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 146)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Justice sits on the I believe it's the problematic substance use committee with the Department of Health and Social Services to look at these exact issues that the Member is talking about. The Minister of health has also met with the commanding officer of the RCMP to begin discussions on how they can explore other options for enforcement and prevention in communities. So there is a number of ways that the departments that the RCMP and the department of health are collaborating, along with the Department of Justice. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 146)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 72, Opioid Damages and Healthcare Costs Recovery Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 146)

Thank you. No, I can't. I don't have the authority to commit to the commanding officer. Our agreement with the Government of Canada is very clear that the GNWT does not direct the operations of the RCMP. However, the community government is more than welcome to reach out to the commanding officer and request a meeting. I know that he's still relatively new to the territory and is trying to get out to the communities and meet with everyone so it could be a good opportunity. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 146)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Each year I send out letters to the Indigenous governments across the territory to ask what they think the policing priorities should be for the RCMP. As Minister, I provide the RCMP with their policing priorities annually. One of the three priorities relates to drug and alcohol use. So we start right at the very high level. That's how we begin engaging. At the local level, there are you know, the RCMP is always open to meet with Indigenous government leadership. They're willing to meet with elected leaders. You know, when I speak with elected leaders in communities...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 146)

Mr. Speaker, at long last, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the members of the new Aurora College Board of Governors have been selected. I would like to welcome and congratulate the following individuals on their appointments:

Joseph Handley of Yellowknife;

Lorraine Tordiff of Fort Smith;

Lucy Kuptana of Tuktoyaktuk;

Rebecca Plotner of Yellowknife;

Tom Colosimo of Hay River;

Jack Rowe of Hay River;

David Hurley of Yellowknife;

Kevin Antoniak of Fort Smith;

Stephanie IrlbacherFox of Yellowknife;

Richard Boudreault of Quebec;

Student member, Cayla Gillis;

Instructional staff member, Wanda...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 145)

Thank you. And the Member has raised the position in Lutselk'e with me, and I've committed to convey that either through the department to the college, because we do still have a relationship at the officials level as we work through the transformation. But it's also I can it's also something that I can raise with the new chair once they are instated. So I can't staff those positions. I'm legally barred from interfering with the operations of the college but when an MLA brings concerns, I bring those concerns to the college. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 145)

Thank you. I'll hand it to Mr. Saturnino.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 145)

Thank you. And so we have a few pieces of legislation that are fundamental to the education system in the Northwest Territories. We have the Education Act, which is primarily focused on JK to 12, but there is some it does reach out to postsecondary and other areas. We now have the PostSecondary Education Act, which is something we have not had before, and it is the a ct that really regulates postsecondary education in the Northwest Territories. And other jurisdictions have it as well. We are the regulators of that sector. And then we have the Aurora College Act, which we recently amended to...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 145)

Thank you. So the Office of the Auditor General, they look at, you know, our financials and they recommended that we make that adjustment. So we are moving that contribution from work performed on behalf of others to operations to more accurately reflect how it is used. So it's an accounting thing to make sure that we're more transparent and more clear. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 145)

Thank you. And, yes, we do receive significant funds from the federal government, and they provide those funds to all the provinces and territories and I am currently working with the other ministers of the provinces and territories to begin the negotiations of the future agreements. And I can say that we are putting a lot of effort into that. There are meetings coming up this spring or summer, and we are everyone is united in the call for more funding because everyone recognizes the labour shortage, the need for skilled labour, and especially the type of skilled labour we support through...