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 , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 52)

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Minister's Statement 131-18(3), Sessional Statement, and Tabled Document 322-18(3), Main Estimates, 2019-2020, and would like to report progress, and Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 52)

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 52)

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. There is a motion to report progress. The motion is in order. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

I will rise and report progress.

Motion 31-18(3): Request for Government of the Northwest Territories to Enter Binding Arbitration with Union of Northern Workers, Defeated
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 52)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as has been stated, this motion, if successful, would not require the GNWT or NTPC to enter into binding arbitration. The Minister of Finance has already stated that, because mediation is scheduled to begin today, the government will not consider binding arbitration. Further, if this motion is defeated, it may actually embolden Cabinet's position. I wanted to make this clear, because some of the people who have contacted me seem to believe that this motion represents a silver bullet, but that isn't the case. I apologize to those whose expectations have been...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 51)

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion to report progress. The motion is in order. All those in favour? All those opposed?

Carried

I will rise and report progress.

Question 525-18(3): Taltson Hydroelectricity Expansion
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 51)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My final question is: how do we expect to pay for this expansion? I know that it might pay for itself over time, but the budget just came out yesterday. We are almost right up against the debt wall. You know, maybe at the beginning of this Assembly, this was viable, but our borrowing limit is almost maxed out. How does the Minister think that this is going to be paid for? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 525-18(3): Taltson Hydroelectricity Expansion
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 51)

That leads me to my second question. The Minister stated that there was an application for more federal funding. I think that in the last Assembly there was about $15 million spent on looking at expanding Taltson. I know we have another couple of million now. What is this federal ask, and how much of it would have to be GNWT dollars?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 51)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. She came back. I would like to recognize my constituent and my girlfriend, Ms. Chantel Lafferty. I would also like to welcome back, again, my aunt and my constituent, Ms. June Simpson. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 51)

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Minister's Statement 13118(3), Sessional Statement, and Tabled Document 32218(3), Main Estimates, 20192020, and would like to report progress, and Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 51)

I will now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Testart.