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. And I appreciate the Minister parking putting that in the parking lot for the Education Act, because I think it's really important. If it's important for our public servants and our frontline staff to be educated about the history of the Northwest Territories and working in a traumainformed way, then it's equally as important for educators to be doing the same.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, 2SLGBTQQIA awareness and training and in creating inclusive classrooms saves lives. So will ECE also mandate the 2SLGBTQQIA awareness and training for NWT educators as part of...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I'd like to continue the conversation started earlier this week in regards to child and youth mental wellness.
The Health and Social Services has a child and youth mental wellness plan in which objective 3 states: Provide training for all NWT school principals, program support teachers, junior kindergarten to 12 educators, and classroom support assistants in traumainformed and culturally respectful practices. I'm wondering if this training has been developed. Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 97)
Quick one, oh my gosh. Okay, thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I will leave the discussion about retrofits and repairs to somebody else. And I notice that there is an increase in here for rent supplement leasing. Does that have is that an increase in leasing units in the territory? Does that have anything to do with the money that's given to ECE for renting and leasing units, and is there an intent to combine those budget line items between ECE and housing so that housing is coming out of one department? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 97)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I appreciate that. So if I'm in the wrong section for this next question, please let me know. And it's in regards to the declining CMHC funding.
I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to whether or not the Housing Corporation has put in an application to have that declining CMHC funding replaced by the GNWT to FMB? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 97)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Has the Housing Corporation received any kind of indication from FMB or the GNWT as to whether or not they're going to continue to do that following 20222023 fiscal year? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 97)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So not including the RCMP units, because the Housing Corporation is getting revenue on those and so those would pay for themselves, there's about 74 new units coming onboard in the 20222023year. So with the increase of O and M costs on those units that is expected to come with each of those, is that amount still based on that 25,000 O and M per unit, and is that built or is the increase of 74 units in the 20222023 year O and M built into this budget? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yesterday as my child got dressed for hockey, children in the Ukraine braced for war. As Russia makes the worst kind of history, we must grapple with the best way to be activists for humanity. Again, we face the interconnectedness of the world.
Two years ago, I stood in this House and spoke about the rising cost of construction and healthcare and the vulnerability of the North to surprise events ranging from faulty sterilization machines at the new hospital to climate change, the global pandemic, and now a war that will continue to escalate costs and uncertainty...
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, when we first sat in this House through our very first budget cycle, at that time the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation identified that our way forward was through partnership. And so I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to how many partnership agreements have been signed with Indigenous governments or NGOs in the life of this Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my first question actually relates to what the Member for Yellowknife North was talking about, and that's the opportunity to enter into longterm leases with different organizations, different renters, and potentially opening up doors to innovative agreements with the NWT Housing Corporation. So I'm wondering if the Housing Corporation has a policy that leads the way for longterm leases to happen between the Housing Corporation and either Indigenous governments or NGOs in our communities. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this week we heard from the Member from Nunakput or in an exchange between the Member for Nunakput and the Health Minister that Tuktoyaktuk was unable to hire a community health counsellor because they didn't have available housing. And so I'm wondering what type of action this spurs from the NWT Housing Corporation or what type of agreements sorry, what type of partnership conversations happen at the level of the Housing Corporation in response to understanding how lack of housing has an impact on access to mental health counsellors in...
