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, improving NTPC's institutional framework and governance model are key pieces to meeting its infrastructure challenges. And I know that this has been a core focus of Regular Members on this side of the House since we literally walked into this House. So by what date will NTPC have a diversified board of folks with expertise in electricity utility rather than deputy ministers, and will the GNWT explore new institutional arrangements for NTPC to provide more effective and efficient financing, funding, and infrastructure delivery? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to commend the person who wrote that because there's a lot of fluff in there, and there's a good job at putting a lot of fluff in there, but what I hear is a lot of targets but without viable solutions that we're sharing with the Northwest Territories that don't simply hinge on one mega infrastructure project that, quite frankly, we don't have the dollars for today. And that really might not end up, in the long run, achieving our energy goals in the Northwest Territories. And I hear what the Minister is saying that we're working on it but we can't say we're working on it...
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I move that the chair rise and report progress. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 127)
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too would like to welcome and say hello to president Edwin Erutse. President Erutse gave the Standing Committee on Social Development a very warm welcome to Fort Good Hope earlier this year and spent a lot of time touring us around the community. And it was very much appreciated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 127)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. The other piece that I don't see in here that I know has been something that we've spoken about during all of the main estimates during every year of this Assembly, and it relates to public safety but ultimately comes down to the Department of Finance, is the expansion of cell service across the territory. And I believe that we have even heard from one of our fellow Members here, had a Member's statement, in relation to this over the course of this sitting. And I mean, there are different regions in the territory where when you're on the highway, you are an...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 127)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So just so that I can make sure I'm on the same page as the Minister, so the work to update all communities to be on the 50/10 is work being done by Northwestel with 100 percent funding dollars then not from the GNWT, is that correct? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 126)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. And thank you to the ECE staff and Minister for that.
As far as Chief Jimmy Bruneau School and Colville Lake school, which are both in planning phases, when can we expect to see the transition from planning phase to building phase within the capital acquisition plan? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 126)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So just so that I understand so there was scope reductions and revisions to the design made in order to keep it on budget, or has there been a budgetary change to this project? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 126)
Excellent. Thank you very much for that, Madam Chair. I think that's very important, and I'm happy to hear that the department has incorporated that.
My next question is in regards to Mangilaluk School, which is a major project up in the Beaufort Delta, and it says that the estimated completion date is 20232024. And so is it September of 2024 that is anticipated that students will first start school in that new school? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 126)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the Minister referenced in her opening remarks that the department is working towards phase 2 of this act, and I'm wondering if the Minister can provide a commitment as to when we will see the bill brought forward on the floor of this House for phase 2. Thank you.
