Caroline Wawzonek

Member Yellowknife South

Deputy Premier
Minister of Finance
Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation
Minister Responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy and Supply Chains

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,  Minister 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

Caroline Wawzonek
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
Mobile
Minister's Office
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Statements in Debates

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...

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have to get back to the Member as to whether there is a policy on cameras that restrict sound, if I understand that correctly. I suspect there probably is not such a specific policy, Mr. Speaker, and so if there's a particular issue that the Member's trying to get at here, I'd be happy to hear it. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have my business plans open in front of me right now. I think for the next fiscal year is the part that I have in mind and the first step already having been achieved is a working group. The next step is the work plan to scope out what should or potentially should be included in a building standards or a Building Act. And that, really, would be the first set of deliverables. Once we know the scope of what would be included, for example, including accessibility, that can determine the size and scope and timeline required for a full Act. I would...

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 17)

Thank you, Mr. Chair, my apologies. I think I just wasn't fast enough getting my hand up. Mr. Chair, just a very brief comment. Certainly, I know I'll just say for my own departments, I did find the comments today very helpful and wanted to encourage, you know, a couple of examples, again, drawing only really from my own departments, but it was just to say when I have my other hat on and not as Member for Yellowknife South, but it is a sincere hope that the business plans can be used in the main estimates reviews that we're about to go through. Having fouryear business plans was something new...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 17)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back in April, the Legislative Assembly played host to youth from across the Northwest Territories for our annual Youth Parliament, something I look forward to every year as we get to hear voices from youth and to hear what they feel is important to the next generation.

The following words in my Member's statement today are those that were written and read in this Legislature by Kagen Ball who represented Yellowknife South as the Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about plans for the Mackenzie Valley Highway. The...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 16)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: 20242025 Corporate Plan for the Northwest Territories Hydro Corporation and Northwest Territories Power Corporation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the process of the review did send out an invitation, I believe at the end of last year, to communities who rely on MTS so that they had the opportunity to participate. I don't have details in front of me confirming which communities did or did not. I know that some did, but I don't know that all responded to that inquiry to participate. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly one of the questions that is part of this review, is what kinds of different governance models we might have for MTS. Not that long ago, MTS was privately owned, and it went into receivership. And when it went into receivership, all of the communities that depend on the resupply were put at risk and at that point is when the government decided to step in. From that point forward, I'm not sure it has ever turned a profit. So if somebody out there wants to take it off our hands, that might be very good news. My concern becomes resupply, to...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the review itself at this point, which is quite close to being completed, doesn't consider, to my knowledge, whether or not to split the operations up, but really, rather, to look at what the different types of models there might be for the operations as a whole. Thank you.