Député de Hay River Nord

Premier ministre
Ministre de l’Exécutif et des Affaires autochtones

R.J. Simpson a été élu à la 20e Assemblée, représentant la circonscription de Hay River Nord. Le 7 décembre 2023, M. Simpson a été élu premier ministre de la 20e Assemblée législative des Territoires du Nord-Ouest.

M. Simpson a été élu par acclamation à la 19e Assemblée législative et élu pour la première fois à la 18e Assemblée en 2015.

M. Simpson a été élu pour la première fois à la 18e Assemblée législative en 2015. M. Simpson a été président adjoint de la 18e Assemblée législative, vice-président du Comité permanent des opérations gouvernementales et président du Comité spécial sur les questions de transition. M. Simpson a également siégé au Comité permanent des priorités et de la planification, de même qu’au Comité permanent du développement économique et de l’environnement.

M. Simpson a habité à Hay River toute sa vie. Après avoir obtenu son diplôme d’études secondaires à l’école secondaire Diamond Jenness en 1998, il a décroché un baccalauréat ès arts à l’Université MacEwan et un diplôme en droit à la faculté de droit de l’Université de l’Alberta.

M. Simpson a précédemment travaillé pour le gouvernement du Canada, la Northern Transportation Company limitée, la section locale no 51 des Métis, et Maskwa Engineering.

Pendant ses études en droit, M. Simpson a été président de l’association des étudiants en droit autochtones. Il a également siégé au conseil d’administration du Centre d’amitié Soaring Eagle, à Hay River, et donne de son temps au projet d’éducation Canada-Ghana.

Committees

R.J. Simpson
Hay River Nord
Bureau

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Boîte
1320
Bureau de circonscription

62, promenade Woodland, bureau 104
Hay River Nord NT X0E 1G1
Canada

Ministre
Premier ministre des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, Ministère de l’Exécutif et des Affaires autochtones, Ministre de la Justice

Déclarations dans les débats

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. I will hand it to the deputy minister, but first I will say that, you know, we are embarking down a path towards universal child care, and part of that includes ensuring that we have a proper framework to guide us. And one of the pillars of that framework is going to be ensuring that all childcare is culturally appropriate. And so that is going to be one of our focuses. In terms of the funding available, I can ask the deputy minister for some more information. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you, and that's exactly the things that we're looking at under the review of the art strategy, how we can best support organizations. Maybe, you know, project funding is not as efficient as a different type of multiyear funding. So that's exactly the type of things we're looking at. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. And there's not a way unless the family members get licensed. So the agreement is specifically for licensed childcare. And we don't have the ability to fund unlicensed childcare providers. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, it's my job to be concerned about the budget of the Department of Justice and so, of course, I am concerned about these increasing costs.

The increasing costs are due to increasing demands, service demands on the RCMP, and I hear requests all the time from communities, from Indigenous governments, that they want more RCMP. I've never once heard in the territory that someone wants less RCMP.

There is an acknowledgement that perhaps RCMP aren't best suited to do everything, and they would agree with that, and so where we can we need to find ways to supplement those...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. I'll pass that to the deputy minister. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Yes, very much so. I've made that commitment at the Council of Leaders that this would be a very collaborative codevelopment process, and I believe the first meeting was actually today between the department and the partners and the Council of Leaders. So yes, it will be very, very collaborative. I'm fully committed to that. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. I believe that work is still underway. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. In this current year, there is not an intent. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. So we had taken a different approach with the Education Act. You know, I would have loved to get it all done in four years and have the brand new modern act. But through our initial engagement, we realized that it's going to take much longer to really overhaul that entire act and so I expect that we won't see a fully modernized act until sometime in the next Legislative Assembly. However, my hope is that during this Legislative Assembly, we can make some more minor amendments to the Education Act to address some longstanding issues that are you know, not just housekeeping issues...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. So I will be having a discussion with the federal minister in a public forum in the coming days, and we'll be discussing what the program's going to look like as it rolls out. So I'd be happy to have those conversations at a future date. Thank you.