Member Nahendeh

Speaker

Shane Thompson was re-elected to the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly after serving in the 18th and 19th Assemblies representing the constituency of Nahendeh. Mr. Thompson is the Honorable Speaker of the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Thompson was first elected to the 18th Assembly in November 2015 and served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Development. Mr. Thompson was also a member of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures, and the Striking Committee.

Mr. Thompson was born on July 11, 1963, in Hay River. He has lived in Kugluktuk (Coppermine), Inuvik, Hay River, and in Edmonton, while at the University of Alberta. Fort Simpson has been his home since 1992.

Mr. Thompson previously served two terms (three years each) as an elected official with the Fort Simpson District Education Authority, spending the last four years as the chairperson. Over the past 35 years, he has served on various community and territorial boards.

Mr. Thompson was employed as the Senior Sport and Recreation Coordinator with Municipal and Community Affairs (GNWT) in the Deh Cho region before being elected as a Member.

Mr. Thompson completed the Community Recreation Leaders Program at Arctic College in 1989 and is currently working on a Masters Certificate on Evaluation at the University of Victoria and Carleton University. He also completed three years towards an Education degree at the University of Alberta.

Mr. Thompson is an active volunteer with Northern Youth Aboard, CBET and Fundamental Movement, and HIGH FIVE®. As well, he is a past member of the Sport North Federation Board, NWT Softball and of NWTRPA, and the past president of Seven Spruce Golf Course.

Mr. Thompson is the father of seven children - five daughters and two sons – and has nine grandchildren.

He has been a Justice of the Peace since 1991.

Nahendeh Electoral District

Committees

Shane Thompson
Nahendeh
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Constituency Office

9706-100th Street
Fort Simpson NT X0E 0N0
Canada

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 88)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the committee recommends that the security assessment tool used by the correctional service be objective, structured, and empirically defensible, and that a risk assessment tool that considers the unique realities of Indigenous inmates be developed and used. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 88)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Justice conduct needs-based assessments for all inmates;

and further, that the assessments be conducted in a manner that is timely relative to an inmate's release eligibility;

and furthermore, that the assessments take into account Gladue and other factors such as an inmate's disabilities;

and furthermore, that the department explore additional measures to encourage all inmates to participate in suitable programming, including offering new incentives.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 88)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will be really brief. First of all, I would like to thank the department and their staff. As we move forward, it was a really good effort from the department and the Minister to work with the committee and our Legislative Assembly staff. There were a lot of hours on Saturdays and Sundays and late evenings that they worked hard through to improve this bill.

When we were talking about it, we were concerned that we may not be able to bring this bill forward, but I have to thank the Minister and his staff and the Legislative Assembly staff and committee, again, for the hard...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 87)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The other side of this.

Bill 45: Corrections Act, sponsored by the Department of Justice, received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on March 11, 2019, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development (committee) for review, the results of which are reported below.

Bill 45 is intended to repeal and replace the existing Corrections Act. The bill intends to focus less on punishment and more on the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders into their communities, and to reflect various operational improvements in the Northwest Territories' (NWT)...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 87)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my riding, like others, there are no recycling facilities for paper, cardboard, and metals. With increased consumerism, waste reduction and recycling issues are essential. Our neighbours in the south in Edmonton, Alberta, have a world-renowned waste management facility. For us to not even have a recycling depot for cardboard and paper is unacceptable. We are further behind that we should be reducing pollution and waste.

Mr. Speaker, if you go to the dump in Fort Simpson, you will see piles and piles of waste cardboard and paper that could be recycled. Starting up a...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 87)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I represent six communities in Nahendeh. Four of them are designated authorities, one is a hamlet, and one is village. I think that each community should be treated the same and equal. In four of those communities that are designated authorities are Indigenous governments. We are dealing with land issues all of the time and people looking to explore around the area. It's a complicated issue, and I agree, but across the territory is very complicated. I have to be respectful of the IRC, the Gwich'in, the Sahtu. However, they also have to be respectful of the Dehcho and the...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 87)

Just to clarify, when it gets to regulations, then they can bring it forward to make an amendment to this act to include those prescribed areas that we were talking about? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 87)

Thank you. I just need clarification. I understand that there is nothing in the Dehcho, Akaitcho, and Acho Dene process. I understand that it is under (e), other areas prescribed as settlement areas for the purpose of this act. When they finalize this process, where are they going to be? Are they going to be in the act, or are they going to be in regulations? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 87)

Can the Minister advise this House if any communities in the Northwest Territories actually do have a paper/cardboard recycling program being utilized presently?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 87)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to waive rule 100(4) and to have Committee Report 34-18(3): Standing Committee on Social Development Report on the Review of Bill 45: Corrections Act moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.