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 131)

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to have two of my younger constituents in the building acting as pages today Scarlett Anderson and Sylvia Isenor. It is wonderful to have them. I hope they find this an inspirational experience. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Bill 62: An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, No. 2, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 131)

Madam Speaker, I move seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 62, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, No. 2, be read for the second time.

This bill makes a number of amendments to the Act to update the Act, in light of recent Income Tax Act of Canada amendments, by the following:

Allowing the communication of information between governments of the Northwest Territories and Canada;

Removing federally repealed provisions;

Making changes respecting various COVID19 relief measures;

Making the act conform with the CanadaNorthwest Territories tax collection agreement;

Including a...

Bill 69: Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures, No. 2, 2022-2023
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 131)

Madam Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 69, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 20222023, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Tabled Document 781-19(2): Inter-activity Transfers over $250,000 April 1 – June 30, 2022
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 131)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents: Plain Language Summary for Bill 62, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, No. 2; Changing the Relationship Action Plan in Response to the Calls for Justice on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples; and, InterActivity Transfers over $250,000 April 1st to June 30th, 2022. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Committee Motion 322-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2020-2021 Public Accounts – Government Response to Recommendations, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 130)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there's I mean, there's different reasons that would attach to different individual projects, but fundamentally what we've asked departments to do was to look at the state or the progress of an individual project and determine whether or not the project would being proceeding in this specific fiscal year, and if not, that's when you would make an adjustment. And rather than waiting until the end of the fiscal year and having it all come forward next spring, this by doing it now just, you know, again allows better reporting back to the House and a better plan...

Question 1273-19(2): Heating Costs
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 130)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I certainly would consider that. And Madam Speaker, I just wanted to acknowledge that, you know, it's thanks very much to the ideas presented by committee that the department can go back and take some time and see if there are other ways to try to mitigate the increases to the federal carbon tax. One being a tiered system by region but at the same time looking at, you know, that as I said earlier, home someone who owns their home, someone who doesn't own their home, even within a region, there's going to be differences in what someone pays. So we do...

Committee Motion 331-19(2): Concurrence Motion - Tabled Document 747-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 130)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the money that is being sought for appropriation here is for up to 20222023 or, well, for this year in terms of what we are anticipating. Certainly, obviously can't see into the future of what might happen in the spring and would certainly note that this doesn't account for whatever amounts we may then ultimately get by the federal government under the disaster assistance policy. We certainly are hopeful of an advance and then ultimately hopeful to see a full 90 percent coverage. But neither the first of those might arrive this fiscal but it may well be that it's not...

Committee Motion 322-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2020-2021 Public Accounts – Government Response to Recommendations, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 130)

Yes, please, Mr. Chair.

Committee Motion 331-19(2): Concurrence Motion - Tabled Document 747-19(2): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2022-2023, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 130)

Mr. Chair, let me turn that to Mr. Courtoreille who I expect will have the most up to date numbers.

Question 1273-19(2): Heating Costs
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 130)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I do have that information. I was just trying to see if I could pull it up quickly to provide that sense. I certainly can say, Madam Speaker, that quite unfortunately the communities in the riding of Nunakput are likely to be facing some of the highest impacts from the change to the federal carbon tax rate. And Madam Speaker, I'm not sure it does much good at this point to try to guess at those numbers. But they certainly are facing some of the highest increases certainly in the Northwest Territories as a result of the change to that carbon tax rate...