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 35)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Minister's Statement 19-18(3), Aurora College Foundational Review Process, and would like to report progress, and I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred about. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 35)

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

Motion that Committee Report 8-18(3) Be Deemed Read and Printed in Hansard in its Entirety, Carried
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Mr. Speaker, I now move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Committee Report 8-18(3) be deemed read and printed in Hansard in its entirety. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 340-18(3): South Mackenzie Correctional Centre Therapeutic Model
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Again, I heard "possibility" in there. I was under the impression, or maybe it was just hopeful thinking, wishful thinking, that the department was moving forward with this. The Minister mentioned a review. Can I have some sort of timeline of when this review will be complete and when he can give a definitive answer of whether or not this transition is going to take place?

Committee Motion 65-18(3): Bill 6: Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Implementation Act – Substitution of subclause 1(4) of Bill 6, Carried
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just for clarity, this allows the first motion I made to come into effect on the day of assent, which would start the clock ticking on that six months from when the bill receives assent. It has been a long night. I apologize. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Question 340-18(3): South Mackenzie Correctional Centre Therapeutic Model
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions for the Minister of Justice. During our last sitting, the Minister stated that the corrections service has established a committee to examine the feasibility of implementing a therapeutic community model to treat inmates at the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre.

The therapeutic community model considers substance abuse as a symptom of much broader problems in a residential setting and uses holistic treatment approaches that have an impact on every aspect of a resident's life. This represents a substantial shift in our approach to corrections. In...

Committee Motion 64-18(3): Bill 6: Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Implementation Act – Amendment to Schedule A – Addition of paragraph 71(j.1), Carried
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Just for clarification, this just provides the Minister with the regulationmaking authority that was referenced in my earlier motion. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Committee Motion 63-18(3): Bill 6: Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Implementation Act – Amendment to Schedule A, Addition of Section 19.1, Defeated
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Briefly, I appreciate the Member's intent to give communities more tools; however, I can't support a motion that sets up another hurdle for small business in this territory, and if utilized, would have the effect of just simply shifting sales from the legal to the illegal. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Committee Motion 61-18(3): Bill 6: Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Implementation Act – Amendment to Schedule A, Clause 5 – Addition of Subsection 6.1 after subsection 5(6), Defeated
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This has come up many times, and I have spoken to it many times. The comment from the communities that got to me was exactly what Mr. Beaulieu was saying, where someone has issues, they have mental health issues, and they are self-medicating for whatever reason. They managed to get off alcohol, and now they have moved to cannabis. They go in that store, and they see that bottle, and the temptation is too much. That is a big effect on someone. Think about that happening to one person. That is a big effect on someone's life.

Everywhere we went, too, we heard concern for the...

Committee Motion 60-18(3): Bill 6: Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Implementation Act – Amendment to Schedule A, Clause 5 – Addition of Subsection 5(1), Carried
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this motion is what some would call a compromise, what some would call better than nothing, and what some may call nothing more than a smokescreen.

Many Members of this House and many members of the public have expressed a desire for private sales of cannabis and the opportunity to sell cannabis in all communities in the NWT. However, as the bill is written, it gives the Minister of Finance broad discretion, seemingly the broadest discretion available under the law, as to who he designates as a cannabis vendor, and this government has made it clear that it...