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
Constituency Office

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

Minister
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 50)

Yes, we'll look at what everyone's doing. If we're going to review something, we're going to review the money that, a program that's solely about the money that people are getting, we're going to look at what money people are getting from every source. That includes the federal government.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I pretty much agree with everything the Member has said and earlier in his statement, as well. I will just answer the question. Are we going to conduct a review or a feasibility study for universal basic income? No. However, that is because I do think that the Income Assistance Program has a strong foundation and that we can build on it. In many ways, it's just a tweaking of a few rules here and there, and we have something that is very similar to what the Member is talking about. We have already made some of those changes, and he mentioned those, as well. He is doing...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

Thank you. I have a question about this recommendation. It recommends that the Mace be put in its place, which is here in the Assembly on its perch. In the event of a remote sitting, would this tie our hands in any way? If the reason we are having a remote sitting is because we cannot get into the building, would it cause any issues for Legislative Assembly staff? How is that contemplated? Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

Last year, about 4,000 people accessed income assistance. If we were to pay each one of those people the max amount that you can get on income assistance each year, it would be about $80 million. That's an extra $50 million on top of the $30 million that we spend now. If we did the real universal basic income where everyone in the territory regardless of income gets that amount, we're looking at $800 million. The very low end of this is $80 million. To the Member's point, if we spend money here, costs elsewhere go down. I get that. Same thing with education, but that doesn't mean that we have...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

I am not going to write to the federal Minister to ask that question. I am going to look into what we are doing, how we can do it better. When I have the conversations with the appropriate federal ministers and when I am on these FTP calls, I will have those types of conversations and promote the types of changes that we are looking at. The Member mentioned there are a number of different programs that we offer across the GNWT, across departments, and that the federal government offers, as well. Within the GNWT, part of the income assistance review is going to be looking at everything that is...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

Madam Speaker, each year on November 11th, Canadians pause to remember the sacrifices of the men and women who gave their lives for our country so that we may enjoy the freedoms that we have today. I encourage residents to reflect on the bravery of Canadians, both past and present, who have put their lives on the line to protect the peace and safety that make up the fabric of our society. The heroes who have stepped up in the name of freedom and democracy have done so in conflicts that span every generation.

During some of our darkest days, Madam Speaker, Canadians left their families behind to...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 49)

Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act, be read for the third time, and, Madam Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 49)

Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 20, An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, be read for the second time. This bill amends the Employment Standards Act to provide an entitlement to unpaid emergency leave for employees who are unable to perform their duties because of an emergency; definitions that in apply in respect of emergency and extend the definition of care to apply in respect of emergency leave; establish regulation making authorities in respect of emergency leave and provide that regulations made under this authority may...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 49)

As I stated earlier, the Member was an intermediary between me and the chief in Gameti, and we were supposed to meet. Things did not line up, and so we have not had that meeting yet, but I am happy to have those meetings, work with the Member, and meet with the Tlicho Government. We have already reached out to the RCMP, and now we need to take that next step. I have told the department we need to take that next step sooner than later, so the wheels are turning. I am committed to moving forward with this and exploring any options that we have and including the Member and updating the Member as...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 49)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I've had conversations with the Member about this. I was supposed to meet with the chief of Gameti, but our schedules didn't line up during this time, which isn't unusual; but I look forward to that conversation. The detachment in Whati is being replaced. It's a federal asset, and there is a process by which the federal government surplus their goods. That's the process we would have to follow. We did reach out to the commanding officer of "G" Division, and he said he is open to having that conversation to see if that can be surplused. Now, it's just a matter of...