R.J. Simpson

Member Hay River North

Premier
Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs

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

R.J. Simpson
Hay River North
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Extension
11120
Constituency Office

62, promenade Woodland, bureau 104
Hay River Nord NT X0E 1G1
Canada

Phone
Minister
Email
Premier of the Northwest Territories, Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs, Minister of Justice, Government House Leader

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

Yes. If there's a witness in that room, I'd like to bring them into the Chamber.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

As I stated, we are always looking at our curriculum, always looking at what is new. There're people in the department who, this is their job. They focus on curriculum. As I said, given the Office of the Auditor General results as well as our own results as well as the fact that we know we need to do better, we wanted to look and see if, perhaps, adjusting our curriculum is a way to do that. There're a lot of options. Looking forward, we could stay with Alberta's new curriculum. We could create a partnership with another jurisdiction. We could, perhaps, use K to eight of one jurisdiction and...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

Thank you. I'd like to introduce Matthew Yap, superintendent of securities, and Cherie Jarock, legislative counsel, and they would be happy to answer any questions Members may have about this topic. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

Thank you. I don't think we're there yet in the development, given that the legislation is just before us now, but if you look at other jurisdictions, sometimes, it's a program, sometimes, it's a combination of courses. There doesn't appear, from what I've seen, to be a strict time frame. As Mr. Saturnino said, if you look back 10 years, then perhaps we could see what was taken in those 10 years. I think there is some flexibility, and as with everything that we do here, we can adapt it to the realities of the North, as well. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On September 1, 2021, the minimum wage in the Northwest Territories will increase from $13.46 per hour to $15.20 per hour, making it the second highest minimum wage in Canada behind Nunavut. Since the last increase in 2018, the cost of living and the average hourly wage in the NWT have risen. This increase ensures that the minimum wage does not fall behind, brings our minimum- to average-wage ratio more in line with the rest of Canada, and makes us more competitive with our neighbouring jurisdictions.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is very aware...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am here today to present Bill 14, An Act to Amend the Securities Act. I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Social Development for their thorough review of this bill.

The purpose of securities legislation is to facilitate the raising of capital in the private sector while providing appropriate protections and remedies for investors. As cross-border trading has evolved over time, the regulation of securities in Canada has become a coordinated activity among all provinces and territories and, increasingly, worldwide. When the Northwest Territories enacted...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

Thank you. If you look at other jurisdictions, what they do, there are a number of different courses that you can take. Then that is confirmed by the department, and then you get issued a Blue Seal. I am sure that Aurora College has those courses. I don't have a list with me, but as a polytechnic, they would definitely have those types of courses. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

Thank you. I've already talked to the department about getting a website and an email address going so that members of the public can provide their comments. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

Thank you. We have Mr. Michael Saturnino, assistant deputy minister, labour and income security, and Mr. Mike Reddy, director of legislation, Department of Justice. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

Yes.