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

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs take the steps necessary to ensure that the 13 recommendations made by the Office of the Auditor General in Tabled Document 173-18(2) are implemented in a timely manner. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of Finance has no plans to lower the tax on small business any time soon, but I’d like to ask him today if he will commit to implementing a small investment tax credit by next budget which would give a 25 per cent non-refundable personal income tax credit up to a maximum of $25,000 a year. This would reduce financial risk to investors and encourage investment in our economy. Will the Minister commit to introducing a small business investment tax credit by next budget? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Again, I might not have all the answers. Clearly, the Minister does not have many answers that I will like today, but I think there are people out there in our business community who are very concerned about these issues and want to be heard. I would like the Minister to hear from them directly. Will the Minister commit to engaging them in a comprehensive conversation around procurement?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a more technical issue that the committee has taken with the report. It relates in particular to the contribution agreements with designated authorities and also adjusting the target dates of the priority actions undertaken therein. There is still a lot of grey area related to designated authorities and who is actually responsible. The department struggles with their relationship with these entities. The committee is quite concerned about this and would like to ensure that how we are proceeding on them is clear and specific to what the department wants to achieve...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, I asked a question about procurement reform, and the Minister responsible said that he is not aware of any complaints. Today, I have a complaint for him. Some of my constituents are concerned about the 50 per cent plus one ownership requirements of BIP, saying, it is extremely frustrating for us to stay here year round, pay property taxes on several properties, pay extremely high living costs, and watch all the work go to divisions of southern companies who have a majority of equipment and employees in the South come up on a seasonal basis. There is a...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, this motion recommends something that is quite self-explanatory, ensuring we have appropriate indicators, so we can, in fact, measure the progress that we are hoping to achieve. Given that the audit is related to the provision of essential services in communities including emergency preparedness, fire, water, the committee believes that having clear indicators is of crucial importance to our communities moving forward. We hope that this will be adopted, and we will see those indicators in the final action plan. Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As public engagement is an important priority of this government and we want to make sure we are making informed decisions that take into account the people that are most affected, the committee has put forward this recommendation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Further to my previous comments on the last motion, when the standing committee was given the action plan for this audit, it was in final form, and committee felt that we were not given an opportunity to provide feedback to those concerns. Again, our work on these audits is an important part of that process. We would ask that, in the future, our comments and feedback be considered before any final plans are implemented.

I should add, as well, it is not the standing committee's intention with this motion to be involved in every step of the audit process, merely the final...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. When we were reviewing this business plan in particular, the government was very late in getting their action plan to us. In fact, probably about three hours was actually afforded in business days. We want to avoid that problem in the future. We certainly do appreciate the hard work that the department did in working with the Auditor General's office in developing their action plan. For us to play our part in this process, as the Standing Committee on Government Operations and the public accounts committee for this Assembly, we need to be given that information in a...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate we want to move on. All I will say is that the government has tabled a comprehensive plan to address these concerns. The committee is going to keep an eye on that and ensure they are done in a timely manner. Thank you.