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. My questions today are for the Minister of Justice. It's no secret, I think, at this point that I am definitely a supporter of integrated service delivery, and I know that we've heard it mentioned time and again in this House. I want to better understand what the goal is of this Cabinet, during this Assembly, for integrated service delivery and what timelines we can expect to see. Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 59)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I look forward to additional information on that one. The other piece that I am wondering is: how does this Youth Corps piece relate to work being done by career advisors with ECE, and is there crossover between ECE and MACA in relation to this youth leadership programming? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 59)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I fully support that travel line, then, and I am very happy that Mr. Schauerte was able to identify that that was support for kids to be able to travel. I am fully in support of that one. I would like to have additional information on what is included in the sport and recreation line, and if there is intent, especially over the next few years while we're in a pandemic state where people are definitely staying home, to increase that line item? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 59)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I was just looking at the sport and recreation funding line, which seems to have jumped around a little bit over the last few years. I am wondering if the Minister can speak to that a little bit. I am guessing that last year there was an influx of cash from the federal government for COVID-related expenses, and I am wondering if the Minister can elaborate. Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 59)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. No, I look forward to that review and to a report or a proposal coming forward. Just looking at the $185,000, that divided by 33 communities, which I know is probably not divided evenly. Even so, that's just over $5,000 per community, and so it won't go very far and probably doesn't go even as far as communities would like it to go. I definitely welcome that, and I would like to request that, as part of that report, if possible, it include cell service on our highways. That's something that we discuss quite a bit. I know that is a Department of Finance item...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 59)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I am wondering if there are timelines associated with each of the first three acts that the deputy minister referred to, that being the property assessment act, the Fire Prevention Act, and the seniors and disabled property tax act, if there are deadlines that the department is working towards in order to have those through to this side of the House. Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 59)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I'm wondering if the Minister would be able to expand on what legislative priorities the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has for this coming year? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Minister touched on my next question a little bit, and that is in regard to privacy. I appreciate that this next question might be a little bit difficult to answer right now, but I am wondering if the GNWT intends to create an integrated information management system to better support NWT residents and prevent re-collection of relevant personal information, support networks, and support history. One of the things that I think could be really positive of that is people might be falling through the cracks at the same point a lot of times as they work through...
I appreciate that it's a big aspiration and will require an entire culture shift, but I think that there are some pieces that we can start working on right now. I appreciate the Minister laying out some of the ones that they are working on. The City of Yellowknife drafted a homelessness plan, and it indicated a need for coordinated access to front-line services, so I am wondering: how is the Department of Justice creating government-wide coordinated access through common intake and access points to better serve NWT residents? That is so that people are not running from department to...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 59)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. My knowledge of this program is limited. If I go off script a little bit, please let me know where I do. My understanding is that this is a Youth Ambassador Program where it brings together students from across all 33 of our communities who are interested in leadership and gives youth an opportunity to get to know one another and also to work on leadership projects together. This seems like a really key area for us to be able to find out from youth more information about the state of education, how to support people in communities through education, and it...
