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.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, indeed, this is an area where, while health and social services is the lead for food security generally, ITI certainly plays a significant role, and we are responsible for the agricultural sector as well as for community gardens and providing some funds to them. I certainly know, and I'm confident that the department is working directly with communities, that regional superintendents are working with those communities, and are tracking the amounts of growth in the sector. There, indeed, has been a lot of growth in the community garden sector. And in...
Mr. Speaker, no one should wait. No one should wait. And, Mr. Speaker, I would encourage people the Department of Finance does now have a full online reporting mechanism around Indigenous employment and around the Indigenous recruitment and retention framework. It includes all of the different steps that we had put to ourselves to achieve under the framework. It also now has publicized the targets for hiring of Indigenous candidates, and reporting on all of the implementation of that has begun. So no one should wait. That should be a tool, and the department should be held to it. All...
Thank you, Madam Chair. On my left, I have Kelly Mahoney, the director of policy, legislation, and communications. And on my right, Victoria Carmichael, legislative drafter.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can't obviously speak for the executive as its entirety since that, again, is a policy that belongs to Cabinet as a whole. But I would certainly say that, yes indeed, the Government of the Northwest Territories is firm in its commitment to prioritize the hiring of northern Indigenous candidates and firm in its commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Mr. Speaker, much has happened over these last four years, not the least of which is a public service strategic plan, which we didn't have before, the Indigenous recruitment and retention framework...
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I am here this evening to present Bill 83, Liquor Act.
The bill addresses the recommendations resulting from the review of the Northwest Territories liquor legislation completed by the Department of Finance in 2022. The liquor legislation review resulted in several recommendations. 20 percent of those recommendations were directly related to the Liquor Act, and the remaining 80 percent of recommendations related to the liquor regulations or the operations that support those regulations.
Bill 83 was drafted to directly address the 20 percent of...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 165)
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can't see behind me, but I do believe that Mike and Shanli Carlson are still here, Mr. Speaker. They certainly were here in the House, and I am very proud to recognize them, particularly today, as residents of Yellowknife South. Miss Shanli is an absolute joy, and I am very pleased to have her around my house. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is not a decision that I make by myself on this one. The Affirmative Action Policy, although a policy, is one that belongs to all the Cabinet. And as with almost everything else it seems in people's lives over the last few weeks, there's been a number of disruptions over this wildfire season and summer. So there is still a little bit of time left in the Assembly, Mr. Speaker. It is a Cabinet's policy. A lot of work has gone into it. And at this point, I can't speak for it beyond that other than to say a lot of work has gone into it, and we will certainly...
Mr. Speaker, the regulations for the Northwest Territories Mineral Resources Act define the first madeintheNorthwest Territories approach to governing mineral development. That is not the only thing that makes them historic. They are the first legal instrument to be developed in their entirety under the legislative development protocol set out by the Northwest Territories Intergovernmental Agreement on Lands and Resource Management.
Later this afternoon, I will be tabling a report highlighting the status and success of the Intergovernmental Council’s collaborative process. This collaboration...
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the language around what the deadline and the reporting would be was crafted jointly. I'm not sure if perhaps legislative counsel wants to speak more to that.
