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 , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a regional office in every different region across the Northwest Territories, and each regional office is responsible for doing that type of maintenance when there are issues. There are a variety of different channels through each post. The deputy minister, the assistant deputy minister who is responsible for regions, and myself as well, are all notified. So when there's -- for instance, when there was the -- earlier this year and the ice roads were melting, we were all involved on various chats and emails and text groups and phone calls to notify...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think that's a specific question I'd like to have conversation with the Member and, if necessary, can report back to the House just in terms of what kinds of exactly supports on what roads and what sections the Member is talking about. I mean, I know we do -- we certainly do send out trucks, depending on the type of year -- what time of year, excuse me, depending on what services may be available. So, again, I know the region would like to make themselves available and would like to ensure that we maintain passable roadways. And so, again, I'd like to...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are inspections and inspectors and roads staff that do go out and inspect all the different roadways. If there's a particular stretch of road that the Member's concerned about or a particular event in specific, I'd be more than happy to look into it. If there was a time when there was a concern that there wasn't enough inspections happening, I know there -- you know, again, so I'd be happy to speak to that specifics. I can say that there's staff in all the regions that do exactly this work, and they report up through the department. Again, I do often...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Mr. Speaker, increasing Indigenous representation in the public service has long been a goal of the Legislative Assembly. Indigenous under-representation within the public service is a complex and multi-dimensional issue and requires a variety of actions to address, from changes to policy and programming, to increasing resources and training opportunities. Historically, Mr. Speaker, the efforts to achieve this goal were championed by Human Resources. We now know we need a more collaborative approach that provides departments with the flexibility they need so they can address barriers that may...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 18)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the first things I asked the department to look at was building a building standards framework for the Northwest Territories. And that can certainly include an accessibility provision within it. That work's only just getting underway, obviously depending upon the passing of the budget, to determine what kind of ability our departments all have to conduct that work, but hopefully we will be in a position to achieve what's in our business plan which is a buildings standards framework and one that includes accessibility within its provisions. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 18)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If it's on any NWT asset, that is a fairly large number of assets, Mr. Speaker, and so I will want to ensure that I am providing an accurate response. I'll have to take that away and see if there are cameras on any asset across the portfolio of the Northwest Territories government. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 18)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Infrastructure does have some buildings where we are the owner, other buildings where we are a lessee. And in some cases, we would support other departments. So I'm not sure if the Member's referring to which of those types of situations. We certainly do have a lot of situations where we have had recently retained security firms to perhaps support particular buildings that are within our purview. And as far as policies, I can certainly get back to the Member. If there's a specific policy, there would have been an procurement process that...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 18)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's my hope that it is a Building Act. Again, at this point, it's in our business plan. It's part of the work that would happen with the department, subject to where we land in terms of our budgets here. But if we are in a position, that is my intention, is that we'll move forward. We have a working group formed now and hoping to get started the process of developing what would go into a Building Act for the Northwest Territories, including what kind of accessibility legislation it would include. That would be what comes in the next fiscal year, or over...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 18)

Mr. Speaker, transportation infrastructure projects play an important role in the economic landscape of the Northwest Territories, providing business and employment opportunities while serving the essential needs of our residents. The Northwest Territories' 27 airports are the lifeline of the North, connecting communities, moving people and essential goods, providing access to critical services like health care, and are crucial during emergencies and evacuations for both residents and responders. We also know that many rely heavily on our airports, particularly in the areas of exploration and...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 18)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that there are cameras that are in use for security purposes. Exactly, again, across the entire portfolio of assets and nature of each one, I'll want to just confirm so that we're always being accurate. And I do want to assure the Member there is work in place right now to ensure there's a policy for the use of any cameras, whether on current or future assets as it may be required. And we'll be happy to take the Member's suggestions to ensure that we have abiding by whatever rules or laws appropriate as they pertain to those cameras...