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.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, June 2nd, I will move the following motion:
Now therefore I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that pursuant to section 91 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, the Legislative Assembly recommends to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories the reappointment of Mr. David Phillip Jones as the Northwest Territories Integrity Commissioner, effective June 2nd, 2022.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think it's worthwhile noting that there's definitely a sense of frustration in that a lot of us in this room came into this House with promises of pursuing procurement reform within the GNWT and a lot of changes that have whether they've come out of the review from this Assembly or a previous Assembly have not been implemented yet. So there's definite frustration out there. And I think if we fail to reform procurement for the GNWT, it's not going to be a success for any of us because I think that maintaining northern benefit is a common...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the review suggested incremental changes to GNWT procurement policy and processes. So I'm wondering while we don't have a work plan here today with a concrete date, I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to what changes have taken place with procurement in the NWT thus far? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northern Manufactured Products Policy provides incentives to support production within the NWT of goods purchased. But if the NWT is not making the effort to buy the products that the other arm is incentivizing, then the policy falls flat. Instead of manufacturing, innovating, and growing, northern manufacturers are setting up shop inside government departments to get their attention or in their inboxes to work through the application process.
Here in the NWT, the territorial government remains the most significant economic driver. And this government...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Finance.
Some employers are working to walk the talk when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, recognizing and supporting the diverse ways that families grow. Many of these employers are expanding their benefits packages to include fertility supports. And so where does the GNWT stand on fertility benefits for their staff? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my next question for the Minister: is Health and Social Services doing any work right now to explore expanding the financial supports for fertility treatment that they do provide to NWT residents? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Given infertility is designated as a chronic illness, does the GNWT intend to recognize it as a medical condition and offer financial supports to residents? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, has the GNWT explored the projected costs of expanding fertility treatment supports to employees? And so the GNWT definitely has a very generous leave package for parents and for people who are going through any type of medical needs, but I'm wondering about the fertility treatment itself. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like Newfoundland, the NWT does not offer fertility treatment in its own jurisdictions, and the travel for this can be quite expensive, and I know that the Minister did reference working with a specialist, getting approval from a specialist and travelling south. But there seems to be a bit of some gray area between what some see as being a chronic illness and what some see as being an elective process. And so it means that not everything is covered and not everybody has access to medical travel. And so is the Government of the Northwest...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have to apologize to the Minister because I'm going to ask a question that I did not provide in advance just in relation to what she said.
So the pieces of treatment that are covered, will medical travel pay for any medical travel associated to access those services because a lot of those services aren't available in the territory? Thank you.
