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

Question 147-19(2): Day Care at Ecole J.H. Sissons
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 14)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, part of our mandate is to better utilize GNWT infrastructure for early childhood programs, so that’s a definite consideration. Right now, our capital standards don’t say anything about childcare spaces in schools, so we’re not mandated to build them, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re prohibited from building it, either, so it’s a discussion that we’re currently having. Thank you.

Question 147-19(2): Day Care at Ecole J.H. Sissons
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 14)

As part of the mandate commitment, as well, we're working on the Early Learning and Childcare 2030 Strategy, and so there is some work that has been going into that. I don't have the specifics of that, but I can find out and share that with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 147-19(2): Day Care at Ecole J.H. Sissons
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 14)

I hate to stop the fun, here, but the answer for that one is “no,” unfortunately. The contract, or the engineering and design contract, was awarded in June 2019 and that work has already commenced. At this point, it's too late to include childcare space in that plan. However, in the future, if we have room available in the school, that could be used for childcare space, but dedicated space is not in the plan right now and it's too late to add that.

Minister's Statement 29-19(2): Northern Distance Learning
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 14)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I want to focus on one of the successes that has come from the education renewal and innovation framework. The Northern Distance Learning program, otherwise known as NDL, is a way to offer higher-level academic courses to high school students in small communities, to help prepare them for post-secondary. By the upcoming 2020-2021 school year, this program will be available to students in up to 20 small communities across the territory.

The Northern Distance Learning program began at East Three School in Inuvik, under the leadership of the Beaufort-Delta Divisional...

Committee Motion 3-19(2): Tabled Document 30-19(2): Main Estimates 2020-2021 – Justice – Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Justice, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 13)

Sorry, my deputy minister, Ms. Mueller.

Committee Motion 3-19(2): Tabled Document 30-19(2): Main Estimates 2020-2021 – Justice – Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Justice, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 13)

Thank you.

Committee Motion 3-19(2): Tabled Document 30-19(2): Main Estimates 2020-2021 – Justice – Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Justice, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 13)

[Microphone turned off]

Committee Motion 3-19(2): Tabled Document 30-19(2): Main Estimates 2020-2021 – Justice – Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Justice, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 13)

To my deputy minister, Ms. Mueller.

Committee Motion 3-19(2): Tabled Document 30-19(2): Main Estimates 2020-2021 – Justice – Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Justice, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 13)

Thank you. I can work with the Minister of Finance to figure that out. The amount that exists in the department of Education, Culture and Employment is zero because this is money that is applied for by the education councils, not by us. Thank you.

Committee Motion 3-19(2): Tabled Document 30-19(2): Main Estimates 2020-2021 – Justice – Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Justice, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 13)

Thank you. I appreciate the Member's comments. She has been a very passionate supporter of Aurora College, as I hope everyone is. It is an institution that has reached into almost every community in the territory and has the potential to help the territory move forward into a new, prosperous future. The intake has been an issue, obviously. I know the former Member for Thebacha used to teach at that college. He said that, years ago, he'd have 30 students in his class, and he saw it dwindle year after year after year. I know people who had been there 10 years ago. They said the campus was much...