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

Yellowknife South
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Extension
12177
Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance, Minister of Infrastructure, and Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation
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Minister
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Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am also on the special committee. I also heard the recommendations that were put to us just last week with respect to the fact that governments have to ensure that direction comes from the very top.

So I appreciate the fact that the Member routinely gives the opportunity for us, all of us in this room as elected leadership, but particularly for me as the Minister have the opportunity to speak here in the House and speak to the public service to say that this is the vision of what we have for an inclusive public service, to have a diverse...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Finance, human resources has quite a wide range of programs that are meant to actually avoid roadblocks and overcome roadblocks.

I'd point, for example, to the Indigenous recruitment well, sorry. Not to the framework but to the Gateway Program, to the Internship Program, to the Regional Recruitment Program. There's quite a number of opportunities for people from across the Northwest Territories to become involved.

The department of human resources offers counselling in terms of preparing one's resume, of how to prepare for...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following six documents entitled FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 49419(2) Economic Recovery; FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 50519(2) Home Insurance; FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 59219(2) Development of the Northwest Territories Remediation Economy; FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 61619(2) Government of the Northwest Territories Open Government Portal; FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 67119(2) Public Services Supporting Northern Businesses; and FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 69919(2) Northern Students Recruitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this involves more than one department, including the Department of Finance, and my primary message, Mr. Speaker, please, if anyone out there has a specific example of red tape that is impacting on a small or medium sized business, please, please send that example to @email, and because, shockingly, we haven't received as many responses as we would have hoped.

So while the red tape committee is focused on, again, small, mediumsized businesses, you know, at this point, I would say just send the examples that you have, because I hear...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no, the GRIT program isn't being renewed. But the good news is that a lot of work has gone into identifying what can be rolled out.

As we've been saying, I think, since early on, the role of the Government of the Northwest Territories is to complement and to help fill gaps when federal partners are not providing certain resources or have maximized what they are able to provide. And in this case, certainly have been waiting to see what CanNor would make available through or directly to Tourism or Hospitality.

As it is now, of...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Affirmative Action Policy is obviously one aspect of what goes on during the course of a hiring practice. It's a very important one. But with respect to more widespread issues, again, Mr. Speaker, the department of human resources supports all of the departments of the Government of the Northwest Territories. All of the departments of the Government of the Northwest Territories have a role to play here.

And, indeed, earlier in the Member's statement, I heard describing of a hiring culture and of a hiring structure. Well, again, we've...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Finance is one of the first two departments that will be going through the government renewal process. That process is already underway. It's begun. And as such, a human resources branch, being part of the Department of Finance, of course is going to be going through that as well.

But, Mr. Speaker, that's not the end of that, the work that's happening with human resources. We also are well underway in having the Indigenous recruitment retention framework actioned and developed, and that will also be providing a further human resources tool...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now, ITI staff in the region, not only are they, of course, themselves no doubt suffering and experiencing directly the impacts of the floods, but I know that they have been involved in the front lines of helping with the efforts to really just provide immediate necessities and having immediate needs addressed.

So, you know, a course of thankyous should be made as well to ITI staff there who I know are working very hard on that frontline. With respect to what's going to come next, Mr. Speaker, we've been doing a lot of relief and...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the insurance waiver wasn't intended to be a oneyear initiative; however, it was focused on those who aren't making offerings to the public. So there certainly are going to continue to be a requirement for some regulatory oversight and some insurance oversight for tourism operators when they are offering their services to the public.

That said, Mr. Speaker, there are, as I've said, programs that are imminently, I hope, going to be rolling out, other programs that I expect will that are ready available through various other, you know, funding...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 73)

Again, when the request is made, there is no discretion on the Minister to issue the licence. I did, in fact, what was required, which was to shall-issue the licence. That was what was done. As far as the rental fee structure, as previously noted, again, in this instance, the advice was received in the context of, again, a situation where I have no discretion to issue the licence. With respect to a rental fee structure, there was none in the original call for bids or exploration licence documents. As such, the advice I have received and that I have relied on is that we will not be putting any...