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, my first questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Earlier this week I delivered a Member's statement about child care struggles in the Northwest Territories. It's one of the top things that I'm hearing about right now from the people that I serve. I also tabled a document that day by the C.D. Howe that outlined potential solutions. One such solution pointed to shared equity mortgage program to increase child care space infrastructure. Is the GNWT or ECE willing to explore creative solutions like this to increase infrastructure...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 159)
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There's a lot of friendly and familiar faces in the gallery today. I'd like to acknowledge Kelsey Wrightson of Dechinta. And also Dechinta's hide tanning camp is open to the public and all set up and ready to go, so that's very exciting right now as well.
I'd like to recognize a couple of former Kam Lake constituents as well. There's Jennifer DallmanSanders and above me, who I cannot see but wish I could see their wonderful happy faces, are a team of lifelong northern educators, past Kam Lakers, Colleen Eckert and Arthur Osborne. A huge congratulations to...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 159)
That was my only question. Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 159)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I am pleased to speak to Bill 72, Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act in my capacity as chair of social development.
This bill allows for the Government of the Northwest Territories to participate in a class action lawsuit filed by the government of BC to allow the GNWT to recover health care expenses incurred from opioid damages. Committee supports this legislation.
During standing committee's review of Bill 72, committee heard from Indigenous governments and community stakeholders. Committee heard that at the time BC filed the class...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 77, Nursing Profession Act.
Bill 77 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on March 29, 2023 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review. The standing committee held a public hearing on May 10th, 2023 and completed its clausebyclause review of the bill with the Minister of Justice on May 31st, 2023.
Mr. Speaker, the committee reports that Bill 77, Nursing Profession Act, is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yeah, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the problem right now is that multiple departments aren't able to work together in order to get this done. I mean, right now the Department of Health and Social Services says on its website that environmental health officers can investigate issues where a landlord has failed to take corrective action.
So I'm wondering if the Minister can tell me whether his department, or the department of health, tracks the number of landlord investigations by environmental health officers and the results of these investigations? Thank you, Mr...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Justice.
We know that over 700 rental units have mould or pests, across the Northwest Territories, but only three tenants got an order against the landlord to fix the problem. So clearly something is not working, Mr. Speaker. I want to know whether the Minister acknowledges that the current mechanisms to ensure healthy rental housing are not working. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about environmental health concerns in rental housing and the role of government in holding landlords accountable.
Mr. Speaker, this House has heard numerous times about how too many of our constituents are facing appalling living conditions.
In October, my colleague from Tu NedheWiilideh brought up cockroach infestations in his communities. He talked about a family brought to tears when they couldn't cook Thanksgiving dinner because of cockroaches.
In November, my colleague from Great Slave brought up issues at Lanky Court, including...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 90, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 5, be read for the third time. And Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 159)
Yeah, thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, just listening to the questions and comments that are happening today and I mean, the Member for Frame Lake just spent ten minutes kind of, I believe, getting to this question. And so I am wondering if we can just kind of get on the record whether or not the Minister will commit to working with the GNWT to establish a mechanism for Indigenous governments to track and recruit and report approved opioid damage costs and expenses as defined under "health care benefits" in Bill 72? Thank you.
