Kieron Testart

Member Range Lake

Kieron Testart was elected to the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly to represent the constituency of Range Lake.

Mr. Testart was born on March 22, 1985, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He was raised in the Northwest Territories, first residing in Tuktoyaktuk and later in Yellowknife, where Mr. Testart now lives with his family, his diverse background and wealth of experiences have shaped his commitment to community development and effective governance.

Mr. Testart was elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Kam Lake in the 18th Legislative Assembly, where he demonstrated a keen understanding of the issues facing his constituents. Beyond his legislative roles, Kieron has contributed significantly to the economic development of the region. Serving as the Director of Economic Development for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation from 2021 to 2023. Mr. Testart’s commitment to education and language advocacy is evident in his role as Program Coordinator for Canadian Parents for French from 2020 to 2021. His efforts have extended to policy analysis within the Government of the Northwest Territories and serving as Deputy Sheriff from 2009 to 2014.

Academically, Kieron holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Lethbridge (2004-2009) and a Certificate in Parliamentary Governance from McGill University (2017).

Married to Colleen, he is the proud father of Corbin, Eve, and Leander. In addition to his professional pursuits, Kieron finds joy in various hobbies and interests, including a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport, a love for film and theatre, grassroots activism, and an avid curiosity about international affairs.

Kieron's commitment to community extends beyond the political realm. As a dedicated volunteer, he has been actively involved in various capacities, including serving on the NWT Federal Liberal Association Board of Directors since 2011, contributing to the Liberal Party of Canada. His volunteer experience also includes a position on the NWT Branch Board of Directors for Canadian Parents for French from 2014 to 2020 and mentoring youth with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada in 2014-2015.

Range Lake Electoral District

Committees

Accountability and Oversight
Social Development
Public Accounts
Procedure and Privileges
Kieron Testart
Range Lake
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
(867) 767-9143
Extension
12150
Constituency Office
Email
Email
Phone
867-920-4066
Cell
867-447-0439

Statements in Debates

Question 575-18(2): Northern-based Addictions Treatment Centre
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 53)

Thank you to the Minister for that answer. Certainly it is difficult to create a perfect program, and that's part of the concern with the Nats'ejee K'eh facility. One of the issues that was raised about that is there was a bit of credentialism creep that imposed very high standards of training and credentials that were required to provide treatment at that facility, and potentially limited our options to provide that treatment. Can the Minister speak to that? Would it be possible to design something that is based not in Western understanding of addictions but more traditional, Indigenousdriven...

Committee Motion 49-18(2): Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Health and Social Services, Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Health and Social Services, Carried
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 53)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Noting the clock, I will yield the remainder of my time. Thank you.

Question 575-18(2): Northern-based Addictions Treatment Centre
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 53)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I made a Member's statement earlier about addictions treatments and the concern that there aren't treatment options here in the North; that we have to send our residents south to pursue treatment. Can the Minister of Health indicate whether or not we are looking at options to provide treatment here or if we're going to continue the practice of relying solely on southern facilities? Thank you.

Committee Motion 49-18(2): Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Health and Social Services, Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Health and Social Services, Carried
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 53)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Minister, are there future cuts contemplated apart from this, or is this the extent of the reduction exercise that we will see for BDIC over the remainder of this term of government? Thank you.

Question 571-18(2): Territorial Electrical Power Generation Asset Expansion and Replacement
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

Also, in the process of acquiring the Northlands assets in Hay River, is the Minister, or the Power Corporation, or anyone, aware of the state of that infrastructure and whether it needs renewal in the short to immediate term? Are we going to be taking on additional costs in renewing that infrastructure? Is the Minister aware if those questions have been asked?

Question 571-18(2): Territorial Electrical Power Generation Asset Expansion and Replacement
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On this topic today, I attended a luncheon with the president of the Canadian Electricity Association, and there were some facts that he brought forward; namely, that the Conference Board of Canada believes that it will take $350 billion to renew electricity infrastructure and support the growing demand for energy. Does the Minister know what our current infrastructure deficit is in power infrastructure in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Question 561-18(2): Public Engagement on Democratic Reform Initiatives
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

Well, Mr. Speaker, there's a big difference between a system that encompasses 34 million Canadians and a system that encompasses 40,000 Northerners. I think that we have options here, and national opinion polls show that the majority of Canadians want to engage in this discussion; they want to be consulted. This is an area I think that we've seen a lot of attention. So given that the Minister's job in this portfolio is open government, can he commit to at least starting to look at a discussion paper that could be shared with Members on this side of the House and with members of the public on...

Question 561-18(2): Public Engagement on Democratic Reform Initiatives
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently the Prime Minister of Canada visited the Northwest Territories, and one of the discussions we have been having across the country and in this community is on democratic reform. Certainly, there are many constitutional challenges with some models of governance in the Northwest Territories, but today I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Public Engagement and Transparency if this government has a position on democratic reform that they've shared with the Government of Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Member's Statement on Court Ruling on Sixties Scoop Survivors
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to speak on a terrible time in Canadian history and part of our national history that we must acknowledge, and I'm doing so today because of a recent court ruling that found in favour of those Indigenous peoples who were victimized by what is known now as the Sixties Scoop.

Mr. Speaker, the Sixties Scoop was wrong, a by-product of the ignorance of colonization, and those affected deserve to be compensated, and I'm pleased to see that the courts have ruled on the right side of history.

Mr. Speaker, the Sixties Scoop placed Indigenous children in...

Question 571-18(2): Territorial Electrical Power Generation Asset Expansion and Replacement
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess what I'm getting at, there's a growing infrastructure need for power generation. Our rates continue to go up. Our rate base is not increasing, given our low amount of population. Is this government going to prioritize power generation, and starting with the Taltson expansion. We know they've gone to Ottawa. We know they've had those discussions with our federal counterparts. Have we made any progress on that, and is the Minister prepared to announce a Taltson expansion deal by the end of this Assembly? Thank you.