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.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: 2024-2025 Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas Operations Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, under the Archaeological Sites Act, I don't have the authority to issue a directive. I have to ensure that I am following the law.
That being said, as I stated earlier, there is also a mechanism, if what the Member says is true -- and I have not seen the site, Mr. Speaker, nor has our NWT archaeologist either. But if the community is under firm belief that they know the identity of this person -- it is clearly marked and that they know the identity of the individual, then the Archaeological Sites Act does not apply here. So I want to be clear on...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that I'm on something like that and welcome more conversation with the Member to ensure we're on the same page. Thank you.
Thank you very much for the question, Mr. Speaker. So absolutely, and luckily I hold both the hats of ITI and Education, Culture and Employment, and so this really is one that I've been able to kind of straddle with both of those hats on, and, to be honest, more so the Education, Culture and Employment.
One of the concerns that I do share with the Member is we do have multiple different projects on the go, and sometimes a project doesn't span one employer necessarily or one opportunity and so how can we bring those together. And there are conversations on the go in regards to that. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, within the piece of legislation, it is defined as anything that is over 50 years old.
It is my understanding as well, Mr. Speaker, that if a community can confirm for certain that human remains are of a certain person and have a firm belief that it is clear that this -- the remains are of that person, that the Archaeological Sites Act does not apply in that case.
I think it is also important here, Mr. Speaker, in regards to this conversation, the Member has referenced the oath that we all took as Members where we swore to honour and respect all...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, work like this could be done without the GNWT. The community could work with the city of Yellowknife, and the city of Yellowknife would have the ability to deem that space a recreational park and that wouldn't need GNWT involvement in order to pursue that work. So that's always an option as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have met with Yellowknife's new mayor, and at this time I can say that ITI has no plans to pursue the establishment of a territorial park on Tin Can Hill. Our North Slave region does have numerous territorial parks and that piece of legislation -- or sorry, that piece of property is currently owned by the municipality. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a responsibility on all of us to ensure that we have healthy relationships across this territory. We are a small territory, and we are all very intimately connected and we all, I would like to believe, at the end of the day have the common goal of the success and prosperity of Northerners and our northern children at heart. I am using the tools that I have at my disposable, Mr. Speaker. I am listening to many of those DEA members who are also parents, listening to DEC members, and have never been in a position to not have those...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, obviously there are many other factors here. First of all, I would need to speak with the Department of Justice to find out if something like this -- you know, where the limits are. This is also a question for the public service and to find out kind of what the limits and expectations for public service. At this point, Mr. Speaker, outside of a public health emergency being declared, neither the Department of Education, Culture and Employment nor education bodies can mandate vaccinations or proof of vaccination for school staff. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's not currently a vaccination mandate for teachers outside of, you know, when we went through COVID and there was expectations around that. That was under the direction of the CPHO, the chief public health officer. And so our education bodies and our schools work very closely with the chief public health officer in events like this, and we ultimately follow the direction of the chief public health officer to ensure that we are aligned to protect residents and children. Thank you.
