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. Mr. Speaker, I can say that with the residents of the territory that I've had the opportunity to speak with that is not what has happened in their experience following a suicide attempt from a family member or from themselves. And so this is definitely a gap. And so I'm wondering if Health and Social Services tracks suicide attempts, and if they also track the response and the plan of care that is provided to each of those people who are travelling this journey because I will say that that is not the reality of the residents that I've had the opportunity to...
Mr. Speaker, I will be speaking to suicide today. Before I start, I want to give people an opportunity to turn down the volume or remove themselves from the Chamber if they prefer not to listen.
Mr. Speaker, I like numbers because they compel evidencebased decisionmaking, so here are some numbers.
The World Health Organization estimates one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. Over 4,000 Canadians die by suicide every year. That's 11 people every day. 70 percent of mental health problems arise during childhood or adolescence, and 75 percent of children with mental disorders do not have...
WHEREAS Section 91 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act provides that the Commissioner, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, shall appoint an Integrity Commissioner to exercise the powers and perform the duties set out in the Act;
AND WHEREAS the appointment of the current Integrity Commissioner, Mr. David Phillip Jones, expired on November 30, 2021;
AND WHEREAS Section 91(4) of the Act provides that the Commissioner continues to hold office after the expiry of his or her term of office until the person is reappointed, a successor is...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too would like to thank the Member for the Deh Cho for the hard work that he put into this motion and for bringing it forward here today.
I want to reflect on something that the Member for Monfwi said. And the Member for Monfwi reflected on services not being available in communities and the result of that hollowing out small communities.
Hollowing out small communities is not true reconciliation. True reconciliation is ensuring that Indigenous communities have the services that they need and the resources that they need to continue to practice...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, how does Health and Social Services address the barriers created by housing this service in child and family services given the history of our country and the fear of child and family services? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the saying "perfect is the enemy of good" comes to mind here. And sometimes you got to let something go and let people have a look at it in order to get some feedback and let it fly because right now, as of today, Members in this House have requested the homelessness strategy 65 times since September of 2018 when it was first committed to in the 18th Assembly. And it is getting frustrated at this point, and I understand that it's very important. But if it sits in Housing NWT, it will never get actioned. And so I guess I'm asking the Minister now...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, across Canada unique barriers exist for 2SLGBTQIAPPA+ youth accessing shelter systems. One in three transgender individuals are rejected from shelters for their gender identities and gender expression. So was, or is, the Northern Mosaic Network included as a vital stakeholder in drafting this strategy to provide homelessness solutions for our territory? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the auditor general tabled findings on addictions prevention and recovery services. The OAG found that the GNWT did not do enough to provide residents with accessible, coordinated, and culturally safe addictions services including specific reference to aftercare supports.
A previous OAG report on the NWT's child and family services found that substance misuse was a factor that put children at risk in 83 percent of files. The finding is reflected in the accounts of several youth here in Yellowknife. They have shared that though technically they have...
