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

Committee Motion 193-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 – Infrastructure – Deferral of Department, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you, and that's exactly the things that we're looking at under the review of the art strategy, how we can best support organizations. Maybe, you know, project funding is not as efficient as a different type of multiyear funding. So that's exactly the type of things we're looking at. Thank you.

Committee Motion 193-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 – Infrastructure – Deferral of Department, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. And there's not a way unless the family members get licensed. So the agreement is specifically for licensed childcare. And we don't have the ability to fund unlicensed childcare providers. Thank you.

Question 954-19(2): Increasing Costs of Policing Services in the Northwest Territories
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, it's my job to be concerned about the budget of the Department of Justice and so, of course, I am concerned about these increasing costs.

The increasing costs are due to increasing demands, service demands on the RCMP, and I hear requests all the time from communities, from Indigenous governments, that they want more RCMP. I've never once heard in the territory that someone wants less RCMP.

There is an acknowledgement that perhaps RCMP aren't best suited to do everything, and they would agree with that, and so where we can we need to find ways to supplement those...

Committee Motion 193-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 – Infrastructure – Deferral of Department, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. I'll pass that to the deputy minister. Thank you.

Committee Motion 193-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 – Infrastructure – Deferral of Department, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Yes, very much so. I've made that commitment at the Council of Leaders that this would be a very collaborative codevelopment process, and I believe the first meeting was actually today between the department and the partners and the Council of Leaders. So yes, it will be very, very collaborative. I'm fully committed to that. Thank you.

Committee Motion 193-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 – Infrastructure – Deferral of Department, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. I believe that work is still underway. Thank you.

Committee Motion 193-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 – Infrastructure – Deferral of Department, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 99)

Thank you. In this current year, there is not an intent. Thank you.

Question 944-19(2): Increase in Drug Enforcement
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 98)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If anyone's familiar with the war on drugs in the United States, I think they've spent about a trillion dollars over the past number of decades and they have more people incarcerated for, you know, possession of drugs than anywhere else in the world, and they still have problems. So if this is like I said, this isn't something we can arrest our way out of. Now that being said, the RCMP are well aware of the situation. I know a lot of people measure the success of the RCMP by, you know, the number of maybe drug dealers in their communities. But the fact is that if there...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 98)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Aurora College Annual Report 20212022. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 944-19(2): Increase in Drug Enforcement
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 98)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I don't have examples of, you know, RCMP giving talks in the schools but the RCMP does do a lot of community outreach. It's a little more prevalent I think in smaller communities where they have more opportunity to have the those oneonones. But I think that it should almost go without saying that it's not a great career, being a drug dealer. And it's not just the RCMP's job to instill that in people. Everyone needs to do that. And so in the education system, we can't just say don't be a drug dealer. We need to say here are some alternatives, these are things you...