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

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 29)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am going to turn that one over to the assistant deputy Minister, Mr. Koe.

Bill 7: Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), 2020-2021
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 29)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 7, Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), 2020-2021, be read for the second time. This bill authorizes the Government of the Northwest Territories to make appropriations for operations expenditures for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. It also sets out limits on amounts that may be borrowed by the Commissioner on behalf of the government, includes information in respect of all existing borrowing and all projected borrowing for the fiscal year, and authorizes the making of disbursements to pay the...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 29)

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Minister of Health and Social Services can provide more detail.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 29)

Sorry, Madam Chair. No, that certainly wasn't my understanding of what the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment was saying; just that the total project estimation does require an estimation and that process is not perfect. I'm not sure if the Minister has anything to add.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 29)

Sorry, Madam Chair. The answer is yes, but there is a fairly large question there around getting into the justification for a project that, again, began in the 18th Assembly, and there is possibly a bigger conversation around why we would have a P3 project in general.

Yes, I will commit to getting some more detail about the nature of the project and the nature of the agreement, the pros and cons of the agreement, and the benefits thereof. If that is a satisfactory commitment to the Member, then that is where I am at. If I am missing something, I will be corrected, I'm sure.

Tabled Document 131-19(2): Follow-up Letter for Oral Questions 232-19(2): Mental Health Support for Staffing at South Mackenzie Correctional Centre
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 29)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following documents: "Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021;" and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 232-19(2), Mental Health Support for Staffing at South Mackenzie Correctional Centre." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 29)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Much like all of the other opportunities that are being provided through the fibre optics projects, if this does proceed, and I don't know that it's at a stage of being confirmed as a procedure, it would run as a point of access and then it would be up to partnering with the Internet service providers to support the last mile. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 29)

Thank you, Madam Chair. My understanding is that that is still the plan.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 29)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, being an infrastructure supplementary that deals largely with carry-overs, I don't know that I have the total amount spent on renovations with me. I take that back. I might. If I could ask the director to answer the question or attempt to answer the question for me, please. Director of the Management Board Secretariat, please.

Question 313-19(2): Providing GNWT Staff Who Leave the Territories with Two Weeks Special Leave
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 29)

There have been a lot of conversations happening at the Department of Finance around how to support workers who are either on leave or having to return, depending on the nature of the travel, if they have to take 14 days. I am certainly not suggesting that this is a definite program that is, in fact, in play, only that we have had to consider what we are going to do if staff are suddenly told, "No, you can't take leave," or "If you take leave, you still have to self-isolate," without getting some sense of when such a change would take place. Certainly, up to this point, a lot of generous leave...