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 12)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know there is a budget for leadership training and for corrections training generally, and I think it probably does fall within this area, so I will leave it to the Member for her next question. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 12)

Thank, Mr. Chair. It certainly is my intention as a Minister to ensure that any new programs that are being offered to members of the public do receive appropriate media or other types of communications. I would just note for the Member that, at this point, when I say the end of March, that will be when the applications are going to be accepted. I don't want to create a false expectation on the part of the public that they would then turn around and immediately have recalculations done with finality. I think perhaps, with respect to when the communication goes out in a formal fashion, it might...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 12)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I acknowledge that there certainly has been a delay since even, I believe, the date that I provided to the House with respect to some aspects of the process. In order to have a cannabis store, there was first an RFQ, request for qualifications, that was sent out this summer, and then there needed to be an RFP, a request for proposals. That process was due out in January. I acknowledge that it's now not January. I am assured that that will be complete and that that will public this month. I will certainly ensure that I am doing my best to follow up on that date. At...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 12)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. They don't necessarily need to be a resident of Yellowknife in order to. My understanding, anyhow, is that they don't need to be a resident of Yellowknife at the time of being accepted. Acceptance is based more on a referral, and referrals have to come in through a service provider within the social envelope that are participants in the ICM program. I can certainly confirm, and I've been told stories directly about individuals who have continued to receive services through the ICM program even when they have returned home to their home communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 12)

Mr. Chair, obviously, if I'm wrong about this, I will bring a correction back, but my understanding is that the Office of the Oil and Gas Regulator puts together their financial budgeting, just the same as any other department. It does go to the Department of Finance to be compiled together with all the main estimates that then come before the committee in the same fashion as the other items that the numbers that are here are generally put together through a business planning process. Obviously, all of the main estimates here didn't have quite the same business planning process because of the...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 12)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On my right, I have Charlene Doolittle. She is the deputy minister. On my left, I have Mandi Bolstad, director of corporate services.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 12)

Mr. Chair, when I attended, myself, down in Hay River and had a tour, they described engaging with everything from businesses to local volunteer organizations, to provide both sort of placements and just involvement and to engage them so that they are aware of what the program is and what the opportunities to involve might be. That's not a very specific answer, and at this point, the reason it's not very specific is because some of the details of exactly who might be involved depends on the willingness of those partners to be involved. What I would suggest, Mr. Chair, is that I would commit to...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 12)

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. In terms of the requests made versus actual success rates, I take it that that's, and I am getting a head nod. Yes, we will do our best. I assume that those numbers are tracked, and if they are, I think we can provide that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 12)

A number of initiatives have been begun in the last few months as a response to the fact that there were some challenges with this building when it initially came online. It's always expected that there is going to be some difficulty with a building that is the size and complexity of Stanton Territorial Hospital. Indeed, this hospital is arguably one of if not the most complex building ever undertaken by the Northwest Territories government, certainly one of the most technical in terms of the kinds of equipment, so while we are cognizant that there have been challenges, there is work under way...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 12)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It was pointed out to me just now, and I want to correct the record that the increase in contract services was exclusively for guns and gangs. It was a reduction on the ICM side, so I apologize for misstating that. With respect to community justice, the increase there, there's a number of reasons for the increase. This is where you get into contribution agreement to victim services. It is one reason for the increase. The increase is in resources to integrated case management of $276,000, as well as some increases as a result of the collective agreement that are increasing...