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 , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Yes, I would.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, this is a matter of timing of why it comes before the House. So the modular units were in Yellowknife and were due to be dismantled and then find their new home. And so that work was already underway, and so part of the costs here actually have already been incurred. And then they were to be moved -- then meanwhile, also there was site preparation underway up in Tuktoyaktuk to receive the modulars when they arrived there. And a fair bit of the cost actually was related to demobilizing and deconstructing and then preparing the site. The transportation costs...

Tabled Document 115-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 55-19(2): Report on Bill 55: United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Implementation Act
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 55-19(2), Report on Bill 85: United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Implementation Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am not. I suspect the Member might be.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, the Public Utilities Board is an independent body, so it is to them that we would be submitting this for their review by technical experts who are independent from NTPC. In addition to which, Mr. Chair, the NTPC is also audited by the Office of the Auditor General and so, again, any expenses incurred and costs incurred, etcetera, will go through that process as well. Thank you.

Question 276-20(1): Gravel Source near Tsiigehtchic
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

(audio).

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this is the kind of an infrastructure investment that is unlikely to find a federal funding partner. As such, it would be entirely borne by the Government of the Northwest Territories, which would therefore take away from the funding that we put towards health care centres, long-term care, and education, which are also fully funded by the Government of the Northwest Territories. So at this point, no, there is not a current plan to investigate spending possibly upwards of a $100 million on a standalone facility in Yellowknife for this purpose. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Sorry, Mr. Chair. I don't have great ears in this room. So that's the post-construction report, and that is going to be part of the submission that is made for the 2024-2025 GRA that the Public Utilities Board has requested. I believe that is due by the end of December.

Question 276-20(1): Gravel Source near Tsiigehtchic
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I would suggest is I can work with MACA to determine if this is a community government need or ECE if this is, in fact, a land resource or permitting need to help identify what, in fact, it is that might be holding up the community of Tsiigehtchic from being able to apply or seek opportunity to access gravel resources. So I'll certainly commit to go and work with my colleagues through Infrastructure and through their offices, figure out where the barriers or bottlenecks might be, and work then directly with the community to see if they can move...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't have that detail in front of me. Thank you.