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, 2nd Session (day 73)

Thank you, Minister. Time has expired for Mr. Thompson. Next, I have Mr. Vanthuyne.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 73)

Thank you, Minister Moses. I will note that the committee, the Standing Committee on Social Development presented a substantive report, Committee Report 10-18(2), in relation to this bill. Now, Minister, do you have witnesses you would like to bring to the Chamber?

Committee Motion 104-18(2): Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act – Amendments to Clause 4(b) (re: increase to grades 9-12 hours of instruction to 1000 hours), defeated
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 73)

Thank you, Ms. Green. Motion is in order and being distributed. To the motion, Ms. Green.

Recorded Vote
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 73)

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. To the motion. Question has been called. The Member has requested a recorded vote. All those in favour, please stand.

Member's Statement on Commercial Fisheries Revitalization
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 73)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I haven't had a chance to get outside much in the past couple of weeks, but I am told that summer is finally here. That means that the commercial fishermen are heading back out on Great Slave Lake. It is only fitting that I make my sessional statement on the fishery. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, the Auditor General of Canada, or AG, released his report on the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. For those who don't know, all fish caught in the NWT that are sold across the border must be sold to Freshwater, which is a federal Crown corporation. It has...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 73)

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Minister.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 73)

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 73)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess what I got from that is that the department, not hypothetically, what would happen. I guess I was asking what were the department's plans. Has the department planned and has it come up with a plan, but I am not going to get an answer to that, so I will drop that. We won't know unless it is defeated, and we will see what rolls out, hypothetically. My other question is the Minister has promised to fund this initiative at 12 to 1, a pupilteacher ratio of 12 to 1, and I think, if you look in the schedule of the Child Daycare Act regulations, if a daycare has...

Recorded Vote
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 73)

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. A recorded vote has been requested. All those in favour, please stand.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 73)

Thank you, Ms. Green. The time is now if you would like to start asking those questions of the Minister.