The Senate approved significant sports funding with detailed breakdowns for each organization, from $5,000 for rugby to $586,000 for the anti-doping authority. The Minister explained how applications are reviewed and organizations are held accountable for meeting objectives. A bill to make it easier for digital asset businesses to operate in Bermuda was passed, removing some licensing requirements and advertising obligations for share capital reductions. The session also included updates on cultural programs supporting local musicians and performers.
Sports funding allocations for 2023/24 - $1.4+ million distributed to 22 sporting organizationsCultural program updates including the "Creatives Live!" music seriesCompanies Act amendments to support digital asset businesses and streamline capital reduction proceduresMotion to dissolve Bermuda Land Development Company and merge it with WEDCO (carried over)
Bills & Motions
Companies Amendment Act 2023 - passed all three readings and became law
Motion to dissolve BLDC and merge with WEDCO - carried over to next meeting
Notable Moments
Senators praised the transparency of releasing detailed sports funding allocations, which isn't normally done publicly
Concerns were raised about Bermuda's reputation in the digital asset space, citing problems with companies like Arbitrade that left local firms unpaid
Discussion about the need for better official training in sports, as some events can't happen without properly certified referees
Debate Transcript
4 speeches from 2 speakers
Sen. Dr. Douglas De CoutoThank you, Madam President. I was glad to hear of some of the details from Senator Hodgson which did explain some of the thinking behind the Act. As you know, Madam President, we of course received these Bills without very much context. If we are lucky enough, we perhaps could …
Thank you, Madam President. I was glad to hear of some of the details from Senator Hodgson which did explain some of the thinking behind the Act. As you know, Madam President, we of course received these Bills without very much context. If we are lucky enough, we perhaps could listen to the debate in some other places or apply some of our own thinking. So, it is always helpful to get the explanations. I do have a lot of questions and these changes seem . . . there are obviously directly coupled to businesses under the DABA regime, or the digital asset business regime. And I have a lot of concerns because it covers quite a wide range of companies. You know, we use this word “FinTech,” but it means a lot of different things. The Senator mentioned, of course, exchanges, and that is one thing. But she also mentioned digital payment processors. And that is another thing. They have very different (what I would call) risk profiles for our Island. And one of the reasons that we have these regulations is to, of course, provide a sound en-vironment for commerce, a well -respected environment. And the protection of our reputation in providing that environment I think is of the utmost importance for Bermuda and our future success. Unfortunately, some of our engagement with some of these companies ha s not been as beneficial for our reputation as they would like. And so, I get a little concerned whenever we are removing checks and balances or opportunities for us to look carefully at these businesses. And I am going to provide a few examples. You know, we heard about Arbitrade and Victoria Hall. Now, what is funny about that one is that is going to turn into vertical farming, which is as you know, is another one of pet topics here. But of course, at least
Bermuda Senate this initiative will be private funds, so I wi sh them success. We know that this company actually has allegedly left a permanent local law firm in the lurch for hundreds of thousands of dollars. And we associated ourselves quite publicly with them, and not to our advantage as a jurisdiction. There are some that we avoided. You know, we have avoided that company FTX which has left the Bahamas not looking very good. But the question is, if that company FTX had come to Bermuda and had been operating here, would we have avoided the problem that happened in the Bahamas? And you can have all of the legislation and laws and procedures that you want, but that gentleman by all accounts, and of course it is going through the courts in another jurisdiction, seems to have been a straight -up criminal. A white -collar criminal, but a criminal no less. Do we have the resources, the right . . . you know, are we really set up to deal with bad faith operators like that? As compared to say, companies . . . the insurance industries which are here to (what I would call) play the long game or the repeated game? The operators and individuals in that space are here to build life- long careers, long- lasting businesses, and so they are cooperating in good faith. And of course, we have seen companies like Bittrex and Coinbase and Binance and they are in the newspapers with issues with regulators in the United States. And I appreciate your patience here because what I am trying to get to is, if we think about, let’s say, a digital payments processor. That is carrying out a function that has a clear value of what they do, providing efficiency, transparent transactions, allow people to carry out their business better. But the exchange is a different matter altogether. And my personal opinion is that they are really enabling speculatio n. And I get very concerned when I see the companies that, basically, seem to be in trouble with the regulators overseas com-ing to Bermuda to set up here. They will say things like, Well, we like the certainty of your regulations. And we do have good certainty in our regulations. But our regulations do not cover the sorts of areas that these people are getting into potential trouble with the United States. For example, the securities laws. While we have a very robust environment here for the industries that work here, like insurance, we are not set up for a securities trading environment. So, we have to say to ourselves, we would like to attract (for example) an insurance company to Bermuda because of our regulator, but not because our regulator is leaving them alone for things that other regulators are on their case for. Right? That goes to the Bittrex, Coinbase and Binance which you can easily find out all the issues going on there. The insurance companies are coming here not because of the differences in our regulator, but because of the fact that our regulator is at least as strong as, if not stronger than, regulators in other jurisdictions. If that makes sense. So, they are not avoiding a certain type of regulation in other place[s], they are coming here because our regulation is at least equivalent to, if not stronger. And while I want this FinTech stuff to work here, as you know, some of you, I have a technical background, I have a finance background, I have an insurance background, this should hit my sweet spot of things I want to work. I am very concerned on what it is doing for our international reputation, which has been hard earned, well-earned, and could be easily lost. So, if I get to my actual, really specific question, I am a little confused about the share capital thing because I want to understand if that was specifically asked for through these companies with the DABA thing or is that something that has been bundled in here. For example, something that has been on the mind of the Registrar for a while that, you know, is a bit anachronistic. I would like to understand that. That would probably adjust how I feel about it. And I mentioned this thing about not all FinTech being the same. I feel that we ought to have a little more granularity about the types of businesses that we are opening up in Bermuda. And I think I mentioned it. I will say it again though. Payment processing, anything to enable more robust commerce, more efficient commerce—that’s great. Speculation in digital assets. That is frankly being frowned upon in our biggest neighbour jurisdiction. I am not sure we need to open that up for Bermudians to fall potentially prey to. So, those are my main comments, Madam President. And I thank you for your time.
The President: Thank you, Senator De Couto. Would any other Senator care to speak on this Bill? Hearing none then we will await response from Senator Hodgson. [Pause]
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam President. So, a lot of the commentary made by Senator De Couto was commentary, so I will speak to the question asked surrounding the share capital. As noted in the brief, the second amendment relates to the Companies Act in connection with the requirement to advertise the reduction of a company’s shared capital. And this does not just apply to the digital asset businesses, but actually to any registered entity. When we look at the changes, essentially, it was becoming problematic given the need to advertise 30 days prior to, but there was no credit protection involved in that. So, essentially, the advertising requirement of section 46 has been in effect since the Act went into force and its purpose can be determined from the original makeup of section 46 which actua lly included a requirement for two directors to swear an affidavit that 440 17 May 2023 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate on the effective date of the reduction either the company is solvent, or all creditors have expressed in writing their concurrence in the capital reduction. The requirement was intended to alert creditors of the company of the coming reduction and to allow them to pre-vent the reduction from taking place, which the Act permitted them to do if at least two directors were not willing to swear that the company was solvent at that time. It is worth noting that [section] 46(2) was actually amended back in 2000 and that was intended to remove the affidavit requirement. And so even if credi-tors are made aware of the reduction, they were now able to take such action to prevent the reduction because the provision did not provide any additional protection to creditors of the company. Again, the advertisement requirement is sometimes difficult to comply with and we are essentially working to make the process I guess more attractive to businesses so that companies are able to conduct capital reductions on an expedited and essentially a real - time basis. So, I hope that provides some clarity. The President: Senator De Couto, do you have —
Sen. Dr. Douglas De CoutoI do have a follow -up on that ans wer. I guess my question is, is that amendment connected to the digital asset business stuff or is it something that the Registrar has, for example, had in mind to deal with for a while and would have done anyway? Thank …
I do have a follow -up on that ans wer. I guess my question is, is that amendment connected to the digital asset business stuff or is it something that the Registrar has, for example, had in mind to deal with for a while and would have done anyway? Thank you. [Pause]
Sen. Arianna Hodgso n: Madam President, I did want to confirm that the timing was purely coincidental. There was a time we were looking to make some amendments and so we decided to push this one forward in addition to the first amendment. The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson. With that then, you can carry on to move your Bill.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Yes, Madam President, I move that the Bill entitled the Companies Amendment Act 2023 be now read a second time. The President: Is there any objection to that motion? No objection.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 2 6
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam President. I move that Standing Order 26 be suspended in respect of this Bill. The President: Is there any objection to that motion? No objection. [Motion carried: Standing Order 26 suspended.]
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam President. I move that the Bill entitled the Companies Amendment Act 2023 be now read a third time. The President: Is there any objection to the third reading? No objection.
BILL
THIRD READING
COMPANIES AMENDMENT ACT 2023 Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam President. I move that the Bill do now pass. The President: It has been moved that the Bill entitled the Companies Amendment Act 2023 be now passed. Is there any objection to that motion? [No objection]. The Bill is passed. [Motion carried: The Companies Amendment Act 2023 was read a third time and passed.] The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson, and all Senators for their support of the Bill. We will now move on to the next item on our Orders of the Day. And this is consideration of the fol-lowing resolution that was read by Senator Leslie Robinson, the Junior Minister for Public Works. Senator Robinson, over to you.
Sen. Leslie Robinson: Yes, Madam President. I ask that this be carried over to the next meeting. The President: Thank you, Senator Robinson. The Bill will be carried over to the next meeting. That completes our Orders of the Day. We will now move on.
MOTIONS The President: There are none.
CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECHES The President: Would any Senator care to speak? Senator Tucker, you have the floor.
Bermuda Senate Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President. I want to start with condolences first. I have a few because we haven’t met for a little while. So, I will try to move very quickly. I want to express condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Charles Paul. I would not say I actually knew Mr. Paul personally. I knew him enough to be able to have and to exchange pleasantries. I am racking my brain trying to remember where I have met him, and I believe it was at Warwick Academy when my children were there. But every time I saw him, he was such a pleasant person. And if people don’t recall who he is, if you are from the west, he was most recently working on the roadsides near Warwick Academy. Whenever he was there, you would always know that it was him doing the work because he took such pr ide in what he did. A very, very pleasant man and very nice man. So, I want to express condolences to his family. As well as condolences to the family and friends of Mrs. Margaret Caton. She passed away I be-lieve sometime in April. I worked with Margaret. Margaret was knee- high to a grasshopper. I am not much taller than her. But she was such a lady that was so full of life. I worked with her at Office Equipment, if you remember way back when, Purvis Limited and all of that. I think I am sharing my age. But she had a sense of humour that was just . . . A very, very pleasant lady. So, she will be missed. Also, I want to express condolences to Ren é Hill and the rest of the family and friends of Mr. Hector Watson. I had the pleasure of meeting Hector maybe about a year and a bit ago when we went to René Hill Originals to get a wedding dress and some items for my myself and the rest of my family for my daughter’s wed-ding. And Hector had such a keen eye for fashion. I mean he picked out some things that, you know, it was like Wow! These are really great! Like spot on! And some things I would say, there were one or two, that I think I am a bit too old for, but [I] had a really good opportunity to have nice conversations with him and all of that. A very insightful gentleman. So, condolences to his family. Also, I would like to express condolences to the family of Marco Warren. I think I am fair in associating the entire Senate body with those condolences. I would just like to add that if there is anybody listening or knows anyone that knows anything about what happened to Mr. Warren, I would please, please ask that you consider his family and let the authorities know if you know anything about what happened to Mr. War-ren. And lastly, I would like to express condolences to the family and friends of Debra Ann Bassett -Nesbitt. Debra is my husband’s cousin, so relative by marriage. Anybody who frequents St. George’s would definitely know Debra. She worked for several years at Frangipani [Shop]. And more recently she worked at Robinsons. So, again, condolences to Aunt Leonie, Petrina and the entire family. I would like to say congratulations to North Village who won the FA Cup in April after they beat out PHC. I won’t say anymor e other than red and white were in the house and they have taken home the FA Cup. So, congratulations to North Village group. And lastly, I would also like to say congratulations to SCARS [Saving Children and Revealing Secrets], the Centre Against Abuse, and the Women’s Resource Centre for coming together to form a sexual assault survivor support group. A special shout -out and thank you to Christine Jones for reaching out and bringing these charities together so that they can provide the critical services to this community in terms of having a support group of women. Survivors of sexual assault carry the burden . . . long after the assault has happened. So, I thank every one of these charities for com-ing on board and making such an important initiative happ en. Thank you, Madam President. The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker. Would any other Senator care to speak? Yes, Minister Owen Darrell, you have the floor. Sen. the Hon. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, as Senator Tuck er just mentioned, I would like to extend my condolences to the family of Marco Warren. Also, I would like to associate the Shadow Minister of Sport, Senator Ben Smith, who also did publicly acknowledge condolences to the family of Mr. Warren. I cannot say it any better than the members of Pembroke Hamilton Club PHC said a few days ago when they said, The only thing better than Marco’s footballing ability was him as a human being. Let me park that for a minute. Marco Warren’s passing hits very hard to the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation. Mr. War-ren was a youth programme supervisor as well as a community worker both for the After School Programme as well as the Out of School Programme. I had the opportunity to actually meet and talk to Mr. Warren, not in his capacity as a footballer, but as an employee of Youth and Sport. He was always part of the team as he was a supervisor [who was] planning the activities for the youth. The last conversation we had was actually a few days before the FA Cup Final, which as we know, he was unable to be a part of. He was as humble as can be in the conversation we had at Garrison Field. They were having a Sport Youth Community Day and he was a key member of the organising team. We had a conversation about it and, you know, you would expect someone in that situation to be angry about the situation of which he found himself in, that he couldn’t play, and he was quite the opposite. [He was] very reflective and even talked about the kind of steps that he was going to take to rectify some of the circumstances of why he couldn’t play. So, this news that we 442 17 May 2023 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate got on Sunday morning was devastating to the department. It was devastating to the Ministry. As you know it was a difficult time for the members of Youth, Sport and Recreation who have worked with Mr. Warren. I did have a chance to meet with them a few days ago just to allow them to express their grief, and condolences. And I hope to meet with Mr. Warren’s family sometime soon. But I do want to send those condolences on behalf of the Ministry [and] on behalf of the department. And I would like to double down on what Senator Tucker did say and appeal to anyone who knows anything about the circumstances of which he was tragically lost to please step forward, sooner rather than later. Thank you, Madam President. The President: Thank you, Minister Darrell. Would any other Senator care to speak on the congratulations or obituaries? Senator De Couto, you have the floor.
Sen. Dr. Douglas De CoutoThank you, Madam President. And of course, I associate myself with all of the remarks regarding Mr. Warren. I could not say anything better than what has been said, so I will move on from that. I did want to congratulate Andira Crichlow. For those of you who watch Netflix, …
Thank you, Madam President. And of course, I associate myself with all of the remarks regarding Mr. Warren. I could not say anything better than what has been said, so I will move on from that. I did want to congratulate Andira Crichlow. For those of you who watch Netflix, put you hand up. I know that’s everybody. She is in this new show called “Queen Cleopatra.” And I believe she is Bermudian, and she is working in London. And I believe it is getting quite good reviews. And I would urge everybody to watch that [show]. While I am speaking of the Crichlow family, I would just also like to congratulate her brother, Aaron, who is involved with the Bermuda is Love organisation. And for those who are observing the amount of work that they are doing around the Island, to show people how to help, how to be part of making things better is frankly amazing, the breadth and depth of what they do, and I just want to congratulate him as well. Not for any specific achievement, but just for the general programme of him in that organisation, and just to remark on the impact that this family is having on the world. And I would also like to congratulate everybody who was involved in the Santo Cristo Festival. I was not able to attend but I know that all of the attendees and the Portuguese community were thrilled to get that back out in full force, and to finally see it back in action. So, congratulations to them in that community for being out there and celebrating that event. Thank you, Madam President. The President: Thank you, Senator De Couto. Yes, Senator Robinson, you have the floor. Sen. Leslie Robinson: Thank you, Madam President. I would just like to extend . . . well, first of all , I too extend the same condolences, in particular to the Warren family, and may he rest in peace. I would like to give some congratulatory remarks for the 2023 Agricultural Exhibition that was held April 27, 28 and 29. I know it has been a little while, but we haven’t met. So first of all, as most of us know, the Department of Parks held that event and it had been the first time we have had an event like this in three years, since we have been able to have it in person. I want to say that we actually sol d over 10,000 tickets for the Ag Show this year and it would have probably been more if it hadn’t rained on that final day. As we know, it did rain and it stopped some people from coming. But, in particular I want to give a note of congratulation and thanks to, first of all, the Acting Director of Parks, Mr. Remi Subair, Ms. Georgette Caines, Ms. Betty Conyers, Ms. Susan Conyers, Ms. Clare Russell, Ms. Carlita Lodge, Ms. Esther Lopes , Mr. Ronnie Lopes, Ms. McKeisha Smith, Ms. Roseann Michelson, Mr. Steven Antonition, Mr. Derrick Seymour and Mr. Paul Furtado. They were all part of the main planning team. And we also want to thank others: Ms. Kelly Sousa; Mr. Roger Parris; Mr. Craig Burt; Ms. JoAnne Smith; guest judges and the entire Parks Department staff fo r being able to put on this show with countless sleepless hours. And they all contributed [in] such a short period of time because, as we also had mentioned, that it was only in late January that the full responsibility of the Ag Show returned to the Depar tment of Parks. So, Well done! I think the community really enjoyed the event. Those who were able to make it. And again, well done to the Department of Parks for putting on such a wonderful event.
The President: Thank you, . . . Senator Leslie Robinson. And Senator Dill, you have the floor.
Sen. Rev. Dr. Emilygail A. DillThank you, Madam President. I would just like to take this opportunity since we last met there have been so many members of our community who have passed, and we would like to of-fer condolences to each family who has lost a loved one. And today in particular I would …
Thank you, Madam President. I would just like to take this opportunity since we last met there have been so many members of our community who have passed, and we would like to of-fer condolences to each family who has lost a loved one. And today in particular I would like to offer condolences and lift up the contributions of a few outstanding leaders who have passed over the last few weeks. I would like to lift up Major Randall But ler who was a former aide- de-camp to two Governors, Sir Richard Posnett and the Right Honourable Viscount Dunrossil . Major Butler was also an avid sportsman, both as a player and captain of the Western Stars Sports Club. And he helped them win many trophies over the years. He also represented Bermuda as an umpire internationally and he was acknowledged for his contribution by both the West Indies Cricket Umpires’ Association on their 50 th anniversary and the Bermuda
Bermuda Senate Cricket Board. Major Randall Butler was an outstanding family man who truly modelled what it meant to be an officer and a gentleman. His contribution to our community was invaluable and he will be deeply missed. So, we offer our sincere condolences to his wife and to his two daughters, Angeline and Dr. Melissa Butler. I would also like to offer condolences on the passing of Cora Virginia Wilson, a Member of the Brit-ish Empire [MBE]. She was a former member of St. Paul AME Church, but she was also the leader of the Hands of Faith Ministry which actually offered sign lan-guage in services and other events throughout the Island. She definitely was a trailblazer in that area, and she trained countless individuals. She also brought awareness to the needs of the hearing impaired. We would just like to c ertainly acknowledge her contribution to our community and offer our sincere condolences to her family and to all those who have been touched by her life. The third person that I would like to uplift is a gentleman, Mr. Willard “Bo” Burch. Mr. Burch operated a barber shop on Court Street. He was certainly an individual who contributed much to this community. He and his wife also operated a bed and breakfast on the Northshore Road, and you could read articles of the outstanding service that they provided and the addition that they were to our tourism product by making friends, offering service, and certainly showing that Bermudian hospitality. Mr. Burch inspired many young men by training them to be barbers, by providing a space for them to operate and build their own businesses and we certainly are thankful for all that he was to this community. And offer our condolences to his family as well. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Emily Dill. Senator Arianna Hodgson, you have the f loor. Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam President. I did just want to pause to celebrate Ms. Quinell Francis who is the newly elected Mayor of St. George’s. I did just want to wish her all the best as she takes up this new role. I am sure she will e njoy being back in the saddle. I would also like to pause to celebrate the committee, the participants, all of those who contributed to the Relay for Life event that took place this past weekend. It is always amazing to see us all come together to celebr ate and to just enjoy each other’s company, but to also reflect on all the work that is being done in Bermuda to support those who are being impacted by cancer. And I remembered reading that (I believe) 97 per cent of the money raised actually goes back to ensure that everyone can utilise the Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre so that they are able to provide these services to persons who would not ordinarily afford those services. As has been stated so many times this morning, I want to associate myself with the condolences to Marco Warren’s family, to Aunt Wendy, Mrs. Warren , his sisters, Chelsea and Zianna and his father, as well as his girlfriend, and his son. I actually worked with him last summer and he was so excited to become a father and so he was som eone who believed he could change the world. And he made sure that everyone who came into contact with him believed that they too could change the world. And so, I would encourage more of us to be the light that so many of us need.
The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson. Would any other Senator care to speak? No? Then I would just like to add my own couple of comments. Certainly, I would like to associate myself with all Senators on the untimely death of Marco Warren. I reiterate what the Minister has said, that if anyone knows anything please come forward, because that was such a senseless death. We are sure that there is somebody out there who can come forward. So, we just pray that they do. I would also like to associate myself . . . I will deal with my own condolences. I would like to extend condolences to the family of Valerie Christine Pearman, the mother of Chesney Robinson and her husband, Wesley, and their three children. Also her sister, Linda Manders, as well as the entire family . Christine was a nurse who worked for many years at the MidAtlantic [Wellness] Institute and I had the good fortune of working with her for several years. I would like to also now move to congratulations. Certainly, I would like to associate myself with the congratulations that were given by Senator De Couto on Ms. Crichlow. And congrats to the Portuguese community as well, Senator De Couto. And I associate myself with the Agricultural Exhibition which certainly everyone who had the opportunity to go enj oyed it. I would also like to congratulate the Nurse of the Month, Ms. Renee Faulcon, who was selected as the Nurse of the Year here in Bermuda. She is a nurse lecturer at the Bermuda College. And I would also like to congratulate the Bermuda Nurses Association for the myriad of activities they have organised in celebration of Nurses Month, which is this month, which included the reading of the proclamation by the Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, on the steps of City Hall last Friday. With that said, we w ill now move on to item number 16, on our Orders of the Day, and that is the adjournment. Minister Darrell.
ADJOURNMENT
Sen. the Hon. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President. I do ask that the Senate do adjourn until next week, Wednesday, May 24.
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Bermuda Senate The President: Thank you. Would any Senator care to speak on the motion to adjourn? Senator Tucker, you have the floor.
FERAL CHICKENS
Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President. I want to take an opportunity today to talk about a problem that I think is a huge problem in this country. I want to say from the outset that while we have huger problems to deal with in the country, the feral chicken issue in Bermuda is a problem that needs to be aggressively addressed. Since I made some statements in the media, the number of people who have made known that this issue is an issue for them as well, is stagger-ing. I have had people approach me in the grocery store. People walk up to me on the streets. The whole nine yards. While the Government has acknowledge d, the Minister has acknowledged that everybody knows it is a problem, the question that I have is, When are we going to take some aggressive action to deal with it? I was a guest at the Grotto Bay a few months ago and was woken at 4:30 in the morning by c hickens crowing. Right? If I am having that problem, certainly our guests are coming in and experiencing the same thing. Now, as I had mentioned once before in the media, I recog-nise that there are people who love chickens. And this is certainly not, you k now, a slight toward them or an attack on them. However, it is an issue for those of us, and I am including myself, who are being impacted. Because what I have discovered is that people tend not to care as much if they are not being impacted. The farmers care, Madam President, that chickens are eating their crops and they are losing money. There are tourists who are coming here who are being impacted, as I was, who will care. The people whose garbage is being pulled out, as we all know, we have one- day gar bage collection and they come and they find garbage all over the streets and the chickens and the roosters and that are pulling out all the garbage. They care. The garbage workers will care because they are the ones who are having to clean all this up. We have to take aggressive action. At this point we could end up with more chickens than Bermudians in this country. It’s funny, but it is the reality of where we are. It is a little problem, again, I want to stress, in comparison to all the larger issues that we have going on in this country. I acknowledge that. And I agree 110 per cent. However, it is a problem that continues to grow and if don’t take aggressive action to deal with it, it will be so out of hand that we won’t be able to deal with it. So, wi th that, Madam President, I want to just say that I am trying to do my part. And I will say this, that I do have a committee that I am proposing to provide the Government with some practical solutions —we are brainstorming to get some practical solutions together to be able to deal with this issue. This to me, Madam President, is one of the things, the action or inaction . . . and I am not in any way suggesting that the Government is doing nothing. I am not saying that at all. What I am saying is that it is not taken as . . . it is not being dealt with as aggressively as it should be. I understand there is a need for resources. I understand that there are some issues that are going on, but what are we doing about it? That is the question. I have not yet gotte n a response as to what we are doing. We have a Feral Chicken Management Plan that [from] 2013. There are things in it . . . I have read it. There are things in it that are suggestions about what we can do. Clearly, we are not doing them because we are overrun with chickens. So, with that, Madam President, those are my few minutes that I did want to take and just keep the conversation going because it is an important one. While it is not as large of an issue as some people believe, some people do not even t hink that it is a problem. It is not a problem until you are impacted. And so, with that, Madam President, thank you for listening.
The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker. Would any other Senator care to speak on the motion to adjourn? Hearing none, then Senators, the Senate stands adjourned until next week, Wednesday the [24 th].
[At 11:24 am, the Senate stood adjourned until 10:00 am, Wednesday, 24 May 2023.]