Caitlin Cleveland

Member Kam Lake

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.

Kam Lake Electoral District

Committees

Kam Lake
Constituency Office
Phone
Minister's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Phone
Extension
11124
Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Investment

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, can the Member clarify if they're speaking in regards to the wage grid regulations?

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, in that top line item there, the $8.2 million to the $6 million, that line item reduction is due to some fiscal sustainability reductions. So for starters, there is a sunset of education renewal and innovation funding but from our fiscal sustainability plan, there's also a switch to virtual meetings related to committee meetings and a reduction of the number of training sessions as well by our student support and wellness programs. There's also a trueup of mentorship allowances and substitute wages to support the budgets under the school funding...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, can I please pass to the assistant deputy minister Mr. Saturnino. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, in the $10.6 million that was mentioned, that federal funding announcement, how those dollars are going to roll out, that plan is being worked on in conjunction with sector stakeholders as well as Indigenous governments and education bodies to make sure that we're all working together. I know that a lot of this comes down to us making sure that we're stacking funding together, that we're working together with additional funding mechanisms to bring it all together and make sure that we are doing what we can with the dollars we have to create more...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, one of the things that is important to know in these two main estimates for 20232024, as well as 20242025, is they both have the funding for the new income assistance program included in them, but because we weren't able to launch that program, the actuals were far less because we weren't able to get those dollars out the door with the new program. I think it's also worth knowing as well that we still have not returned to our prepandemic levels for income assistance uptake as well. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, part of the work under the Canada Council for the Arts grant is to do work through a coordinator whose role is funded through that MOU in order to ensure that we're doing what we can as a territory with the funding that we do have in order to multiple that by accessing additional federal funding as well. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Yes, please.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I want to start off by just pointing out that the two or kind of apples and oranges because one is talking about JK to 12 education; the other's talking about Aurora College, and they're very separate. In regards to the Member's question about the reduction for our territorial schools and administration, that number is enrolment driven. And so while I did, as Minister, use that number to bring to my colleagues within this fiscal sustainability exercise, that is a number that goes up and down year after year because it is based entirely on enrolment...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the department was able to look at the last five years of that spending line item and able to identify that over the last five years, typically $150,000 of that subsidy was not spent. And so I would absolutely love the opportunity to go over budget on that line item this year and would challenge my colleagues to help me find employers willing to help us do that. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Chair, the spaces in Tlicho region would be licensed spaces so any space that is licensed would be included in that 1,956.