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. I'm very thankful for this question. I had the opportunity in June to travel with a number of deputy ministers down to the Pine Point mine site where we had an incredible tour of what was there before, what they envision being there tomorrow and years down the road. The good news here is that we've got a few years to put together the trades people that they need. One of the things that I asked them for on that tour was their workforce planning document of exactly what trades people that they will need so that we can make sure that we're supporting that in the...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would say that that day is today, and I would say that that day was yesterday. I think that we have a tremendous amount of youth in the Northwest Territories who are working very hard in order to achieve their education. I had the honour and opportunity sitting with two pages in this House today, one of which is collecting water at the moment and keeping us well hydrated. His name is Mason, and I had the opportunity to sit down with him and listen to his concerns and questions about education in Colville Lake. So that was very much appreciated.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the hospitality of the Member and his community leadership was bar none. Having the opportunity to return to the Mackenzie Delta would give me great pride and great pleasure, and I would love the opportunity to have that conversation with the Member to see when our schedules might match up. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, each teacher has a curriculum with an evaluation process, and each student in the Northwest Territories has certain markers that they have to meet in order to graduate in the Northwest Territories, certain courses that they have to take. I do want to acknowledge the Member's concerns with education in the Northwest Territories and the action plan that stemmed from the concerns that were raised by the OAG in the previous Assembly. Those concerns did stem from education outcomes in the Northwest Territories, and that action plan identified 30 action...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to begin by thanking the Member for Yellowknife Centre for advancing Bill 8. This Private Member's bill reflects a commitment to students across the Northwest Territories and helps respond to the evolving financial pressures they face. I commend the Member for this initiative on this issue and for championing a cause that matters to students.
Bill 8 proposes to raise the maximum amount of loans that can be made to one person under the Student Financial Assistance Act from the current limit of $60,000 to $90,000. The Department of Education, Culture...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have so many students that are capable of achieving education through post-secondary. We have so many students that have so much potential in the Northwest Territories, and I would want so many students to be able to achieve that potential and continue to work towards it. Part of that action plan that I spoke of did have some deliverables in it for things like training afforded -- additional training afforded to our classroom and education assistants. And that puts more people in the classroom able to work specifically with students that either...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a subject area that is very important to me, very near and dear to my heart. I can confirm to this House that the Minister of health and social services and I have started conversations to work through this. We recognize this as a challenge, and I can commit certainly to continuing that conversation. And I am also meeting today with the NWTTA and will continue to meet with education bodies, and I will continue to make myself available. Thank you.
I'm going to be a hundred percent candid with you, Mr. Speaker, just like I was with the board. I'm going to tell them those exact words like I did less than a month ago. When I sat with the board and they told me what their priorities were, they turned to me and said, what are we missing? And I said, you guys are missing buzz. You guys are missing telling the story about the work that you are doing. So you need to generate that buzz by sharing your excitement and sharing your hard work with the people of the Northwest Territories. And that is the responsibility of the board. I will continue...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, both at the officials level, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has regular meetings with the education bodies themselves, and twice a year I get together with the education body chairs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
