Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Pudlat on February 20, 1992. In reply to your question on the training process for tourism operators in the Baffin Region, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, in conjunction with Arctic College, has developed a two-level guide training program. Level one courses cover all the universal skills of the tourism industry, including an introduction to tourism, marketing, first aid, camp set-up, trip planning, boat safety, menu preparation, et cetera. This course is also a prerequisite to the level two course. Level two courses cover more specific industry requirements. These include a course in sports fishing, a course in sports hunting and a course in interpreting natural and cultural resources. All courses are approximately three weeks in length.
Up until 1990, 62 people in the Baffin have successfully completed the level one course, with 38 of these also completing at least one of the level two courses. Today, 67 per cent are working as outfitters and guides throughout the region.
A three-week level one guide training course is planned to be delivered in Pangnirtung between April 13 and May 1. Residents of Lake Harbour have been encouraged to attend, and initial responses from the community have been favourable. Following completion of the mandatory level one course, a level two course in interpretation is being recommended for delivery out of Lake Harbour during 1993. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.