hit. We learned more from adapting than from planning."
"I finally understand why my parents argue about taxes."
Getting Started
For Schools
- Contact CanuckDUCK to set up your school account
- Receive administrator credentials
- Generate student access codes
- Distribute codes and let students enroll
- Simulation begins with the semester
For School Boards
Ducklings supports district-wide implementation:
- Centralized administration
- Cross-school collaboration and competition
- District-level aggregation of student proposals
- Reporting and analytics for curriculum assessment
About CanuckDUCK
Ducklings is built by CanuckDUCK Research Corporation, a Canadian civic technology organization focused on democratic engagement and fiscal literacy.
We believe that informed citizens make better democracies. Ducklings is our investment in the next generation of Canadian voters, workers, and leaders.
Canadian Built. Canadian Hosted. Canadian Focused.
All data stays in Canada. All simulations use Canadian government data. All learning outcomes support Canadian civic participation.
Ready to Learn More?
Website: ducklings.canuckduck.ca
Email: [email protected]
Demo: Request a live walkthrough for your school or district
Ducklings: Because democracy works better when citizens understand it.
© 2026 CanuckDUCK Research Corporation