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

Kieron Testart
Range Lake
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Extension
12150
Constituency Office
Email
Phone

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm just going to follow up both with the previous lines of questions. First, on land claims, when -- or land rights negotiations. When were the negotiating mandates last revised for the GNWT's side of the table? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one other thing that needs to happen that's not covered by legislation is the latency periods for testicular, colorectal, and esophageal cancer. These latency periods need to be shorter. They're currently not to the national standard. Is the Minister also looking at working with his counterparts -- or sorry, is the WSCC working on shortening these latency periods as well? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Mr. Speaker, first responders are real life super heros. They run towards danger to save lives using incredible skills few possess. We rely on them to protect us and they, in turn, rely on us to do all we can to prioritize their safety and well-being because unlike in comic books and action movies, there are no super powers that can make them immune to illness and injury.

When wounded warriors stepped up to provide easier access to services for firefighters, particularly regarding mental health, it revealed a gap that showed PTSD was not covered by WSCC legislation. This gap also revealed...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Thank you. And thank you to the Premier for this. I mean, this is an area we do agree on. I'm glad it's in the mandate. I just want to see it moving as quickly as possible. So I'll probably continue to raise this issue going forward. But I think those -- and I want to just give a shout out to integrated service delivery as well. Like I've -- we've directed many -- I've done a Member's statement on it, we've directed many constituents there, and I'll just take the opportunity to say they do amazing work. It is not an easy job to provide that care, but I know constituents and clients really do...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the -- we're talking about government and governance and service integration, and I was -- the Nunavut budget just came out, and they have been working on realignment of their departments, and they have a new Department of Community Services and the goal of that department is to establish a one-stop shop for territorial government services called Service Nunavut. Now, we have GSOs, had them for quite some time. They are amazingly helpful to small communities, to regional centres. We don't have a one-stop shop here in Yellowknife. We have some integrated service units...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Thank you. Yes, and I would encourage you to make use of those professional services. Ottawa is a fierce beast when it comes to politics, of course, as I'm sure everyone's aware, and having people who are used to navigating those waters is probably the best value for money we can do. I appreciate this kind of novel approach to assigning an envoy but when you -- I quickly Googled special or senior envoys in Canada, and most of the results that come back are about envoy -- like, the Government of Alberta has an envoy to the United States specifically around the energy relationship there. Quebec...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Thank you. That's good news to hear. Can -- is -- I'm not sure if this has been done but it certainly is something -- it's one thing to have modern treaty or a claims -- a comprehensive claims process, but some -- in many cases, treaty obligations aren't being met by the Crown and the agents of the Crown. So can the Premier speak to this or commit to an analysis of outstanding treaty obligations that the GNWT might have to its signed treaties, so not the stuff that's not done, but the stuff it has done, and take an inventory, what's outstanding and what still needs to be delivered in terms of...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Okay, I'm trying to do quick math. So halfway through. Is there a plan to update the current ones to reflect the priorities -- the changing priorities of this government, of the Indigenous governments, the Government of Canada potentially, and the increasingly precarious geopolitical circumstances we find ourselves in? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, I provided a lot of information to the Minister so he could start there. He's welcome to do his own research. Mr. Speaker, we do have a peculiar set up with the WSCC unlike other jurisdictions. Could the Minister work to secure an agreement that we can move forward with this and start drafting our own legislation? We could pass the updates now, get it out of the way, and then Nunavut can catch up. But I think it's high time we did this. Every day we wait is a day that firefighters have to take more time to get coverage. It's not just firefighters; it's...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement, presumptive coverage for firefighters and first responders for PTSD and ten forms of cancer and event specific coverage, such as catastrophic disasters like the Fort McMurray wildfire or the wildfires we experienced here, are not currently covered by WSCC legislation. This means firefighters have to go through a lengthy approval process and, in some cases, they're dealing with terminal cancers and had to spend all this time fighting with insurance rather than enjoying the time they have left. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister...