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

Caitlin Cleveland
Kam Lake
Minister's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

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

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I hear the Member. I heard the Member's statement. I hear the Member's concerns of her constituents that she continues to raise. The intent of doing the site assessments was to determine whether or not the site was, even to begin, viable for a North Slave campus. And so as always, there is a commitment to keep the public informed, to seek meaningful input on decisions that absolutely may affect residents of the Northwest Territories, and so I want to recognize and acknowledge that the Tin Can Hill is obviously a site that's very...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will admit that there are some fine lines between what decisions were made with the GNWT and what decisions will ultimately be the board of governors for Aurora College. So I will acknowledge the Member's frustration and that, but I'm happy to continue that conversation.

The phase two of the site assessment is now done. It is highly technical information that I'm going to be honest that is something that I need to be able to work with the experts within multiple departments in order to understand what is required so that I can make sure that I'm...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Mr. Speaker, skilled tradespeople are needed everywhere, now more than ever. Apprentices and journeypersons are a vital part of our economy. They literally keep the wheels turning, buildings standing, water flowing, and the lights on. These careers offer good pay, advancement opportunities, mobility, and lifelong learning. Becoming a tradesperson means taking charge of your future and aligning your interests and skills with a rewarding career. Getting there requires certification, and the Government of the Northwest Territories is here to provide comprehensive support. We offer career planning...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think it's worth saying that this project is led by the federal government. We do not as the GNWT hold the reins on this project. I think that it is an accumulation of everything that I have mentioned here today. It is also a matter of making sure that projects are right-sized for the Northwest Territories which I know in having sat down with one of the key leaders on that project that they are doing what they can to make sure that projects are broken down and they do have a focus of northern procurement. However, they do work within the federal...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will have to check in with the department that actually owns those reports. It is not ECE that owns those reports at the end of the day. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm always happy to respond to the board anytime they reach out to me. It would certainly depend on whether or not the board was welcoming of that but I will support the board any way that I can and any way that, you know, works well for us. But I certainly can't dictate to the board how they choose to do their operations. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess there's a couple different ways that I can answer this question. And I'm not trying to be evasive of the Member at all. I think there's a few different ways that we can kind of interpret these questions. But for within the example say of diamond mine, fly-in/fly-out work is not for everyone. I know over the course of the last two decades, a lot of people who started working in diamond mining aren't necessarily there. Some have chosen to return to employment in their communities or return to life at home. But certainly a fly-in/fly-out isn...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance has a number of procurement practices, and the strongest one being the Business Incentive Policy that is used for procurement practices with all GNWT procurement. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ultimately the decision of where the North Slave campus will go rests with the board of governors, so I would need to make sure that I'm getting direction from the board of governors as to whether or not they would like to hold on to that site or see that MOU go. But for right now, I don't have that information because that's not a decision that rests with the GNWT; it's a decision that ultimately rests with the board. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Member continuing to bring up the concerns of her residents around Tin Can Hill for much of the last ten months. The Tin Can Hill site was originally identified for the proposed Yellowknife North Slave Campus for Aurora College. The site is currently owned by the city of Yellowknife, so some work needed to be done to assess whether or not it was an appropriate location to consider. So prior to any potential land transfer, an environmental site assessment was required to be done. There was a phase one that was done. At the...