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 move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Bill 28, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act, No. 2, be ready for the second time.
The proposed, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act, No. 2, would amend the student loan fund (also called the revolving loan limit) in the schedule of the act from $45 million to $55 million. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, certainly, the GNWT has responded in the area that we have seen direct tariff impacts to business which was to our diamond industry and from there, Mr. Speaker, certainly we'll continue to work with our chambers to find out what data they have in order to show what the impact is to business. Because I need the data to be able to decipher what our response, if it all needs to be from the GNWT, and certainly when we're in Ottawa next week I'll also be sitting with Ministers responsible for internal trade, and we'll be able to have conversations in...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at Industry, Tourism and Investment, we certainly believe in supporting northern business, and we are very transparent about who we support in the territory. We have multiple different programs across the department, and we publish the contributions to business through our contributions agreements very, very transparently, and certainly happy to look for any form or mechanism that we continue to support business in a greater way in the territory. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, certainly any time that we are writing to the federal government, speaking to the federal government on the phone, or having virtual conversations with Ministers -- I hosted a virtual FTP earlier today with a federal Minister on the line, two federal Ministers on the line, and so any of these opportunities are great for relationship building, and we carry those forward in conversations about post-secondary as well.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to that, the Aurora College board of governors does have a deliverable mandate item that's found in the...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to present to the House Bill 28, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act, No. 2, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a close working relationship with our education bodies. I meet with them multiple times a year. I'm meeting with them again in June. This has been a conversation on our agenda all year. It is a huge concern for both education bodies and myself. Those conversations will continue. This conversation has also happened with the NWTTA.
Mr. Speaker, one thing that is -- needs to be very clear here is the GNWT cannot afford to take on the programs that the federal government introduces and does not continue. When this program was introduced, and...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the schools in Yellowknife are interesting in that they are different from schools across the territory. So the schools in Yellowknife, for the most part, are owned by the education body themselves, but we have mechanisms to work together within the city of Yellowknife. First and foremost, we need to ensure that the water in our schools is safe and that kids in our schools are safe, and so as per usual, I will continue to work with our education bodies. I have a very close working relationship with the chair, and we will continue to work forward...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have received information that the city of Yellowknife does regular testing of their water, and there is no concern. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, within our school funding formula, we have accounted, within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, for different positions within schools. The federal government, with their program, accounted for putting other positions in schools that were different from the method of supporting schools that ECE had in place. So, for example, there was program support teachers that are funded through Education, Culture and Employment. Those program support teachers have funded through our inclusive schooling directive and already last year we...
