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

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So that's good news. I'm also wondering if in a project like this where, like it's multi-year and then year by year either we realize we need to increase the scope, like the replacement of driver's licensing system, my understanding was that it initially was supposed to be improvements and then later on decided well, we better replace the whole system. So if a project is sort of year after year, either the cost turned out to be way greater or the scope is increasing, to what extent do we have off ramps for a project like this where there might be an option to just like...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I have, well, first a question about the courts modernization project. It looks like the budget for that project has more than doubled since it was first proposed. Like, this is a three-year project and -- well, I guess the first question is the current estimate of the budget over the three years, do we have any assurance that that's going to be the final cost, or do we expect that costs might still sort of increase further beyond what the estimated budget is now? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Question 352-20(1): Healthcare Workforce Plan
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a good first start. Would the Minister agree that when someone applies for leave, there should be a deadline for either approving or denying that leave that gives reasonable notice for that person so that they might plan their leave? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 352-20(1): Healthcare Workforce Plan
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

Based on the Minister's experience as a nurse, as a Regular MLA for four years sitting over on this side, and now as health Minister, can she confirm from her experience whether the problem exists, whether the problem of health care shift workers not being allowed to take the full leave that they're entitled to? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

That's fine, Mr. Chair. That's all my questions on this. Thanks.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm wondering if this is the type of project that would have been improved by the project that's listed second, the information management and technology planning study's initiative. It seems like that initiative is trying to prevent situations like this from taking place but maybe the Minister can comment on whether this is a good example of what might be prevented by that planning study's project. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Question 352-20(1): Healthcare Workforce Plan
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 32)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So will the Minister commit to ensuring that a plan is developed to enable health care staff to take all their leave, to address policies and planning procedures in the short term, and over the longer term, to address chronic understaffing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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.