Caroline Wawzonek

Member Yellowknife South

Deputy Premier
Minister of Finance
Minister of Infrastructure
Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation

Caroline Wawzonek was first elected to the 19th Legislative Assembly in 2019 as the Member for Yellowknife South. Ms. Wawzonek served as Minister of Justice,  Minster of Finance, Minister responsible for the Status of Women and the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. In 2023, Ms. Wawzonek was acclaimed to the 20th Legislative Assembly and returned to Executive Council as Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance, Minister of Infrastructure and the Minister Responsible for the NWT Power Corporation.
 
Ms. Wawzonek holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary (2000) and a law degree from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law (2005). Her academic journey included language studies in China and Taiwan, as well as legal internships in the Philippines and England. Born in Calgary, AB, she has called Yellowknife home since 2007.
 
After establishing her criminal law practice post-admission to the Law Society of the NWT, Ms. Wawzonek appeared in all levels of NWT courts and engaged in circuit court travel. She later joined Dragon Toner, expanding her practice to general litigation and administrative law until becoming a member of the 19th Assembly.
 
Since 2007, she has taken on leadership roles in the legal community, including the presidency of the Law Society of the Northwest Territories (LSNT), section chair for the Canadian Bar Association Northwest Territories Branch (CBA-NT), and committee membership in various working groups. Her community involvement extends to appointments in multiple Yellowknife organizations, and she received a national award in 2017 for her contributions to Canadian Women in Law.
 
Ms. Wawzonek, a mother of two, enjoys running, paddleboarding, and time outdoors.
 

Committees

Board of Management
Yellowknife South
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Office
(867) 767-9143
Extension
12177
Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance, Minister of Infrastructure, and Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation
Mobile
867-445-7437
Minister
Email
Email

Statements in Debates

Committee Motion 385-19(2): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 881-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Madam Chair, I don't have that level of detail for the supplementary appropriation, but I can commit to providing that.

Minister’s Statement 340-19(2): Accelerated Digital Adoption Projects for Tomorrow Fund
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation, or BDIC, is excited about business development and digital transformation opportunities in the territory. As we shift to a digital economy where consumers are purchasing more goods and more services online, looking for ecommerce convenience and expecting vendors to personalize offerings, there is a greater need to support businesses to establish or increase their online presence. I am pleased to announce the introduction of the Accelerate Digital Adoption Projects for Tomorrow Fund...

Committee Motion 383-19(2): Committee Report 43-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Bill 63: An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act – Indigenous Languages Legislative Changes, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this is a $200 million asset with some of the budgets dating back to 2013, so probably an asset that is worth far more than that today. It's an asset that was built through a P3, which gave us the ability to not pay that full cost value of that asset, and yet to be able to have a point of presence for the internet across and up the entire value. And today, Madam Chair, earlier there was raised with me the fact that the auditor general putting out a report about telecommunications. Again, I only had a very brief opportunity to look at it, but one of the...

Committee Motion 385-19(2): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 881-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I gather there has been some work done internally within the government as to their satisfaction with ISSS. That was done on the operations side. But I can endeavour to see what information may be available. Thank you.

Committee Motion 383-19(2): Committee Report 43-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Bill 63: An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act – Indigenous Languages Legislative Changes, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Yes, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 385-19(2): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 881-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, let me see if Ms. Melanson might have that at her fingertips. I don't have it.

Committee Motion 383-19(2): Committee Report 43-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Bill 63: An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act – Indigenous Languages Legislative Changes, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I don't know that any parties to any contracts want to end up in any kind of dispute resolution mechanism. I mean, that's I'd go so far as to say they don't. That's not the preferred course of action for anyone related to a contract, including the GNWT. We can't certainly control when entities want to make claims against the GNWT. There are times where that is going to happen. And this happened in this particular instance. Again, it's an almost $200 million project. And that was back starting in, you know, now a decade ago so certainly worth, no doubt...

Committee Motion 385-19(2): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 881-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, ISSS or information shared system services within Finance is now managing the LTOS project so that's why it is going there. Thank you.

Bill 84: An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation Act
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, March 29th, 2023, I will present Bill 84, An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Committee Motion 385-19(2): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 881-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, well, depending on the timing of it, there can certainly be, you know, a cash flow situation that would require a shortterm debt but in general at this point in the fiscal year, we can look back and say that that if there was a projected surplus, then this these amounts come out of whatever that projected surplus would be or eats into that, as you might say, which then, in turn, takes away money that would be available for the capital investments. And in this case, there was a projected surplus and that, between the supplementary appropriations and the...