Deputy Premier Minister of Finance Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation Minister Responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy and Supply Chains
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, Minister 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.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 8, Supplementary Appropriations Act (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 2, 2020-2021 be read for the second time. This bill makes supplementary appropriations for infrastructure expenditures of the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 31)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. Any of these orders, they do have to go through all of Cabinet. They are not just exclusive to one Minister. That said, there is also going to be input from the department. I can't say for sure, but I would expect that if one particular department requires something, that the committee will hear from that department to understand the full context of what's happening and why. Really, again, Madam Chair, my hope would be that there won't, hopefully, be too many of these occasions or that we can do them, but that when we do have to do them, of course, if we are in...
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to proceed with first reading of Bill 10, Temporary Variation of Statutory Time Periods (COVID-19 Pandemic Measures) Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 31)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Any orders here are to be published on a website that will be maintained by the Government of the Northwest Territories. They will also be part of the monthly publication in the Northwest Territories Gazette. Both of those are requirements of the Act itself. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 8, Supplementary Appropriations Act (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 2, 2020-2021, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 31)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Those are all perfect examples. That is exactly the nature of what is being contemplated here. If you sense any kind of reluctance to provide a long laundry list, it's only because, frankly, we don't have the complete list necessarily. A lot of staff are really only getting back into their offices in a more regularized fashion. The examples that I think we've given here from the table, as well as what's been noted by the Member, are all very good examples and exactly the type of thing that's at issue here.
Really, as we begin to move from a more emergency stage and to...
Mr. Speaker, like other departments across the GNWT, the Department of Justice saw its operations, administration programs, and service delivery impacted by COVID-19. Some functions or activities were delayed as more urgent tasks took over and staff were redeployed. Yet, as we begin to take stock of the last few months, there are challenges and opportunities that have appeared. I want to speak today on the response and emerging opportunities within Court Services and Corrections.
Our correctional facilities have implemented numerous measures, including modifying intake assessment procedures and...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 31)
Thank you, Madam Chair. By way of some example, the Business Licence Act required business licences to be renewed by March 31st. So that deadline has, indeed, passed. Similarly, collection agency licences expired on March 31st, so that deadline has passed; and there are a number of government agencies that were required to file reports, often, also by March 31st, and some of those deadlines have passed. I'm not sure to what extent the Members may want me to run through a complete list, or if that gives a good sample. I'm happy to go through a few more examples, Madam Chair.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 30)
Thank you, Madam Chair. At this time, there are no plans for a new courthouse. The cost of a new courthouse would still far and exceed the ability right now to undertake that kind of a project. I can say I believe the lease is 2026. I will correct myself later if I am wrong about that. At this point, it does have a lot of money invested in it, so hopefully, it is more than up to the task over the next short-term coming future. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Chair. As I understand it, this is an opportunity that might well provide the opportunity for there to be development of that industry by developing the regulations themselves. This is the opportunity to, as a starting point, create those regulations, create the policies and the processes associated, and then once those are in place, have available a training program so that there could potentially be, then, an industry that would support more locally produced, harvested foods. Thank you, Madam Chair.
