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 , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 65)

Thank you. As we get into this, our first item is community justice and policing, and I just want to remind everyone that policing services is later on, so this is not the section to discuss the RCMP. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 65)

Thank you. For some of the variation between the 2019-2020 actuals and the current budget, I can ask Ms. Bolstad. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 65)

Thank you. I had this discussion with the department very soon after I took this file. I think the Member knows that I like costed plans with timelines, and so I've asked the department to go ahead and do that work. We hope to have something in the near future. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 65)

Thank you. We have no backlog. Perhaps, for a bit of history, Ms. Bolstad might be able to enlighten us. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 65)

Yes, I do. Should I just take it away? Thank you. I am here to present the 2021-2022 Main Estimates for the Department of Justice. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $136,000 over the Main Estimates 2020-2021. These estimates continue to support the mandate objectives for the Department of Justice while continuing to meet the GNWT's fiscal objectives to prioritize responsible and strategic spending.

Highlights of these proposed estimates include forced growth funding of $877,000:

$99,000 to fund increased external counsel costs in the Office of the Children's Lawyer;

$123...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 65)

Thank you. I agree that it's probably not something we would just not fund, but based on our experiences, the $99,000 should be sufficient to cover the costs that we expect in the coming year. It is based on experience, whereas the first number was really based on a guess. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 65)

Thank you. I would ask the deputy minister.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 65)

Thank you. I can't say I'm familiar exactly with what's happening in Fort Smith. I know that a lot of the interactions in the communities are really based on who might be there at any given time, and you might have someone who comes in who is stronger in communication than someone else. Communication is the cause of probably 80 percent of the problems that I come across in this job, anyways, and improving communication is always probably the easiest fix to some of the biggest problems. That being said, I know the Member said she is friends with the commanding officer. From my conversations...

Tabled Document 340-19(2): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 568-19(2): Inmate Rehabilitation
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 65)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 568-19(2): Inmate Rehabilitation." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 65)

Thank you. I know we have a lot of corrections officers with very long careers, a lot of local people. There is a lot of turnover happening in that we have a lot of people ready to retire and who are retiring, and they are of that age. I am not sure about this, people who went through this program and started working with corrections. I am not sure if we have that information on hand. The deputy minister might be able to offer something. I am not sure. Madam Chair.