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 , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So one to two years, that's, what, 2026? So could the Minister commit to having phasing out agency nurses by 2026? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. How many of those could be redeployed to operate a wellness facility? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was going to ask the Minister if she cares about obstetrics. Clearly, she does, so I appreciate that. So when's this going to kick in, right? Like, because it's it sounds like a plan. It sounds like we have the resources coming together. So when can we expect this new model to take over and the agency nurses to be relieved of their contracts? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It just and I appreciate that, and it was my sense. But it just seems like if we're trying to if we're closing this facility because it's under they're both underutilized and is going to save money that is going to help us achieve fiscal sustainability, creating an untested wellness centre that would require new staffing, new resources, new special areas of specialty that we don't have we don't have efficiencies around, so it would be piloting a lot of these things, it seems like we'd be replacing a less than optimal facility with an even more expensive facility. So...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

So the like, the labour market supplement was brought in around like, many provinces and territories were bringing in those kind of bonuses during COVID when health care professionals were leaving their profession or going towards private agency jobs that are much more lucrative, and the supplement existed outside of the collective bargaining process through an agreement with the union. So can the Minister explain why that why we're waiting for collective bargaining to decide whether or not to bring that back? Because my understanding is it's not a it's not related to that. It's in...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, June 5th, 2024, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the Member for Frame Lake, that the Government of the Northwest Territories complete the block land transfer of land to communities within municipal and community boundaries without delay;

And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories remove requirements from communities that are impeding this transfer, such as the requirement for surveying, community zoning and bylaw development for land that is under Government of the Northwest Territories authority...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Thank you. Thank you for the response from the Premier as well. Is there any correlated data between the strength of the economy and the increased rates of crime? And by that, I mean we've seen a dip in economic activity since the pandemic and also an increase in crime. So is there a correlation between kind of a softening economy and the increased rates of crime, addictions, and crossborder drug trafficking? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the costs to for nicotine replacement therapies can be and products like nicotine gum patches I used the patch. It was very effective. I've used them all, though. What financial supports do they have? Because certainly some of these products might not even be available in a small community. So what financial supports and how are we getting these products to individuals outside of regional centres? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is kind of more of an opinionbased question, but I think it's relevant. But, like, is the Premier of the opinion that, like the not the root the root cause is obviously public health issues, obviously drugs and addictions that we've been struggling with for some time. But we're seeing this additional level of organized crime who are bringing more drugs into the communities, who are exploiting things like public housing, right, by capturing public housing clients and using their public housing units to deal drugs in small communities. So how would he tackle that...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister answered most of my questions, so she's ahead of the curve. But I think you've spoken about this in the past, Mr. Speaker, but the Butt Head campaign was a very popular program and toured around the Northwest Territories, and I think kids really liked it as well. Why have we stopped promoting or using the Butt Head campaign antismoking campaign? Thank you.