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, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, so I'm wondering if the Minister can explain in greater detail why we have a need for like, this is different than our normal sups that we get. Normally when we get a sup, it's to pay for something. And this one here, it expands our increases our borrowing limit, and so I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to, in more detail for the public, what that is, why it's needed, and then I'll have more questions after that, please, as a start. Thank you.
Madam Chair, I move that the chair rise and report progress. Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 164)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I've got about a minute left, and so I'm wondering there's about a hundred units here out of the stock of 2,700, how many are still waiting or in need of major retrofits in order to bring our housing stock out of core need? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, Bill 81, An Act to Amend the Education Act, No. 2, received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on March 30th, 2023, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review. The standing committee held a public hearing in Yellowknife on May 31st, 2023. The committee then travelled to Inuvik, Norman Wells, and Deline from June 6th to the 9th, 2023, for further engagement on the bill.
The public hearings in communities were very well attended with empassioned concerns expressed from residents. The committee met with the chief and...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 164)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So will this influx of $13 million and major retrofits reduce the wait time for housing in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends the Department of Education, Culture and Employment:
Increase funding and expand professional development opportunities for staff to best support students with disabilities;
Expand the suite of programs and services available to students with disabilities in their home communities; and
Improve data collection as it relates to students with disabilities.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 163)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I just have a couple questions about this section. But I figured I should start off by thanking Dr. Kelly for her service during this absolutely insane wildfire season, so thank you very much.
My first question is in regards to the fact that these capital estimates are generally developed by departments well in advance, and I think they're done in, like, April or May if I'm right. I might be wrong on that one. But they're done they're not done in the middle of summer. And so I'm wondering if based on our wildfire season if the department sees any...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 163)
Yeah, thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, just quickly, then, so if the students are still going to be without the completion of the school for another school year, what is the interim solution from this government for yet another school year? What is the interim solution of what they're going to do with kids? I know that my colleague mentioned portables. And we've heard that on the floor of this House numerous times. And so is that an option that they're looking at for this school year?
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 163)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. And thank you to my colleague from Nunakput for painting a picture, you know, life on the ground in Tuk.
We as the Standing Committee of Social Development had the opportunity to be hosted in the community of Tuktoyaktuk by the Member in June of this year. And what we saw was a school gymnasium that was not useable by community members because it was literally the entire gym was covered in a tarp in order to protect the work that was going on underneath it. But that meant that kids weren't allowed to use it. My perspective on this project is different because I...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's one side of things. The other side is the reentry flights. The reentry flights where people literally sat and waited. Some people have never heard back. They needed to get back for work. And in some cases, like I said in my Member's statement, if people didn't get home they lost their jobs, their permanent residency in this country was going jeopardized, the fact that they needed some people to get home for safety reasons. I mean, there's a multitude of nuances. And the other part of that is that the airlines on the way home were also...
