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

Board of Management
Caroline Wawzonek
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

Committee Motion 385-19(2): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 881-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Madam Chair, Ms. Melanson has a brief description. I propose she provide it.

Committee Motion 383-19(2): Committee Report 43-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Bill 63: An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act – Indigenous Languages Legislative Changes, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. There was quite a number of comments made, Madam Chair. I was hoping I might have an opportunity to respond to some of them?

Committee Motion 385-19(2): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 881-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Not as of yet. This is only the first sort of well, this will be the first full Assembly where ISSS has been in existence. So I don't know that and with the two years that were somewhat lost to COVID, I don't know that we would have been in a position at this point. But certainly the Department of Finance, including ISSS, has been part of the government renewal process and is live to the fact that we're shifting towards a more evaluative process. So I'll certainly take note of the Member's comments and can report back to the department and see where and when we would...

Committee Motion 383-19(2): Committee Report 43-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Bill 63: An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act – Indigenous Languages Legislative Changes, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 20222023. These supplementary estimates propose a total increase of $24.044 million, comprised of the following items:

$27.75 million to provide funding for the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link Project;

$205,000 to increase the total project budget for the Land Tenure Optimization System; and,

A decrease of $4.886 million to adjust infrastructure project cash flows to realign the appropriations with the anticipated project schedules.

These estimates also propose the supplementary appropriations...

Committee Motion 385-19(2): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 881-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Estimating or projecting $4 million at this point.

Committee Motion 383-19(2): Committee Report 43-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Bill 63: An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act – Indigenous Languages Legislative Changes, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, again, the total project cost isn't the total necessarily that the GNWT's paid for it. I am providing the total project cost as an estimate. But, again, I'm somewhat constrained because it wasn't a total project cost by the GNWT. It was paid for by this other entity. That's the nature of having a P3 partner design and build a project and deliver it. And they ran into some significant issues in the course of that project, which we didn't then have to have the risk for. So the claim that was made and the settlement that was reached, as in the case of many...

Committee Motion 385-19(2): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 881-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm sure we can do that. Thank you.

Bill 83: Liquor Act
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Mr. Speaker, I will give notice that on Wednesday, March 29th, 2023, I will present Bill 83, the Liquor Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Committee Motion 385-19(2): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 881-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, let me take that back to the department. I don't have a ready answer as to why that wouldn't be a chart that could be included. Thank you.

Committee Motion 383-19(2): Committee Report 43-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Bill 63: An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act – Indigenous Languages Legislative Changes, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 150)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the Member's quite right. This is within what is termed the contingent liabilities that are budgeted for and that are reported upon. It's a larger sum initially. It comes it's in the public accounts. It's a larger sum. It's reported as an aggregate precisely because there's often either the discussions towards resolution aren't advanced enough to know whether they should be within contingent liabilities or they're at a stage where it would not be strategically wise for the GNWT to put itself out and say well, we think a matter should settle at X dollars...