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's Office
Email
Email

Statements in Debates

Bill 38: Supplementary Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 20252026
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Bill 38, Supplementary Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2025-2026, be read for the second time. This bill makes supplementary appropriations for infrastructure expenditures of the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 36: Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2026-2027
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North that Bill 36, Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2026-2027, be read for the second time. This bill authorizes the Government of the Northwest Territories to make appropriations for infrastructure expenditures for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 38: Supplementary Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 20252026
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 38, Supplementary Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2025-2026, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 36: Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2026-2027
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 36, Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2026-2027, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there is actually quite a lot going on in both of these, so I'm happy to provide some further information, and either whether it's myself appropriately through the information side or whether it's through minister McKay's side, we could certainly provide something that can be made available and perhaps a tabled letter so that the public knows what's coming as well. I agree with the Member's point here. There's a lot of information in front of me about what these systems have, and I would agree that it's important to put that to the public. So rather than trying...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Let me see if the chief information officer has that here. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 69)

Thank you, please, Mr. Chair.

Question 869-20(1): Selection Criteria for Northwest Territories Power Corporation Board Members
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is right, we have done a letter of direction to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. It's been some time since there was a document like this done, so this was another good opportunity for some renewal on behalf of the government to the power corporation. And the letter includes strategic directions, so things -- you know, first and foremost, ensuring that we keep affordability at the front of our minds and looking for ways to enhance that affordability with, you know, increasing the diversity of energy resources available as well as putting growth...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 69)

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Question 863-20(1): Effects of Climate Change in the Northwest Territories
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do want to reaffirm that the net zero goal is still there, that we would be at net zero by 2050. There certainly are different ways that we might reach that goal, whether it's through the simple attrition of industrial measures or whether it's through something more proactive. And there's small scale and larger scale efforts underway, everything from the EV corridor to the border that we do already have, to a Taltson upgrade that is advancing, I would suggest, far quickly than it has in many years, though still some work to go. Having the integrated --...