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 , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 56)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There's been significant advocacy by all the provinces and territories regarding housing funding. That was a prominent theme in this last federal election. And the federal government has been responding to that with some significant announcements and plans on housing. And so we'll continue to push that advocacy forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 56)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, we have a number of those programs. I'm not -- I won't say I'm an expert on past programs from previous decades, so I don't want to speak too much into that. But we are advocating to the federal government when it comes to housing. We're happy to see money go to Indigenous governments.

I'll also mention that the GNWT provides a lot of social housing in the territory, and we also meet our own funds. So we are doing that as well to advocate for a renewed agreement with the federal government where we'll see increased funding to support social housing at the same...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 56)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure exactly what the Member is speaking of in technical terms. He's looking for my support for events in another jurisdiction. So I'm quite -- I'm unclear on the parameters that he's talking about, what would I be committing to support. I'm focus on the Northwest Territories. I'm the Premier of the Northwest Territories. We have strong relationships with Indigenous governments. We are moving to a future where the territory will be covered by settled land claims and self-governing Indigenous nations, and we are continuously working towards that end. Thank you...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 56)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our position hasn't changed on the issues the Member is speaking about. If there are medical services that are no longer available in one jurisdiction, we will work with another jurisdiction to ensure that residents receive those medical services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 56)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And it is political advice that is being given by the senior envoy to the Government of Canada. We don't have any czars in the government that I'm aware of, no positions at least named "czar." So I work with the senior envoy to, you know, pick his brain on, you know, what he's seen in the past, get information about past decisions made in Ottawa, some of that insight that you might not get, you know, through the media or through a briefing note. And so the type of advice that he gives is quality. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 56)

Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Oral Question asked by the Member for Yellowknife Centre on March 12th, 2025, regarding the Senior Envoy to the Government of Canada position.

As part of an organizational shift within the Premier's Office, the Senior Envoy position was created to strengthen the Government of the Northwest Territories' federal engagement efforts. This role is designed to foster strong relationships with federal political offices in Ottawa while leveraging the renewed national interest in Canada's North. The Senior Envoy serves as a dedicated resource, ensuring that the GNWT's...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 56)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We can always work with Indigenous governments to knock on doors in Ottawa, but there's more than just the Prime Minister in Ottawa, and there's more than just the Premier in the Cabinet, so I'd have to defer that question to the Minister of housing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 56)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is why it's so important to settle land claims and implement self-government agreements, so that Indigenous governments can begin providing, you know, appropriate social housing, if that's what they wish to do. In the meantime, the Government of the Northwest Territories provides social housing, and so we need to ensure that we have an agreement with the federal government that is supporting our ability to provide that social housing. And like I said before, at the same time, we'll support Indigenous governments in their aspirations around housing as well, and we...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 55)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take a minute to recognize some people who have been here with us for the past six weeks while I've been in the House. All of the interpreters who do the good work of letting the people of the territory know what we're up to. We were lucky enough to be invited to a potluck that they put on today, and it was a wonderful experience. And, of course, I also want to recognize Troy Aikman of the Department of Infrastructure, Mr. Steve Loutitt, one of the -- you know, the hardest working people that I've ever met, one of the most positive. He's a great member of our...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 55)

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Children's Law Act, be read for the second time.

This bill will bring the Northwest Territories Children's Law Act in line with changes to the federal Divorce Act that came into force in 2021. The bill will also allow for the collection, use, and disclosure of information for the purposes of the child support recalculation service and will make an amendment to provide greater flexibility for the judiciary to create broadly applicable rules of court. Thank you.