Hansard — June 17, 2022 — Bermuda Parliament

The Speaker The Speaker Members , the House is about to begin. Ms. Beale, woul d you lead us in prayer? PRAYERS [Prayers read by Ms. Kara Beale, Assistant Clerk ]

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Ms. Beale. Members, the House is now in session. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES [Minutes of 3 June 2022]

The Speaker The Speaker The Minutes from the 3rd of June 2022 have been circulated. Are there any amendments or corrections that are required? There are none. The Minutes will be confirmed as printed. Thank you. [Minutes of 3 June 2022 confirmed] MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE SPEAKER OR MEMBER PRESIDING APOLOGIES

The Speaker The Speaker Actually, I have three this morning. The first is that we have received notice from Minister Tinee Furbert that she will be absent today. So that is duly note d. ADDITIONAL STATEMENT BY PREMIER

The Speaker The Speaker The second item that I want to bring to your attention is that we have one additional Statement that is not on the Order Paper. And that is a Statement from the Premier. It will be included in t oday’s Statements. I just want to mak e that announc ement …

The Speaker The Speaker The other piece that I want to basically do is take a moment to provide a little bit of, I guess, education for those who are listening. When we sat last, I had a conversation afterward with a member of the public who was a little concerned, or confused, in …

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. PAPERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS TO THE HOUSE

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. PETITIONS

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. 1438 17 June 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS AND JUNIOR MINISTERS

The Speaker The Speaker There are a total of seven Statements. There are six listed on the Order Paper. For the purpose of this morning, I am actually going to start with the six that are listed. I am going ask the seventh one to come in at the end only because we are …

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. TABLING OF AMENDMENTS TO THE DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP ACT 2018 IN LIGHT OF THE UK PRIVY COUNCIL JUDGMENT Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, today I am t abling the Bill entitled Domestic Partnership Act 2022 to amend the transitional period of the Domestic Par tnership Act 2018 in …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Attorney General. Attorney General. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: I am just starting my video, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Here we are. Good morning, Mr. Speaker; good morning, Members.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. A BILL ENTITLED THE CRIMINAL CODE AMENDMENT ACT 2022 Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to be tabling in this Honourable House the Bill entitled the Criminal Code Amendment Act 2022 . This Bill seeks to amend temporary, or “sunset clause” provisions in the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of National Security. Minister, would you like to put your Statement at this time? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Yes, I would. Good mor ning, to you; good morning, colleagues.

The Speaker The Speaker Go righ t ahead, sir. ROYAL BERMUDA REGIMENT OVERSEAS CAMP Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform this Honourable House that the Royal Be rmuda Regiment conducted their first overseas camp since 2019. In total , over 140 soldiers and police offi cers deployed to US …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this mor ning is in the name of the Minister of Education. Minister, would you like to put your Stat ement? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Yes, Mr. Speaker. Is my camera on?

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Okay, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, let m e remind you of the dress code when you are in Parliament —necktie and coat . Thank you. BERMUDA COLLEGE GRADUATES — CLASS OF 2022 Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. S peaker, this morning I would like to share with honourable colleagues information about the rec …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Economy and Labour. Minister, would you like to present your Statement? Hon. Jason Hayward: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. BERMUDA CONSUMER PRICE INDEX METHO DOLOGY AND INFLATION Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to rise before this Honourable House to provide an overview of the Consumer P rice Index (CPI), the methodology behind its calculation, and to talk generally about Bermuda’s rate of …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is under the name of the Minister of Transport. Minister, good morning. UPDATE ON PUBLIC BUS TRANSPORTATION Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Mr. Speaker, on 18 th of February 2022, I advised the Honourable House that 30 new buses had arrived and …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement will be the Statement that we indicated earlier had not been on the Order Paper. That Statement we . . . I’ll name it, because we still have not [gotten it] on SharePoint. However, once the Premier starts to read the Statement, it …

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. COST OF LIVING COMMISSION AMENDMENT ACT 2020 —BROUGHT INTO FORCE Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to r eport to this Honourable House that the Cost of Living Commission Amendment Act 2020 is being brought into force as of today, June 17, 2022. Mr. Speaker, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Premier. And aga in I want to remind Members of the glitch in the SharePoint has not been resolved yet so that Statement is not on SharePoint. But it is on the Parliamentary website. Once we resolve the Shar ePoint issue we will put it on SharePoint for …

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. QUESTION PERIOD

The Speaker The Speaker This morning we have a written question from the Opposition Whip to the Minister of Eco nomy and Labour, Minister Hayward. And let’s note the time; it is now 10:43. Opposition Whip, would you like to put your . . . actually, they were just required for a written r …

Mr. Jarion Richardson Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I have not yet.

The Speaker The Speaker You have not. Minister Hayward, do you have the written responses for the Member? Hon. Jason Hayward: Yes, I have. It was indicated that they had been supplied to the House.

The Speaker The Speaker Members, if you go on the SharePoint under the Parliamentary Questions section, the answers are on the SharePoint. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Opposition Whip. QUESTIONS: YOUTH EMPLOYMENT STRATEGY

Mr. Jarion Richardson Will the Honourable Mi nister please provide for this Honourable House a list of the individual Government programmes associated with each goal listed on page 1 of the Youth Employment Strategy?

Mr. Jarion Richardson Will the Honourable Mi nister please inform this Honourable Hous e the Programme Name, Business Unit and Head from the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Year 2022/23 for each of the Government pr ogrammes listed under Question Number 1 above?

Mr. Jarion Richardson Will the Honourable Mi nister please inform t his Honourable House which of the Government programmes listed above pr edate the launch of the Youth Employment Strat egy?

The Speaker The Speaker With that said, that is the only written question for today, so we will now move on to the questions that arise out of t his morning’s Statements. This morning we have a few Members who wish to ask questions based on the Statements this morning. We will start with …

Mr. Scott Pearman Mr. Speaker, can you hear and see me?

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. QUESTION 1: TABLING OF AMENDMENTS TO THE DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP ACT 2018 IN LIGHT OF THE UK PRIVY COUNCIL JUDGMENT

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Deputy Premier, for your Statement to the House this morning explaining the extension of the trans itional period for the Domestic Partnership Act which will now confirm m arriages for people who had samesex marriages during that relevant period. My question for you, please, …

The Speaker The Speaker Member, can you just repeat the question?

Mr. Scott Pearman Yes, I am happy to repeat that. Thank you. So, Minister, today you gave a Statement to this Honourable House explaining that the trans itional period was going to be extended thereby ensuring that certain same- sex marriages will remain valid for a period of time, notwithstanding the Privy Council …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Walter H. Roban: I think the Honourable Member has perhaps misunderstood. I believe that period that he is mentioning is a period that, one, that the decision of the Chief Justice was stayed. until —

Mr. Scott Pearman Yes, but as I read the Bill, and per your Statement — Hon. Walter H. Roban: Right. So, that is a period where there were no marriages conducted at all.

Mr. Scott Pearman Is that the answer, Minister? Were there no marriages conducted— Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, there were no marriages conducted at all during that time. That is the period that yo u are referring to.

Mr. Scott Pearman That is. I am referring— Hon. Walter H. Roban: There were none conducted at all.

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you, Minister. I am referring to period of the 1st of June 2018 until the 23rd of November 2018. And if the answer is that there were no marriages during that period, then I am grateful for the answer. Thank you, Deputy Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Any supplementaries?

Mr. Scott Pearman No. No supplementaries from me.

The Speaker The Speaker Any Member? None? Thank you, Member. Thank you, Minister. The next Statement that indicates we have questions is that of the Minister of the Economy [and Labour], Minister Hayward. There are Members who wished to ask questions of you this morning. A nd the first is the Opposition Leader. Opposition …

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. QUESTION 1: BERMUDA CONSUMER PRICE INDEX METHODOLOGY AND INFLATION Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: My first question to the Honourable—

The Speaker The Speaker Just a reminder to turn your camera on. We hear you clearly, but we don’t see you. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: My first question to the Mi nister is that he indicated that the base period for the current Consumer Price Index was April 2015. Can he give an …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, in order to revise the base period of the index you have to conduct a Househol d Expenditure Survey [HES]. I highlighted the trend as it pertains to the 10- year period in which we were conducting Household Expenditure Surveys. So the base period, …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Supplementary. He gave us an explanation as to the trend, but he did not tell us why it was not done.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I am not understanding the question. Is the question, Why haven’t we adopted our HES survey? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Yes. Hon. Jason Hayward: And the answer to the question is that we seek to conduct an HES survey within Bermuda House of …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Opposition Leader, my question is, Do you . . . You got the answer now; you say you know what it is. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: No, I know how the proc ess works. So there is no need for him to explain it to me.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. And your question was, When will it be done again, or wasn’t it done? And I think the Minister — Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Why was it not done? That was my question.

The Speaker The Speaker The Minister indicated it would be done in six months. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Not when it is going to be done again. My question was, Why was it not done since 2013? Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I was attempting to answer the question that the des ired …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: My second question.

The Speaker The Speaker I was about to ask you if there was an additional question. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Yes.

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: And I have a supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Is the supplementary on the first one or your second question? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: My second question.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Go ahead. QUESTION 2: BERMUDA CONSUMER PRICE INDEX METHODOLOGY AND INFLATION Hon. N. H. Cole Sim ons: How did the Government calculate the cost -of-living increases paid to benef iciaries of pensions and some government employees from 2013? Because there were cost -of-living i ncreases paid to employees, paid …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, since 1963, after the World War, I believe, we have never had a gap in our Consumer Price Index inflation figures. And so we have always produced a Consumer Price Index as a country and we have never had a gap in data.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Can he repeat his answer because I am not sure that he has answered my ques tion.

The Speaker The Speaker He is indicating that there has not been a gap in collection of the data since back in the 1960s, if I am correct. Hon. Jason Hayward: Correct. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: But my question was, How did the Government calculate the cost -of-living a djustments for pensioners who …

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. 1448 17 June 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Jason Hayward: There has always been a cost - of-living calculation published for the public. I do not know the nature of the Opposition Leader’s question as it pertains to . . . he is inferring …

The Speaker The Speaker Does that help you, O pposition Lea der? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I will go on to my suppl emental.

The Speaker The Speaker Put your supplemental. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Can the Minister give this House the estimated inflation rate for Bermuda for 2010, 2020, 2022? An esti mated inflation rate for Bermuda for 2010, 2020, and 2022. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, that is public i nformation that is published …

The Speaker The Speaker I think what the Minister is trying to say is that the information is publicly available on the web-site. It is published. There have not been any gaps so the information has been published. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hon. Jason Hayward: Additional to that, Mr. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Further supplementary, or another question? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: No, I’m done.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson I have a supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker MP Jackson, put your supplementary. SUPPLEM ENTAR IES

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Yes, thank you. I was just wondering if I might be able to ask the Minister if he could acknowledge the fact that, al though there is this structured system in place to calculate a Consumer Price Index , would the Minister acknowledge that what is coming out as an …

The Speaker The Speaker I missed some of that. Did you get it all, Minister? Hon. Jason Hayward: Yes.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Go a head. Hon. Jason Hayward: The Member is saying . . . the overall rate of inflation is actually , at 2.5 per cent and I explained why it is pegged down. But she is saying that the overall price increases are not a reflection of what people …

The Speaker The Speaker Did that help you Member?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Yes, it did. I have one other supplementary if that is all right.

The Speaker The Speaker Put you r second supplementary.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you. So, are we are calculating through our next consumer survey. Given the almost unreasonably high prices that people are paying today, is the 2023 recalculation going to then create the foundation for our Consumer Price Index within the next 10 years? Or are we going to have to …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. I was jotting them down trying to put a point to it all. Member, if you can sort of [form] that into one basic question . . . I was trying to jot it down to one myself, but I couldn’t get it for you. If you could just …

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Okay, here is one question: Is the consumer survey that is going to be conducted in 2023 . . . are the prices that are recorded in that survey going to be the foundation for the next 10 years? Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, the Household Expenditure Survey measures household …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Member, I think you have used up your supplementaries. I hope the answer helps to to suffice you.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Yes. Very much. Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker No problem. Minister, the Opposition Whip also had questions for you. Opposition Whip, do you still wish to put your question?

Mr. Jarion Richardson Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. QUESTION 1: BERMUDA CONSUMER PRICE INDEX METHODOLOGY AND INFLATION:

Mr. Jarion Richardson Thank you. I note that the Honourable Minister in his Statement said that the Household Expenditures Survey international best practice was every 10 years. Could the Minister please clarify? If the surv ey is ev ery 10 years, why was one supposed to be conducted in 2019?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: What you do is, you want to ensure that you have a 10- year period of consistent data. If you are valid within that 10- year period, it is fine. What we wanted to do was ensure that we were in front of the eight ball …

The Speaker The Speaker Member. 1450 17 June 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Jarion Richardson: Supplemental, please, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. What is y our supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Jarion Richardson Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaking of the CARTAC consultation, what prompted the Director of the Department of Statistics to reach out to CARTAC in June 2022? Hon. Jason Hayward: This CARTAC regional consu ltation is something that we do for all statistical outputs and not just for the consumer price …

The Speaker The Speaker Suppl ementary?

Mr. Jarion Richardson New question, please, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker This is the second question, yes. QUESTION 2: BERMUDA CONSUMER PRICE INDEX METHODOLOGY AND INFLATION:

Mr. Jarion Richardson Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Honourable M inister please explain: In his Statement on pages five and six he has a table labelled “Changes in Weights of Components of the CPI.” Would the Honourable Minister please clarify that these weights are derived from the Household Expenditures Survey of 2013? …

Mr. Jarion Richardson Supplemental, please, Mr. Speaker?

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. Jarion Richardson Thank you. Would the Honourable Minister be able to speak to why food is weighted what it is . . . how they arrived at that weight for food, which looks like about 11 per cent for the household expenditure according to the number? Hon. Jason Hayward: The surveyors monitor …

Mr. Jarion Richardson Supplemental, please, Mr. Speaker?

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, put your supplementary.

Mr. Jarion Richardson Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Honourable Minister. So the current Government position is that based on this household survey from 2013 that food is 10 per cent of household spending in Bermuda. Is that correct? Hon. Jason Hayward: Incorrect. The measure is 11.5 per cent.

The Speaker The Speaker You used your two supplementals. Third question? QUESTION 3: BERMUDA CONSUMER PRICE INDEX METHODOLOGY AND INFLATION:

Mr. Jarion Richardson Thank you, Honourable Mi nister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A third question: Given the Minister’s Stat ement on the new Household Expenditure Survey on page 7 wherein the Minister said a revised CPI sho pping basket and expenditure rates will not come avai lable until approximately two years after the …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary?

Mr. Jarion Richardson Yes, please, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Put your supplementary. SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Jarion Richardson The current conclusions reached in the Household Expenditure Surve y and the CPI—are those data inputs currently used by the Bermuda House of Assembly Wage Commission in determining their next step, which I believe is the living wage? Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I don’t know what data inputs the …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary?

Mr. Jarion Richardson None, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Honourable Minister.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Members. Thank you, Mi nister. Minister, there are no further questions for you at this point. So we thank you all for your participation there. The next Statement this morning that has questions is that of the Minister of Transport. Minister, the Opposition spokesperson for Transport would like …

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My first question to the Minister of Transport: There was mention of the legislation to lay the founda-tion for fare digitisation. I am just curious if the public should anticipate any fare increases as a part of that new digitisation.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: There is no intent at this time to increase the fare.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary?

Ms. S usan E. Jackson No supplementary. I have a second question. And thank you, Minister.

The Speaker The Speaker Put your second question. QUESTION 2: UPDATE ON PUBLIC BUS TRANSPORTATION

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My second question for the Minis ter is: I am just wondering how the new bus schedule is going. I know that it began under MP De Silva and I’m just curious how the public bus schedule is progressing.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: At this time the Ministry believes that the best time to really look at the public bus schedule is after we have one year of active ri dership data which would only come after the impl ementation of a digital -fare media- type system.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson So, is the Minister saying that there would not be any real progress on the bus schedule until after digitisation?

The Speaker The Speaker I think he was saying he would not have a report, but Minister respond. Minister, you do not have your audio [on]. Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Sorry about that. We have modified the bus schedule somewhat as best as we can to accommodate different numbers and mainly student runs, but …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you. No supplementary, but I do have a third question.

The Speaker The Speaker Put your third question. QUESTIO N 3: UPDATE ON PUBLIC BUS TRANSPORTATION

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not sure if this is already in the public domain or not, but I am just curious whether the public transport has calculated anticipated savings for the new electric buses —any savings calculated for fuel costs and maintenance.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: That is already in the pu blic domain and was put in the public domain several times during the Budget Debate and also during se veral Ministerial Statements when we spoke about the implementation and the introduction of the electric buses, as well as in …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Not at this time. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Member. Thank you, Mini ster. Minister, those were the only questions for you this morning. We will now go to the Statement from the Premier. Premier, there are Members who 1452 17 June 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly wish to put questions to you. The …

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. QUESTION 1: COST OF LIVING COMMISSION AMENDMENT ACT 2020 —BROUGHT INTO FORCE Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. P remier, you indicated in your Statement that the Cost of Living Commission Amendment Act 2020 passed in June 2020 and you were bringing it into force June 17, …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Go right ahead. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Honourable Opposition Leader for his question. I cannot speak to the reason as to why, but when I became aware at the meeting with the Chairman of the Cost of Living Commission that I held …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: No, because he basically indicated that he did not know why it has taken two years to bring a piece of legislation . . . to make it e nforceable.

The Speaker The Speaker Do you have a second question? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: No. I have no more questions.

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Supplemental .

The Speaker The Speaker Does someone have a supplementary?

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes. MP Cannonier.

The Speaker The Speaker MP Cannonier, put your supplementary. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the answer, Premier. Taking into consideration that you have been quoted many times as wanting to be lead the charge with this cost of living, and there was a mandate of the PLP, that you as Premier had, sent that mandate out …

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Mr. Speaker, he did not answer the question.

The Speaker The Speaker Basically, I think the Premier is indica ting that at his first awareness action was taken.

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes. But my question is: It was a mandate of his, as the Premier, in terms of the cost of living, Why did he not bring it to the attention of the then Minister that it has been this long a period of time? Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I am appreciative of the Honourable Member pushing this line, but I think it is important to note the difference in records between the two Governments —the Government that he led for a period of time and the Government of which I have …

The Speaker The Speaker Your supplementaries were used. I believe y ou do have other questions. I have you down for other questions, so you can save your question for then. The Opposition Whip, would you like to put your question now?

Mr. Jarion Richardson Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Put your question. QUESTION 1: COST OF LIVING COMMISSION AMENDMENT ACT 2020 —BROUGHT INTO FORCE

Mr. Jarion Richardson I thank the Honourable . . . I am sorry. Good morning, Honourable Premier. In the Honourable Premier’s Statement at page 2, he stated that at an April meeti ng the Go vernment would look at reducing the duty rates on es-sential commodities recommended that were not a lready at …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E . David Burt: Mr. Speaker, duty rate changes have to come through the Honourable House of A ssembly. As the Honourable Member would have noted from my Statement, I said that before the House rises that we will bring a comprehensive package of matters. And I am …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary?

Mr. Jarion Richardson None. Second question, please, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Second question. Go right ahead. QUESTION 2: COST OF LIVING COMMISSION AMEND MENT ACT 2020 —BROUGHT INTO FORCE

Mr. Jarion Richardson Thank you. The Honourable Premier, again on page 2, although the duty on these items —essential goods — were eliminated in 2018 many persons stated they did not see those reductions passed on to the co nsumers. Would the Honourable Premier be able to . . . sorry, has Government …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier . Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you. I think that the Chairman of the Cost of Living Commission would certainly be better able to speak to that, Mr. Speaker. One of the important things to note is that with the passage of . . . sorry, the bringing into …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary?

Mr. Jarion Richardson Yes, please, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. Jarion Richardson Thank you. Would the Honourable Premier please clarify that it was in fact the Chairman of the Cost of Living Commission who i nquired into why we have not seen those reductions passed on to consumers? Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, if I may. I am sorry.

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, if the Honourable Member would read the Cost of Living Commission Act, it was the Chairman and the Commission who were empowered to seek information from retailers and persons in regard to matters that related to price. What we saw in …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary?

Mr. Jarion Richardson Yes, please, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. 1454 17 June 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Honourable Premier. Since the 2018 changes and the feedback from consumers that those reductions wer e not passed on, Government has not inquired into why those reductions were not made to …

The Speaker The Speaker Was there a question?

Mr. Jarion Richardson Sorry. For the avoidance of doubt, the Government did not make such inquiries. Did the Gover nment make such inquires? Has the Government inquired since the 2018 reduction . . . has the Government inquired as to why those reductions were not passed on to the consumer? The Government, and …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. That was your second supplementary. Do yo u have a third question?

Mr. Jarion Richardson No, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Opposition Whip. MP Cannonier, do you still have questions you would like to put at this stage?

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. QUESTION 1: COST OF LIVING COMMISSION AMENDMENT ACT 2020 —BROUGHT INTO FORCE

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes. On page 2 the Premier mentions about going to a zero per cent on certain commodities —essential commodities. Does the Pr emier have an idea of the revenue loss to Government by going to a zero per cent on these essential commodities?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, to my recollection, I do believe that that was part of the debate in 2018 when we did that. I briefly reviewed some of the Ha nsards yesterday. I did not get to the actual Committee stage of the debate, but I think …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplem entary? SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes. Supplementary. Understanding that those . . . He is talking about the essential commodities that were already identified. In his Statement he mentioned that there was more to come, that he was meeting wi th the Cabinet. So, I guess what I am trying to get to is with …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sorry I misunderstood the Member’s question. I thought he was talking about the ones in 2018. All of those matters will certainly be considered. They will form part of the information that will come to this Honourable House. As …

The Speaker The Speaker Second question?

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier No, thank you. Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Okay. No supplementary? Thank you, Members. This actually brings us to the close of the question period this morning on the questions that were submitted from the written Statements. So, we thank you for your participation. CONGRATULATORY AND /OR OBITUARY SPEECHES

The Speaker The Speaker Now moving on, this brings us to congratulatory and obituary speeches. Does any Member wish to make a contribution? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister of Education, you have your three minutes. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I am happy to offer congratulations and ask that the House join me in co ngratulating the winners of the Father of the Year essay competition, Mr. Speaker. From Purvis …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister Hayward, go right ahead. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I want to send a note of congratulations to a labour stalwart, Sister Molly Burgess, whom I recently met at the BIU. And Sister Molly Burgess indicated to me she is celebra ting 51 years of full- time service to …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Does another Member wish to make a contr ibution at this time? Hon. Derrick V. Burges s, Sr.: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Sounds like I hear the voice of the Deputy Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Deputy Speaker, you have your three minutes. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I would like to be associated with the congra tulations and appreciation to Sister Molly Burgess. Molly has known me I guess most of my life and she is a special person. Molly is a …

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade I would like to assoc iate myself with thos e remarks, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Noted. Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Opposition Leader, you have your three minutes. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I would like to start by associating myself with the comments made in regard to Molly Burgess for her 50 years of service at the union in supporting labour and workers. As my honourable cousin said, she was …

The Speaker The Speaker This was done last week. So, you can associate yourself with that. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Oh. It was done last week. I associate myself with those comments then. And lastly, I would like to send congratulations to the organisers of an event entitled “It’s TIME for Real T …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Opposition Leader. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Hon. Vance Campb ell: Mr. Speaker.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Mr. Campbell. I heard your voice there first. Hon. Vance Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like for a note of congratulations be sent to Matt Stephens, 21- year-old Matt St ephens. He was part of the crew on the Bermuda clipper Go to Bermuda in the …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, MP Foggo. You have been ass ociated. Hon. Vance Campbell: And in triathlon: Dame Flora Duffy, Erica Hawley, Tyler Butterfield and Tyler Smith. Bermuda House of Assembly And I am sure all in the House will wish them the best as they represent Bermuda. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay, Minister Weeks. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not going to be long. I just would like t o be associated with the remarks by the previous speakers congratulating Molly Burgess on her [51] years of labour representation for us in Bermuda. Can …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Would any other Member like to make a contribution at this time?

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Mr. Speaker .

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker I think MP Swan has been trying to get in there for a little bit. MP Swan.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Yes, Mr. Speaker. I would certainly like to be associated with the condolences to the Gordon fami ly. Also, I would like to be associated with the condolences that were sent out last week to the family of the late Miss Audrey Hayward, the wo nderful East End family, Mr. …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, she was last week as well.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Yes. Both of their children I know very well, Mr. Speaker. And my deepest condolences. Also, I am not sure if this one was done— Miss Judy Swan from Hamilton Parish, Mr. Speaker, som eone I have known for some 40- odd years, my good friend George “Ricky” and her …

The Speaker The Speaker That was done last week as well.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan —and the physically cha llenged. Yes, I would like to be associated with those remarks that were offered. And finally, [I would like to] be associated with those comments that were offered once again to our fine athletes representing us at the Commonwealth Games, Mr. Speaker. Thank you ever so …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time?

Mr. Wayne Caines Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker MP Caines.

Mr. Wayne Caines Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to offer congratulations to the Doctor Bert McPhee on the occasion of his 96 th birthday. Dr McPhee . . . he often cracks jokes with many of my friends that he knew our mothers before we did because he delivered many of …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. MP Caines, was that it?

Mr. Wayne Caines Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you for your contribution.

Mr. Wayne Caines Thank you, sir.

The Speaker The Speaker Would anyone else like to make a contribution at this time? Hon. E. David Burt: Sure, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Mr. Premier, you have your three minutes. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would certainly like to be ass ociated wi th the congratulations extended to Sister Helena “Molly” Burgess. She is without question a stalwart in our community. And one of the …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Associate me with that, Premier. He was my schoolmate. Hon. E. David Burt: I will happily associate the whole House, Honourable Member. Mr. Holdipp certainly devotedly served his community. He gave his time suppor ting our seniors. He was a fixture at the Central Committee of the Pr ogressive Labour …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Premier. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at t his time?

Mr. Anthony Richardson Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker MP Richardson. You have your three minutes.

Mr. Anthony Richardson Yes. Good morning to you, Mr. Speaker and to my colleagues and those of the listening audience. First of all, I would like t o be associated with the comments, the congratulations to those persons who were successful or even attended the Special Olympics. And also to Miss Molly Burgess. …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Is that it?

Mr. Anthony Richardson And in a similar vein, I want to . . . I see Premier Burt wants to be associated also. In a similar vein, I want to congratulate Miss Deshae Edness. She has a dance studio called Sui Generis and this year marked her 10th anniversary. And she has a …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time?

Mrs. Renee Ming Yes. Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Good morning . . .

Mrs. Renee Ming It’s Renee Ming.

The Speaker The Speaker MP Ming. You have your three minutes.

Mrs. Renee Ming Yes. Good morning. Mr. Speaker, first of all , I would like to be associated with the comments for Miss Molly Burgess and Mr. John Holdipp and of course Miss Audrey Hayward who was definitely a St George’s woman. And I just want her children, which would be Bea, O …

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Associate me, MP Ming, please.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP Ming. And one of your colleagues from the East End has asked to be assoc iated.

Mrs. Renee Ming I associate MP Swan.

The Speaker The Speaker Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time?

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Looks like we’ve got a St. George’s thing going. Okay. MP Foggo, you have your three mi nutes.

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo Okay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am just going to mention two of the people that Renee and others have spoken about. So, A nthony did steal my thunder. And that is , firstly , Miss Suzette Harvey who deserves nothing but accolades for the 30 years of service to …

The Speaker The Speaker Member, you have used your three minutes. We thank you for your contribution. Ms. Lovitta F . Foggo Okay, thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, accolades to our young Carla Watson for all that she has done for St. George’s and Bermuda.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Does any other Member wish to . . .

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade Mr. Speaker. Ianthia Simmons -Wade.

The Speaker The Speaker Ianthia Simmons -Wade. MP, you have the floor. You have your three minutes.

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade Yes. Good morning,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Good morning.

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade I would like to personally associate myself with Molly Burgess. I actually first met Molly Burgess through my husband. And many, many Labour Days I have marched with her on that Labour Day march. So many things have been said about her. It is not necessary for me to repeat …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Madam Attorney General , you have your three minutes. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the congratulations given by the Honourable Members with respect to Miss Burgess and also to Suzette Harvey who are both stalwarts of our comm …

The Speaker The Speaker Th ank you. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? MP Tyrrell. Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning.

The Speaker The Speaker You have your three minutes.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I would like to have congratul ations extended to the Workman’s Club for this year celebrating 100 years of service to our community. Workman’s Club is probably one of the strongest Workman’s Club that we have had around with some strong leadership going back. And as …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP Tyrrell. Does any other M ember wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? No other Member. Thank you, Members, for your participation. Before I move on, I would just like to add my remarks to a couple of those that have been given this morning. I …

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. NOTICE OF MOTIONS FOR THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE ON MATTERS OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS GOVERNMENT BILLS

The Speaker The Speaker There are two Bills to be introduced this morning, first in the name of the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier, would you like to introduce your matter at this stage? DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP AMENDMENT ACT 2022 Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am introducing the following Bill for its …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. And the second is in the name of the Attorney General. Attorney General. CRIMINAL CODE AMENDMENT ACT 2022 Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker I am introducing the following Bill for its first reading so that it ma y be placed on the O …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. There are no other Bills to be introduced. 1462 17 June 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly ORDERS OF THE DAY .

The Speaker The Speaker Order No. 1 is being carried over. O rder No. 2 is for discussion today. Order No. 2 is the consideration of t he North East Hamilton Local Plan 2022 in the name of the Deputy Premier , Minister of Home Affairs. Minister, would you like to present your matter …

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, I move that consideration be given to the draft plan entitled t he North East Hamilton Local Plan 2022.

The Speaker The Speaker Are there any objections? There are none. Continue Minister. DRAFT PLAN NORTH EAST HAMILTON LOCAL PLAN 2022 Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that in accordance with section 11 of the Development and Planning Act 1974 , the Honourabl e House consider and approve …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Deputy Premier. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time?

Mr. Jarion Richardson Mr. Speaker. MP Richar dson.

The Speaker The Speaker MP Richardson, yes.

Mr. Jarion Richardson Mr. Speaker, I am j ust min dful of the time. Do you want to go to lunch, or do you want me to just proceed?

The Speaker The Speaker We will proceed until 12:30. We have ten minutes.

Mr. Jarion Richardson Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Unless . . . I am assuming there are a few other Members who wish to speak. If there aren’t that many Members, we can go straight through wit hout lunch. [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker No, I’m serious. If we are going to have a short debate, we don’t need to take a lunch break.

Mr. Jarion Richardson M r. Speaker, I am fine to proceed.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. We’ll go and we will see what 12:30 looks like when we get there.

Mr. Jarion Richardson Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honourable Minister for bringing the North East Hamilton Plan bef ore this Honourable House today. I am very mindful. And I would like to thank the work of Ms. Victoria Pereira and the members on Victoria’s team, Mr. Kenneth Campbell and …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Opposition Whip. It is now 12:29 pm. I would assume that we would want to take a break now, unless there are not a lot of speakers who wish to contribute. Minister, do you assume that there are a lot of Members who are going to contribute this …

The Speaker The Speaker With that said, will you move us to lunch? Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I move that we adjourn for lunch until 2:00 pm.

The Speaker The Speaker Are there any objections? There are none. The House now stands a djourned until 2:00 pm. Proceedings suspended at 12:30 pm Proceedings resumed at 2:00 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] 1466 17 June 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly DRAFT PLAN NORTH EAST …

The Speaker The Speaker Good afternoon, Members. We have returned fro m the lunch break. And for the listening audience, we are co ntinuing the discussion, the debate today on the co nsideration of North East Hamilton Local Plan 2022. This was tabled and is being led by the Minister of Home Affairs, the …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, but it is time for them to speak. Any other Member? Would any other Member like to make a contribution at this time? There is no other Member? Minister, it looks like you need to just wrap up. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Well, I guess so, Mr. Speaker. I …

The Speaker The Speaker I’m going to pause you for one second just to ask for the last time, because I do not want a nyone to say I was unfair. Is there any other Member who would like to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member? [No audible res ponse]

The Speaker The Speaker Deputy Premier. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am certainly very pleased with the opportun ity to bring this measure to the House today. And I must say that I am quite proud of the work that the Department of Planning has done with this, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Are there any objections? There are no objections. The said plan has been approved. [Motion carried: The North East Hamilton Local Plan 2022 was approved.]

The Speaker The Speaker Members and listening audience, t hat was the only item for debate today. The other items have carried over for another sitting. And with that, there is no third reading for that consideration. So, Deputy, would you like to move us to the MTA [motion to adjourn] ? ADJOURNMENT Hon. …

The Speaker The Speaker The first Friday in July, correct? Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes. The first Friday in July, which I believe is July 1. Is it the first? —

The Speaker The Speaker The 1 st or 3rd. Hon. Walter H. Roban: — as of the date? I do believe it is. Yes, it is. Mr. Speaker

The Speaker The Speaker July 1. Yes, it is. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes. As I said, I do move that the House do adjourn until July 1. The Spe aker: Thank you, Deputy Premier. Does anybody wish to speak to that?

Mr. Anthony Richardson Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. MP Richardson, you have your 20 minutes.

Mr. Anthony Richardson Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Can you hear me? The Speake r: Yes. I can hear you and see you. CALL FOR MP’S TO COLLECTIVELY ACT IN A POSITIVE FASHION TO BENEFIT BERMUDA

Mr. Anthony Richardson Okay. Thank you. Again, good afternoon to you, my colleagues and the listening audience. When we have these opportunit ies, som etimes we say we are going to be very brief and end up speaking quite long. But I will be brief. And what I want to say this afternoon, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP Richardson. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Are there any further speakers on motion to adjourn today? [No audible response]

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Members, for your partic ipation this morning. Today, no one is acknowledging their wish to speak. For the listening audience, that closes the House for today. We thank you for listening in. We will be back on the 1 st of July. Everyone, have a good weekend and …

June 17, 2022

Session Summary

Key Topics

Bills & Motions

Notable Moments

Debate Transcript