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 , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 77)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress. Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 77)

That explanation is greatly appreciated and, again, sometimes investors are looking at these changes and don't quite understand them, so I appreciate the Minister coming forward with that information. To my knowledge, there are around 20 applications in. How many retail opportunities is the GNWT considering through their assessment so far? Are we looking at multiple stores in Yellowknife? Are we looking at single stores in Inuvik, where they do not have a cannabis retail outlet? Can the Minister provide any new content to that point?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 77)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This amendment amends the preamble to the act to address genetic characteristics as a prohibited grounds. It is not a substantive clause, as it is a perambulatory clause. However, any subsequent amendments to address this issue are going to require it. I will speak to just the general principles of why banning genetic discrimination is a fundamental concern that has been raised over the course of standing committee's review of the bill and has been discussed and debated closely by Members.

As the Minister noted in his opening comments, the Human Rights Commission undertook...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 77)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to introduce two Pages from the Kam Lake riding, Ms. Katrina Butt and Ms. Belinda Formaniuk. It is great to have them in the Chamber helping us out, and all of the Pages. The youth are our future, and it is great to see them taking an interest on our procedures. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 77)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There was a point in time where this letter, in fact, was tabled in this Assembly after committee research materials were tabled. Can the Minister commit to tabling whatever correspondence he has received from the Coalition for Genetic Fairness? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 77)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Did the government, at any time, reach out to advocacy groups for those suffering from genetic disabilities to solicit their thoughts on this issue as it relates to Bill 30? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 77)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a peculiar motion in our proceedings as it makes a recommendation, not to government, but to a statutory body, the Human Rights Commission. Committee felt that this was an appropriate way to address a concern that we heard around ensuring that this process was meeting its targets.

Although we are fully confident that the Human Rights Commission is going to be reporting on this in its annual statutory reports, this just gives a very clear indication of what we heard and what we feel would be effective for the commission in evaluating the efficacy of the restorative...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 77)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Government Operations concluded its review of Bill 30 during the previous sitting of the Legislative Assembly and provided a substantive report on the record there. We discussed a number of important areas of necessary changes to the Human Rights Commission to move it to more of a restorative model that is less adversarial and requires less precise procedural and legal knowledge to participate in its proceedings. These changes greatly modernize and update the structure, and committee supported them fully.

There were a few areas of the bill that...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 77)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hereby table two documents, one entitled "Role of Caucus and Regular Members' Caucus in Nunavut"; and "Discussion Paper on Parliamentary Group Model." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.