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 14)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can make a commitment to the Member to follow up with the chair of the board of governors for sure. When I previously met with the chair of the board of governors and asked what their priority was, they identified their priority as housing. Not for assistance with transformation. And so I can go back to the board of governors and ask if -- where they're at, and I can reflect on the appearance before committee because I think that there was some information that was inconsistent with information that I have as well so I think it's important that we align...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 14)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my apologies to interpreters, not a great start out of the gates. I was speeding right through that last one. So I will slow down.

Mr. Speaker, thank you to the Member. So to start off, we've already missed some milestones as the Member referred to in their Member's statement. So I do have intentions of reissuing and working with the existing board of governors on the strategic mandate document with them. I will be issuing a letter shortly here that -- because the existing one expires in July, so shortly I'll be issuing a letter calling on the board of governors to...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 14)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following documents: Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 12-20(1): Children's First Society Funding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 14)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this summer is going to be the time where residents are going to see the launch of the new program for persons who are seniors and persons with disabilities for income assistance. So there has been a long wait for that new program to be activated, and currently staff are training on that new program.

One of the things that I think is really exciting about this as well is to acknowledge administrative burdens and to reduce administrative burdens, staff at ECE have already been using the new forms with their existing clientele, and they've been doing...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 14)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member. I was taking notes and listening to the Member's statement and appreciate her sharing the lived experiences of members of her communities. Currently, the notice of assessment, if a client is unable to provide their notice of assessment to their client navigator, the client navigator is able to get the information directly from the Canada Revenue Agency. But, unfortunately, this is not available until after June. And so leading up to June, clients are required to provide proof of filing their taxes by April 30th and then able to also to work...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 14)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, through our Alberta curriculum, when we were working with Alberta on all of our curriculum across the territory, ECE monitored literacy levels through the annual administration of the Alberta achievement tests. Those tests were done in, I believe, grade 6 and grade 9, so that we would have kind of a baseline and then you would follow students and be able to test them again and see where they were at. And those began in 2007.

With our transition to BC, we will eventually have the BC foundational skills assessments across grades 4 and 7 and graduation...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Member bringing us back to this section because I wasn't able to do this earlier. It's hard to see when people are sitting above us. But I wanted to recognize Heather Nakehk'o who is a constituent who was here with us earlier. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month the 20th Legislative Assembly affirmed its commitment to building a strong economic foundation. We live in a digital world where so much economic potential exists in digital economies because, for starters, that is where consumers are. Today, consumers purchase more goods and services online, looking for more convenience through ecommerce and expecting more personalized offerings. Today, there is a much greater need for businesses to have a strong online presence and tap into market spaces into living rooms down the street, beyond our...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 12)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I find that the news isn't all bad. A lot of people that I've had the opportunity to speak with, parents included, are quite excited by the opportunity presented to the Northwest Territories by the BC curriculum. That said, I do have meetings booked with education bodies in April, and I'm very excited to get their feedback at that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 12)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. No, I hear what the Member is saying, absolutely. But whatever I provide right now has to be provided to future students down the road, and I am  I've done the research in the previous Assembly on this one. I've spoken to students who are part of that minority of students that are looking for that. I understand that trends in postsecondary education are changing across the country and that people are taking on average five years to do their bachelor degree these days instead of the four, and they are wanting to continue on and potentially do a law degree or a...