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, at this point, you know, these are early days, but do I have dreams? I most definitely do. And I've had the opportunity to travel to our immigration FTP meetings in Montreal just recently with deputy minister Fulford, and in those meetings had the opportunity to speak to things like settlement services and credentialing here in the territory, which are things that we hear quite a bit about, and especially credentialing just recently in the House here. So in addition to working with federal counterparts, working with or provincial counterparts outside...

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the perspective of the system would be in order to ensure the safety of children in care. One of the things I know, just having spoken to people about this especially in the last term, was in regards to, you know, why can we have a certain number of kids in a classroom and then it shifts to after school care, and we have less kids that are allowed to be less in the adult to child ratio that we're allowed that we are allowing in after school care programs. And one of the things that is communicated to me is because during the day when you have school...

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the department did have money set aside in the budget anticipating that that program would be developed and come forward and had hoped it would come forward sooner. And so it has been part of ECE's budget for a number of years and money that they have received/approved by this Legislative Assembly for that purpose. Given that the program is not yet in existence, that was identified as a potential cost savings to the department and dollars that could be directed elsewhere so that we're ensuring that we're directing it to where it can best be used. And...

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we're just looking for it because it  it didn't disappear. It was simply reprofiled under the art strategy funding and so it is still in here. We're just determining for the Member where specifically it did move to. But I can confirm for the Member that it's not sunset. 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, 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. 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.