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, understandably, Members from this side of the House have been holding the Department of Health and Social Services to task this week in this House, but I just wanted to start off with a thank you today during question period.
My two youngest children were vaccinated against COVID19, and I'm incredibly grateful to the Department of Health and Social Services for that.
One of my jokesters asked me if this was his Christmas present and it's probably not his, but it was definitely mine. So thank you very much for that.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister. I can confirm that the people who I serve when I stand in this House would like to not have to pay out of pocket for essential health care and that would be to deliver a child and would like to not have to pay the $400 copayment fee in order to access required health services.
My next question, Mr. Speaker, is will Health and Social Services increase the $50 hotel benefit to a hundred dollars regardless of escort presence to ensure all parents travelling to deliver in Edmonton have access to equitable hotel benefits regardless of...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, housing is in crisis. Lack of adequate and suitable housing has forced families to sacrifice safety, mental wellness, and sobriety; has meant more children in government care; and impedes education levels and education rates.
This is not news to the 900 Northerners on housing wait lists or the thousands living in core need, meaning their home needs repairs, is overcrowded, or unaffordable.
We have one of the highest levels of core housing need in the country, where over 50 percent of housing in NWT communities requires major repairs.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that this is the norm for medical travel, but most medical travel patients aren't travelling for three plus weeks and expected to foot the unexpected bill of thousands of dollars in hotel costs.
What I will also say is that I do have residents in the constituency that I serve who have been reached out by the OBS team and it doesn't seem that the OBS team is able to make decisions on the phone, which I appreciate that this is an evolving situation and is a new situation for everybody. And so I would like Health and Social Services to...
Sorry about that, Mr. Speaker. I'm operating electronically today. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services today, and I'd like to continue my conversation from yesterday.
My first question is will Health and Social Services waive the $400 copayment fee being charged to families for travelling to Edmonton to deliver between December 10th and February 21st. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I see this as an opportunity to create a more equitable birth path in the Northwest Territories. I see this as a voice being lent to the right for people to deliver children in a safe space close to home, close to the community that they reside in, and I think that we need to be able to take this and focus on things like doula programs, like our midwifery program, like bettering the medical travel policies that do exist.
And so I am wondering if the Minister will then please commit to finding out from staff what she is hearing or what they are hearing, rather...
The committee was grateful for the sponsoring Member’s work to draw attention to and advance solutions for the impacts of unaffordable electricity bills on NWT residents, particularly some of his constituents in Nunakput. The committee admired the advocacy and compassion of the sponsoring Member and was sympathetic to the intentions of Bill 23. However, the committee had concerns about some of the potential impacts of Bill 23, most significantly that the bill would likely increase residential electricity rates for all customers.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 30: An Act to Amend the Aurora College Act. Bill 30 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on June 2, 2021, and was referred to the Standing Committee On Social Development for review.
On September 9, 2021, the standing committee held a public hearing on this bill. The committee completed its clause-by-clause review of the bill publicly with the Minister Of Education, Culture, and Employment on this bill on September 27, 2021.
Mr. speaker, the committee reports that Bill 30: An Act to Amend the...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate that. I think that's important information. If we want a viable market, it needs to have value.
Mr. Speaker, my next question is does the department expect to remove the authority of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation in the Northwest Territories; and, if so, what timeline is the department working toward?
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
My first question is will the department commit to advocating on behalf of NWT fishers on the FFMC board to ensure any NWT fishers who wish to supply southern markets can obtain broad exemptions from the corporation within a timely manner? Thank you.
