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.
Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Investment
Statements in Debates
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 23)
Thank you very much Madam Chair. I'm just looking at the time, so I'm going to move on from this one a little bit. I'll come back to it with the Minister at a later time. My next question is in regard to the mental health and addictions line item in the budget. Within COVID, we've talked a lot of mental health and addictions and how the increase in need for mental health supports is huge. Does the Minister foresee that line item going up or them coming back for the need for additional monies because of COVID in relation to mental health and addiction?
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 23)
Thank you very much Madam Chair. Yes, this was a conversation that the Minister of Justice and I had during our last sitting that was cut short. I have let her know that I am coming back around to finish that conversation during this sitting. I appreciate that answer, and I agree that it does need a lead. My next question is in regard to the antipoverty fund and the day shelter fund that is on the next page. Over the course of the last 10 weeks, the day shelter showed up in media quite a bit, and the conversation was around does the day shelter go back to being a day shelter because it turned...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 23)
Thank you, Madam Chair. I would be curious to know if the Minister can speak to what it would cost for them to be able to address the issues raised in the Auditor General's report? Thank you.
As I alluded to in my Member's statement today, one of the most difficult parts about this policy is the market-disruption clause. Is the Minister willing to suspend or remove the market-disruption provision in the SEED policy so that existing NWT businesses can be assured of access to this funding? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, it has not been lost on me that, had this pandemic occurred a year ago, I would have been amongst those northern business owners facing little option for financial support and the threat of closing my business.
Being a business owner in the North is a challenge. In the wake of this pandemic, our small-to-medium business owners are struggling to keep staff on payroll while incurring close to no billable hours. The federal Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy does not subsidize related employees. This means that, in the North, where so many of us are family, many northern businesses don't...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. On March 20th, the GNWT announced a $13.2 million economic relief package for NWT businesses. This plan committed the GNWT to creating a business advisory council. This council has turned into a bit of a hurry-and-wait exercise for businesses that really want an opportunity to provide some feedback. Will the Minister make a commitment that the membership, meeting schedule, and terms of reference of the business advisory council be made public during this sitting? Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Should this be made public, which I hope it will be, is there an appeal process that the department has thought about, for if members of the business community would like to be able to be more readily involved or would like to be able to provide feedback to the terms of reference? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 21)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Just to confirm, both of those positions were added to headquarters? Thank you.
