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. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to whether or not there are any anticipated expansions of the Labour Market Supplement Program? I know that many of us have heard from different constituents who feel that they have been or who have been cut out of the program and who have indicated that they may go to their deputy heads in regards to this. And I'm wondering if the Minister has any indication as to whether or not they've heard from different deputy heads or if there is a plan to expand the eligibility for this program within this fiscal year...
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my first instinct is to not support this bill to move past second reading, but I am going to; I want to first tell you why.
First, I want to tell you why my instinct is to not support it. The cost of living in the Northwest Territories is suffocating many NWT residents. Everyone is feeling it. Between the added cost of inflation, supply chain, energy, food, health, and housing, the people I serve are feeling the added financial pressures that come with living in the Northwest Territories. Over the last year this territory has seen rate increases from...
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions are for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation to facility alternative energy.
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation is a Crown corporation that owns and operates the Northwest Territories' hydroelectric facilities and most of the Northwest Territories' diesel power plants. NTPC is tasked to provide an essential service to Northwest Territories residents and businesses by ensuring access to reliable electricity. The Northwest Territories' energy mix includes fossil fuel, biomass, hydro, natural gas, wind and solar installations...
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, is this committee solely to talk about issues, or will there be opportunity for youth to drive change within their communities? So will this committee also come potentially with the power to change policy, the power to change or provide recommendations to school boards, to communities, and will it come with funding? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues, not only for their support today but for their honest and candid conversations that we had in committee. Every single person in this room, I would say, knows somebody that they have lost or who is struggling right now. And so I want to thank the Members for sharing so candidly together because those are very difficult conversations not only to have but to have with your work colleagues. And so I thank the Members for that very, very much.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to challenge...
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my first set of questions, if we get through a couple, are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
On October 20th, the department issued a communique identifying renewed plans for the youth advisory committee. I'm wondering if the Minister can tell the House how the department plans to use this committee to provide agency to NWT youth? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker,
WHEREAS there has been an alarming number of suicides in the Northwest Territories in 2022;
AND WHEREAS Tabled Document 64919(2), the Office of the Chief Coroner 20212022 Early Release of Suicide Data Report, raised concerns about the 18 suicides so far in 2022;
AND WHEREAS the Office of the Chief Coroner did not wait until the end of the calendar year to provide data on suicide in the territory in order to elicit a territorial government response now;
AND WHEREAS the majority of those deaths by suicide is impacting youth and young adults in...
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, in a perfect world we would have 30 Indigenous students in the nursing program, or 30 Indigenous and northern students in the nursing program at Aurora College. So the budget ideally would allow us to max out the 30. So the budget really, in theory, is already there. So all I'm asking for is that we ensure that the Aurora College nursing program bursaries are fully subscribed every year to ensure that we have the biggest capacity of nurses, because as soon as we can say hey, we'll educate you in exchange for service, we have a guaranteed eight...
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions are again for the Minister of Health and Social Services.
I questioned the Minister during this sitting in regards to bursaries for students who want to partake in the Aurora College nursing program, and I was happy to learn and to hear that Indigenous students and northern students are both open to access bursary programs for the Aurora College nursing program. So I'm wondering, though, if the Minister will allow southern students to access northern nursing bursaries to fill the remaining spots in the Aurora College nursing program to...
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, one of the things that Health and Social Services introduced this year from headquarters are mental health subscription boxes. But these boxes, which I believe in September the theme of the box was suicide prevention, these boxes are not made available to people in healthcare centres or in hospitals. And so I'm wondering if that is a change that the Minister is willing to make? Thank you.
