Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Nov 04/02) - Michael Salomonie left his job as a heavy equipment operator in Cape Dorest to pursue an occupation where he could make a difference in people's lives.

After 26 intensive weeks of training, Salomonie has returned home as an official member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

He is one of 11 residents of Nunavut who graduated from the RCMP's Inuit Recruiting and Development Program on Oct. 10.

"It was a lot of hard work, but the weeks went by very fast," said Salomonie.

This is the first class to graduate from IRDP and the first all-Inuit troop. It was made up of cadets from Iqaluit, Panniqtuuq, Cape Dorset, Clyde River, Rankin Inlet, Arviat and Kugluktuk.

"They underwent the Cadet Training Program, which is the same program that's delivered to any cadet across the country," said Cpl. Jean-Marc Nadeau.

The troop, who trained at the RCMP training academy in Regina learned how to become police officers.

They learned how to operate radios, investigate minor files, and how to prepare a file for court.

Salomonie said he learned all of these elements and a little domestic work, too.

"I had to make my bed every morning and iron my pillow case," he said.

Salomonie and a cadet from Kugluktuk have already passed all the entrance requirements. This means they can be sworn in and posted to a community.

They will be on a coaching field program for six months shadowing another police officer.

"Essentially, they'll do the job for the next six months with somebody looking over their shoulders.

"They'll progressively be given a little more freedom," said Nadeau.

The other graduates have been assigned tutors from Nunavut Arctic College to prepare for exams they will take in two months. Nadeau said they came close to passing initial exams, but needed more training.

Nunavut's RCMP is already gearing up for the next program in the spring or early summer of 2003.

Salomonie said after all the hard work he did in the program, being home is a big change of pace.

He is anxious to start his new career and be assigned to a detachment.