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 45)

The Member is referencing the clientele of integrated case management, and there has been a limited number, I would say, over the past few years, of clients to that program. That's because those are clients who are facing a number of barriers. Those barriers interact with a number of different departments, and that's how they get access to that program. That program has shown us that sometimes these people, the clients in these programs, just need a little bit of assistance in certain areas. Sometimes, they need someone to go to the bank with them and help them talk to the teller and just give...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Identifying the areas that we're going to focus on is actually part of the review. I think that, as an MLA, I've dealt with income assistance issues over the years, as have all MLAs, I assume. I know there are some certain areas that I would like to deal with. We're also undertaking a client survey so we can go talk to the actual clients who receive income assistance and see what they think the issues are. We're talking to the front-line staff, and we're using feedback from the integrated case management report. There are a number of areas that are yet to be identified...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 14, An Act to Amend the Securities Act, be read for the second time. The bill amends the Securities Act to provide a framework for the designation and regulation of benchmarks and benchmark administrators. The amendments are consistent with amendments across Canada and are based on recommended amendments from the Canadian Securities Administrators. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 12, An Act to Amend the Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupational Certification Act, be read for the second time. This bill amends the Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupational Certification Act to expand the types of certificates that the Minister may issue under the act. The amendment does this by allowing the Minister to issue certificates prescribed by regulation. The bill also removes the requirement for certificate application forms to be prescribed, instead allowing applications to be in the form directed...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Monday, November 2, 2020, I believe move that Bill 19, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Monday, November 2, 2020, I will move that Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Corrections Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 45)

The senior management of the GNWT really take their lead from the Executive Council of the GNWT, and I know that myself and my colleagues are all committed to ensuring that we have the best client service possible. We just heard the Minister of housing say the same thing. In that vein, the deputy ministers of the social envelope departments, Finance, ECE, housing, have all signed an MOU that states that they are going to work together to promote the principles of person-centred, community-driven delivery; that they are going to be responsible for this; and that they are going to have to answer...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Thursday, October 29, 2020, I will move that Bill 15, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2020, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

The direction we're moving in is that, if you are answering a phone in a government office in a region where there is a number of Chipewyan speakers, then my hope is that, in the coming years, there will be a requirement to answer in that Indigenous language. Wherever there are sufficient numbers of speakers, I hope that there will be a requirement to answer in that language the same way there is with French in those four communities, where there is a significant number of French speakers.

We are definitely moving in the direction that the Member is talking about. ECE has the French Language...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Just to be clear, an Indigenous language can be added onto the English and French. We still need the English and French as part of the active service. It was my understanding that, during this active offer training, employees were encouraged to answer in any Indigenous language they are able to speak. I will look into that, and I will ensure that that is actually happening because the Member has different experiences or a different understanding of that. I will double check and I will get back to the Member.

The official languages guidelines are currently being updated by the Indigenous...