R.J. Simpson

Member Hay River North

Premier
Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs
Minister of Justice
Government House Leader

R.J. Simpson was elected to the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, representing the constituency of Hay River North. On December 7th, 2023, Mr. Simpson was elected Premier of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Simpson was formerly acclaimed to the 19th Legislative Assembly and first elected into the 18th Assembly in 2015.

Mr. Simpson was Deputy Speaker of the 18th Assembly, Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, and the Chair of the Special Committee on Transition Matters. Mr. Simpson was also a member of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning and the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment.

Mr. Simpson is a lifelong resident of Hay River After graduating from Diamond Jenness Secondary School in 1998 Mr. Simpson went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts from MacEwan University and a law degree from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Law.

Mr. Simpson has previously worked with the Government of Canada, Northern Transportation Company Ltd, Métis Nation Local 51, and Maskwa Engineering.

While at law school, Mr. Simpson was the President of the Aboriginal Law Students’ Association. He has also served on the board of the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre in Hay River and volunteered with the Canada-Ghana Education Project.

Hay River North Electoral District

Committees

Hay River North
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
867-767-9141
Extension
11120
Constituency Office

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

Phone
867-874-6301
Minister
Email
Email
Premier of the Northwest Territories, Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs, Minister of Justice, Government House Leader

Statements in Debates

Recorded Vote
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 108)

In favour.

Recorded Vote
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 108)

In favour.

Question 1042-19(2): Implementation of Federal Childcare Subsidy
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 108)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since March, probably March 5th, there's been a number of sessions, a number of meetings between day home providers and staff, and those meetings are going to continue. The difficulty is that, you know, we have a lot of childcare centres and those centres are nonprofits, and they are there to for the purpose of providing childcare. They're not money making ventures. And so they already have the idea that they want to do what they can to make childcare accessible.

And so the family day homes, on the other hand, are they're businesses. And so it's perhaps they have...

Question 1042-19(2): Implementation of Federal Childcare Subsidy
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 108)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And for the past couple years, we've had an early childhood infrastructure fund. It's a million dollars a year. There's been great uptake on that. But the fact is that we need third parties to want to provide childcare. In many communities, there it's already happening Indigenous governments are doing it, nonprofits are doing it. But some of the difficulties in communities without childcare is the lack of a provider, and in other communities there's just no children under the age of five. There's no need for childcare. And yet other communities, they would prefer that...

Recorded Vote
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 108)

For.

Recorded Vote
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 108)

In favour.

Recorded Vote
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 108)

For.

Recorded Vote
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 108)

In favour.

Bill 47: An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, No. 2, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 108)

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 47, An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, No. 2, be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Employment Standards Act to create a new statutory holiday which will fall on September 30th each year to be known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This bill also includes consequential amendments to the Interpretation Act and the public service holidays order made under the Public Service Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tabled Document 602-19(2): Follow-up letter for Oral Question 995-19(2): Maintenance Enforcement
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 108)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents:

Plain Language Summary for Bill 47: An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, No. 2; Followup Letter for Oral Question 97419(2): Policing; and, Followup Letter for Oral Question 99519(2): Maintenance Enforcement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.