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)

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.

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

Thank you. Again, we have seen the significant cuts to the BDIC over the last two budgets. What is the longterm vision for the BDIC? Are we developing the new strategic plan? Are we just going to reduce the overall financial resources they have to use and transfer the support into the department itself? There are a lot of rumours on the ground, but the Minister could put some of that to rest with a clear vision for the future of the corporation. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm just looking at page 208, the revenue summary. I'd like to ask just some questions with some of the lines we see here. First, on the nominee program, in the 2016-2017 actuals was that $42,000. Now we see the proposed budget in the last fiscal year was near half that amount. What explains the drop from 2016-2017 to 2017-2018? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate that this is a relatively emerging section of our economy, and it's not something that we traditionally thought of as a strength, but I don't want to see this department be in a position where it's waiting for the knowledge economy to come about organically, and that it's actually finding ways to stimulate knowledge economy, investments and development, and an innovation strategy that rewards private sector investment in innovative solutions. I think it dovetails quite well in the coming reality of carbon pricing and green economy solutions to Northern...

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Northwest Territories geological survey has a significant decrease in its budget. Can the Minister speak to what that represents? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, committee would like to consider Tabled Document 6318(3), Main Estimates 20182019, with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment as the department under consideration. Thank you, Mr. Chair.