February 23, 2022

Thank you, Madam
President.
Madam President, I hereby present for the
information of Senate the following sets of 2021 Reg ulations, Rules and an Order as made by the Minister
of Transport: the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co- operation Conve ntion) Amendment Regulations 2021; Merchant Shi pping (Passenger Ship Construction) Regulations
2021 ; Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution)
Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Prevention of
Pollution from Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk)
Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2021; Merchant
Shipping (Prevention of Pollution from Noxious Liquid
Substa nces in Bulk) Amendment Regulations 2021;
Merchant Shipping (Radio Equipment Survey) Regu-lations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Repatriation)
Amendment Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping
(Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2021; Merchant
Shipping (Seafarers’ Acc ommodation) Amendment
Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Seafarers’
Employment) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2021;
Merchant Shipping (Seafarers’ Employment) Amend-ment Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Section
75 Inquiries) Rules 2021; Merchant Shippi ng (Ship
Inspection and Survey Organisations) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping Act (Schedule 12) Amendment (No. 2) Order 2021; Merchant Shipping (Ton-nage) Amendment Regulations 2021; Marine and
Ports Services (Ship Channels) Regulations 2021;
Merchant S hipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Carriage
of Cargoes) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping
(Carriage of Packaged Irradiated Nuclear Fuel etc.) (INF Code) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping
(Dangerous Goods in Harbour Areas) Regulations
2021; Merchant Shipping (Fire Protection Large
Ships) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Inspec-tions of Ships and Issue of Maritime Labour Certif icates) Amendment Regulations 2021; and the Mer-chant Shipping (Life- Saving Appliances and Arrangements) Regulations 2021.
Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Rev. Dr. Em ilygail Dill, Junior Minister for Transport.

NOTICE S OF MOTION S
The President: We do have a notice of motion, and
that is in the name of Senat or Arianna Hodgson, the
Junior Minister of Health.
Senator Hodgson, you have the floor.

DRAFT PUBLIC HEALTH (COVID -19) EMERGENCY
EXTENSION (NO. 2) ORDER 2022
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Madam President, I hereby present for the
consideration of Senate the draft Order entitled the
Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No.
2) Order 2022, proposed to be made by the Minister
responsible for Health under the provisions of section
107A of the Public Health Act 1949.
130 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate And I give notice that at a later point in the
meeting I will move that the said draft Order be approved. Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson.

PETITIONS

The President: There are none.

STATEMENTS

The President: We do have two Statements this
morning. The first one is in the name of Senator Lin dsay Simmons, the Junior Minister for Social Development and Seniors.
Senator Lindsay Simmons.

TEEN DATING ABUSE AWARENESS AND
PREVENTION MONTH
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Madam President , I rise today to inform Me mbers of the Senate and the general public that Febr uary is
Teen Dating Abuse Awareness and Prevention
Month . I would like to take this opportunity to share
what the Ministry of Social Development and Seniors
has done in support of this initiative. While the month
is targeted toward teens, it is important that all adults
in our community who have healthy interactions with
teens , not limited to parents and guardians, lead the
charge of having conversations with them on dating
abuse. These conversations should include but not be
limited to various aspects of teen dati ng such as what
respect in a relationship looks and feels like , red flags
leading to an abusive relationship or while in an abusive relationship, and helping agencies in our comm unity.
Madam President , Bermuda is witnessing an
increase in abusive relationships not only amongst
adults, but with our teens. There has been a surge in
reports from middle and high schools , and youth
hous ing facilities. Madam President , by working t ogether there is an opportunity for the country to make
a difference now through what is required to mitigate
domestic violence among teens. It is intended that
resources such as education and awareness cam-paigns , school and community forums implemented
specifically for teens will potentially have a direct i mpact on reducing the number of adults in abusive rel ationships in the future.
Madam President , as Members of the Senate,
it is incumbent upon us as leaders of this country and
all adults involved with children’s activities to set a
[precedent] for our youth. Through training and
awareness on red flags, we can teach them how to
respond appropriately to abusive behaviours to r educe these harmful relationships. Madam President , common red flags of abuse include, but are not limited
to the following:
• demands made by a partner for personal/private information such as passwords to
access devices and/or social media accounts ,
et cetera;
• name- calling or intimidating behaviou rs;
• apologetic behaviou rs or actions after a phy sical or verbal altercation;
• being afraid to speak their mind or go against
their partner because it will cause an arg ument; and
• a person threatens to leave if their partner
does not follow their orders .
Madam President, too often teens mistake
these warning signs , also referred to as red flags , as a
form of love. Adul ts can assist them with understan ding that these red flags are key warnings to behaviours that should not be tolerated such as jealousy, control, manipulation and isolation. This Government
encourages healthy conversations with our young
people on the topics of teen dating abuse and awar eness, which provides them an opportunity to ask
ques tions , feel less vulnerable, [and feel] supported
and safe.
Madam President , also discussions on r esponding appropriately to these red flag warnings are
critical to creating boundaries to stop these unwanted
behaviours, and a way to support teens to build up the
courage to leave an abusive relationship.
Madam President , in support of Teen Dating
Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, the Ministry
for Social Development and Seniors hosted and facil itated a virtual forum entitled “Domestic Violence
Awareness .” The panel consisted of the Minister,
Tinee Furbert, JP, MP; Cindy Clarke, the Director of
Public Prosecutions; Laurie Shiell, Executive Director
of Centr e Against Abuse; Tina Laws, Executive Director of Women’s Resource Centre; Susan Adhemar, a
Chartered Counselling Psychologist ; and myself .
Madam President , the in- depth interactive
conversation that lasted approximately 90 minutes
was aired on CITV and watched by thousands of
viewers on Facebook. During the conversation I
shared my personal experience of domestic abuse
and how I overlooked the warning signs of abuse. The
Honourable Tinee Furbert, JP, MP, Minister of Social
Development and Seniors, receiv ed numerous pos itive feedback as a result of this forum. I would like to
take this opportunity to thank the panel lists for their
time and valuable insight and expertise on domestic
abuse.
Madam President , I am imploring members of
our community to start or continue the discussions on
the importance of incorporating respect in relatio nships , [whether] it be incorporated in the curriculum for
schools , youth activities and sports, and youth groups.
Madam President , in addition to the services
provided by the Department of Child and Family Se rBermuda Senate vices in supporting healthy teen relationships , there
are organi sations in Bermuda that advocate and ensure that teens have access to information and services that support healthy relationships. These support systems are the following:
• School counsellors ;
• The Family Centre;
• Teen Services;
• Coalition for the Protection of Children; and
• Centre Against Abuse.
Madam President , I would like to take this
opportunity to highlight and thank Tammy L. Richar dson-Augustus , JP, a l aw partner who took the initiative
to collaborate with the US non- profit , One Love Fou ndation. One Love Foundation is a national non- profit
organi sation that was created in 2010 in memory of
Yeardley Love, a 22- year-old University of Virginia
senior who was murdered by her ex -boyfriend just
weeks before her graduation that same year.
Madam President , One Love Foundation aims
to end relationship abuse by providing the tools, educational resources and workshops to empower young
people with the knowledge to identify and avoid ab usive relationships. The organi sation has educated
nearly 1.7 million young people through workshops
both in person and virtually.
Madam President , in July 2021, Ms. Richar dson-Augustus organi sed an inaugural event in par tnership with One Love Foundation. The three- day
Student Leadership Summit had 30 student partic ipants aged 14 to 22 from public and private school s
and universities. Participants learned about the 10
signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships, learned
how to identify and avoid abuse, and gained leadership skills to become youth ambassadors.
Madam President , the Government is commi tted to observing February as Teen Dating Abuse
Awareness and Prevention Month on an annual basis
and encourages all sectors of our community to do the
same . Although one month a year has been designated to teen dating abuse awareness and prevention,
the Government supports ongoing initiatives that aim
to continue such conversations with teens throughout
the year.
Madam President , as Senators and Berm uda’s adults as a collective , we must remember that
teens observe our actions daily regardless of whether
they are positive or negative. We must be committed
in doing our part daily to lay and preserve the foundations of a healthy community by having, maintaining
and encouraging healthy relationships. Our youth turn
to us for guidance that supports healthy interactions,
which ultimately fosters healthy adult relationships in
our community. Thank you, Madam President .
The Pre sident: Thank you, Senator Lindsay Si mmons, the Junior Minister for Social Development. The second Statement is in the name of Senator Arianna Hodgson, the Junior Minister for Health.
And it is on the Bermuda Health Strategy.
Senator Hodgson, you have the floor.

BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY 2022– 2027

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident. Madam President , today I share with Honour able Senators the
Bermuda Health Strategy 2022 –
2027 .
Madam President , the Senate will recall the
previous health strategy covered the years 2014 to
2019 , and in 2019 the Ministry of Health began work
to create a new strategy for the next five years . The
aim was to provid e a framework for a redesign of the
health care system in line with the Government’s stated intention to transition to universal health coverage.
Madam President , early work on the strategy
with a Strategic Leadership Group did not progress
past March 2020 due to the pandemic . In early summer 2021, the Ministry of Health, supported by the
Advisory Division of KPMG, started again to develop
the next iteration of the Bermuda Health Strategy.
Madam President , the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022 –2027, which I am sharing today, includes
the contributions of the pre- pandemic leadership
group as well as input received from the steering
committee established to help develop a roadmap for
universal health coverage. The new strategy further
develops and, in some cas es, updates the goals established in the previous strategy. Thanks to the hard
work of all parties , we now have a refreshed and r evised strategy.
Madam President , I am also pleased to report
that the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022– 2027 repr esents one of the first actions to emerge from that
roadmap for universal health coverage. Honourable
Senators will recall that stewardship and governance
is one of three pillars on which the initial high- level
universal health coverage roadmap is built. This pillar
calls for a refreshed health care strategy to provide a
clear and central vision to guide our community.
Madam President , the new strategy does provide a clear vision for a healthy Bermuda community.
The strategy specifies eight strategic principles which
will direct the Ministry’s work . The strategic principles
are as follows:
• promoting healthy living and preventative
care;
• focusing on people- centred care;
• understanding our population’s health needs ;
• providing universal access to health care coverage;
• strengthening our health care workforce;
• harnessing health care technology ;
• partnership and collaborative working; and
• preventing wasteful care and promoting eff iciency.
132 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate Madam President , these principles align with
the Ministry’s vision o f “healthy people in healthy
communities .” They also align with our mission which
seeks to make Bermuda healthier and ensure all people have equitable access to needed informative and
prevent ative, curative, rehabilitative and palliative essential health services of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that people do not suffer f inancial hardship when paying for these services and
critical medicines.
Madam President , the strategy sets out t he
health need associated with each principle and indicates a path for its achievement as well as potential
measures for its success. Collectively, the principles
frame the need for both universal health coverage and
health system strengthening, and also provide a
pathway for achieving them.
Madam President, I would like to draw atte ntion to some of the strategic principles the Ministry will
be following in the coming years. First, the new health
strategy places at the forefront promoting healthy li ving and preventative care. Madam President , we know
that health promotion and disease prevention are essential ingredients in building a stronger health sy stem. Many of the chronic illnesses impacting our
community and placing a heavy burden on our health
care resources are strongly related to lifestyle factors
such as poor diet, physical inactivity and smoking. We
understand that more must be done to empower and
support people to lead healthy lifestyles, and the Ministry will do just that. The emphasis on health prom otion includes mental health as well. There is a reco gnised need to challenge historical stigma and preconceptions. Good physical and mental health are collectively a part of our efforts to promote wellness and
healthier living.
Madam President , another highlight of this
strategy is its focus on the need for greater collabor ation among health care industry stakeholders as e mbodied in the strategic principle partnership and collaborative working. Critically important for the work on
universal health coverage is the engagement of, and
collaboration with, the broad group of stakeholders
who form part of Bermuda’s health system. Such co llaboration aims to bring about better coordination of
health care delivery to ensure the most effective and
efficient utilisation of our health system.
The Ministry believes that understanding and
impro ving our esse ntial care pathways will strengthen
the health system by defining standards, promoting
and disseminating best practices , and increasing res ident and care pr ovider satisfaction. The collaboration
needed to achieve this is enshrined in the new health
strategy as a strategic principle.
Finally, Madam President , the strategy also
features the shift to focusing on people- centred care
to deliver essential care that meets the needs of ind ividuals and families and improves their health outcomes. With this changed approach, the Ministry ex-pects to bring about health system reforms that enable people to feel more included in the decision -
making process around their health and wellness, and
improve the patient and family experience as a whole.
Madam President , the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022 –2027 is available on www.gov.bm now, and
we look forward to receiving the community’s feedback via moh@gov.bm .
Madam President , in closing, this Government
understands that the positive transformations we need
to see will not happen overnight. After all, we reached
this point over many years. Bermuda’s health system
challenges are complex and require collaboration b etween all stakeholders to realise the people- centred,
multi- year change necessary for a more sustainable
future. However, we are grateful for the work that has
been done to date to develop the Bermuda Health
Strategy 2022– 2027 and are optimistic about our path
forward to creating a more equitable and efficient
health care system for all Bermuda’s residents.
Thank you, Madam President .
The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson, Junior Minister of Health.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
The President: There are none.

FIRST READING OF PUBLIC BILLS

MATRIMONIAL CAUSES
(FAULTLESS DIVORCE) AMENDMENT ACT 2022

PHARMACY AND POISONS
AMENDMENT ACT 2022
The President: The following Public Bills have been
received from the Honourable House of Assembly and
are now read for the first time. Their titles are, respectively, the Matrimonial Causes (Faultless Divorce)
Amendment Act 2022; and the Pharmacy and Poisons
Amendment Act 2022.

FIRST READING OF PRIVATE BILLS

The President: There are none.

QUESTION PERIOD
The President: Senators, we will now entertain questions on the Statements that have been read, the first
one being the Ministerial Statement that was gi ven by
Senator Lindsay Simmons. We will entertain any
questions.
Senator Michelle Simmons, you have the
floor.



Bermuda Senate QUESTION 1: TEEN DATING ABUSE AWARENESS
AND PREVENTION MONTH

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I would like to thank the Junior Minister for the
Statement. It is an important one because efforts are being made to help our teens ensure that they are in
healthy relationships.
I just have a question about something on
page 1 of the Statement, where the Junior Minister says tha t “Bermuda is witnessing an increase in abusive relationships not only amongst adults, but with
our teens. There has been a surge in reports from
middle and high schools , and youth housing facilities. ”
I wondered, Madam President , if there are any data
that the Junior Minister can share to give us an idea of how many reports are coming forth from middle and
high schools, and youth housing facilities, with regard
to teens who are in abusive relationships.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Si mmons.
Senator Lindsay Simmons, do you want to
respond at this point?

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Sure. One second.
[Pause]
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: So, as the BPS [Bermuda
Public School System] had 14,351 incidents in 2021
that were either 911 or 211 calls, attendants at the
front counter are proactive, policing. Domestic inc idents were recorded in 2021. There were 679 of these
which may refer to relationships, wife or husband,
family issues, sister versus sister, where police assisted in requests.
We have enabled officers to select the digital
domestic incident flag so that they can make an objective assessment from their engagement.
They do see an increase with young adults
under the age of 18. They are collecting data as we
speak on how many youths are now in abusive rel ationships that are being reported. They do see an i ncrease, but they do not have an exact number. But
they are star ting to collect the information.
The President: Senator Michelle Simmons, do you
have a second ques tion or a follow -up?
Sen. Michelle Simmons: Yes, I have a supplementary if that is all right, Madam President.
The President: A supplementary. Indeed.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Michelle Simmons: The Junior Minister has
shared data from the Bermuda Police Service. I won-dered if data were also coming directly from the schools and from the youth housing facilities to
whomever is in charge of those. So are the schools
reporting directly to, for example, the Department,
Ministry of Education? And I am not sure who oversees the youth housing facilities. But are there direct
reports there as well? Because it would be good to look at the data from both sources to get a better
sense of how much of an issue this is in our community.
Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Si mmons.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Senator Si mmons.
What I can say, Madam President, with Laurie
Shiell and Tina Laws, they have seen an increase that
has been reported to them as well as to the police. So
they are taking data. I cannot speak specifically on
schools, but I can speak to the organisations, that
they are getting more reports. That is why they can say that there has been an increase.
Thank you. I hope t hat helps.

The President: Thank you, Senator [Lindsay] Si mmons.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions on this Statement?

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: I am sorry. I can also add
that the schools are mandated to report any incidents
that they know [about] to the Centre Against Abuse
and the Department of Child and Family Services.
Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Lindsay Si mmons.
Senator Robin Tucker, I believe you have
questions. You have the floor.

Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes, thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I would like to ask a supplementary question
to Senator Michelle Simmons’s question if that is
okay.

The President: Yes.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Robin Tucker: I am just wondering about the
reporting for the youth housing facilities. I am assu ming that all those facilities are under the government
134 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate umbrella and perhaps the Child and Family Services
Department. So I am just wondering if there are any
statistics that specifically speak to that population.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Robin Tucker.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Yes. Both facilities do fall
under the Department of Child and Family Services.
And they do recor d any incidents that happen. So I
am pretty sure there are reports that they do have on
statistics. I do not have it on hand, but we do definitely
[record] any incidents that happen, whether it be
abuse or anything that is happening at the home.
They take documentation of what is going on there.
So Family Services is well aware of what is going on.
Thank you.

The President: Thank you.
Senator Robin Tucker, are you satisfied with
the response?

QUESTION 1: TEEN DATING ABUSE AWARENESS
AND PREVENTION MONTH
Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes, I am satisfied, Madam President.
If I may also ask . . . it is such an important
topic, and I am just wondering if the Junior Minister at
some point can give some assurance that she can
provide those answers. It will be very interesting and
important for us and the public to know what those
numbers are, particularly because it has been men-tioned that there has been a surge in cases, and of
course, all of the increases. So it is definitely, I b elieve, very important information.
I have a question if that is okay?

The President: Yes, absolutely. Senator Robin Tuc ker, carry on.

QUESTION 2: TEEN DATING ABUSE AWARENESS
AND PREVENTION MONTH

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
So my question relates to part of the Stat ement on page number 2, where the Junior Minister advised that (and if I can quote), “ it is incumbent upon
us as leaders of this country and all adults involved
with children’s activities to set a precedent for our
youth. Through training and awareness on red flags, we can teach them how to respond appropriately to
abusive behaviours to reduce these harmful relationships. ” So my question, Madam President, is, Can the
Junior Minister tell us what initiatives are currently in place or planned to equip teacher s, sports coaches,
parents and anyone else involved in interactions with
teens to keep this important conversation going so that the children have a consistent message at school,
at home and when they are at play?
Thank you, Madam President.
The Presiden t: Thank you, Senator Robin Tucker.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: What I can say at this time
is, firstly, what you were talking about earlier. I can
definitely get the data and send them via email to ev erybody. Next, all teachers are required to take SCARS [Saving Children and Revealing Secrets] training, which means that we are mandated to report any inc idents to the principal. Actually, if we know something
is happening, we are supposed to report it ourselves
immediately and to the principals. So we are s ending
messages out to our students and encouraging healthy relationships.
A lot more needs to be done, and I know that
the Minister of Social Development and Seniors is
working on how we can get the message across the
board to everybody, and that is why these areas were
touched.
Follow -up forums are being planned so that
we can reach more people and get the message out
there.
Thank you.

The President: Senator Tucker, you have a suppl emental?

SUPPLEMENTARIES

Sen. Robin Tucker: A supplemental, please, yes.
Thank you, and thank you to the Junior Minister for her response.
I am just wondering. She has mentioned
SCARS, which is great. Obviously, this is training on
sexual abuse issues . But I am wondering again, because this is just such an important topic , I am wo ndering if there is maybe a plan afoot to have a similar type of initiative, so teen dating abuse awareness
training is done with the same sort of consistency that
SCARS training is being done?
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: As I stated before, the Mi nister of Social Development and Seniors is looking at
ways [in which] we can help our youth [by looking for
the] signs and how to pick up on red flags, and healthy relationships —and healthy relationships even
just in general, not even just in boyfriend- and-girlfriend
relationships or stuff like that. We just need healthy relationships altogether so we can be more productive
in this community. So she is looking at ways to i mplement these strategies.



Bermuda Senate The President: Senator Tucker, you have a suppl emental?

Sen. Robin Tucker: A supplemental, please?
The President: You have the floor.

Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes. Thank you to the Junior
Minister.
With that said, looking at the initiativ es from a
more holistic point of view to ensure that teens get a
broad view and an understanding of having healthy
relationships, I am wondering if there is any thought to
involving parents in those types of conversations as
well. Because a lot of what chi ldren learn about rel ationships they learn from home. So I am wondering if
there is any thought [being] given to involving the parents as well.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you again f or that
question.
Collaboration efforts with other organisations
are being explored. Also, in my Statement I did say
that children see the positive and negative from rel ationships, so that goes from home as well, because,
obviously, most things that we do learn are from
home. So there obviously needs to be an effort so that
we reach parents, students, teachers, relationships
with teachers, as well, that they need to be healthy.
So like I said, the Minister is looking at this as a holi stic project so that w e can have better citizens. And if
we start from young, then we have more productive
citizens in Bermuda.
Thank you.

The President: Yes. Senator Robin Tucker, you have
a third question?

Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes, I do.

The President: You have the floor.

QUESTION 3: TEEN DATING ABUSE AWARENESS
AND PREVENTION MONTH

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
So my third question comes from page 3 of
the Junior Minister’s Statement, where she says that
“there are organi sations in Bermuda that advocate
and ensure that teens have access to information and
services . . . .” So, can the Junior Minister tell us if
there are dedicated resources currently available to teens to call if they need support? An idea would be sort of utilising technology and having a dedicated
resource line manned by young adults or peers who
could assist teens 24 hours a day —not only teens, but also parents and anybody who has interactions. So if
they had questions or concerns, a lot of things come
up outside of hours, and I do not know if a lot of teens
will utilise the services of Child and Family Services to
call if they have an issue. So again the question is whether there are resources available for teens to call
if they need sort of that 24- hour support?
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Just so we are all aware, at any time they
could call 911 or 211. And the Department of Child
and Family Services are on 24 hours a d ay, so there
is always somebody whom they can contact. I heard
what you said about their reaching other peers and
youths. I think that if they need something, what we
need to [do is] get somebody right away who is actually able to advise them correctly. What we do not want
to do is advise our youth just with anything and som ebody winging it. So we need to leave it to the professionals if it is something that important.
So I would think that they should call 911 or
211, and the police would direct them or get in contact
with the Department of Child and Family Services.
And the other youth agencies are also available, ma ybe not 24 hours a day, but skilled counsellors are a
great resource at school, to also then send the information to the Department of Child and Family Services.
So I would use those resources. That would
be my advice at this time. Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons, for
that.
Do you have a supplementary to your third
question?

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes, yes. S orry, Madam Pres ident, my very last question, which is a supplementary question.
I am just wondering if there is any support for
the abusers themselves. So we have been talking
quite a bit about getting the information out there. But
someone who is currently a teen or a young adult who
is currently an abuser, is there support available for
them? Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker.
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Again, I would say leave it
to the professionals who are trained and able to help.
The Department of Child and Family Services again is
a great resource. Because they are teens and youth,
the Department of Child and Family Services are not
136 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate only just dealing with children who are victims, but
also children who are at risk an d why they are at risk.
They actually dig deep to find out what the issue is.
And if they have to send them to other helping age ncies, we have the resources to do that, too.
Like I said, if you have to and it is after hours,
call 911 or 211, and they will get you in contact with
the Department of Child and Family Services, who will
then take the information and direct you to the professionals who are trained to help our youth.
Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions on this Statement?
Senator Marcus Jones, you have the floor.

QUESTION 1: TEEN DATING ABUSE AWARENESS
AND PREVENTION MONTH
Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
Good morning to my colleagues here in the Senate,
as well as those who are of the listening audience.
My question would be to the Junior Minister.
First of all, let me say thank you to her. I think it is very important that the community be aware of this scourge
of an increasing number of reports of these teen d ating abuses. And I would like to just reiterate what my
fellow Senators have been asking for, which is the data. Because I think once the public can see for
themselves the horrific rise in the numbers of reports,
that would do a lot in stimulating and motivating the
community to first of all realise how much of a crisis that we are in, and it may actually give them some
inspiration to get involved and help to bring about s olutions.
My question would be . . . as we all know, s ocial media is the breeding groun d for poor behaviour
which then creates poor relationships, unhealthy rel ationships. In fact, I mean, I was telling my wife that I need to do something about my social media platform
because I am getting all of these pictures and videos
from young teenager s, young girls, that absolutely
make your hair stand on edge. And I am not saying
that they deserve the bad abuse; they should not. We
all agree with that. But I do believe that our young people are inviting this type of behaviour because
they are ignorant ly getting on social media and putting
themselves up and putting themselves in harm’s way.
So my question to the Junior Minister would
be . . . and I am looking at page 3 at these five support systems that the Government has put out there
as agencies that can assist. Amongst these five age ncies, is there a curriculum or a programme in place to
teach, even through the schools? I think that is an i mportant place to put it. Is there a curriculum or pr ogramme in place to teach our young people, our teens, our young adults what they should not do on a social platform and how much that can work against
them and invite abusive behaviour?
We all know our kids are constantly on their
telephones. And that, in my opinion, appears to be the
smoking gun to where we can probably mitigate a lot
of this abusive behaviour. If the Junior Minister can
enlighten us on that, I would be most appreciative.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Okay, thank you.
First of all, I would like to disagree with you. I
do not think anybody is inviting . . . you said how they
dress and all, whatever, is inviting this behaviour. No
matter what, nobody deserves any sort of abuse,
whether it is on social media or in person.
Number two, to answer your question, in
schools when we do health classes and computer and
IT classes, the teachers do a great job to ensure that children know what they should and should not do. So
we do [discuss] it in schools. Obviously, more educ ation needs to be put around it. It needs to start at home, to be honest, because my seven -year-old is not
allowed to go on certain things. That starts at home.
We need to ensure that our children are on
what they need to be on. There is no way that even if I
had a 15- year-old (because I have been a foster parent) . . . if [their] phone needs to be locked, t hey do
not need a phone. So we need to do better jobs as
parents. And it starts at home. The government can only do so much, but we need to do better as parents
and monitor what our children do.
And I believe that, as I said before, the Mi nistry of Social Development and Seniors are trying to
look at ways to help to implement classes and cour ses that people can take to help with these types of behaviours. Also, we are exploring [ways] to have an
educational campaign around this and a media ca mpaign.
Thank you.

The President: Senator Jones, do you have a supplementary?

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Marcus Jones: I do have a supplementary with
a clarification.
If I put $20 on a sidewalk, I am inviting som eone to steal it. I am not wishing it. But because of my poor actions, I have now invited a thief to steal $20 off
of the sidewalk that belongs to me. So I do not want
the public to think that because of the (shall we say) careless behaviour or uneducated behaviour of our
young people by putting cert ain pictures on the social
media platform . . . I am not saying that they are intentionally trying to be abused. I am saying that their ac-tions have unintended consequences, which is abusive behaviour. Just to clarify that point.
I would also ask the question, Junior Minister,
When do the authorities interpret abusive behaviour to


Bermuda Senate being just that, bad behaviour, and it actually becoming criminal? Because I think for the community’s
sake, there needs to be some clarity on what is al lowable—maybe unacceptable, but in the eyes of the law is allowable —so that we can put a spotlight on beha viour that has crossed the line into the realm of criminal
behaviour. If the Junior Minister can clear that up for
me, I would be most appreciative.

Madam President, if
I may just interject. I do apologise, Junior Minister.
Given the broad nature of the Statement from
the Junior Minister, obviously it has generated a lot of interest, and I am certainly glad to see this much i nterest on this particular topic because it is very, very
important. I certainly would invite Senators . . . given
the nature of the questions, it might be more beneficial to submit some parliamentary questions so that the
Junior Minister can actuall y in a timely and very good
fashion cover the material properly by bringing some
answers to some parliamentary questions.
Also, Madam President, the Senate might be
aware that last year we launched the youth policy, late last year. The working group has r ecently just been
announced. So my Ministry will be having some large
overarching responsibility through the youth policy
and through this working group. Because one of those youth policies in there is to keep young people safe
and protected from harm. So we will be tasked, of
course, with ensuring across government, as well as
working with the third and private sectors, to ensure
that there are policies in place.
So in the upcoming days and weeks, as the
working group really gets out there to do their job , a
lot of these things that we are talking about today, we
will have a better audit and a better idea on exactly
how well things are working, what the stats look like,
where the gaps in services are and what the recommendations would be to bring those ser vices into
alignment so that we have got effective and efficient services for our youth.
Thank you very much, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Minister.
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
So first of all, I want to actually say I am act ually still appalled at the comment from my Senate colleague. I do not care if a child was laying on the street
naked. What we should do is call the police. We need
to teach our children that it does not matter what somebody wears, what somebody s ays. We need
to—I do not even know what to say on that. That
statement actually hurts me as a mother —

Sen. Marcus Jones: Point of order, Madam Pres ident.
The President: What is your point of order?

POINT OF ORDER
Sen. Marcus Jones: My point of order is the Junior
Minister is suggesting that my motive was not above
board. I just want to express very strongly that that
was not my intent. We cannot at times control our
children as young people from making the right dec ision [sic] if left unsupervised. We all know that if a
three- year-old was left by the street, it is in fact in
danger of being knocked over by a car. That is not
saying that this child was inviting for them to be
knocked over.

[Crosstalk]

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: For the information, you
said “inviting behaviour.”
Sen. Marcus Jones: To suggest that I am actually
saying that bad behaviour or uneducated behaviour is
actually asking for abuse, that is not the case. And for
the record, I do not like to be labelled as that.
Thank you, Madam Presi dent.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Madam President, his exact
words were inviting behaviour. I am only going by
what he said. So I stick by what I said, that no matter what, nobody invites this type of behaviour to be
abused in any way. So I stick by what I say, Madam
President.
And to answer . . . I cannot even remember
what your question was after that. That just took me. So can you repeat your question?

Sen. Marcus Jones: I can help. I can help the Junior
Minister, who is having problems understanding, you
know —

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: No. I do not have any pro blems understanding.
The President: Senators.

Sen. Marcus Jones: The question that I asked—

The President: Please state the question.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes. The question that I asked
of the Junior Minister was, Can she identify for us in
this Chamber and for the listening audience when unacceptable behaviour translates into criminal behaviour? Because I think it is very important that the
popu lation understands when behaviour has now
crossed the line which requires the courts to get i nvolved. I think that is very important. Thank you.

138 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Madam President, what I
can say is that is a matter for the police and the DPP’s
(Department of Public Prosecutions) Office. I do know
from experience with students that the police do take
parents and students and try to mediate if it is not a criminal behaviour. If something goes wrong, they do
take the time to mediate. And if it is something that
needs to be taken further, they take it to the DPP’s
Office. And if a case has to go to the DPP’s Office and
go to court, then they do their due diligence to get it
done. So I do believe the police, the Department of Child and Family Services do their job to ensure that
whether it is criminal or not, the children do get the
help that they need immediately when it happens if it
is brought to their attention.
So thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this Statement?
Hearing none, then I would just like to reiterate what Minister Peets has said. If there are any ot her questions that come to mind, they can be posed as
a parliamentary question to the Junior Minister, and she will get the required responses and answers.
With that said, I want to thank you, Senator
Simmons, Junior Minister for Social Development and
Senior s, for handling the questions and giving your
Statement.
We will move on then to the second Stat ement, which was given by the Junior Minister of
Health, Senator Arianna Hodgson, and that has to do
with the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022 –2027.
Would any Sen ator care to ask questions?
Senator John Wight, you have the floor.

QUESTION 1: BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY
2022 –2027
Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
I would like to thank the Junior Minister for her
Statement. I would like to start off by saying that I support the 2022– 2027 Bermuda Health Strategy. I
think that too many Bermudians are not benefiting
from the current health care system by being either
uninsured or underinsured. And I think the last stati stics I heard from the Ministry sugges ted that around
13 per cent of Bermudians are uninsured and 23 per
cent are underinsured. So certainly those are con-cerning numbers, which is the impetus for a strategy
that Bermuda needs going forward. So I support the programme.
I am also glad to hear t hat it is not going to be
rushed through. This is a very complex system that
we work in [here] in Bermuda. Even though we only
have roughly 60,000 people, it is immensely complex and should not be rushed. So I am glad to see that a
thoughtful process around the plan is being developed. I think in reality when we refer to it as a 2022–2027, in reality it is more likely to be 10 or more years.
But that is a good thing because it has to be done
right. And that is much more important than having it
rushed through.
So I have two questions. My first question is,
[Looking at] universal health care in countries where it can be seen to be a success ––and I look at perhaps
Canada and the UK as being two of those countries ––
these are expensive programmes to create and maintain. So my first question would be, With the Gover nment finances stretched as they are currently in Bermuda, where does Government see the funding for
the creation and maintenance of universal health care
coming from? So that is my first question.

QUESTION 2: BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY
2022 –2027

Sen. John Wight: And my second question is that I
was very pleased to see that the Health Strategy i ncludes a steering committee that the Junior Minister
refers to as being broad and includes the Health Council , the Bermuda Hospitals Board, the Depar tment of Health, BermudaFirst Advisory Group, the
Bermuda Medical Doctors Association, the Health I nsurance Department, patient representative and the
Chief Medical Officer. So these are all very worthy
members of the committee. I guess noticeably absent is any representation from the private insurers, which
are the largest funders of our health care financing in
Bermuda and arguably I would say its most know ledgeable [people] in this area.
So my second question to the Junior Minister
is, In light of the omission of private insurers being a
member of this very important steering committee,
would Government reconsider and add a represent ative from private insurers to the steering committee? So, thank you, Madam President. Thank you,
Junior Minister. Those are my two questions.

The President: Thank you, Senator John Wight.

[Pause]

Sen. John Wight: Madam President, I should probably declare my interest, too as, when I referred to pr ivate insurers, I am the CEO of BF &M. So I just want
to declare that interest there.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator John Wight.
While we are waiting for Senator Hodgson to
obtain information in response to the question, would any other Senator care to ask any questions on this
Statement?
Senator Robin Tucker, you have the floor.



Bermuda Senate QUESTION 1: BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY
2022 –2027

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
And I thank the Junior Minister for bringing the Stat ement to this Chamber.
My quest ion is around this strategy, which
appears to be largely dependent upon changing people’s behaviours. I am interested to know whether the
Junior Minister envisions accomplishing behavioural
changes with the implementation of this strategy for improving health outcomes. I note that an attempt was
made to change people’s behaviour and encourage
them to consume less sugar, so I am wondering
whether this type of initiative, meaning the sugar tax, will also continue to be part of this particular strategy.
And I am not necessarily just picking on the sugar tax
because that is an important thing. That was impl emented to help to reduce the intake of sugary foods
and drinks and try to help improve outcomes.
So I am wondering whether that has been
successful. And if that has been successful, if there
are other initiatives similar which will be implemented
as well? Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Robin Tucker.
[Pause]
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I can
begin to answer Senator Wight’s questions.
The President: Please do. You have the floor.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
In terms of universal health care and funding
this programme over a long period of time, I would say
that it is too early to detail those particular bits. Ho wever, as we dive into patient care pathways, we begin
to show where efficiencies can be gained and value
achieved. On further to Senator Wight’s question
about the private insurers being i nvolved, we have
included in our plan having the partner insurers as
one of the key working groups that actually looks at
health system financing. So we have not forgotten them. We have a special place for them.
And we would also include (sorry; I am just
looking at the presentation) . . .. We will have a speci fic group that will actually look at the health insurers
forum. We would also look at a health advocacy forum
and health financing forums, and also the clinical [I NAUDIBLE] which looks at allied heal th, dentistry, me dicine, nursing, optometry. So we are looking to engage all of these stakeholders. We are just waiting to
get to that part.
I am also still waiting for the details to Senator
Robin Tucker’s questions.
The President: While we are waiting, is there any
other Senator who would want to pose a question on this Statement?
Senator Marcus Jones, you have the floor.
We are going to take Senator John Wight, if
you have a third question or a supplementary? (Sorry.)

Sen. John Wight: A third questi on, Madam President.
The President: A third question.

QUESTION 3: BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY
2022 –2027

Sen. John Wight: My third question would be, I think
the behaviours, both eating habits and the fitness of
our residents, are critical to the future success of i mproving outcomes for a healthy lifestyle and keeping
your health care costs down. Efforts have been made
for years and years in this area, I would say with li mited success because we see growing numbers of
people with diabetes and the like.
So I guess my question to the Junior Minister
would be, What would Government be doing different-ly to improve the behaviours going forward that have
not already been tried in the past?
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator John Wight.
Senator Marcus Jones, you have a question?
We are waiting for Senator Arianna Hodgson, the Junior Minister, to respond to other questions.

QUESTION 1: BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY
2022 –2027

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you. Thank you, Madam
President.
My question is very simple. One of the things
that was enshrined in the PLP platform was being
able to produce affordable health costs to the citizens
of this country. Now we realise that last year when
rumblings were made that the PLP Government was
going toward a universal health care plan, insurance companies around the Island were jacking up their
prices. There is no reason why that will not continue in
the interim while the country waits for this universal
health care plan and its respective legislation to get
across the finish line.
Can the Junior Minister assure us and give
comfort to this community that in the long journey to
this universal health care that the cost to Mr. and Mrs.
Bermuda will not escalate to be untenable for the
people who utilise the services that we have at our
disposal at this time? Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
140 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate Senator Robin Tuc ker, you have indicated you
have a second question.

QUESTION 2: BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY
2022 –2027

Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes, my second question. Yes.
Thank you, Madam President.
My question follows the same sort of trend
that my Senate colleague, Senator J ones, asked. I am
just wondering whether —because we have a need to
increase our population, the more people we have
working, the more we can spread the costs of health
care and potentially reduce costs. So I am wondering,
as part of the collaboration exerc ises, whether the
Ministry will be collaborating with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Labour, in an effort to try to i ncrease the working population in Bermuda to help contribute to paying into the health care system.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker.
[Pause]
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, what I
can say is that we have arrived at our current state
over years and years of time. So it is going to take a
lot of years, a lot of effort on all parts to cha nge the
behaviours that we currently see. I think that when we
look at setbacks and the challenges we faced when
looking to change behaviours, we also have to reco gnise that when we learn to treat setbacks as moments
that require reflection, we are then better able to equip
persons with the tools to deal with these challenges
that they are facing.
I think that as health care professionals, they
all struggle with getting their persons to make these necessary changes. But we are committing to rolling
out a programme that does focus on the need to
adopt healthy lifestyles. And there is not much more
that we can do but give persons the tools to make better choices for themselves. I think we all know that we are at a dangerous point in terms of our overall healt h
in our community. The obesity is raging. The diseases are spreading. And it is costing us a lot of money. So luckily we do have a developed health care system.
But we are looking at ways to make it more affordable
and more efficient, and ensuring equitab le access for
all Bermudians.
I will say that the sugar tax —we have seen
actually that the sugar tax has helped us with reducing
the number of persons who actually consume highsugar drinks. So the hope is that persons will continue
to realise that these are changes that can not only
improve their own health, but improve the options for our communities.
With regard to ensuring that our private insurers do not continue to escalate costs, obviously that is not something that we can speak to. But we would
love to see the costs stay the same or even be r educed. But as we have also seen, we can increase
benefits and reduce the costs associated with the
programmes. The Health Council does provide some guidelines on the charges, and we have the example
of the prescriptions. But at this time insurance companies have to make good business decisions, and that
results in the premiums that we have seen.
I do believe that answers . . . have I missed
anything?

The President: Senators?
Robin Tucker, do you need clarification?
Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes.

The President: Do you want to restate your question?

Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes. Well, I just want to ask a
supplemental question based on—

The President: A supplemental on your second question?

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes. So . . . sorry, it was based
on the first question, on the sugar tax question.
I am just wondering, because the Junior Mi nister indicated that there was success with the sugar tax initiative. So I am wondering how that success was measured, and where is the data that speak to
how successful the sugar tax implementation has
been?
Thank you, Madam President.

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I would
seek to get those figures, but given that we would not
have had access to these ques tions in time for the
debate, I do not have those specific details at this
time.
I say that I personally have been discouraged
to buy high- sugar drinks due to the tax.
[Laughter]

The President: But you will seek to obtain the information. Thank you.
Senator Robin Tucker, do you have a supplemental to the third question?

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President. I
actually now just want to address the last question that I asked about the collaboration and increasing the population, given the fact that our numbers are signif icantly down. Our population size is significantly down


Bermuda Senate for a myriad of reasons. So I am just wondering about
that aspect of the question, whether there is collabor ation that is going to take place with the Ministr y of L abour to increase the population in Bermuda as it r elates to helping with the health care costs.
Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker.

[Pause]

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident, and thank you, Senator Tucker, for your ques-tion.
I would definitely say that this department is
looking to collaborate to ensure that we exhaust all
avenues of getting a larger workforce. And obviously
we know the benefits; w e know the challenges that we
currently face due to the limited [funds paid] into the
system. But what I would also say is that immigration
reform will be able to touch on that going forward. And I myself smile when I do see our Ministries working
together to see how we can create the best pr ogrammes and policies to move Bermuda forward.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson.
Sen. Robin Tucker: I just want to get a point of clar ification for myself.
Is [the Junior Minister] saying that the Mini stries will definitely work together on this type of initi ative? I just want to be clear. Thank you.

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Yes. To be clear, we will all
be collaborating on that. And at this time we already
support Labour in terms of their efforts in immigration
reform. So yes, we will continue to work collaborativ ely with the Ministry of Labour.

The President: Thank you, Senators, and thank you,
Senator Arianna Hodgson. This concludes the questions on the second Statement.
Moving on to our agenda.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

The President: The first item in the Orders of the Day
is the second reading of the Proceeds of Crime
Amendment Act 2022. And that is in the name of
Senator Arianna Hodgson, the Junior Minister for F inance.
Senator Hodgson, when you have caught
yourself, you can proceed.

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident. Madam President, I move that the Bill entitled
the Proceeds of Crime Amendment Act 2022 be now
read a second time.

The President: Is there a ny objection to that motion?
No objection.
Carry on, Senator Hodgson.

BILL

SECOND READING

PROCEEDS OF CRIME AMENDMENT ACT 2022
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I am
pleased to introduce to the Senate the
Proceeds of
Crime Amendment Act [2022] . The Bill will primarily
facilitate Bermuda’s compliance with recent changes
to the international standards established by the Financial Action Taskforce.
Other amendments will also: (1) address specific recommendations to Bermuda made by the assessors in Bermuda’s 2020 Mutual Evaluation Report;
(2) refine and update our legislative requirements in
line with Bermuda’s money lau ndering and terrorist
financing risk profile; and (3) address a few specific
legislative oversights.
Madam President, the assessment of Berm uda’s anti-money laundering/anti -terrorist financing r egime concluded with its Mutual Evaluation Report ,
which was published by CFATF [ Caribbean Financial
Action Task Force ] in January 2020. Bermuda r eceived excellent ratings, having demonstrated a high
degree of compliance and effectiveness with the
FATF [ Financial Action Task Force ] standards for
combatting money -laundering and ter rorist financing.
Notwithstanding Bermuda’s generally strong ratings, the assessors made a number of recommendations
for Bermuda to address during the follow -up process,
which follows the completion of the assessment.
In light of our ratings, the CFATF has placed
Bermuda in what is referred to as regular follow -up, as
opposed to the more rigorous enhanced follow -up,
which many countries around the glob e are underg oing.
Nevertheless, Bermuda continues to work to
address deficiencies identifi ed by the assessors as
well as to take action to give effect to the recommendations made in the report. Bermuda is currently pr eparing submissions to the CFATF for our first follow -
up report, which will be presented to the CFATF pl enary in May of 2022.
Madam President, as part of this follow -up
process, Bermuda will ultimately have to be re- rated
for one of the FATF recommendations, R32, for which
we were rated partially compliant in the mutual evaluation. In addition, any recommendation to which the
FATF has made changes since Bermuda’s evaluation
was completed will also be reassessed. Since Oct o142 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate ber 2018, FATF has made changes to recommendation 15 (R15), which relates to new technologies and
to recommendation 2 (R2), which relates to national
coordination of AML/ATF [anti -money laundering and
anti-terrorist financing] programme.
Madam President, although the re- rating of
these three recommendations will not take place during the upcoming first follow -up report, timely steps
must be taken to prepare for the re- rating in ensuing
follow -up reports. Therefore, for recommendation 32,
which covers cash couriers and the movement of cash
and bearer negotiated instruments across our borders, work is ongoing to address the identified def iciencies.
As noted previously, the FATF has imposed
new technical requirements for both recommendations 2 and 15, but the nature of the recommendation 15
requirements necessitates some legislative changes
in Bermuda’s Proceeds of Crime legislation to address
the requirements relating to the transfer of digital assets.
Madam President, the assessors also recommended in the MER that Bermuda address def iciencies in the Proceeds of Crime Regulations dealing
with r equirements in respect of long- term insurers during the process of paying out insurance policy pr oceeds to politically exposed persons. This also r equires legislative amendments.
Madam President, in relation to the changes
to recommendation 15 made by the FATF, most of
these new requirements are already reflected in the
Digital Asset Business Act 2018 and more generally in
the Proceeds of Crime suite of legislation. This Bill
will, however, now address the few requirements that
remain outstanding. This incl udes amending the definition of “occasional transactions” in the Proceeds of
Crime [Anti -Money Laundering and Anti -Terrorist F inancing] Regulations 2008 and expanding the prov isions dealing with wire transfers in those regulations
to include transfers of digital assets as defined and
regulated under the Digital Asset Business Act 2018.
To start, this Bill incorporates the current statutory definition for “digital assets” into the Regulations.
Additionally, as now required by the FATF, a new category added t o the definition of “occasional transactions” will ensure that single or linked transactions i nvolving digital assets valued at BMD $1,000 or more
will be subject to the same customer due diligence
requirements which apply to other categories of occ asional transactions as defined in the Regulations.
The amendment will also make it clear that
occasional transactions include occasions where no
account is used to affect a transfer, regardless of value. As also now required by the FATF, the Bill also
amends Part 4 of the Regulations and other associa ted provisions to ensure that the regulations for wire
transfers now cover all transfers of funds to include
the transfer of digital assets as defined in the Digital
Asset Business Act 2018. Madam President, as previ ously noted, the
assessors identified a deficiency in respect of FATF recommendation 12, which deals with politically exposed persons [PEP]. Therefore, this Bill further
amends the Regulations to ensure that enhanced due diligence requirements and monitori ng for PEPs apply
specifically to life insurance or other insurance life policies with investment features. The amendment will
make it mandatory for insurers to require as part of
their procedures that senior management must be
informed before paying out policy proceeds to any beneficiary who is a PEP.
Madam President, NAMLC [ National AntiMoney Laundering Committee ] and the competent
authorities responsible for Bermuda’s AML/ATF pr ogramme continue to review their operations, assess [money -laundering/terror ist financing risks], and monitor and reflect on the adequacy of the legislative
framework considering those risks. FATF requires all
countries to implement a risk -based framework and to
continually monitor and update accordingly. In light of this, a number of other areas for legislative refinement were identified. These include: (1) addressing an
oversight in respect of credit unions in the Proceeds of
Crime Act 1997 [POCA] within the definition of
AML/ATF regulated financial institutions; and (2) the
definition of AML/ATF regulated financial institutions in
POCA, narrowing the scope of insurance brokers or insurance marketplace providers who will continue to
be included within the scope of AML/ATF regulated
entities.
Madam President, it is a FATF requirement
that credit unions are subject to AML/ATF regulation.
Although credit unions were previously reflected in
Schedule 3, based solely on the activity described
there of acceptance of deposits from the public, a gap
was identified in POCA. Credit unions are not now
expressly included within the definition of AML/ATF
regulated financial institutions, and this is inconsistent with the treatment of the other categories of financial
institutions that the FATF mandates should be regulated for AML/ATF purposes. Therefore, this Bill seeks
to remedy that anomaly by specifically including credit
unions in the definition of AML/ATF regulated financial
institution.
Madam President, consistent with the approach previously taken with respect to insurance
brokers, this Bil l will make an amendment in relation
to the scope of coverage of the AML/ATF regulatory
requirements and oversight in respect of insurance
marketplace providers [IMPPs]. This is based on Bermuda’s continued updated understanding of money-laundering/terrori st financing risks associated with
the insurance sector and is consistent with the FATF’s
exclusion of reinsurance activities from the standards.
At present, the AML/ATF requirements cover all
IMPPs registered under section 10 of the Insurance
Act 1978, regardless of the types of activities they engage in. Accordingly, the amendment will now limit


Bermuda Senate AML/ATF coverage only to those IMPPs who conduct
activities in connection with long- term insurance bus iness other than reinsurance business.
Madam President, Bermuda remains commi tted to being compliant with international standards
and sustaining and expanding the favourable results
achieved during the mutual evaluation process. This
Bill represents a further step toward achieving that
aim.
Thank you, Madam Pr esident.

The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson, Junior Minister for Finance.
Would any Senator care to speak on this Bill?
Yes. Senator Marcus Jones, Opposition
Leader, you have the floor.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
And again I would like to thank the Junior Minister for presenting this piece of legislation. I think it is very
important. We on this side of the political aisle are in full support of this amendment.
Madam President, I hold in my hand the 211page Mutual Evaluation Report of January 2020. For
those of my colleagues who may be having trouble
going to sleep at night, this is the document that you
need to read.
Having said that, Madam President, this document and its potential to maintain Bermuda’s gold standard as a financial services jurisdiction and our
meeting those international standards are extremely
important. I think every Bermudian, if you are not g oing to read this, at least have an appreciation of the
importance of t he work that the many government
agencies, such as Customs, such as Bermuda Police
Service, such as the Financial Intelligence Agency —
all of these government agencies work in tandem, col-laborate to make sure that the anti -money laundering
regime is a well -oiled machine that will do what it can.
And we contribute to that by going through and tabling
and debating legislation to ensure that this is the case.
One needs to go no further than listening to
our present Governor, who was speaking to the Rot ary Club this week. She mentioned very strongly the
importance of Bermuda’s regulatory framework. She
also mentioned that Bermuda has rightfully and justif iably earned a very good reputation. But what may
take years to build, a reputation that can stand the test
of time [and to] be equal to international standards
and best practices, can be lost in a short period of time. So [Her Excellency the Governor] was stressing
the importance that we as jurisdiction— and I did not
take lightly what I believe was a warning to us as a
country that we need to do all we can to ensure that
our regulations and our framework are up to speed.
I would submit to you, Madam President, that
one labelling our esteemed Governor as the chief occupant of Langton Hill (as disrespectful as that flippant
comment was [that was] made about our Governor) falls well short of the expertise of this Governor. One
should not take lightly that the UK Government deci ded to send Bermuda’s first Black female Governor to
this country. Her credentials are sterling, Madam
President. If one took a quick look at her r ésumé, she
worked in the Treasury in the UK as the Head of
Counterterrorism and Security Review. She was also
the Deputy Director of Information Economy and C ybersecurity.
Madam President, I will say to you that the
Governor who we have who is occupying as we would
not want to categorise her but she is an esteemed
expert in this jurisdiction. One of the things that we
pride ourselves in, Madam President, I do say she
could probably write the Proceeds of Crime Act in her
sleep. That is how good this Governor is. So we must be very mindful of the flippant labels and the wordings that we use in another place that we heard last week.
I would like to think that many of our female parli amentarians in this le gislature would have felt very
much disrespected by the words and the labelling of
our Governor who is, Madam President, eminently qualified to fill the position.
Now, Madam President, as we look through
this particular Mutual Evaluation Report, there are 40
recommendations. Of those 40 recommendations, 10
are largely compliant, 16 are partially compliant, and
14 are non- compliant. Now the intent of this piece of
legislation, or this amendment that is being put forth
by the Government, is to tackle two of those particular
recommendations. And it is quite clear to me as I have
listened to the Junior Minister lay out for us the polit ically exposed persons portion of this legislation, it is
quite clear for me to see that in that recommendation
(I would like to think, and maybe the Junior Minister
can correct me) the labelling of recommendation 32,
which at the moment Bermuda is partially compliant,
that after this legislation is passed, I would like to ask
the Junior Minister if she can comfortably and assur-edly let us know that as far as this recommendation is
concerned that the partially compliant status will return
to fully compliant. That would be my first question.
Then, Madam President, my second question:
With these 40 recommendations, I would really be
grateful if the Junior Minister could give us some indi-cation of the scorecard [of where] Bermuda presently
stands. Now this Mutual [Evaluation] Report was done
in January 2020. We are now looking at February
2022. That is two years. I know that these agencies
have been working in tandem with the Attorney General’s Chambers on legislation and making sure that Bermuda dots the i’s and crosses the t’s.
So I would be curious, I am sure that the public would love to know what is the scorecard? What is the stat us of these recommendations? And again, I
repeat, that of those 40, [there are] 10 that were larg ely compliant, 16 were partially compliant, and 14 were
non-compliant. If the Junior Minister could give us an
144 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate indication of where Bermuda sits on those recommendations, I think that will be very helpful.
With those brief words, Madam President, I
would like to state that the Opposition does support
this amendment and I look forward to the answers to my questions.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Marcus Jones.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this Bill?
Senator John Wight, you have the floor.

Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
I would only add to what has already been
said, but I fully support the Bill. It fully embraces the
recent recommendations made by NAMLC, which is a
very positive [recommendation], in particular, the
change to regulation 11 strengthens the insurance
industry which we know is the cornerstone of our
economy in Bermuda. So I give full support to this Bill.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Wight.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this Bill?
No, then we will wait to hear from Senator
Hodgson.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I am actually still waiting for the particulars. I may need a few
moments. We could move on with the next Order of
Business; that would be totally up to you.

The President: Yes, we will give you a few more
minutes.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
[Pause]
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I do have
a response.
I would like to actually clarify that Bermuda
gained 39 largely compliant ratings, and only 1 partia lly compliant rating and that, just to be clear, this B ill
actually does not address to seek deficiency for recommendation 32. So the recommendation actually
does not have anything to do with the politically exposed persons.
I can say that regarding our next steps, Bermuda is currently preparing our follow -up report submissions. And in May, the CFATF will provide a report
on Bermuda’s status. So we will get an update on our
latest standing.

POINT OF CLARIFICATION

Sen. Marcus Jones: Point of clarification, Madam
President, if the Junior Minister will allow me.
In reference to the politically exposed person,
which happened to be recommendation 12 . . . and if I
may read a short little recommendation, it will sort of
backup what I am trying to explain here. It says here
(the conclusion of that recommendation at the time,
January 2020) that
1“Bermuda meets most of the el ements ” for this recommendation, “ however, there are
no specific requirements in the Regulations for FIs to
inform senior management for pay out of the policy
proceeds.” So at this point it was l argely compliant.
And if I look at the explanation that was pr ovided in this particular amendment, one of things that
this particular amendment does is allow for a political-ly exposed person . . . and this senior management
has to be informed regarding t he pending payout of
long-term insurance or other investment -related insurance policies. So if I connect the dots between the
requirements for the recommendation for number 12,
and the explanation of what this particular amendment
produces, I would think t hat this amendment remedies
the missing piece of the compliance that was required from this report from January 2020. If the Junior Mini ster can sort of clarify that for me, I would appreciate it.

The President: If the Junior Minister can do it at this
time, if not, she would get back to you later.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Understood.
The President: Senator Hodgson.

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I can say
that this amendment is actually formalising in our law
a best practice requirement that has been in the
BMA’s general AML/ATF guidance notes since 2016. Industry has been practicing this for some time, especially those that are part of international financial
groups. In addition, this requirement has been in place
in the laws of countries in the EU as well as in the US
and UK for some time. So we are just legislating it.

Sen. Marcus Jones: A follow -up clarification, Madam
President. May I?
The President: Senator Jones, what is your clarific ation?

POINT OF CLARIFICATION

Sen. Marcus Jones: My clarification is, and this will
answer all my questions here. Am I made to understand that if a policy is being practiced as part of the
guidance notes, there is no need for it to be neces1 Bermuda Mutual Evaluation Report 2020 , p. 166


Bermuda Senate sarily enshrined in legislation? Because what I am
hearing from you is that this issue, when it comes to
politically exposed persons, the dissemination of i nformation in regard to pay outs, it is being practiced as
a directive of guidance notes. I guess I am just wo ndering why that would have to be enshrined and coded into legislation in our jurisdiction to make us co mpliant?

The President: Senator [Hodgson].
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, the short
answer would be that this is not determined by Ber-muda.
The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson.
Senator Jones, if you have further questions
regarding it, you can make it a parliamentary question.
Senator Hodgson, you can move . . .
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Madam President, I move that the Bill entitled
the Proceeds of Crime Amendment Act 2022 be now
read a second time.
The President: Is there any objection to the second
[reading]?
No. Carry on, Senator Hodgson.

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 26
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I move that [Standing Order] 26 be suspended
in respect of this Bill.

The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
Carry on, Senator Hodgson.

[Motion carried: Standing Order 26 suspended.]

BILL

THIRD READING

PROCEEDS OF CRIME AMENDMENT ACT 2022
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I move that Bill entitled the Proceeds of Crime
Amendment Act 2022 be now a read a third time.
The President: Is there any objection to the third
reading?
No objection.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I move that the Bill do now pass.
The President: It has been moved that the Bill ent itled the Proceeds of Crime Amendment Act 2022 do
now pass.
Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
The Bill is passed.

[Motion carried: The Proceeds of Crime Amendment
Act 2022 was read a third time and passed.]

The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson
and all Senators who spoke.
We will now move on to our next item on the
Orders of the Day and that is the second reading of
the Mo tor Car Insurance (Third- Party Risks) and Public Carriage Amendment Act 2022. This Bill is in the name of Senator Reverend Dr . Emilygail Dill, the Ju nior Minister for Transport.
Senator Dill, you have the floor.

Thank you , Madam
President.
Madam President, I move that the Bill entitled
Motor Car Insurance (Third- Party Risks) and Public
Carriage Amendment Act 2022 be now read a second
time.

The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
Carry on, Senator Dill.

BILL

SECOND READING

MOTOR CAR INSURANCE (THIRD- PARTY RISKS)
AND PUBLIC CARRIAGE AMENDMENT ACT 2022

The purpose of the
Motor Car Insurance (Third- Party Risks) and Public
Carriage Amendment Act 2022 is to amend the Motor
Car Insurance (Third- Party Risk) Act 1943 and Public
Carriage Ac t 1949 to increase the insurer liability for
any person travelling in a motor car or public carriage,
any one claim by any one person, and the total claims for any one accident for each vehicle involved.
Madam President, the Bill I present today is
the Mo tor Car Insurance (Third- Party Risks) and Public Carriage Amendment Act 2022. The Bill aims to align the statutory liability coverage limits with the Mo-tor Insurers Fund (MIF). The MIF has existed since
1990 . It was created by a Memorandum of Agreement
with the Minister of Transport and the top motor insurers in Bermuda to compensate victims of uninsured or untraceable drivers.
146 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate Madam President, recently a case came before the courts which involved a third- party claim for
personal injury expenses associated with an accident
involving a driver driving under the influence. The
plaintiff had expenses over $700,000; which was si gnificantly higher than the insurer’s liability, with them
not being liable for sums over $125,000. This case is
not isolated. Many of our residents find themselves in
similar situations through no fault of their own. These
injured parties are not likely to recover any amount
over $125,000 each towards the offset of their medical bills, including air ambulance, medical treatment overseas, rehabilitation, loss of earnings and potential loss
of future earnings.
Madam President, we understand from the
MIF that there are no intended changes to amounts payable under their programme. We also consulted
the local insurance industry on this matter . We r eceived feedback that it is not likely there will be any
increase in policy premiums due to these amendments.
Thank you, Madam President. I now invite my
Senate colleagues to participate.

The President: Thank you, Senator Dill.
Would any Senator care to speak on this Bill?
Senator John Wight.

Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
I am fully supportive of these increases in po licy limits. I think the $125,000 which was established
many, many years ago is outdated and $375,000 is
much more reflective and much more fair in 2022. So
it is obviously a positive step for both parties in an accident. For those injured parties this increase in the
amount they can draw upon when under unfortunate
circumstances, the claim is restrictive to benefits only.
And for the policyholder it means that the risk of being
pursued personally is reduced as well, so I think this is
a win -win for all parties concerned. So I am fully su pportive of this Bill. Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator John Wight.
Senator Marcus Jones, you indicated . . . you
have the floor.
Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
We on this side, the Opposition, do support
this Bill. I think it is important that the damages that
are awarded someone who has been injured is at a
level that is realistic, that makes sense. And so I call
these types of amendments, common sense amend-ments. They just make sense.
I would have one question for the Junior Mi nister at this time. That is, maybe she could answer for
me why this amendment has not taken into account those offenders who do not have third- party insurance? What is the remedy for the aggrieved party i njured by an uninsured driver? Now there may be facil i-ties for taking care of that situation at another plac e
within the legislation of which I was not able to find, but if the Junior Minister could clarify for me what
remedy can be in place for an aggrieved party when
the person who has actually driven without insurance, without third- party insurance, how can t he person who
has been aggrieved . . . how will their damages be
taken care of, Madam President? Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
Any other Senator care to ask a question on
this Bill?

[No audible response]

The President: We will gi ve Senator Dill an opportunity to obtain a response.

Oh, certainly. The
MIF is the Motor Insurers Fund. The Motor Insurer’s
Fund was created by a Memorandum of Agreement with the Minister of Transport and the principal Motor
Insurers in Bermuda for the purpose of compensating
victims of uninsured or untraceable drivers.
With the passage of time and claims exper ience, certain improvements have been made to the
original agreement . The original liability amounts have
been increased since the inception of the MIF. In 1990
the limit per person was $125,000, and in any one
accident $250,000. In 1999 the limit per person was
$250,000, and in any one accident $500,000. In 2002,
the limit per person was $375,000, and in any one
accident $750,000.
Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Junior Minister.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Jones. Thank
you, Senator Dill.
With that Senator Dill, you can continue.

Madam President, I
move that the Bill do now pass.
The President: It has been moved that the Bill ent itled the Motor Car Insurance (Third- Party Ri sks) and
Public Carriage Amendment Act 2022 do now pass.
Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
The Bill is passed.

[Motion carried: The Motor Car Insurance (Third- Party
Risks) and Public Carriage Amendment Act 2022 was
read a third time and passed.]

The President: Thank you, Senator Emilygail Dill,
and congratulations on the presentation of your Bill.
Moving on then to our Orders of the Day, the
next item on the agenda is the consideration of the draft Order entitled the Public Health (COVID -19)
Emergency Extension (No. 2) Order 2022. And that is in the name of Senator Arianna Hodgson, Junior Mi nister for Health. You have the floor.

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 71(2)

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident. Madam President, I move that Standing Order
71(2) be suspended so that the Senate may now pr oceed with consideration of the Public Health (COVID -
19) Emergency Extension (No. 2) Order 2022.

The President: Is there any objection to that Motion?
There is no objection.

[Motion carried: Standing Order 71(2) suspended.]
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I move that the Senate do now take under
consideration the d raft Order entitled the Public Health
(COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 2) Order
2022.
The President: Is there any objection to that Motion?
No objection.

DRAFT ORDER

PUBLIC HEALTH (COVID- 19) EMERGENCY
EXTENSION (NO. 2) ORDER 2022
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I am
pleased to invite this Honourable Senate to consider
the [Draft] Or der entitled
Public Health (COVID -19)
Emergency Extension (No. 2) Order 2022 .
Madam President, Members will be aware the
current Public Health Emergency Order is scheduled to lapse on 27 February 2022. The Emergency O rders, which have been in place since the 30
th of June
2020, following the State of Emergency put in place
on the 1st of April 2020 are made pursuant to section
107A of the Public Health Act 1949 and declare that a public health emergency exists in Bermuda due to a
communicable disease that poses a threat to the I sland.
We live on a very small island, and as you
know from previous outbreaks, the coronavirus that
causes the disease COVID -19 spreads quickly and
negatively impacts the whole community. We can
slow the spread of the virus by following basic public
health advice of wearing a mask to cover our nose and mouth, as well as physically distancing, and practicing good hand hygiene. We can also avoid the three
Cs of closed spaces, crowded places, and close -
contact settings.
In addition, Madam President, we are fort unate in that the COVID -19 vaccine is available to any
resident who wants it.
As a reminder, this includes booster vaccines
for all those who are 16- years and older, as it was
restricted to those 18- years and older previously, as
well as children under the age of 12 with chronic conditions. To receive a booster you must have had the
second dose at least five months prior. It was six
148 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate months prior. To make an appointment for first, second, or booster jab, please go to www.gov.bm .
Madam President, as has been said many
times, vaccines save lives. The two- dose Pfizer vaccine has been shown to be 95 per cent effective in
randomised trials, even with the highly transmissible
Delta and Omicron variants, the vaccine’s effectiv eness remains high. This means that as a fully vaccinated person you can still test positive and still contract COVID -19, but you are less likely to get severely
ill, less likely to end up in hospital, and less likely to
die. Our own data has shown that to be true. Hospitalisation and deaths are overwhelmingly amongst people who are not vaccinated rather than people who
are vaccinated.
Madam President, it is important to remember
that even if you are fully vaccinated, your own per-sonal health is a key factor in determining whether
you will get ill with COVID -19, and, if you do, whether
you are predisposed to become ill enough to become
hospitalised or to die.
Madam President, it is clear we must all learn
to live with COVID -19 because it will be with us for a
long time, both locally and globally. Declared as a
public health emergency of international concern by
the World Health Organizati on in January 2020, the
ongoing COVID -19 pandemic is not yet over.
Madam President, the Minister of Health consulted with the Chief Medical Officer and determined
that a communicable disease of the first category,
namely, COVID -19 and its variants of concern, does
persist and poses a severe threat to public health in
Bermuda. To control and contain the spread of infec-tion public health measures such as those provided
for in regulations made under section 107B of the
Public Health Act 1949 will continue to be relevant
and necessary beyond 27
th of February 2022.
Madam President, this Order before us now
will extend the Public Health COVID -19 Emergency
Orders 2021, made under section 107A of the Public Health Act 1949, and empower the Governor to co ntinue th e provision of the Public Health (COVID -19)
Emergency Powers (Phased Re- Opening) Regul ations 2021, which impose extraordinary measures necessary in the interest of public health to prevent,
control and suppress COVID -19.
Madam President, Honourable Senators will
be aware that the Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension Order 2022 was made under the affirmative resolution procedure for 30 days, expiring on the 27
th of February 2022. However, we know that the
COVID -19 pandemic continues globally and is still
pervasive in Bermuda.
We also know a public health emergency will
continue to exist on our Island beyond the 27th of February 2022. Therefore, in accordance with sections 107A(3) and (4) of the Public Health Act 1949, I bring
the Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension
(No. 2) Order 2022 to this Honourable Chamber to seek approval for the extension of the public health
emergency for a further 33 days, ending on the 31
st of
March 2022.
This date coincides with an anticipated further
lifting of public health restrictions, as was announced
recently.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Ari anna Hodgson.
Would any Senator care to speak?
Senator Robin Tucker, you have the floor.

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
And thank you to the Junior Minister.
Before I declare the position, I just want to
make a couple of comments. I thi nk we can all agree
that we are tired of COVID -19 and all of the r estrictions that we have, and we have certainly embraced the lifting of certain restrictions thus far. I
would say though, and maybe it is just me, I am still a little bit confused concerning certain aspects of the
requirements. One example being [people] vaccinated
and unvaccinated can go and sit in a restaurant and
enjoy dinner together unmasked at their tables while
children, P4 and up, have to wear their masks in their
classrooms, constantly. So it seems just a little bit i llogical to me. But again, as I said, it could just be me
but it just seems a little illogical.
I would be interested just to hear if the Junior
Minister has any thoughts on the impact that it may
have mentally and phy sically on children and teachers
wearing masks in the classroom all day.
But I also want to say that I was very glad to
hear recently that the Minister of Health encouraged
remote workers to go back into their offices, and other
people to go back into the ir workplaces. The isolation
and the like of being at home obviously plays a part,
so it is very important to get some sense of normalcy
back in. Equally, it is important to have people back contributing to the economy, going out to lunch, going
to the gym , shopping on our lunch hours, all that type
of thing. So it all bids well for everybody.
I think that it would be great to have the clar ion call that everybody re- engage in their normal activ ities just constantly repeated because much in the
same way people have gotten accustomed to not being engaged in daily life, it would be good to just kind
of re- engage them and constantly remind them, the
same way that we have reminded them about the
three Cs and so on.
So, Madam President, I will end as I started
by saying that I agree that we all must learn to live
with COVID -19. But, in living with COVID -19, I would
ask, What needs to happen in order to do away with the emergency extensions? Is it having a benchmark of a certain number of active cases or no active cases
reported at all? Is it zero patients in the hospital? I
would just like to know, sort of, what the signal will be


Bermuda Senate for the Government to bring an end to the emergency
extensions making them no longer necessary. It would
be good to know the end goal so that we know what
we are working toward.
So, with that said, Madam President, I would
say that we are in agreement but remain concerned with the ongoing extensions.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Robin Tucker.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator Michelle Simmons, Vice President,
you have the floor.

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
One thing we all need to acknowledge is that
COVID -19 is still with us. It will be with us for some
time. And I am not saying that to be pessimistic, but to
be realistic. Therefore, I think it is important for ever yone in the communi ty to recognise that while we are
tired of restrictions and we just want to get back to
what we consider to be normal life , our lives will be
forever changed by the pandemic that we have just lived through. And we have lived through it. We have
survived. H owever, there are many people who lost
their lives as a result of COVID -19 in this community
and worldwide, of course. People are still dying as a result of infection by COVID -19. So, it is quite sensible
for us to err on the side of caution. We cannot jus t
throw all the regulations and restrictions away, be-cause I think that we will see unfortunate cons equences falling to more people in our community.
So, while I think the Government has given us
hope for the future, hope for the present in terms of
reduci ng the number of restrictions and the severity of
the restrictions, I think it is important for us to recognise that the Government still needs to have within its
toolbox the ability to impose restrictions on the community. Not for the sake of imposing res trictions, but
for our well -being.
So, Madam President, while yes, I am tired of
restrictions, I also appreciate that we have lived
through this and we will go beyond it. But we still need
to tread cautiously in terms of how we go about living our daily l ives. I do believe that there will be changes
coming, more changes coming, in the near future, so
let’s remain optimistic and let’s try to continue to live
so that we can protect each other from COVID -19.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Si mmons.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this Bill, this Emergency Order?
Hearing none, then it is over to you, Senator
Hodgson.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident, and thank you, Senators, for your responses as
well.
I would say that there is no question that
masking reduces the spread of disease. And I also will say that the evidence around the effects of mask
wearing is obviously less cut and dried. I would say
that the risk factors of the disease for young children
should not be overlooked. And when we look at the
fact that our children are not typically vaccinated or do
not have access in some cases, it is particularly i mportant that we protect our children who would be ex-posed in the classrooms. We have seen the clas srooms. We know the sizes of the classrooms. It is a
challenge to make sure that persons have enough
space to encourage a safer, I guess, environment.
I would say that we have to look at Bermuda
in particular. We already have a shortage of teachers.
So, mask wearing is not just about protecting our st udents, it is also [about] protecting our teachers so that we can continue to provide in- person school services.
Many persons complained about remote not being
ideal. And obviously, we agree; i t is not ideal. And so,
at this time, mask wearing is the best prevention
method we have to keep our students and teachers in
the schools.
I will also say that when we look around the
world, there have been some restrictions lifted and there are many parents who choose to continue to
mask their children. I, particularly, choose to mask my
daughter. I feel safer when she is masked. And I know
that there are children who are frustrated with masks, but there are many students who have no problem
wearing masks and they also recognise the benefits. I
have also heard children talking about, you know, vaccines and when they would be in line to get their
vaccine.
So, our health is typically a personal decision
and right now it is in the best interests of our school s,
the students, teachers and parents alike that we co ntinue to mask. That would be my response.

The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson. You
can now carry on with the comments.

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I move that said draft O rder be approved and
that the following message be sent to Our Excellency,
the Governor:
May it please Your Excellency:
The Senate, having had under consideration
the draft Order entitled the Public Health (COVID -19)
Emergency Extension (No. 2) Order 2022, proposed
to be made by the Minister responsible for Health un-der the provisions of section 107A of the Public Health
Act 1949 has the honour to inform Your Excellency that the Senate has approved the said draft Order.

150 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate The President: Is there any objection to that Motion?
No objection.

[Motion carried: The draft Order entitled the Public
Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 2) O rder 2022 was approved.]

The President: A suitable message will be sent.
And thank you very much, Senator Arianna
Hodgson and Senators who have spoken and for your
support.
We will now move on with our agenda.

MOTIONS

The President: There are none.

CONGRATULATORY AND /OR OBITUARY
SPEECHES

The President: Would any Senator care to speak on
this?
Senator Michelle Simmons, I saw your hand
first. You have the floor.

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I am so joyful because last night Bermuda’s
Under -20 women’s football team defeated the Ca yman Islands by six goals to nil .

[Desk thumping]

Sen. Michelle Simmons : It sounds like I have su pport for this joy.

The President: I am sure you have [the support of]
the entire Senate body.
Sen. Michelle Simmons: This was part of the
Concacaf women’s qualifiers and it took place at the
IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. It is hard for us to host home games here in Bermuda because of COVID -19 restrictions, but the venue did not faze the
ladies in . . . they had on blue last night. I actually
watched parts of the game and was thrilled when I saw Leilanni Nesbeth score that first goal. I think it
was about seven minutes from the beginning of the
game. That was followed by three, three goals, a hat
trick by Nia Christo pher and a fifth goal by Keunna
Dill.
At that point, I was thinking, okay, the game is
about to end. But there was another Leilanni Nesbeth
goal to close the game out, making it 6- nill.
Well done to all the women in the Bermuda
team and their coach, Ms. Naquita Robinson. These qualifiers will determine which countries will claim the
remaining six spots for the women’s championship, which is being held in July in California. Because of
their size, I think the United States and Canada aut omatically qualify for the championship, so they take
two of the eight slots leaving only six, and there are six groups. So, only the top qualifier from each group
will advance.
I am still rooting for Bermuda in spite of that
defeat they took from Jamaica about a week ago. So,
I just want all of Bermuda to celebrate our women’s Under -20 soccer team. Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Si mmons. Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator John Wight, you have the floor.

Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
I would like to send condolences to the family
of the late Heather Rance. Mrs. Rance was the wife of
a former BF& M CEO, Cyril Rantz.
And also, I would like to say condolences to
the family of the late Robert Jack. Robert Jack worked
for BF&M for 40 years as a claims manager. So, I
would like to say condolences to those two families.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Wight.
Would any other Senator care to speak to
Congratulatory and/or Obituary?
Senator Robin Tucker, you have the floor.

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
I just wanted to extend condolences to the
family of Mrs. Barbara Petty. She is a constituent and
she obviously has recently passed away. I want to extend special condolences to her granddaughter,
Allison, as well as her husband Neil and their entire
families.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker.
Would any other Senator care to speak? Yes. Senator Dill, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam
President.
I would like today to extend condolences to
the family of Mr. Myron Bean of Sandys Parish. Mr. Bean was an outstanding gentleman who, I am made
to understand, in his earlier years was very instrumental in the formation of several sporting organisations,
as well as serving as a coach. I know him best as a
member of Allen Temple AME Church where he was
a member of the Trustee Board, a member of the
Senior Choir, and he certainly was a gentleman who
invested in the lives of others, and I trust that his soul
rests in peace.
The other family that I would like to extend
condolences to this morning is the family of Mr. Walter
King who was an MP for the Progressive Labour ParBermuda Senate ty. Walter King was an outstanding golf pro who was
part of the original team that opened Port Royal Golf
Course. During his tenure there he assisted and
shaped positively the lives of many of our yo ung men
to play golf. And certainly as a young person who
grew up in the South Hampton area, I can remember
the Junior Golfers Programme, and the investment
that they made in our community when the Port Royal
Golf Course was actually first established.
A few of the individuals that he influenced
were Dwayne Pearman, the late Glen Simmons and
the Honourable Kim Swan. There were many others.
He would have played with the great golfer Jack Nic klaus and many world leaders who played the course.
He later entered politics and in later years moved to
the United States of America. He was a true gentl eman who impacted many.
Madam President, on a more positive note, I
would like to extend birthday wishes to Mr. Howard
Dill, Sr., who is approaching a major milestone. He will
be 90 years of age on Friday, February 26. Mr. Dill,
Sr. was a former member of the Bermuda Police Service. He sang in the police choir, and he is just an all -
around wonderful gentleman. So, to Mr. Howard Dill,
Sr. who also happens to be my father -in-law, we wish
him a very, very happy birthday!
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Dill. I am sure we
all join you in congratulations to your father -in-law.
Would any other Senator care to speak at this
time? No?
Then I would just like to . . . I omitted last
weekthat I would like to associate myself with the
condolences that were expressed last week for the
families of Mr. Gregory Swan, the son of Mrs. Merrill
Bruck Swan, and also the family of Mr. Dennis Sau nders, whose parents I also know quite well, and these
were expressed last week.
And today I would like to ask for condolences
to be extended to the family of Dr. Adebola Olufemi
Bada, affectionately known as Femi Bada. He was the
husband to Mrs. Justice Charles -Etta Simmons.
Dr. Bada was the consummate professional
who was committed to the fight against diabetes in
Bermuda. And you know, we do have a major problem. But he was the Chairman of the Diabetic Assoc iation in Bermuda for several years and he also practiced alternative medicine. He was an icon in the I sland and he also used acupuncture and hypnother apy. And I think that he gave a wonderful service to the
Island. And so, I would like condolences to be extended to his wife, Charles -Etta, and his children and
stepson.
Additionally, I would like for condolences to be
extended to t he family of Anita Eleanor Masters JP,
affectionately known as “Nita” who passed away in
early February. She had worked at the Mid- Atlantic
Wellness Institute in a clerical position. She was well liked by everybody, and she had a most bubbly personality.
She was involved in politics. She supported
anyone who ran . . . well, particularly an individual
who ran in her area in terms of the political position.
She would host and have all sorts of fund- raising activities. She was well liked. And I would like for condolences to be extended to her son, Damon Masters;
her twin brother [William] and his wife Doreen; her
brother, David; and her sisters, Selma and Madree,
and her many friends. She was a very, very popular
person. And I know when I went to do the viewing
there were just so many people there who spoke so
highly of her. So, with that . . . and she also happened
to be a cousin of mine. I have been losing cousins
recently. But I did not want today to pass without extending . . . you know, in a small communit y you have
relatives.
So, with that said, we will now move on then
to adjournment and I think I hand over to Senator Darrell.

ADJOURNMENT

Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, I do ask that the
House [sic] adjourn to Wednesday, March 2 at
10:00 am. The Senate adjourn . . . sorry, to Wednesday, March 2 at 10:00 am.

The President: March 2nd.

[Laughter]

The President: That’s all right. You are forgiven.
Would any Senator care to speak on the m otion to adjourn?
No? Hmm. I thought . . . I thought . . . Oh,
Senator Michelle Simmons, you want —

BERMUDA WOMEN’S UNDER- 20 FOOTBALL
TEAM

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Madam President, this is so
brief, you will not believe it.
In my excitement, when I was giving my congratulations to the Bermuda women’s Under -20 football team, I omitted one of the goals!

The President: Oh!

[Laughter]

Sen. Michelle Simmons: It came to me as we were
finishing up, and the fifth goal was actually scored by
Keunna Dill. And then Leilanni Nesbeth scored goal
number 6.

The President: Mm-hmm.
152 23 February 2022 Official Han sard Report

Bermuda Senate Sen. Michelle Simmons: So, I apologise to Keunna
for omitting her name, but that was just in my pure joy
and excitement. Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Si mmons.
So, with no one expressing an interest in
speaking on the motion to adjourn . . . oh, Senator
Dill. I beg your pardon. Senator Reverend Dr. Emily
Dill, you have the floor. I know you did indicate to me
that you were going to speak on the motion to adjourn, so the floor is yours.

FOCUSING ON POSITIVE THINGS IN BERMUDA

Thank you, Madam
President.
I am not reall y going to say very much this
morning, and I hope that this will not be deemed my
official Maiden Speech, but when I taught school there
was a poem that at the beginning of every school
year, and I would require the students to memorise
this poem. Last week, which was my first day here in
the Senate, there were questions that were raised in
my mind given some of the tenor of the conversation.
So, I would just like to share that poem here
this morning and ask that we would reflect on it. It is a
poem by Edg ar Guest which raises an important and
serious question for all of us. The title of the poem is,
“Am I a Builder or a Wrecker?”

I watched them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho- heave- ho and lusty yell,
They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.
I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,
The men you’d hire if you had to build?”
He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed!
Just common labor is all I need.
I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken a year to do.”
And I thought to myself as I went my way,
Which of these two roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds by a well -made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the labor of tearing down?

And the other day
when I was driving home, I saw something on the sign
outside of the Bermuda Institute of Seventh- day A dventist school and it was some words from the poem
of Amanda Gorman. And I am a true believer that as Bermudians we can make it. We will bounce back,
that there are lots of positive things that we can focus
on. And in the last words of her poem “The Hill We
Climb” it says:
For there is always light i f only we are brave enough
to see it, if only we are brave enough to be it.