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 11)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would certainly commit to improving the transparency of the process, the transparency of the decisions made around bonuses. As to exactly the payment of the bonuses, I'm going to take that one away under advisement. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 11)

Madam Chair, I do recognize I think I've made a few commitments to various technical briefings today and, in the interests of making sure that that's done effectively, whether it's in conjunction with one of the others or whether it's on its own, we would certainly come back and better describe and explain the work of the Internal Audit Bureau, including appropriate examples of its work. I guess I'm hesitant to say that we would bring every audit done, but maybe I will work with the Member directly in advance of that briefing to ensure that what we bring forward provides enough information...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 11)

Yes, Madam Chair. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 11)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Not that I am aware of. I can certainly commit to finding out, and depending on the answer to that, of course, it may lead me to more questions in due course. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 11)

Madam Chair, yes, they do. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 11)

Madam Chair, thank you. Any bonuses paid out by a department have to come from within that department's internal funding. There is nothing on a main estimate line that will show an amount for bonuses. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 11)

Madam Chair, I think perhaps Madam Premier could answer this from Intergovernmental Affairs.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 11)

Madam Chair, I am going to ask the deputy minister to assist me on this one. Thank you.

Question 117-19(2): Affirmative Action Policy
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 11)

The constitutional landscape of Canada is ever-shifting. It has been described as a living tree. Obviously, we have to fit our tools and our policies and our rules within that tree, and do our best to ensure that everything within the GNWT is constitutional. That is always our effort. That is always our goal. To the extent that there are technical issues or concerns around that, I will ensure that that's an element or an aspect of the briefing that I propose to engage with the committee, so as to ensure that we are doing the best, both to serve the people of the Northwest Territories and...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 11)

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member is quite correct. There is not a large forced growth estimate in terms of the resources that are in strategic human resources, which doesn't speak to the work that's ongoing in that department to ensure that we are achieving the goals of a representative workforce. Between April 1st and December 31st, for example, 357 courses were being delivered online and in-person, so there is a lot of effort going on there. There's a long list of different programs that are administered at the GNWT.

I do know, Madam Chair, that, if you compare the actuals, some of the...