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 16)

Thank you, Ms. Green. Ms. Kelly.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just see there's a Canada-NWT cooperation agreement. I see there's some numbers there and I was wondering: is that for the funding for the French first-language schools?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 15)

Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Would the Minister please introduce his witnesses?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 15)

We will now consider Tabled Document 50-18(2), Main Estimates, 2016-2017, and we have agreed to consider Education, Culture and Employment. I'll turn to the Minister responsible for the department for any opening comments he might have. Minister Moses.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Does committee agree?

Member’s Statement on Tourism Opportunities in Hay River
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the South Slave, we have many of the traditional tourist attractions: the waterfalls, wildlife, campgrounds, and miles of sandy beaches. We have to continue to preserve and promote these attractions. However, we need to think beyond these traditional forms of tourism. There are exciting and unique opportunities in my region that we need to capitalize on in order to diversify our economy and insulate us from fluctuations in global commodity prices. The government is working on the commercial fisheries revitalization strategy. As home of the commercial fishing industry...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Do you have a breakdown of how many positions were reduced in, say, senior management, and how many were reduced in positions that offer frontline services? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm sorry if this is later on, but what is the territorial contribution?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 15)

Thank you, Minister Moses. I'm looking at the Canada-NWT Cooperation Agreement for French and Aboriginal Languages as well as the line item below that “Agreement for Minority Language Education and Second Language Instruction in French.” I was wondering if that was funding for the French schools in Hay River and Yellowknife, and if so, what the breakdown is on each government's contribution. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 15)

Thank you, Minister Moses. We will now proceed to consider the detail for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. I will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity summary. There's that org chart on the first two pages. Do the Members have any comments or questions about the org charts? No comments, questions. On the third page we have graphs. Are there any comments or questions about the graphs? No comments. We can move on to page 50, revenue summary. This is an information item. Are there any questions on this page, questions or comments?