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, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm going to turn that number to Mr. Martin, but I do want to just note that with respect to the extent to which an Indigenous government or community government wants to tell us or make public the amount that they're receiving from the federal government is not entirely up to us, but the Council of Leaders housing group is, I believe, now up and running. I don't know how what frequency or with which it's meeting just yet, but that will be a forum that is significant in achieving exactly what the Member has suggested. As for total numbers, I'll go to Mr...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This motion is of importance to the people of the Northwest Territories. I did intend to make some brief remarks this morning. I'm not entering, obviously, into any sort of a question period. But there has been a process by which the House would follow to keep committees apprised of their work and respond to correspondence from committee relating to any uncertainties about what was proposed.
But for the sake of the public, Mr. Speaker, on April 7th of 2022, Canada announced the implementation of a federal vaping products excised tax that would be effective in October of...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 164)
Thank you, Madam Chair. I believe Madam Chair, there's I this is the end for these two projects. Now, I don't have in front of me whether or not there's any future project lists for or future projects outstanding. But I know there had been some delays. So I just want to confirm, if I could. No, I think from what I am seeing or reading, Madam Chair, I think this is the end. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, when the main estimates are tabled, the focus of the attention generally is predominantly on the ability or the authority to spend the money that we have in that budget. But another item that's in there, and it certainly does get some attention although perhaps not quite as much, is the sheet that includes the authority to borrow. And it's that number now that we're looking to have amended by way of this supplementary appropriation.
So you have the authority to spend, which is the department by department budget lines that we all look at and that are as...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 164)
Madam Chair, I have confirmed this is GNWT land, not it's not something belonging to another entity. So the Department of Lands at one time transferred this to ITI. It is, one way or the other, GNWT owned and not therefore, this dock would then be our responsibility which is why it's coming through this process. Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 164)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, so De Beers Canada was required by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada to do a fish habitat compensation, and that was just part of the regulatory process that they went through. They worked with, I gather, multiple departments of the GNWT in order to identify an appropriate site where they could maximize the usage of that perspective funding for a project that was in need here for the Northwest Territories, and they identified that the Redknife River Bridge, which was built back in 1971, was way beyond its design life and was not providing adequate fish...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 164)
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have Mr. Jim Martin, the vicepresident of finance and infrastructure services for Housing Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents: Mineral Resources Act - Regulation Development Status Report; 20222023 Annual Report Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation; and, 20222023 Interim Financial Statements. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 164)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, Canol Trail is another one that could frankly be a bit of a flagship or it should be a flagship, not a bit of, but should be a flagship in the Northwest Territories. It does have a lot of sections that were still under ownership by the federal government, and there's some concern around overtaking that without doing the kind of proper due diligence to ensure that there's not an excessive amount of remediation that is required. So these ENR is the department that would be the lead in terms of that discussion with the federal government. This capital...
