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 very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, the highest loan, so the repayable loan, is the additional $1,400 a month, and the loan cap overall for students is $90,000. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're certainly working on the required legislation for the Aurora College Polytechnic. That work has not stopped. That includes pieces like establishing a framework for that, evaluating what clauses from the existing Aurora College Act would be imported into new legislation, and also looking at the legislation or university or polytechnic legislation from other jurisdictions like the Yukon, speaking with counterparts over there as well, to find out information like what has served them well, what they would have liked to have seen different or what they...
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 82)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, within a few days of the end of the month, residents can contact a -- or any time after the 25th of each month, residents can reach out to their client navigator to work on their paperwork for the following month because the income assistance program is meant to be a month-to-month program to help residents meet their basic needs, so for example their rent, utilities, etcetera. Thank you.
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 82)
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, and we continue to work on those pieces of legislation internally to the department. Thank you.
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 82)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, it is in the planning cycle of Aurora College to bring back the Bachelor of Education as well as the social work program to Aurora College in the fall of 2027. They rolled out their general education degree last fall in order to -- where people start with the general education and then in year 3 and 4 have the opportunity to choose either one of the other programs to transition into. So the work that they're doing right now with the college is they're able to specialize in one of those programs when it becomes available. And the intention of...
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 82)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'd like to pass to the deputy minister to give the department perspective as well on this one. I know I've answered questions on the floor of the House, so I will pass to the Deputy.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes. I agree. Thank you.
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 82)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, that would require some legislative change for sure, to look into something like that. Within that, Mr. Chair, we would want to ensure that at the end of the day that students were pursuing a certification or diploma or degree program, and we would also need to weigh that against other financial priorities given that there is access to improving grades and accessing these courses within the Northwest Territories. And so it would require additional funding for students to be able to access these type of programs outside the Northwest Territories. And...
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 82)
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The answer is yes.
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 82)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So the counsellors that health and social services hires typically are people with a Master's degree, and then the funding through education, culture and employment gives education bodies a lot more flexibility into what they use the funding for as long as there is a prevention aspect to it but allows them to use the funding, for example, for additional clinicians, for personal support workers, for community support workers. And so it allows them the flexibility to determine how they want to use the funding to address the mental health needs of their specific...
