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 146)

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, March 8th, 2023, I will present Bill 75, Council of Women and Gender Diversity Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 146)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So every time there's an incident anywhere in Canada not every time but when there are incidents in Canada that result in calls for additional RCMP training, it's often happened that that training then becomes mandatory for RCMP officers across the territory or across Canada. So there's actually quite a bit of training that officers are required to do to the point that it affects resourcing levels because we often have so many officers out taking training. So that is from the federal side. And the federal government is responsible for the operations of the RCMP. We do...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 146)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Justice sits on the I believe it's the problematic substance use committee with the Department of Health and Social Services to look at these exact issues that the Member is talking about. The Minister of health has also met with the commanding officer of the RCMP to begin discussions on how they can explore other options for enforcement and prevention in communities. So there is a number of ways that the departments that the RCMP and the department of health are collaborating, along with the Department of Justice. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 146)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 72, Opioid Damages and Healthcare Costs Recovery Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 146)

Thank you. No, I can't. I don't have the authority to commit to the commanding officer. Our agreement with the Government of Canada is very clear that the GNWT does not direct the operations of the RCMP. However, the community government is more than welcome to reach out to the commanding officer and request a meeting. I know that he's still relatively new to the territory and is trying to get out to the communities and meet with everyone so it could be a good opportunity. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 145)

Thank you. I sure hope so. We have been engaging extensively with the federal government. As I've stated, the Premier has spoken directly to the prime minister about the importance of this initiative and the need for federal support, and I've engaged with a number of my federal counterparts as well. So we are very hopeful. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 145)

Thank you, Madam Chair. So with a new board of governors in place, they will be making those types of decisions along with the college administration. So I know that Members have been accustomed to asking those questions of the Minister but with the change in relationship and with the establishment of the board, things are going to operate differently now. So I can't comment on future decisions of the board. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 145)

Thank you. I have Mr. John MacDonald, the deputy minister of Education, Culture and Employment. As well as Mr. Mike Saturnino, the assistant deputy minister of labour and income security. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 145)

Yes. And as part of that work that I talked about, there will be a contractor going out and engaging with communities to talk about the community learning centres and the types of programming that they might have. So the Member can well, that will be happening as well. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 145)

Thank you. I expect an announcement next week and all of the instruments to establish the board to all be completed this month. Thank you.