Shauna Morgan

Member Yellowknife North

Shauna Morgan was elected to the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly to represent the constituency of Yellowknife North.

Ms. Morgan was born and raised in Barrie, Ontario. Having called Yellowknife home for the past 15 years, she has embraced the dynamic, creative and eclectic lifestyle in Old Town near Great Slave Lake.

Ms. Morgan’s commitment to public service is evident in her two consecutive terms on Yellowknife City Council from 2015 to 2022. During this time, she held pivotal roles, including Deputy Mayor, Chair of the Community Energy Planning Committee, and Chair of the Community Advisory Board on Homelessness.

Ms. Morgan holds degrees in International Development (B.A. Hons) and International Affairs (M.A.), specializing in community economic and political development in remote and Indigenous communities globally. She worked with a grassroots cross-cultural peacebuilding movement in the Philippines from 2002 to 2003. Her master's research delved into negotiations between mineral exploration companies and First Nations in Canada, focusing on land access during the earliest stages of mineral exploration.

Over the past 15 years in Yellowknife, Ms. Morgan has prioritized work at the community level. Working with private consulting firms and a non-profit thinktank focused on clean energy, she served as a resource person to Indigenous governments and communities across the NWT. Her contributions ranged from planning renewable energy projects to housing initiatives, building cross-cultural environmental research and monitoring programs, and navigating the complexities of major resource extraction projects.

Ms. Morgan has drawn on her well-rounded skill set to diversify her professional pursuits. While serving as a City Councillor, she managed her own piano teaching studio, worked as an on-the-Land educator with Bushkids NWT, and contributed for many years as a full-time member of the Snow Castle construction crew and snow carving team. Additionally, she engaged in facilitation and consulting contracts.

Active in the arts community, Ms. Morgan provides piano accompaniment for Yellowknife’s Aurora Chorealis (adult community choir) and Fireweed Children’s Choir. She served as a Board member for the Yellowknife Women’s Society and a weekly volunteer with Food Rescue and has dedicated time to the Yellowknife Ski Club and Victim Services.

Ms. Morgan’s love for the land is palpable in her adventurous spirit. She enjoys a myriad of outdoor activities in the North across all seasons, from whitewater and flatwater canoe trips to hiking in Auyuittuq National Park and along the Canol Trail. Her passion extends to cycle touring, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and hunting for moose and ducks with her partner.

Yellowknife North Electoral District

Committees

Accountability and Oversight
Social Development
Economic Development & Environment
Member Shauna Morgan
Yellowknife North
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
(867) 767-9143
Extension
12170
shaunamorgan.yknorth@gmail.com
Constituency Office
Email
Email

Statements in Debates

Question 347-20(1): Physician Workforce Plan
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 31)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And on that note, I have been told by some physicians in my riding that our primary care system is only funded to serve a population of about 15,000 people. Can the Minister confirm whether or not we have the right amount of funding in place for primary care to be able to serve the entire NWT population? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Committee Motion 39-20(1): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 200-20(1): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2024-2025, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 31)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is what is is the property taxation revenue program that appears there? An additional $600,000 that does not appear to be offset by federal funding, what is this program? Thank you.

Question 347-20(1): Physician Workforce Plan
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 31)

Okay, just under the wire. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a second set of questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

So in 2020, the department completed a physician workforce plan to lay out how many doctors and what kinds of doctors the territory actually needs. In their March 2024 letter, which was tabled in this House, the NWT Medical Association recommended that this plan be reviewed, analyzed, updated, and implemented, so that funding could be matched to strategic and evidence-based decisions.

So, first, can the Minister confirm whether this physician workforce plan was ever...

Committee Motion 39-20(1): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 200-20(1): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2024-2025, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 31)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister give some indication if it's funded by the federal government, is there a set time period where this funding will stop? Like, are we being given funding for a set period of time, or are we committed to funding this unit for a number of years? Are there time limits set on the existence of this unit given that it's fully coming through federal funding? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Question 342-20(1): Primary Care Reform
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 31)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next question is just can the Minister commit to providing data to this House on the rate of health care practitioners, so that's physicians, nurses, NPs, and LPNs, and other staff, who have been terminating their contracts with the NTHSSA over the past year? And I would emphasize that I'd like to see the stats for primary care in particular but then extending to other units. Can the Minister commit to providing this data in written form? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Committee Motion 39-20(1): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 200-20(1): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2024-2025, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 31)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thanks to the Minister for that explanation. My understanding was that the federal government had announced that they had special funding for dealing with encampments and trying to find solutions across the country and that that might be a potential for the NWT to be able to tap into that federal funding envelope. Is that something that is being pursued and might have the potential to help offset some of the costs here? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Question 342-20(1): Primary Care Reform
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 31)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. The first question is, does the Minister acknowledge that the way the primary care reform has been carried out has led to negative impacts, both on continuity of care for patients and negative impacts on practitioners' efficiency, morale, and ability to see patients? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Committee Motion 39-20(1): Concurrence Motion – Tabled Document 200-20(1): Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2024-2025, Carried
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 31)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So a couple questions on this one. The first is to clarify whether or not the funding for activities to support a strategic approach to homelessness in Yellowknife, is that covered by federal funds or not? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Member’s Statement 361-20(1): Primary Care System Frustrations
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 31)

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, one of this Assembly's key mandate commitments is equitable access to sustainable primary care in the NWT. I do believe that this is a sincere commitment. So we should all be alarmed that the primary care system here in Yellowknife, which also serves as an anchor point to many other communities, is on the verge of collapse. I'm hearing from constituents that there is such extreme frustration amongst frontline health care practitioners that a significant number have left their jobs over the past six months and we are in danger of losing the rest. So that's physicians...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 31)

Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. I would just ask that perhaps the Minister could provide me with some written details of what this rehabilitation work entails and what improvements we can expect. I would very much appreciate that. Thank you.