Kieron Testart

Député de Range Lake

Circonscription électorale de Range Lake 

Kieron Testart a été élu député de la circonscription de Range Lake à la 20e Assemblée législative des Territoires du Nord-Ouest. 

Kieron Testart est né le 22 mars 1985 à Victoria, en Colombie-Britannique, au Canada. Il a grandi aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest, résidant d’abord à Tuktoyaktuk puis à Yellowknife, où il vit aujourd’hui avec sa famille. Son parcours diversifié et la richesse de ses expériences ont façonné son engagement envers le développement de la collectivité et une gouvernance efficace. 

Kieron Testart a été élu député de Kam Lake lors de la 18e législature; lors de son mandat, il a su prouver sa grande compréhension des problèmes auxquels sont confrontés ses électeurs. Au-delà de ses fonctions législatives, M. Testart a contribué de manière significative au développement économique de la région, à titre de directeur du développement économique de la Première Nation des Dénés Yellowknives de 2021 à 2023. Son rôle de coordonnateur de programme pour Canadian Parents for French de 2020 à 2021 témoigne de son engagement envers l’éducation et la défense de la langue. 

Il a en outre contribué à l’analyse des politiques au sein du gouvernement des Territoires du Nord-Ouest et a été shérif adjoint de 2009 à 2014. Le parcours académique de Kieron Testart l’a amené à décrocher un baccalauréat en sciences politiques de l’Université de Lethbridge (2004-2009) et un certificat en gouvernance parlementaire de l’Université McGill (2017). 

Marié à Colleen, il est l’heureux père de Corbin, Eve et Leander. Dans sa vie privée, Kieron Testart voue notamment une profonde passion à la Formule 1 et au sport automobile et s’adonne à divers passe-temps. Il aime le cinéma et le théâtre, s’intéresse à l’activisme local, et suit de très près les affaires internationales. L’engagement de M. Testart envers la collectivité va au-delà du domaine politique. Bénévole dévoué, il s’implique activement dans diverses causes : il siège notamment au conseil d’administration de l’Association libérale fédérale des TNO depuis 2011, contribuant ainsi aux activités du Parti libéral du Canada. Il a par ailleurs occupé un poste au sein du conseil d’administration du chapitre ténois de Canadian Parents for French de 2014 à 2020 et a été mentor de jeunes au sein de Grands Frères Grandes Sœurs du Canada en 2014-2015.

Committees

Member Kieron Testart
Range Lake
Bureau

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Boîte
1320

Déclarations dans les débats

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 58)

I am unsure what the Minister's needs are, but the needs of my constituents are lower rents and more affordable housing. Mr. Speaker, it is not just the Housing Corporation that provides support for co-ops. It is also the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Department of Justice who all provide either administrative support or are some way responsible. Will the Minister commit to forming a working group with those three departments to build on the success of housing cooperatives?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Kam Lake is home to two of the Northwest Territories' housing cooperatives. These are great communitydriven housing communities that allow for housing options that are below market rent. In fact, the average price for a threebedroom apartment in Yellowknife is around $2,300 a month in rent, whereas, at one of the housing co-ops in my riding, it is $1,400. That is an incredible amount of savings. I am wondering if the Minister has looked into starting a pilot project to develop more housing cooperatives here in Yellowknife and across the Northwest...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 57)

Perhaps, maybe, that is the point. Are we too involved with the daytoday operations of this college and providing strategic direction to them? As my honourable friend, the Member from Hay River North, pointed out in his statement earlier, issues with the success of the college are not new, and instead of helping them, we seem to have been turning away from that and are now offering them guidance on how to cut programs, not how to improve programs.

My question, Mr. Speaker, is: given that 66 per cent of the revenues of Aurora College are provided for by government and, in our neighbouring...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 57)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I am sure he is used to it every time he appears, but I would also like to recognize Mr. Tony Whitford, former Member for Kam Lake. Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 57)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am sorry. Did the Minister say he will make that commitment or he has made that commitment? I don't think we have heard it until now. If he could clarify. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 57)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would appreciate receiving that information. I think of the other kinds of projects we are thinking of developing as far as transportation corridors and how funding like this can make a big difference for the community. I hope we do pursue other relationships like this. I will ask that the Minister make a commitment to providing the most recent report or perhaps a summary of the impacts of the benefits so far. Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 57)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On page 226, there is a grantinkind, Deh Cho bridge opportunities grant. I am wondering if the Minister can give some detail on this grant? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 57)

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition dealing with the matter of funding to Aurora College.

Mr. Speaker, the petition contains 224 electronic signatures of Northwest Territories residents, and, Mr. Speaker, the petitioners request that the Government of the Northwest Territories maintain funding to Aurora College in the 2017-2018 budget year and throughout the life of the current Assembly that is sufficient to allow the college to continue to offer all of its existing programs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 57)

I am sure the Minister is well aware that we are all eagerly awaiting the strategic plan and the process that will come forward from this. Can the Minister advise how the college will be used to support the Skills 4 Success strategic plan?

It looks like we are cutting off two programs that have direct relation with that strategy, so are we going to fill our labour gap solely on the backs of southern institutions, or are we going to build some programs here in the North that work to support that plan?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 57)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have some questions for the Minister of Education on the funding to Aurora College. When the Minister and his department were involved in discussions with Aurora College about identifying reductions, was a discussion held about how the college could leverage additional funds from other sources, from thirdparty sources, to make up the reductions that our government was asking of them? Thank you.