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 21)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Premier for his leadership on this. It is something I very much support, and I want to commend him for bringing new resources to bear. Can he just let us know how this new crime reduction unit is going to make a difference. The RCMP say it's a game changer. Can he speak to that? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you. And I don't want to run into hot water with you, Mr. Chair, around what's been discussed with our committee review of this, but suffice it to say, like, this  the announcement that was made publicly, I think it was the first time everyone became aware of it. And it is a little surprising because typically we don't see that. Typically we see things pretty static and changes come slow and usually there's either a supplementary estimate that comes up or some other instrument to move things along. So I will say this:

I like this. I think it's good initiative on the Minister's part....

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Range Lake. Thank you. So how many spaces does the department currently fund? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to acknowledge the incredible career of Range Lake's Jeff Seabrook who is set to retire after nearly three decades of inspiring and guiding northern students through his tireless service with Yellowknife Education District 1. Currently serving as principal of Ecole William McDonald Middle School, Jeff is known for his passionate support for French language education and has developed many outdoor student programs such as winter camps and canoe trips. In 2019, he was named as one of the country's best educators when he won that year's Learning Partnership Canada's...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Arts funding to ITI, I believe is the plan to streamline things, immigration, all immigration's going to be parked here in ECE, and all arts funding, but this  these estimates show plenty of arts funding continuing on here. So when is that happening and how is it happening? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

Thank you. So given that okay, so we have costs. So do we know how much so basically we don't this isn't saving money as much as it's generating revenue and the that revenue's going to be used to support the program as it's currently designed. Is there still if everything works out with the rebates and with the copays, what is the gap missing debt? Or what's the total cost overrun at that point? Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, I'm going to join my colleagues in speaking about income assistance. It's clear there's severe shortcomings in how the GNWT works to address poverty and inequality. As we search for solutions, I would like to turn to my colleagues' attention to the work Alternatives North has done to find missing pieces of our social safety net.

After years of tireless study and research, they have concluded that what the North is missing is a universal income program. They've even provided us with the steps we need to take to put this program in place. Rates of poverty and low income remain...

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I just wanted to speak to some of the comments that have been made by the Honourable Premier and the honourable Member for Yellowknife North around, you know, deleting this won't put jobs into communities. So I just want to point out that of this key activity, there are 38 jobs in headquarters. In languages and culture, there are 51 jobs in headquarters. One in the South Slave, and two in the Beaufort Delta. So we are not seeing this function of the department is a headquartersbased function. And I think this the Member's motion underscores the need to improve the...

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

Just a thank you. I appreciate having that kind of cost accounting. So just to be clear on the shortfall, so if it's costing us $2.5 million to bring new beneficiaries on board and the income testing is going to generate $1.2 million, is the shortfall not $1.3 million, then, because of the new revenues coming into the program? Thank you.

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

So thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to be clear, like I am a big believer in no blame culture, especially when it comes to improvement, continuous improvement. So you blame the problem, you don't blame the person. And in this case, you don't blame the comms people. So I agree with the Minister, they've done great work, and I don't want my comments to be misconstrued as going after individuals or trying to apportion blame to hardworking public servants. I always said we have the best public servants in the biz, and I completely stand by their work. What I am saying is let's look at the problem...