Député de Thebacha

Ministre de l’Environnement et du Changement climatique
Ministre de la Justice
Leader du gouvernement à l’Assemblée

Jay Macdonald a été élu député de la circonscription de Thebacha à la 20e Assemblée législative des Territoires du Nord-Ouest. M. Macdonald a été élu au Conseil exécutif de la 20e Assemblée.

M. Macdonald est né le 26 juin 1964 à Hay River, aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest. En tant que Métis, il a des racines profondes dans le Nord canadien, et son parcours a été marqué par diverses expériences qui ont enrichi sa vie personnelle et professionnelle.

La famille de M. Macdonald s’est installée à Fort Smith en 1970. Il a exploité avec succès son petit atelier de réparation de moteurs, fournissant des services essentiels à la collectivité et s’imposant comme un entrepreneur fiable. Simultanément, il s’est plongé dans les subtilités de la gestion des installations de loisirs, en supervisant les activités de l’aréna et du terrain de golf de la ville.

Pendant les 13 années où il a occupé le poste de directeur des services de gestion forestière à la Division de l’environnement et de la conservation du gouvernement des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, M. Macdonald a fait preuve d’un engagement inébranlable en faveur de l’environnement. Le rôle qu’il a joué pendant 12 ans en tant que coordonnateur du programme de parent d’accueil pour le Programme de leadership de l’Arctique de l’Ouest témoigne de son engagement envers la jeunesse. Pendant cinq ans, il a été parent d’accueil afin d’offrir un environnement stimulant aux élèves de Lutsel Ke qui fréquentent l’école secondaire PWK. Cette expérience a permis de mettre en évidence sa compassion, et a contribué de manière significative à l’épanouissement scolaire et personnel des élèves dont il s’occupait. S’appuyant sur son expertise de compagnon-technicien de petits équipements. 

M. Macdonald a passé 13 ans à la tête d’une concession Polaris et a servi d’instructeur pour l’entretien des petits équipements, la gestion du carburant d’aviation et les disciplines logistiques dans le cadre du Système de commandement d’intervention. Son engagement envers la collectivité va au-delà de ses fonctions professionnelles. En tant que bénévole dévoué, il a été président et entraîneur de l’équipe de hockey mineur de Fort Smith, et s’est efforcé d’encourager les jeunes et de leur inculquer les valeurs du travail d’équipe et de l’esprit sportif. Il a exercé ses talents d’entraîneur sur la scène nationale en dirigeant l’équipe des TNO lors des championnats nationaux de hockey autochtone.

En tant que représentant de la Nation des Métis de Fort Smith au sein du conseil d’administration de l’association scolaire de district locale, M. Macdonald a contribué à l’élaboration de politiques pédagogiques qui reflètent les besoins particuliers de la collectivité. En outre, il a été membre du conseil d’administration et président de la Commission de l’apprentissage et de la qualification professionnelle des métiers et professions des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, rôle lui ayant permis de militer en faveur de la reconnaissance et de la promotion des métiers spécialisés. L’engagement de M. Macdonald en faveur du bien-être de la collectivité est également confirmé par sa participation à diverses activités et événements locaux. Qu’il s’agisse d’être entraîneur au niveau amateur ou d’une autre forme de bénévolat, il a toujours œuvré à la création d’un tissu communautaire dynamique et cohésif.

En dehors de ses engagements professionnels et communautaires, M. Macdonald a une vie de famille bien remplie. Marié à Karen, il est fier papa de trois enfants et grand-père attentionné de trois petits-enfants. Pendant ses temps libres, il s’adonne à des passe-temps qui reflètent son amour du plein air et des vastes paysages nordiques comme le golf, la pêche et le jardinage.

Committees

Jay Macdonald
Thebacha
Bureau

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Boîte
1320
Ministre de l'Environnement et du Changement climatique
Ministre

Déclarations dans les débats

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise in this House today to pay tribute to a friend, a respected educator, and a cherished member of our community, Ron Holtorf.

Ron passed away peacefully on March 15th, 2025, at St. Joseph's Auxiliary Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta. Ron was a devoted husband to Danetta, a loving father to Roger, Jolynn, and Richard, and a proud grandfather to Caitlin and Eric. He also leaves behind his sister Elizabeth and many dear friends. He was preceded by his parents, Jack and Helen, and his beloved grandson Christian.

Mr. Speaker, Ron...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to also thank the pages for the tremendous work they've done this week, and I'd like to recognize the pages from PWK High School in Fort Smith, Elli MacDonald-Jaque, Kyla MacDonald-Schwartzenberger, Paisley Jones, and their chaperon Jana Jaque.

I'd also like to recognize Agatha, or Aggie as she's known. My MSA will be leaving this week, it's her last week, on to a new adventure, and I just wanted to thank her for all the tremendous work that she's done for me and everyone in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents: Environmental Rights Act Annual Report 2024-2025; Plain Language Summary for Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act; and, Statement of Consistency for Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to report that the work has started. It's well underway. As the Member indicated, there was a meeting on the 20th and 21st of May that was very well attended with some really good work done by all participants. There was also a follow-up meeting this morning, actually, between ECC and the technical working group to, again, advance this initiative, and ECC is working very close with the technical working group through the Intergovernmental Council on land and resource management and under the development protocol to amend the NWT act and...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about the Government of the Northwest Territories' new approach to addressing climate change. From community resilience to economic opportunities, the challenges posed by climate change are urgent, complex, and interconnected with many other aspects of life here in the Northwest Territories. That is why the GNWT is moving to a joint approach that brings together climate change and energy strategies, with the aim of taking more efficient, coherent, and impactful actions across government.

Mr. Speaker, climate change is a reality that is...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member from Yellowknife South, that Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act, be read for the second time.

Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act, amends the act to improve access to emergency protection orders and to address physical and online harassment. This bill widens the definition of family members who may apply for protection under the act, adds stalking to the list of actions that constitute family violence, and will establish a new civil recourse related to stalking for victims of...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Member pointed out, we have committed to, you know, trying to reduce the rent to a nominal fee or a dollar in the short-term, as well as, you know, ensure that we're addressing this in the long-term. Right now, currently, the way the legislation is written, we can't technically charge rent less than $150. So that's our -- really our short-term goal here is to address that. And as we work with our partners, giving a specific timeline to this process is difficult. There are many participants here. If I could, I'd be happy to do that tomorrow. But, you...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. I think that, you know, as we talk about traditional use cabins, traditional activities, traditional use of the land across the NWT, it's important first and foremost to identify that as the Minister and I stand here, it's not my place to identify how an Indigenous government or an Indigenous organization's defined what a traditional use cabin or what their traditions entail amongst the Indigenous governments and the Indigenous organizations. There are many differences in tradition in how they define lifestyle and what their...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 60)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 60)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is a huge question, and I am certainly committed to working with the Member, with the Indigenous government and governments across the Northwest Territories. I've spoken with the Member. I've had the opportunity to have a conversation with the chief in Fort Resolution, and I am planning to attend the community next week for a face-to-face meeting. So certainly, I think, this is the beginning steps to our collaborative approach to how we all engage together to find a mutual and respectful solution to this at the end of the day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.