Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Antoine on February 22nd with regard to funding provided to the students at Lester B. Pearson College. In the past, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment supported one northern student a year to attend Lester B. Pearson College, through the payment of a two-year scholarship. The scholarship covered costs for tuition and room and board for this two-year program. In addition, the department also paid the transportation costs for NWT students.

Due to fiscal restraint, in 1993 the department informed Lester B. Pearson College that they would no longer be providing a scholarship for students to attend this program. The last student the department fully funded to attend was a student from Fort Smith, sponsored for the 1993-95 academic term. This year, the cost of tuition and room and board for the college is $19,000. The department did provide the college with a list of possible private sponsors, including land claim organizations, that might be willing to support NWT students.

I am pleased to inform you that, starting in 1994, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, in conjunction with Lester B. Pearson College, is supporting a student from Rankin Inlet to attend the program. I am also pleased to inform you that Lester B. Pearson, itself, is also offering a scholarship for one NWT student for each new two-year term. A Fort Simpson student is now receiving this scholarship for the 1994-96 term. In total, there are three NWT students now attending the college. A student from Fort Smith is in the second and last year of the program and the Fort Simpson and Rankin Inlet students are in the first year of their program.

I'm not aware of any letters sent to these students telling them that they would no longer be receiving scholarship funding to attend Lester B. Pearson college and I would appreciate receiving a copy of these letters so I can help resolve this matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.