Born in Fredericton New Brunswick, Hawkins moved to Fort Simpson Northwest Territories in 1977 as a child.
He attended his post secondary education at SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary, Alberta.
Hawkins was first elected to the Northwest Territories Legislature winning the Yellowknife Centre electoral district in the 2003 Northwest Territories general election.
In 2007, Hawkins pursued re-election and won again with almost 50% of the popular vote, and approximately 20% more than his closest competitor.
[1] On November 14, 2023, Hawkins was once again elected to the Northwest Territories Legislature, the 20th Assembly, making this his 4th term as an MLA.