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 was in the same meeting as the Member and heard the concerns from the school board, and what I can commit to is certainly working with my colleague from health and social services. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member knows the way to my heart is certainly through books, and I appreciate that. My role within the post-secondary system and through the Aurora College Act has definitely changed between the last Assembly and this one. My role is certainly one of oversight over the post-secondary education system whereas the board of governors really has control and oversight over Aurora College's programs as well as their operations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in all of the conversations that I routinely have with industry, one of the things that comes up quite often is the relationship and significant pairing between clean strategic infrastructure development and attracting investment to the Northwest Territories, which the Member spoke about in their Member's statement today. Yes, absolutely, I am aware of programs that are tied to net-zero. We, in fact, as the GNWT are seeking funding through the critical minerals infrastructure fund that will help us advance clean energy in the Northwest Territories...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I intend to use the tools that I have at my disposal to guide Aurora College board of governors and to also support them as best as I can through this transformation. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm in a bit of a difficult situation here where I'm being held responsible, really, for operational items. And I'm not in charge. I do not have the authority over the operations of the college. However, what I do have control over is the mandate agreement which we set together which we're in the process of setting right now. I also have control over the accountability framework which was just put in place and I intend to use. I also do have control over the funding framework of post-secondary institutions and Aurora College, and I intend to use...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to talk about technical assessments today with the Member. This one definitely bridges a relationship between my portfolio and one of my colleague's portfolio over in infrastructure. So Yellowknife schools were not originally included in the assessments for many years because they're not technically GNWT assets. However, because the GNWT funds the major capital upgrades, those buildings have been put back into rotation. And I can confirm for the Member that multiple Yellowknife schools are on the assessment schedule for next summer...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this past summer the accountability framework was put in place for Aurora College. This framework is relevant for all post-secondary institutions in the Northwest Territories. It outlines reporting required by ECE each year and helps to identify the financial stability of institutions and if programs are operating effectively. So I look forward to using that framework in years to come. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is no secret, I think, to anybody in the Northwest Territories that access to therapeutic services absolutely is important part of access to education. However, I'm not the Minister of health and social services. But I will continue to point out the need for the access to therapeutic services within our schools. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, they have had about a year and a half as a new board. They now have a new president that they are working with as well. In the last year and a half that the board has been around, they've also now, in November of last year, gotten one of -- it's a trimerical governance system. So one of the additional boards was put in place in November of 2023, and then the Indigenous knowledge-keepers board was put in place in April of this year. And so they are putting all of these pieces together to ensure that they have a functioning trimerical board system...
