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

Member Kieron Testart
Range Lake
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 36)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize my parents, Terry Testart and Maureen Marshall, and my aunt Lillian Testart. Everything I've learned about good public service I owe to my parents, whose excellence and dedication in their careers made them the most important role models in my life. Thank you for being here today, and thank you for always being there for me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 36)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 36)

That covers the mechanical aspects of repairing this issue, but there will be more costs required for the backup diesel system. Can the Minister speak to what the equivalent cost to generate the loss of 15 per cent of power through diesel is? Is he aware of those numbers now? Can he share them with the House?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 36)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. The Snare Forks Hydroelectric Facility has been reported as having a bearing failure, and now the public reports on this say the unit will be offline for several months, which represents a loss of 4.3 megawatts of power, approximately 15 per cent of the hydro system's total generating capacity. My question to the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation is: what will be the impact of this technical failure on the cost of living of Northerners and the power rates that rate payers are paying? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 36)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak on a topic today which is important to all Northerners: reconciliation within Indigenous peoples.

For over a century, Indigenous children were removed from their communities and sent to residential schools. These governmentfunded, churchrun schools attempted to whitewash and reeducate the spiritual, cultural, and intellectual development of generations of Indigenous youth. This was a terrible mistake that has stained our shared history, and we, as a society, must accept the trauma we intentionally inflicted upon Indigenous peoples from coast...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So from the committee's review of the legislative proposal, our committee's understanding was that it was to absorb the anticipated cost of cannabis. I hear from the Minister now that that's not in fact the case; it's just more or less a housekeeping amendment to modernize or update the bill since 1990. As the Minister has indicated, this increase could be used for the procurement of cannabis. Can the Minister comment on whether or not a supply agreement has been reached with a cannabis producer? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to ask for a recorded vote. Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As Chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, the committee has reviewed the legislative proposal and I'll speak to that now. Standing Committee on Government Operations reviewed the legislative proposal 18-6, An Act to Amend the Revolving Funds Act, on April 20th, 2018. The committee understands that the authorized limit of the Liquor Revolving Fund must be increased in order to enable to Liquor Commission to prepare for the impacts associated with the addition of cannabis sales to its operations. Given the tight timelines associated with the review of...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This was not one of the committee motions, but I am glad the mover has brought this forward because it is an important issue, and we did hear a lot about the age limit. Many Members spoke to the minimum age for consumption. I know that this motion does not change that or propose to change that.

The mover also spoke about the jurisdictions of the states with a minimum age of 21. They also have a minimum age of 21 for the consumption of alcohol. In the European countries that have legalized cannabis, their ages are much lower, lower than what is being proposed: 18 in the...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I make this motion today to address, as I said previously, the largest infrastructure project completed to date by the GNWT.

As many Members of this House and the public know, I'm a fan of public accounts, and in particular the public accounts role that our Standing Committee on Government Operations plays here. Often times, we will receive reports from the Auditor General and look into how the government is managing projects or managing departments or managing policy issues that are important to the public's interest. In this case, we are talking about a significant...