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.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to table the following three documents: Value of Work Completed Under the Work Credit Program 20152022; Northwest Territories Action Plan for Promoting Critical Minerals: What We Heard Report; and Northwest Territories Action Plan for Promoting Critical Minerals Appendix: Participants Comments from Critical Minerals Workshop, November 9th, 2021. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'll sort of reference again a bit of what happened more under COVID19 not as a full response. I realize that what's happening now is different but I want to give the example so that folks know exactly the approach that this government plans to take and that I would it be taking with the departments for which I am responsible.
When we came back in January and omicron was still rearing its head, no one quite knew how that would unfold, I asked that we make a point to check in with the chambers of commerce so that we could better understand directly from them...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are constantly revising both the fiscal framework for the GNWT and revising the general outlook for the economy. We are doing that work, both the Department of Finance's responsible in terms of understanding our revenue forecast, you know, understanding our growth and our expenditures, the impacts of, you know, fuel costs, inflation, interest costs on us. I know that that work also happens at ITI in terms of understanding costs to business, understanding impacts, again for instance freight costs, transportation costs. And similarly, Mr. Speaker, I know...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, folks at home will sometimes hear us saying that we had questions in advance. I do want to acknowledge that the Member does give a bit of a head's up, and that's helpful for the more technical questions like this. It's not that we necessarily know the flavour that we're going to hear in the House but, Mr. Speaker, I have been doing some work to try to figure out exactly what has what more we could do to provide more and further information.
It's certainly my preference to be able to provide more and further information to members of the public or members of...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 51, Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures) 2022-2023 be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a topic of conversation that I suspect will continue between myself and the Member for a long time. We simply aren't going to fly eye to eye on this one.
The current paper that is out for discussion purposes, Mr. Speaker, went to the SCEDI, to one of the committees of MLAs. It also went through the Indigenous governments or the Intergovernmental Council, IGC, the body the important body to work with composed of Indigenous governments. And when we initially got responses back on the paper, we took it back. We delayed it. Took that paper...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 110)
I haven't been given my clearance to speak so I just want to make sure I'm being heard? Okay, good. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, Mr. Chair, I do have a few remarks.
Mr. Chair, as you know, over the past several weeks, the Legislative Assembly has been considering the 20222023 Main Estimates. This is my third time going through the budget review process and the associated negotiations that take place between Members and the Executive.
Negotiations are necessary because the Executive holds a minority of seats in the Legislative Assembly and therefore requires at least three votes from Members in...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, I'm happy to say that myself and Minister Archie, as the Minister responsible for Infrastructure and Northwest Territories Power Corporation, do meet regularly and are the teams of the departments do meet regularly.
It's not only with respect to the taser and Whati and a connection into Whati; this is something that we're looking at on a much larger scale as well with respect to the Taltson, for example, and ensuring that as the Taltson is moving forward that potential projects around the southern half of the of the Northwest Territories are connected...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, we've had the opportunity, in fact, to speak with Cisco, to speak with well, with a lot of our advanced projects just recently during just recently during the roundup that was occurring. I can say that they are right now doing they're undertaking their regulatory process. They are well underway. I understand, in fact, that it's moving along steadily and positively.
And I don't know that they'll be in production, my understanding, by 2023, Mr. Speaker, but it will be within the next two to three or I think the next three years, if I have the date...
