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, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the C.D. Howe Report Institute, Commentary No. 595, Aggressive Incrementalism: Strengthening the Foundations of Canada's Approach to Childcare. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much to the Minister for that. I'm wondering if the Minister will prioritize reaching out to the Minister of Health and Social Services and prioritizing working on the pieces that would be of most help to youth in care and youth aging out of care? Thank you.
Short is not my skill set, Mr. Speaker. No, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that we can't bind the next government but this is an opportunity to really call on the government to focus on housing and addressing youth homelessness for youth aging out of care in the legislative proposal that comes forward from the government. And I think that this is something that's needed when asking - you know, we heard a question today about whether or not this homelessness strategy is actually going to solve homelessness. This is something very specific and very strategic that the government can do to address...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate that from the Minister. Mr. Speaker, other jurisdictions have acknowledged the challenges of youth exiting government care by creating legislation, policies, and resources to directly help youth transition from care. There are some creative solutions out there that help address this. One example that I wanted to highlight in the House today is agedout.com. It's a web page dedicated to BC young adults who have aged out of government care, and I really highly recommend people take a look at it.
Even within this website, Mr. Speaker, youth can...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, two years ago, this government tabled a procurement review report published by an independent review panel. The report highlighted the concerns of northern business about communication and procedural fairness of how bids are administered, advertised, or requested, and how the government is evaluating value for dollar. Businesses identified concerns about being shut out of opportunities to apply on bids and do not believe their BIP status is giving them the intended advantage.
Mr. Speaker, we have yet to see a response from the GNWT to the procurement review...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 158)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, to my left is Glen Rutland, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 158)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I am pleased to speak to Bill 90, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 5, in my capacity as a Member of the Board of Management.
Members accepted the recommendation of the independent commission on Members' pay and benefits to reduce the base salary for Regular Members by $4,000. A Regular Member can earn back this $4,000 through participation on two standing committees. This bill allows for this $4,000 to be increased at the same rate as the base salary for Members to ensure that the base rate between Regular Members and...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I would like to say thank you to the other side. I think that there's great opportunity that can come from this, especially for youth who are aging out of care. I'm wondering if the Minister will commit to tabling a status report on this in the following sitting? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would really love to see a portal created for youth so that youth have access to information that they're looking for. So I'm wondering if the Minister responsible for Youth is willing to work on a portal so that youth can access stuff like applications for housing, low income housing, applications for identification; there could be a link to information on student financial assistance. The options are endless. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
