Member Hay River North

Premier
Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs

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

R.J. Simpson
Hay River North
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Rj_simpson@ntassembly.ca
Phone
867-767-9141 (link is a phone number)
Extension
11120
Constituency Office

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

Phone
867-874-6301(link is a phone number)
Minister
Email
Rj_simpson@gov.nt.ca
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. I'd like to ask the deputy minister to respond.

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

Thank you. Yes, that is correct. This is the section where it is. I believe it is community justice projects. Sorry. You know what? How about I hand it over for the budget particulars to Ms. Bolstad.

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

Thank you. For those details, I'll go to Ms. Bolstad.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair. Of course, there have been a number of capital expenditures to bring NSCC up to the point where it can accommodate the therapeutic model. Those are expenditures into the millions, so a lot of money has been spent on that. The transition to the new Corrections Act will require additional training, and perhaps I can ask Ms. Bolstad for some details on how we expect to pay for that. Thank you.

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

Thank you. I think that we can always do a better job with public interaction and customer service, but I think that, right now, we are in a good place with the rental office. I know that, a few years back, there were some staffing issues, and there were delays that were months long. It was really not fair to landlords or to tenants. There have been some changes made. There is some stability in that office. The timelines that are being met are as good as they have been in quite a while. According to the last report that came out of the rental office, the timelines really couldn't be shortened...

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

Thank you. Perhaps I can pass it to Ms. Bolstad for some details.

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

I appreciate the comment. It is difficult to staff lawyers. We, I think, have more lawyers per capita in the Northwest Territories than any other jurisdiction in Canada, four times as many as some jurisdictions, I think, per capita, so there is a real demand here for lawyers. What often happens is we get young lawyers coming up and staying a few years and then moving on, and so it does create some turnover. Part of the issue is that, as I understand it, the lawyers who work with the Government of the Northwest Territories are actually paid less than counterparts in other jurisdictions, which...

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

Thank you. Ms. Bolstad can answer.

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

Thank you. Yes, the Member and I weren't at war the other day. We weren't taking shots. It was some good-natured ribbing. We were sort of trading war stories, if anything, from the last Assembly on legislation. Perhaps I can ask Ms. Bolstad for some of the particulars about how many people we actually have drafting. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair. Some of those recommendations, the department has already acted on, things like the travel. I can send it to the deputy minister for some more detail, though. Thank you.