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. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the Member. Currently, within the policy, there is a leave provision in there and that is something that I am currently exploring with the department given the existing parameters of the program. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In the re-release of the program this year, one thing that quickly became apparent was that there was concern over people whose work permits would be expiring in January and February of 2026. That quickly became apparent. And so while there is never an intention to design a program that has a gap, certainly I do know that going into next year that we have more people interested in the program than we currently have spaces for. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the course of the next week, confirmation testing will be done in both of the schools and until we determine what those results are and then also from there do some exploration as to what the source of the issue is, I would have -- it would be impossible for me to say kind of what the next steps are for remediating that and fixing that until I know what the issue is and if there is, in fact, a longstanding challenge there that needs to be fixed. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, all of our schools' water systems were tested, and two of the schools came back as needing confirmation testing and so, proactively, the departments of education, health and social services, and the school board, worked together to make sure that that water is not used right now for drinking or for cooking purposes. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in it regards to part-time studies, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment does fund students up to $880 per course with a maximum of $8,800 per year with the idea that beyond that, they're probably actually potentially looking at more of full-time studies, depending on what they're taking.
In the end of the previous Assembly, there were steps taken to increase our student financial assistance, and especially student financial assistance for Indigenous students in the territory, and also changed the number of semesters that they were...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I know it's one that certainly straddles two departments but as infrastructure does -- or sorry, as education, culture and employment does not actually build our capital projects in the territory, I do work very closely with my colleagues on this House and would be more than happy to work with the Minister of Infrastructure on developing some information for the Member for the Sahtu. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to see them extended, which is why I have put that into my request to the federal government and will be travelling to Ottawa next week to follow up on that request. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that by the end of this week, 49 of 51 retroactive payments will be released, and the remaining two Education, Culture and Employment staff are waiting to confirm some necessary information so that the retroactive payments can be issued. So that's in the form of, for example, certifications and such. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Both myself at a political level and also at an official's level, the government is working to ensure that we are unified. In support, sometimes we do receive outreach from newcomers who do require support, and we're always as MLAs happy to provide it. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, May 28th, 2025, I will present Bill 28, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act, No. 2, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
