The Republic

I prepared the article below so that it would be published in the “Opinion du lecteur” section of Le Madawaska newspaper; I sent it by email in mid-February to Christine Thériault, Chief Editor, then gave a copy to Charlotte Daigle-Basque, Director, on March 16th; as of today, May 18, 2010, this article has not been published yet. Should I conclude that they do not agree with my opinion or could it be a matter of partisan journalism?

According to the book Histoire du Madawaska written by the Reverend Thomas Albert in 1912, this memorable conflict of the legendary Republic of Madawaska was included in our cultural history a long time ago by the fathers of our community. Unfortunately, according to an article published in the Le Madawaska newspaper of January 27, 2010, we notice that this important part of our history is now about to be forgotten. And I quote: “She has confirmed that the concept of the Republic of Madawaska will be totally removed from pamphlets and from the EMTO website during the current year.” Therefore, if our municipal government representatives continue to let themselves be manipulated by Ms Joanne Bérubé-Gagné, director of the Edmundston-Madawaska Tourism Office (EMTO) with the help of Mr. Roger Brooks, International Development Consultant, we will lose a part of our cultural identity. Within the logic of things, the trademark that the OTEM is looking for is the BP Sports Oasis, as explained in the website www.BP-sportsoasis.com.

Therefore, as the promoter of the project and president of BP-Sportsoasis Inc., I am happy to offer an affiliation to the municipalities of the legendary Republic of Madawaska and the Témiscouata RCM, for a better regional economy and for the happiness of everyone.