Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister of Education, Culture and Employment
The Honourable Caitlin Cleveland was first elected in the 19th Assembly as the MLA for Kam Lake in 2019, and has served as the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment since 2023 after being acclaimed to the 20th Assembly.
In addition to owning and operating a northern business for over 20 years, Minister Cleveland worked in a variety of communications and policy roles in both the public and private sectors before entering politics.
Between 2019 to 2023, she chaired the Standing Committee on Social Development, fulfilling a goal to be a part of the discussions and decisions affecting social programs in the Northwest Territories. Her noteworthy work on the Committee included guiding the considerable review and input into recommendations on housing in the NWT, suicide prevention, and improvements to caring for children in care and building supported families.
Within the scope of her portfolios, Minister Cleveland is focused on helping children grow into successful NWT residents that recognize opportunities and develop successful careers that contribute to a growing economy. She advocates for new approaches to sector diversification and innovation, and ensures the North is welcoming both skilled foreign workers and investment in the critical mineral resources across the territory. She persistently explores solutions for efficient and equitable access to programs and services, upholding a shared vision of an NWT where people are supported in the ways they wish to live, work, and grow.
Minister Cleveland is a lifelong resident of Yellowknife where she lives with her husband and their three children.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to move item 4 up in the orders of the day. Thank you.
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 83)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. And, Mr. Chair, very happy to chat about these type of metrics which definitely expand over both departments.
So within the Giant Mine remediation project, I want to first acknowledge what the Member is talking about here which is that the employment numbers are lower than expected but the procurement numbers are looking good. So what we are seeing is that a lot of our northern employers are having to source additional staff and additional resources from outside of the NWT. This is something that I've had the opportunity to have conversations with different...
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 83)
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, that was funding that we had received, and that funding has since sunset. So it's current, like, that line item is currently not funded and we were seeking funding with CanNor to work with Wilfred Laurier on being able to extend that so currently that is not funded. But what we are working toward as commitments made through the business plan that are connected to the economic vision are the innovation action plan. Thank you.
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 83)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we are looking at within, like, this -- I would say this spring. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 83)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, those are two things that go hand-in-hand very closely together. Right across Canada, we're seeing a huge increase in cultural tourism, which also relates in that Venn diagram that the Member was referring to. And so, you know, whether it's through NWT Tourism, through the Territorial Agricultural Association, through, you know, film and arts, they all work hand-in-hand and all complement one another. In addition to that, Mr. Chair, you know, we've got programming that really can be applied right across funding mechanisms, for example SEED, so...
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 83)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. For details on the Cenovus play that exists in the Sahtu, I'd like to pass to the deputy minister.
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 83)
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I definitely appreciate the Member's point. All that to say that while that page specifically has not been used to capture the extent of risks as far as economy is concerned, I am happy to take away the Member's feedback and to kind of have a conversation around the department about -- or sorry, have a conversation with the department around how we're interpreting what needs to land on that page. So I can definitely take that away and revisit as well kind of how other departments are using it to make sure that there is alignment between each of them and bring that back...
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 83)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, that is part of the program redesign work that we are doing right now. So, we started today with the Member from Great Slave asking about the SEED review, and so we are doing this work through existing reviews that are ongoing right now.
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 83)
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, on my left I have Pamela Strand who's the deputy minister of industry, tourism and investment. And on my right, I have Nina Salvador, who is the director of corporate services and administration for industry, tourism and investment.
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 83)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, the Member is right, would love to see NICO move forward and progress. They are a fully permitted mine that has gold, cobalt, and bismuth, and they just recently purchased a refinery in Alberta and so they're in the process of also making sure that they're putting their downstream pieces together at the same time. They also still do need an access road as well into the mine, and that's one of the pieces that they are currently trying to pull funding together for in addition to their full feasibility. And we can certainly provide a list as well of...
