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
Member Kieron Testart
Range Lake
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
(867) 767-9143

Statements in Debates

Question 512-18(3): Binding Arbitration for UNW Negotiations
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 50)

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister believe that, at this point, new direction is required, either a new strategy, either a new leader for that team? It just seems like things are at an impasse, and I am fearful to gamble on optimism at this point.

Question 512-18(3): Binding Arbitration for UNW Negotiations
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 50)

I appreciate the Minister's optimism. I have been optimistic for three years, and now we are at a really very dangerous situation for bringing additional division into our communities. Mr. Speaker, I asked about information the government is providing. The Minister spoke of an email he sent out earlier in question period, and he said that he'd read the email and it did not seem to inflame tempers. I have the text of the email, and it says "unionized employees who are considering coming to work during job action are encouraged to discuss their choice with their union representative," and then...

Member's Statement on GNWT-UNW Collective Agreement
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 50)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are any number of issues I could bring to the House today, but there is one pressing issue that I'm sure we're all aware of, and that is the ongoing dispute over the collective agreement between the GNWT and its workforce.

Mr. Speaker, these employees are our friends and neighbours. The financial uncertainty that it is causing not just for the workforce, public servants who are tireless providing our high-quality public services to the people of the Northwest Territories; it is additionally causing uncertainty for the business community, for private...

Question 512-18(3): Binding Arbitration for UNW Negotiations
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 50)

What I meant in my Member's statement is that I should have been asking these questions three years earlier because the Minister has not led this process to a successful resolution. The Minister has led this process to a potential strike. So what is he doing, what actions, how is he approaching this differently, to result in a fair deal for northern workers?

Question 512-18(3): Binding Arbitration for UNW Negotiations
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 50)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the concern around a strike action is that, if the mediation process on the weekend does not go well, it will be a strike come Monday. We have an opportunity to stop that from happening by agreeing to binding arbitration before they get to the table. Is the Minister willing to consider that to prevent any potential for a strike, to cut it off from happening at all? Thank you.

Question 503-18(3): Public Information on GNWT Employee Pay Increases
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 49)

I think it would be clearer if the government created an apples-to-apples comparison of what someone is making in one year under the previous collective agreement to what someone is making in a given year under the GNWT's proposal. Can the Minister commit to creating a document like that, which provides a straight apples-to-apples comparison year-to-year of what an employee would currently make versus what one would make under the offer? Can the Minister commit to producing that?

Question 503-18(3): Public Information on GNWT Employee Pay Increases
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe it's important that this government provide clear information to the public so they can make informed decisions. There is a document on the Department of Finance's website called "Questions & Answers: GNWT Position on Pay Increases." A number of my constituents looked over this information and had some concerns that I would like the Minister to respond to today.

In one of the examples, for a classroom assistant, starting pay in 2015-2016 on this graph shows $60,762, increasing to $72,131 in 2020-2021. Now, the department then claims this is a total...

Member's Statement on Economic Impacts of GNWT Actions
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am excited to be back in this House. The work we do here is an opportunity to lay a strong foundation for the future of our territory and the people who have elected us. We have the chance to address the issues which affect our shared futures. We have the opportunity to get it right and to chart a clear path toward a healthy and prosperous future for all the peoples we represent. Mr. Speaker, there are very serious concerns that compel us to make sure we get it right.

Northern workers in the public service have not had real job security for some time...

Question 503-18(3): Public Information on GNWT Employee Pay Increases
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister's offer, and I don't want to appear ungenerous, but I am not raising this because I am having trouble understanding. I am raising this because the public looking at this is having trouble understanding, and they don't have the benefit of being able to sit down with the Minister and his department to parse this out. Can the Minister commit to, again, providing clearer information or a clear cost accounting of how they came to this figure, which, again, represents a 50 percent increase from base pay, which I think is hard for a lot of our...

Question 503-18(3): Public Information on GNWT Employee Pay Increases
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 49)

The fact, as I see it in this document, is that, when an employee would start at $60,000, in five years they would be making $72,000. Again, that is not a $30,000 increase. Why is this information on the government website when it is hard to understand, paints a picture of an overly generous benefit from what is being presented to the public, and prevents the public from clearly understanding what is on offer?