Depending on who you talk to, the Liberal Party isn't the hottest brand in the country right now.

Still, some believe the party is very prepared in the NWT for a federal election, whenever that may be. We do know that voters will be going to the polls on or before Oct. 20 of this year.

One of those who believers is Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart, who is a former president of the NWT Liberal Association and a member of the national board of directors of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2012 to 2014. Even though he now has a new role, he shared his insight on the current state - and future - of the Liberal Party, starting with its lack of an announced candidate in the territory.

"To say there isn't a nominated candidate, that doesn't mean there isn't a candidate," said Testart, noting that whoever replaces current NWT MP Michael McLeod will have big shoes to fill.

McLeod announced his retirement back in July 2024 and would not be seeking a fourth term in office.

Is Testart aware of any names in the running as to who the next candidate for the party is in the NWT? Of course he is, he chuckled, adding that the party has a strong selection to choose from.

"We have incredibly talented people who are interested," he said without getting into specifics.

Testart said there's still plenty of time to bring forward a candidate for both MP and prime minister.

As for who the next leader of the party will be, he said he can guarantee large campaign teams are still moving along, despite not having a name for who Trudeau's successor would be.

"Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not happening," he said.

Testart said he would like to see Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly take Trudeau's place as prime minister.

"If she steps forward, I'd be happy to support her," he said.

He also mentioned that he started his own political career by running for the Liberals at the federal level and yes, he would consider running again, if the timing was right.

With a massive change happening within the party, Testart said there is one elephant still in the room: the carbon tax.

"I don't think that's sticking around," he said, noting that he himself brought forward legislation to removing it from the territory and still supports that legislation. 

Whether it's Joly, Conservative leader Pierre Poillievre or someone else, Testart said what this coming election really comes down to is who will stand up to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

"He's threatening the livelihood of our citizens, he's threatening to annex our country. This is stuff that Germany was talking about prior to taking over Austria," he said about Trump. "That's something Canadians will not stand for."

SA国际影视传媒 attempted to reach David Monroe, chair of the NWT Liberals board of directors, but did not hear back in time for publication. He previously said at least five people have so far expressed interest in being the party's next candidate in the NWT.

"If an early election is forced by the other parties in the House of Commons, we will have a candidate selection meeting of NWT Liberal supporters immediately, otherwise our selection will occur in summer 2025," Monroe previously stated.

SA国际影视传媒 reached out to MP candidates Kimberly Fairman and Kelvin Kotchelia for the Conservative and NDP party, respectively. Neither commented in time for publication.