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.
Mr. Speaker, I am very closely watching this, as is my colleague Minister Cleveland, and we'll be more than happy to provide notice to the MLA and will then also have it up on social media so the public knows when it's happening. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, monitoring and planning, really, for the monitoring began back, I would actually say last year. We obviously went through a difficult resupply last year and had to develop pretty good connections with the trucking community, with those on the other end on the receiving on the supply side. It went well. And starting this summer and through the fall, we rekindled those connections. So the monitoring is happening both by our staff as well as by making sure we have those contacts. We have extra folks on the entire stretch of winter road in order to make sure...
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 39)
Mr. Speaker, I am delivering the second budget of the 20th Assembly at a time of significant economic and political uncertainty - not only in the Northwest Territories but across Canada and the world - made more perilous by the potential implementation of import tariffs by the United States. The Government of the Northwest Territories is a small player on this very large stage, but we can provide stability within the territory and must continue to maintain our readiness for whatever challenges and uncertainties may arise.
Events like these tariffs are why we introduced fiscal sustainability in...
Mr. Speaker, I'm going to take a look at Hansard and decide whether or not a comparison between myself and Mr. Trump warrants some further proceeding -- procedural question. I'm going to leave it alone for the moment and I can, as I said, look back at Hansard and make that consideration in due course.
Mr. Speaker, I certainly did attempt to take this back to committee. I actually was able to arrange an opportunity to meet with committee, but the committee declined to meet with me. And then because of all the things had gone to the media, including confidential letters marked from my office to...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's not been a time that I've suggested that what we're trying to do is encouraging the southern -- host of folks from the southern parts of Canada to come to the Northwest Territories. I'd be actually quite interested to see if there was suddenly a line-up at the border of folks wanting to come for the public service here. It might be suggestive of this being a very positive place to come and work. Mr. Speaker, our population's been stagnant for 20 years. Right now over the last four years, the average population growth for the Northwest Territories is...
Debates of
, 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 38)
Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the House I intend to deliver the Budget Address on Thursday, February 6th, 2025. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following ten documents: Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 305-20(1): Heating Oil (Infrastructure); Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 323-20(1): Dempster Highway and Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway Conditions; Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 325-20(1): Project Cost Overruns; Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 343-20(1): Impacts of Climate Change on Winter and Ice Roads; Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 374-20(1): Mackenzie Valley Fibre Line Backup; Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 421-20(1): Regulations for E-Scooters; Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 333...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I'm not mistaken, this particular bill actually might be with committee and so not for me to comment further on here. And as far as trying to circumvent whether or not we're supposed to comply with a federal law, again, Mr. Speaker, the only response I really can give is that we are supposed to comply with the federal law. But, again, the bill is before committee and so certainly happy to see how that process may unfold. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, it's -- I mean, I may have my own personal views as well but let's keep it to the processes here. And, Mr. Speaker, if or when this tax gets cancelled on a federal level, this Assembly can certainly expect to be revisiting that issue as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's quite a range of items under this. So as I mentioned, the sort of action committee that's formed from across departments, one of the very first tasks that they, in fact, have is this particular action item. It's to ensure that there are mechanisms and effective mechanisms so that employees can provide feedback and suggestions and in a way that they feel safe.
Mr. Speaker, we do still have, of course, an MOU that exists for safe disclosure that is, frankly, underutilized and so happy to have this opportunity to remind folks that that is there for...
