Caitlin Cleveland

Member Kam Lake

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.

Kam Lake Electoral District

Committees

Caitlin Cleveland
Kam Lake
Constituency Office
Phone
Minister's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Phone
Extension
11124
Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Investment

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I was able to confirm with the assistant deputy minister that the Indigenous languages line item that's found under contributions just a few line items above, for $5.36 million, is the line item where that funding is found. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the interim mandate letter that was issued in the last Assembly by the previous Minister of education expires in July. So that's where the July timeline comes in, is that the existing one expires in July. So that project has been jump started by letter from myself to the board of governors, and that project is currently underway between myself and the board. And it is the intention that, yes, it will continue to outline intentions for the board of governors and Aurora College to continue along with their transformation efforts, but it is really a...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I would like the opportunity to pass to the assistant deputy minister Shannon BarnettAikman.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, in addition to, you know, students who want to go through like the SNAP program, there is also the career education advisors. But can I just confirm the Member was talking about what's being done for JK to grade 8? Thank you. Oh, yes, I'm getting a thumbs up. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, the new curriculum that is being implemented in the Northwest Territories would have more practical courses that could relate to employment readiness. And the other thing that I think is really valuable within the new curriculum is that it's a lot more...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as far as the implementation plan of what this will look like and how it will be done is something that is currently in the works within each of the departments, and so it's not something that I was able to, you know, quickly go and do in a rush over the last six months in order to make sure that it was separated out before we got to this part in our term together but I wanted to ensure that this is something that can be done in this fiscal year. So I guess my best response to the Member is stay tuned, and I will make sure that I am doing my best to...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, to start off I'd like to answer the Member's previous question. So we currently fund 1,956 spaces in the Northwest Territories.

As far as the background on where those spaces come from, I would like to, please, pass to assistant deputy minister BarnettAikman.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, just to be clear, we did not decrease our contributions or change the funding formula. The funding formula is enrolmentbased, so it would be based on the number of students attending a school based on the numbers provided by that particular education body and particular school. And as far as you know, if the Member is asking how enrolment numbers changed year after year for schools in her region, I'd be happy to access that information but it's not information that I have at my fingertips right now. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, my commitment to my colleagues was that when Aurora College does come forward with a suitable and ready proposal, that I would then bring that forward to my Cabinet colleagues. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I took that as a comment. I didn't hear a question from the Member.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm very happy that Members have been so vocal in the House about the use of this program and how successful, or how reliant I should say, seniors and elders are. I think it's really important that everybody have the opportunity to hear what is working for residents and what is not. And so I'm very thankful to Members that they've shared that this is definitely something that is needed.

The reason that you see the difference of just over $500,000 between the revised estimates for 20232024 and the main estimates for 20242025 is that due to the increase...