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 43)

Thank you, and thank you for the clarification. Given that this is a massive piece of legislation and this is a really important step in the transparency commitments this government has made, is there any way to split this work out and move it ahead on its own?

I'm concerned that, if there is a legislative delay, sometimes these very large bills take a lot of time from our government and are delayed until future Assemblies. So is there a way to expedite this process by moving the whistleblower protections out into their own legislation, and is the Minister willing to -- sorry, that's two...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Thank you to the Minister for clarifying. When can honourable Members expect to see a legislative proposal or some work on that? I, of course, assume that will go to committee, but when can we start to see progress on that? I think it's very important that we allow our public servants to feel protected when they see concerns, and also that they can speak their minds to elected officials whenever they have a concern.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for obliging. I raise these questions because members of the public do have concerns about these P3s. So is there a way we could make P3s more transparent? I was really encouraged by the Minister of Public Engagement and Transparency's statement today. Is the Department of Finance working on a way to bring more of this information to light and allow the public to have a better sense of why we use P3s and why it's an effective tool for this government, and that they are being held accountable for the millions of dollars we're investing in...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

One of the challenges of being a territorial government versus a provincial or the federal government is we have a debt limit that's controlled by Ottawa and is capped. How do P3s interact with our debt limit? Can we find more flexibility through P3 financing through our own borrowing?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Mr. Speaker, it is almost to the day that I and all honourable Members of this House were elected to the 18th Assembly, and I simply cannot put into words the honour felt when the confidence of Kam Lakers was bestowed upon me on November 23, 2015, to represent them here as a Member. I imagine that the feeling is shared by all my colleagues in the 18th Assembly, for politics is the art of the possible, and those who are fortunate enough to be in public service must always remember why we decided to stand up and run for office: to assist in the continuance making of our society better.

When I...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Has the City of Yellowknife, who was previously told work plans are being developed, they would be full partners in this work, have they been informed the plan has changed or are they still expecting the department to come back and work with the City on these amendments?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to make full use of question period today on our last day. I have some questions for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. A letter was tabled by the honourable Member for Frame Lake from the City of Yellowknife that indicated that the department is now working with the City of Yellowknife on forming a work plan for making the necessary legislative amendments to various pieces of legislation. Can the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs update honourable Members on the progress made to date and when that working group or that work plan will be...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Thank you. Just for clarification, was the Minister referring to the third quarter or the third year of the Legislative Assembly?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister responsible for Human Resources what the intention is for providing whistleblower protection for our public servants. Previously, the department has committed to both standalone legislation and to updating the Public Service Act to contain this provision. So what is the intention? Are we going forward with a standalone Whistleblower Protection Act, or are we simply making changes to the Public Service Act? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Thank you to the Minister for that answer. It seems that we do need to explore other options to suit our unique circumstances as a territory. If we're going to invest in infrastructure today, we need to look up those options so we can free up more time for investment. So it sounds like the Minister is doing that, and that's great, but how are we ensuring adequate oversight of P3 projects? Can the Minister provide honourable Members with some examples?