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
Extension
11120
Constituency Office

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

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

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 101)

Thank you, Madam Chair. We shouldn't have sent Mr. Saturnino away. I don't have that information. We can provide some information back to the Member, though. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 101)

Thank you. So we do have information on how many EPOs have been issued. I have probably the last the year but I don't have any further back than that. So I'm not sure if deputy minister can provide a bit more information on any trends that she might be aware of. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 101)

Thank you. So every previous year when the OROGO budget would lapse, that money was then used by the Department of Justice to fund other things. This year, the budget was cut, and what the Member said should happen is exactly what happened. So his complaints really should be focused on the previous years when what he doesn't want to happen was happening. This year, what he wanted to happen is exactly what happened. So I think I don't think we're ever going to see eye to eye on this. I think I'm really confused as to what the issue is, because we seem to be saying that the same thing is...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 101)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a large list of recipients here. So perhaps for a more comprehensible breakdown, I'll ask Mr. Saturnino to speak to it.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 101)

Thank you. So the majority of the people in the facilities are remanded. So they haven't been sentenced. So there was unless no one gets remanded, then we would still have a requirement for a facility. And I hear what the Member is saying as well.

There's also consideration about victims. Sometimes a victim does want whoever victimized them to not victimize them for at least a short period of time. And there are serious concerns about just, you know, not remanding anyone. But that being said, I hear the Member's concerns, and I think he's an idealist and that's we need some idealists always...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 101)

Thank you. That is the cost of the lab work for forensic files.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 101)

Mr. Speaker, this Legislative Assembly has made it a priority to advance universal childcare for residents of the Northwest Territories. Today, I am honoured to share the highly anticipated results of our work with Canada that will help us achieve this priority.

Mr. Speaker, earlier today, I announced that effective retroactively to January 1st of this year, the average cost of licensed childcare for children five years of age and younger will be reduced, on average, by 50 percent. We will work with childcare providers to ensure families are reimbursed for their costs incurred since January 1st...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 101)

Thank you, Madam Chair. So in the early days of the pandemic, yes, student loan payments were put on repayments were put on pause. Students were continued to be funded even if they had you know, there was issues with their courses because of school shutting down in early 2020. So there have been steps like that taken. In this last fiscal year, though, I don't believe there have been any additional measures such as that. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 101)

Thank you. So as I mentioned before, there are some community justice committees that are operating at a very high capacity, and it's because they have someone who was, you know, very committed and very good at what they do and were very experienced. And there's others where there is constant turnover, and it's often just because, you know, that's who was in the community at that time and maybe someone who would be good at it is doing something else. And so it is tough in a small in a very small population like ours to have so many committees, you know, functioning at a very high level all at...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 101)

Thank you. So I think I might have figured out what the Member was looking for.

So the Department of Justice has a budget and the activities within the Department of Justice have a budget. And there is there was a budget for OROGO last year, and that budget was reduced this year. That difference of the reduction stayed within the Department of Justice. And so I'm not sure if that's what the Member was looking for, but that's where the money went, and it was used to fund other items in the Department of Justice. Thank you.