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 , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't like this motion. I find it too prescriptive, but I am in support of it because our alternative is subservience to what I believe is a wrong-headed policy position for all of the reasons mentioned by Mr. Beaulieu and Mr. Vanthuyne, and I have nothing further to say. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we all know, the committee was supposed to have a public briefing on the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway, and I was hoping that would happen before this motion so we would have a better sense of whether or not the timing is right to make this motion. I see in here it calls for the audit to be completed as soon as practicable, and I know that, the Auditor General's office, you are not going to meet a smarter group of people, and so I think that, if we make this recommendation, they will know the right timing.

Regardless, I think, if this motion fails, I have a feeling...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The clock is ticking. We don't have that much time. They say, at the end of the Assembly, the departments are just waiting out the Ministers. I would like to see the Minister get moving on this. Will he commit to getting me a timeline and some information on the work that has been done so that I can ensure that is shared with committee? Then we can hopefully press to move this forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

I was more encouraged last time I asked the Minister about this, because it sounded like they were moving ahead with this. Now, I hear a lot of "maybe we will do this." I would like some clarification: are concrete steps being taken so that the department can move forward with this therapeutic model at SMCC?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that subclause 1(4) of Bill 6 be deleted and the following substituted:

(4) The following provision set out in Schedule A come into force on the day on which this act receives assent:

Subsection 1(1);

Subsections 5(1), 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 2;

Section 6;

Part 4

Section 71, 72, and 74.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that Schedule A of Bill 6 be amended by adding the following after paragraph 71(j):

(j.1) Prescribing criteria to guide the Minister in considering whether the designation of a person as a vendor is in the public interest for the purpose referred to in subsection 5(1).

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 32)

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. We will take a brief recess and reconvene in 15 minutes.

---SHORT RECESS

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 32)

The results of the recorded vote are: seven in favour, zero opposed, nine abstentions. The motion is carried.

---Carried