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 also for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, over the last year, the fourth trimester has drastically changed for new mothers. We spent decades telling new moms to get out and stay active only to now tell them to stay home and stay alone. How have the supports for new moms changed or evolved over the last year in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Bill 14, An Act to Amend the Securities Act receives second reading in the Legislative Assembly on October 29, 2020, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review. On February 11, 2021, the standing committee held a public hearing with the Minister of Justice and completed its clause-by-clause review of the bill. I want to thank committee and committee staff for their efforts in reviewing this legislation. Individual members may have additional comments or questions. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Bill 12, An Act to Amend the Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupational Certification Act, received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on October 29, 2020, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review. On February 10, 2021, the standing committee held a public hearing with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and completed its clause-by-clause review of the bill. I thank the committee and committee staff for their efforts in reviewing this legislation. Individual Members may have additional comments or questions. Thank you...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am definitely excited for the changes that the midwifery program will present to the Northwest Territories, but the fact of the matter is that not everybody has access to a midwife or uses one. I am wondering if this is a change that can be made at the public health level because every new mom is connected to public health. I am wondering if public health can take on the responsibility or the option of passing along a phone number to new moms so that they are able to text somebody when they need it. Many people who work for public health are already on call...
Mr. Speaker, in today's market, the art we hear about the most are often the one-off pieces that garner million-dollar price tags, but everyday art can also generate significant economic value. Art is cultural expression and a powerful conduit for healing, wellness, and economic development. Art is essential for individual and community success.
When we look at the global art scene, we marvel at infrastructure like New Zealand's Te Papa, artist-in-residence programs like Fogo Island, and events like Burning Man, but grassroots initiatives just like these exist in the NWT. Our Northern Arts...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 67)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I will come back during the environment fund then and ask about the waste management strategy. With that in mind, I'm going to flip to contaminated sites. There is currently $339,000 allocated to contaminated sites. My concern with that is that is millions of dollars sitting within the federal government for remediating contaminated sites. Is this the area where the GNWT would be working to access those millions of dollars to be able to remediate the sites and get Northerners to work? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 67)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I want to start with waste reduction. I see that the line item for 2021-2022 under waste reduction has sunset. I'm wondering if the Minister can let us know the reasoning for that. Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 67)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. No. I am keen to hear more about the trapper support pilot program that is going to be coming out. I definitely support the take a family on the land program and the Take a Kid Trapping program. I find that people in the constituency I serve run into the same type of thing where, for example, with the Take a Kid Trapping program, it's an application process that generally comes from a school board, say. The school puts together the application, it goes through, they decide who to hire. I can think of a particular person who lives two minutes down the road from...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 67)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I hear what the Minister says about not adding money to the Community Harvester Assistance Program for the sake of not adding money, but I do not see this as simply adding money. I see it as adding money to add food for people who are struggling, and so I do see a direct correlation there. Just to support my colleagues and their words, I do support an increase of funding to this because I think it goes directly to people. That being said, I do have people who partake in traditional economy in the constituency that I serve, including trapping and hunting, and a...
If the Minister is wondering if I have big dreams for arts in the Northwest Territories, the answer is yes. I'm wondering if the Minister would be willing to have a conversation with the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment about kind of our disjointed approach to art within the Northwest Territories. We currently have culture and heritage housed under as well as the arts council housed under ECE, and then we have tourism, which has a huge cultural piece to it, and, I believe, a huge untapped market for arts in the Northwest Territories and on the global stage. I'm wondering if the...