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
Shauna Morgan
Yellowknife North
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Shauna_Morgan@ntassembly.ca
Phone
(867) 767-9143(link is a phone number)
Extension
12170
shaunamorgan.yknorth@gmail.com
Constituency Office
Email
shaunamorgan.yknorth@gmail.com

Statements in Debates

Question 444-20(1): On-the-Land Healing Camp Initiative
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So has the government worked with partners to look at the feasibility of establishing an on-the-land camp for the under-housed population that would not require sobriety? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 437-20(1): Trauma, Healing and Harm Reduction
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finally, has the GNWT examined the feasibility of ensuring there's a day shelter space where people could more safely use drugs or prescribed drug alternatives such as methadone or gabapentin? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 437-20(1): Trauma, Healing and Harm Reduction
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It feels like ages ago now, but my questions are for the h ealth and social services Minister in follow up to my Member's statement about harm reduction.

So, first, in 2022, the GNWT released a standards manual for managed alcohol programs in the territory. Can the Minister confirm whether these standards are actually in use anywhere in the territory now? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 433-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Employment Satisfaction Survey and Action Plan
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 38)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, finally, there was a large decrease in satisfaction particularly amongst employees of our divisional educational councils. And I've certainly heard myself from the NWT Teachers Association about growing struggles to attract and retain teachers. So how is finance working with ECE to address these concerns from educational council employees? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 433-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Employment Satisfaction Survey and Action Plan
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 38)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Another part of the survey that came out, what is the GNWT doing about the widespread concern that information does not flow effectively between senior leadership and staff? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 428-20(1): Out-of-Territory Care, Supportive Living and Respite Care
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 38)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So as the Minister alluded to earlier, we need to always remember that primary care is happening in every community, every community health centre across the territory, so how has our primary care reform that's taken place taken into consideration how community health centres operations will be impacted or where the opportunities are for better supports and connections between doctors and practitioners in regional centres and the community health nurses in small communities. How has that been part of the reform process? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 428-20(1): Out-of-Territory Care, Supportive Living and Respite Care
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 38)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Okay, so that's a good start in terms of our overarching goals. But, for example, the primary care reform carried out in Yellowknife, at least, last year seems to have been done as kind of a trial, something we'll try out and see if it works. But has anyone defined what exactly our primary care reform was trying to accomplish and how will we know if this trial has worked if we don't have indicators or targets about what it was supposed to accomplish? How will we know if our primary care reform is working? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Member’s Statement 431-20(1): State of the Northwest Territories
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 38)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these days, we are bombarded with news of doom and war and conflict coming from every corner of our country in the world. There are looming trade wars, military wars where civilians are being bombed, wars between political parties, wars on the street between drug lords and gangs. Everywhere life as we know it life is being torn down. In our own territory, everyone is worried that the government is broke, worried that our whole focus is finding programs and services and jobs to cut. It feels like our world is closing in and it's getting smaller and more...

Question 433-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Employment Satisfaction Survey and Action Plan
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 38)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And so building on that, many staff reported in the survey that they feel they don't have appropriate access to data and information in order to do their jobs effectively. So what is this government doing to ensure that confidentiality and secrecy is not our default mode, our default operating mode, to maximize the extent that the work that our staff are doing is actually being shared and made public? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 433-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Employment Satisfaction Survey and Action Plan
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 38)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions now are for the Minister of Finance.

So the 2023 GNWT employee engagement and satisfaction survey identified a number of sources of major dissatisfaction in GNWT workplaces and, in particular, places where dissatisfaction's been growing. So I understand that in July of last year an action plan, an employee satisfaction action plan, was released to try to address the problems. So can the Finance Minister tell us what progress is being made since this action plan was established, first, on growing concerns that GNWT workplaces are not psychologically healthy...