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

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 16)

Nothing further. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Looking at page 221, I would like to ask some questions about the Mining Incentive Program. This program was increased in last year's budget to a million dollars, more than double. I am just wondering if the Minister can speak to whether all of this money got out the door last fiscal or this fiscal year. Did all the money invested into this fund get used? Thank you.

Question 166-18(3): Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Project
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I talked about the early results of the Ontario Basic Income Pilot project. Some of the comments from people in the program: "It's given me back my independence," "I don't feel backed into a corner," "If I want to eat, I can afford to buy something instead of going to a food bank or soup kitchen." These are the kind of progressive policies that are moving the working poor forward in the province of Ontario. Will the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment speak to any analysis that his department has done on a guaranteed basic income...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was involved in that process, and I appreciate the work that is going into that. One of the areas that is up for discussion in the strategic discussions around manufacturing is converting the current list policy, where you have to be registered as a manufacturer to receive the preferential purchasing, shifting that to a labour market subsidy so that you actually subsidize manufacturing operations to encourage employment. I think that is a viable option that is perhaps preferable to the current system.

If that example were undertaken, it would require an additional source...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 16)

Regulations and legislation are of course different. I am just wondering: are we talking about legislative change or regulatory change? The Minister can change the regulations today if he wanted to. Can the Minister clarify? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 16)

By how much? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 16)

Thank you. The legislative change that is required, when does the Minister anticipate bringing that forward?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 16)

Thank you to the Minister for providing the technical details of how it's calculated, but I'm looking for the reasons why there is a drop from $31 million to $13 million. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have spoken about this before, but BDIC performs an important role in supporting businesses in the Northwest Territories, providing advice to those companies and those individuals who are interested in getting involved and, of course, through its lending programs.

Looking at the information item, which is included later in the business review, on page 227, we see some of their operating results, and they seem to generate a significant amount of surplus. My understanding is that they cannot access that surplus under the terms of the current legislation. Is the Minister...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Onto the tourism operator licences, it just seems odd that this number isn't growing with the success of the tourism industry and the number of operators. I often hear that there's a lot of competition out there for new operators who are coming in to take advantage of the tourism market. Are we not predicting any new operations applying for licences? Thank you.