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

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 134)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is the final budget of the 19th Assembly. It provides a final opportunity to consolidate the work we have done during the 19th Assembly, set wheels in motion for the future, and ensure we end this Assembly in better financial shape than when we started.

In this budget, we show both responsiveness to the needs of the Northwest Territories and responsible fiscal management through a rightsized approach that recognizes needs and opportunities as well as our capacity to attain them.

This budget comes as we maintain stability across the Northwest Territories...

Tabled Document 808-19(2): Additional Information for Return to Written Question 54-19(2): Carbon Tax and the Cost of Living
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 133)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Additional Information for the Return to Written Question 5419(2), Carbon Tax and the Cost of Living. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister’s Statement 296-19(2): Notice of Budget Address
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 133)

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will deliver the budget address on Wednesday, February 8th, 2023. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 71: Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2023-2024, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 132)

Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 71, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 20232024, be read for the third time. And Madam Speaker, I would request a recorded vote.

Bill 71: Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2023-2024
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 132)

Madam Speaker, I wish to present to the House that Bill 71, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 20232024, be read for the first time. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Question 1299-19(2): Budget Transparency
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 132)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I'm going to take a bit from my colleague down the way here and the Minister of Infrastructure. The Department of Infrastructure really does have the lead for a large portion of the capital projects that go through, and that department, in response to concerns like this, is actually developing a dashboard. It will be a public dashboard and will be providing exactly the kind of synopsis that the Member's describing. And I can certainly commit to keep him updated as to the progress on that dashboard, or I'm sure my colleague will. Thank you, Madam Speaker...

Question 1299-19(2): Budget Transparency
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 132)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I think this question actually came up, or a version of it, during Committee of the Whole. And the Members were assured there is an asset management plan, and there is a very thorough process by which we are keeping track of all of the assets of the government and the capital needs and any, you know, needs for maintenance, etcetera, through all the departments, particularly the Department of Infrastructure.

Now with respect to where the question actually got to, which is whether or not we'll be publishing a 20year capital or the 20year capital needs...

Minister’s Statement 292-19(2): Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 132)

Madam Speaker, as the Minister responsible for the public service I can say without question that the employees are the GNWT's most important resource. An engaged workforce that is committed to its work is critical to the delivery of quality programs and services to residents across the territory. This is why the Government of the Northwest Territories, like many other public and private sector employers in Canada, wants to ensure that public servants are engaged and satisfied at work.

This past year, the GNWT completed the first Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey since 2016. This...

Bill 71: Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2023-2024, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 132)

Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Boot Lake, that Bill 71, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 20232024, be read for the second time.

This bill authorizes the Government of the Northwest Territories to make appropriations for infrastructure expenditures for the 20232024 fiscal year. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Question 1299-19(2): Budget Transparency
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 132)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So, again, Madam Speaker, that unusual consensus government process is that Members who would be on these sort of, quote unquote, "other side of the House" do get what are called substantiation sheets. That does give a fair bit of detail about upcoming projects. And it does include the budgetary detail that, again, right now most governments would consider to be not part of good procurement practice to be sharing publicly. So that's why those don't go out. But the point of the dashboard a part of the dashboard, the purpose of the dashboard I was just describing, is...