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

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

I will now rise and report progress.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.

Question 486-18(2): Junior Kindergarten Implementation Funding
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

From what I understand from the boards, this surplus is to cover unexpected costs, make sure they have a payroll for, you know, a month or whatever may be, so how are they expected to dip into these rainyday funds to cover the cost of implementing junior kindergarten? It's a contingency fund. It's not an operating fund.

Question 486-18(2): Junior Kindergarten Implementation Funding
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke earlier about junior kindergarten. I just have some questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I'm sorry to spring this on him, but I had to change my topic at the last minute.

I've heard varying numbers about what it's going to cost to implement junior kindergarten. I was wondering what's behind this disparity? There was a press release by the South Slave District Education Council that quoted a significantly higher number than the $2.7 million that Minister McLeod today said would top off funding for junior kindergarten, so I would like to...

Member's Statement on Junior Kindergarten Implementation Funding
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've heard more about junior kindergarten than any other issues in my 14 months as an MLA. There are people in Hay River who are philosophically opposed to junior kindergarten or believe it is not needed in Hay River, but I found that most residents are in support of JK. Only if it's fully funded, however.

Today, we heard from the Finance Minister that junior kindergarten will be funded by the end of this Assembly. While I'm glad to hear that the government has moved from its position of drastic underfunding, I'm still concerned about the adequacy of this...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 261-18(2). I would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. There is a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

Question 486-18(2): Junior Kindergarten Implementation Funding
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can tell the Minister has had to answer a lot of these junior kindergarten questions.

Laughter

My final question is: what about the capital costs associated with implementing junior kindergarten? Is that coming out of this $2.7 million, or is there additional money that ECE has that will cover the full capital costs of implementing this? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 47818(2): Fish Processing Plant for Hay River
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 44)

As MLA for Hay River North, I regularly attend GSLAC meetings, I meet privately with the NWT Fishermen's Federation president, I attend the NWT Fishermen's Federation meetings, I talk to fishermen in Hay River, and I know that these issues they brought to GSLAC. The issues with zoning aren't being addressed. When I went to my first GSLAC meeting, they brought up issues. We went to the second one, there were the same issues with absolutely no movement. If anything, there was a denial of doing anything. I've also hear, from the federation that when they talk to the bureaucrats they tell them, we...

Question 47818(2): Fish Processing Plant for Hay River
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 44)

It's good to hear that we're moving and it should be in within a week. If a deal can't be struck with Freshwater -- given their track record, I'm not sure one can be, but I'm still hopeful -- will the GNWT take the initiative and dip into that $1.4 million they've had set aside and build a fish processing plant in Hay River?