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, Madam Chair. I really appreciate the Premier’s response. The last line item there is travel. Travel in 2018-2019 was at $82,000, and then, for main estimates this year, it’s at $420,000. Is that because it was leading into an election year? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My final question for the Minister of health is: has recruitment begun for the chief oral health officer position that was identified as part of the oral health strategy? Thank you.
I'm going to pretend she said "yes." I want to be part of the yes club today. I do have a yes question, though. Would the Minister be willing to commit to determining if we are willing to make this change as the Northwest Territories this year, so that we can potentially update the act in 2020?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is the Northwest Territories, and we do things a little differently up here. The way we live, work, and govern together is different than Southern Canada. It is a product of a different history.
The fusion of traditional knowledge and innovative technologies means the history of our people and the sustainability of our land are at the forefront of our decisions and that each decision balances where we are going and how far we’ve come.
The Northwest Territories is a land of remarkable beauty, with strong and resilient people. More than half of us are Indigenous and...
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. My next question is in regard to Aurora College. I am wondering if the Minister can tell us both the number of graduates from last year and the number of students? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I have a couple of questions, and I think I'm going to start on language since we're there. The Minister had mentioned an influx of federal dollars available to Indigenous languages. Last year, in 2019, the federal government deemed 2019 the international year of Indigenous languages, and they opened up a federal funding pot of $333,700,000 that they were going to distribute over five years. I'm wondering if our government was able to provide, or does provide, any support to Indigenous governments to access that federal funding. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. On page 51, under "grants," there is "workforce development agreement," and under "contributions," there is also, the bottom line, "workforce development agreement." I am wondering if the Minister can speak to the differences between these two line items and why one is going up and the other is going down? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am going to go back, as well, then. I completely understand that the act stipulates that there is a requirement that there is indirect supervision from a dentist. However, that means that a dental hygienist who wants to practise in northern communities needs to find a dentist who is willing to take them on under their wing, so to say, and that prevents people from being able to just go to communities on their own as a business owner and provide dental hygiene appointments or preventative healthcare to people who live in these small communities. What that will end up...
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. My last question, and I'll let someone else talk here for a bit: does the Department of Education, Culture and Employment do exit interviews with its teachers? Thank you.
Will the Minister have her department undertake an assessment of the feasibility of allowing dental hygienists to practice without the oversight of dentists so that our small communities have better access to preventative oral healthcare?
