This was primarily a day for government ministers to provide updates rather than debate legislation. The Deputy Premier announced Bermuda's participation in the UK's Blue Shield Programme to better monitor and protect our large ocean territory from illegal activities. The Minister of Health presented the new five-year health strategy focusing on preventative care and moving toward universal health coverage. The Education Minister addressed concerns about school COVID policies, clarifying that the same rules apply to both public and private schools.
Blue Shield Programme - new UK initiative to help protect Bermuda's marine waters from illegal fishingTynes Bay waste facility update - repairs completed and plant back in operationImmigration Department automation - new digital system to replace paper applicationsBermuda Health Strategy 2022-2027 - five-year plan for healthcare improvementsSchool COVID-19 policies - return to school testing and revised guidelines
Bills & Motions
No bills were debated or voted on in this sitting. This session focused entirely on ministerial statements and the tabling of various regulations and reports for information purposes. The main legislative activity was the formal submission of multiple technical orders and regulations to the House record.
Notable Moments
Deputy Premier highlighted that Bermuda's ocean territory is larger than several other Caribbean territories combined
Education Minister condemned emails suggesting different COVID rules should apply to public vs private schools based on student demographics, calling such views part of a "Two Bermuda mindset"
Several ministers announced the tabling of numerous technical regulations, particularly 23 merchant shipping regulations
Debate Transcript
775 speeches from 40 speakers
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Ms. Beale. Members, the House is now in session. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES [Minutes of 4 February 2022]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe Minutes from the 4th of February [2022] have been circulated. Are there any omissions or corrections or amendments that need to be done? There are none. The Minutes will be confirmed as printed. [Minutes of 4 February 2022 confirmed] MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE SPEAKER OR MEMBER PRESIDING OMBUDSMAN’S SPECIAL REPORT: BUS SERVICE COMMUNICATION S
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI have one announcement this mor ning. The announcement is that I have received the Ombudsman’s Special Report on the Bus Service Communications and that has already been circulated to you this morning. MES SAGES FROM THE SENATE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. PAPERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS TO THE HOUSE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, we have quite a few of these this morning. I believe it is roughly about 35 of them. The first this morning is in the name of the Minister of Education. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Good morning, colleagues, good morning, Bermuda, good morning, Mr. Speaker. I am …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere you go. BERMUDA EDUCATORS COUNCIL (EXEMPTIONS) (2021 TO 2022 SCHOOL YEAR ) AMENDMENT ORDER 2022 Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Bermuda Educ ators Council (Exemptions) (2021 to 2022 School …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. The next Minister who has communications for this morning is the Minister of Health. Minister, I believe you have about 11 of them this morning so you can proceed with them. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY 2022 -2027 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Ho nourable House of Assembly the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022- 2027 and [this] can be found on www.gov.bm/reports . QUARANTINE (COVID -19) (NO. 3) …
Good morning.
BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY 2022 -2027 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Ho nourable House of Assembly the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022- 2027 and [this] can be found on www.gov.bm/reports .
QUARANTINE (COVID -19) (NO. 3) AMENDMENT (NO. 3) ORDER 2021
QUARANTINE (COVID -19) (NO. 3) AMENDMENT (NO. 4) ORDER 2021
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Bermuda House of Assembly QUARANTINE ( COVID -19) (NO. 3) AMENDMENT (NO. 5) ORDER 2021
QUARANTINE (COVID -19) (NO. 3) AMENDMENT (NO. 6) ORDER 2021
QUARANTINE (COVID -19) (NO. 3) AMENDMENT (NO. 7) ORDER 2021
QUARANTINE (COVID -19) (NO. 3) AMENDMENT (NO. 8) ORDER 2021
QUARANTINE (COVID -19) (N O. 3) AMENDMENT (NO. 9) ORDER 2021
QUARANTINE (COVID -19) (NO. 3) AMENDMENT (NO. 10) ORDER 2021
QUARANTINE (COVID -19) (NO. 3) AMENDMENT ORDER 2022
QUARANTINE (COVID -19) (NO. 3) AMENDMENT (NO. 2) ORDER 2022
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Quarantine (COVID - 19) (No. 3) Amendment (No. 3) Order 2021; the Quarantine (COVID -19) (No. 3) Amendment (No. 4) Order 2021; the Quarantine (COVID -19) (No. 3) Amendment (No. 5) Order 2021; the Quarantine (COVID -19) (No. 3) Amendment (No. 6) Order 2021; the Quarantine (COVID -19) (No. 3) Amendment (No. 7) Order 2021 ; the Quarantine (COVID -19) (No. 3) Amendment (No. 8) Order 2021; the Quarantine (COVID -19) (No. 3) Amendment (No. 9) Order 2021; the Quarantine (COVID -19) (No. 3) Amendment (No. 10) Order 2021; the Quarantine (COVID -19) (No. 3) Amendment Order 2022; and the Quarantine (COVID - 19) (No. 3) Amendment (No. 2) Order 2022. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank y ou, Minister. The next this morning is in the name of the Minister of Transport. Minister of Transport, you have a whole heap of them this morning. [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerIt looks like you have about 23 of them in your name this morning. Hon. W. La wrence Scott: Yes, Mr. Speaker. We have been busy over here.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo right ahead. MERCHANT SHIPPING (OIL POLLUTION PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE AND CO-OPERATION CONVENTION) AMENDMENT REGULATIONS 2021 MERCHANT SHIPPING (PASSENGER SHIP CONSTRUCTION) REG ULATIONS 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 …
Go right ahead. MERCHANT SHIPPING (OIL POLLUTION PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE AND CO-OPERATION CONVENTION) AMENDMENT REGULATIONS 2021
MERCHANT SHIPPING (D ANGEROUS GOODS IN HARBOUR AREAS) REGULATIONS 2021
MERCHANT SHIPPING (FIRE PROTECTION LARGE SHIPS) REGULATIONS 2021
MERCHANT SHIPPING (INSPECTIONS OF SHIPS AND ISSUE OF MARITIME LABOUR CERTIFICATES) AMENDMENT REGULATIONS 2021
MERCHANT SHIPPING (LIFE -SAVI NG APPLIANCES AND ARRANGEMENTS) REGULATIONS 2021
Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Merchant Shi pping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operati on Convention) Amendment Regulations 2021 ; Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) Regulations 2021 ; Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution from Noxious Liquid Su bstances in Bulk ) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2021 ; Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution from Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk) Amendment Regulations 2021 ; Merchant Shipping (Radio Equipment Survey) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Repatriation) Amendment Reg ulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Seafarers’ Accommodation) Amendment Regulations 2021 ; Merchant Shipping (Seafarers’ Employment) Amendment (No. 2) Regul ations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Seafarers’ E mplo yment) Amendment Regulations 2021; Merchant Shi pping (Section 75 Inquiries) Rules 2021; Merchant Shipping (Ship Inspection and Survey Organisations) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping Act (Schedule 12) Amendment (No. 2) Order 2021; Merchant Shi pping ( Tonnage) Amendment Regulations 2021; Marine and Ports Services (Ship Channels) Regulations 2021 ; Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Carriage of Cargoes) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Carriag e of Packaged Irradiated Nuclear Fuel etc.) (INF Code) Regulations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Dangerous Goods in Harbour Areas) Regu-lations 2021; Merchant Shipping (Fire Protection Large Ships) Regulations 2021 ; Merchant Shipping (Inspections of Ships and Is sue of Maritime Labour Certificates) Amendment Regulations 2021; and the Merchant Shipping (Life- Saving Appliances and A rrangements) Regulations 2021. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. That brings us to the close of Papers and Communications for this morning. We will now move on. PETITIONS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS AND JUNIOR MINISTERS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI believe we have eight Statements this morning. The first is in the name of the Deputy Premier. Minister, would you like to present your Statement this morning? Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, g ood morning, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. Hon. Walter H. Roban: And good morning to Members of the House and the listening public. BLUE SHIELD: IMPROVI NG THE EFFECTIVE MARINE ENFORCEMENT OF OUR EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update this Honourable House on our strategy to i …
Good morning.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: And good morning to Members of the House and the listening public.
BLUE SHIELD: IMPROVI NG THE EFFECTIVE MARINE ENFORCEMENT OF OUR EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update this Honourable House on our strategy to i mprove the protection of our marine resources within our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Bermuda is privileged to have a very large Exclusive Economic Zone. Our EEZ is approximately 464,000 square kilometre s. To put this in context, this is larger than the combined EEZs of the Cayman I slands, Turks and Caicos, Anguilla, and the British Vi rgin Islands, which have a combined total of 445,500 square kilometre s. As a small I sland nation, having the resources to manage and enforce our protections has always been a challenge. However, we aim to change this. The public will recall the announcement I made last November that Bermuda would become the first Overseas Territory to join the UK Blue Shield Program me. This, combined with our ongoing efforts, wi ll allow us to effectively manage one of our most i mportant assets, our ocean. 308 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, our EEZ extends out approx imately 370 kilometres or 200 miles from our shores, roughly in the shape of a circle. With this in mind, one of our biggest challenges i s having a good understanding of the “goings on” or maritime domain awareness of the threats in our EEZ. For Bermuda these are largely resource and shipping- related , including: • illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; • illegal ballast exchanges and dumping at sea; • commercial and recreational vessel activity; and • shipping activity . To date this has been very challenging . But advances in technology combined with assistance from our neighbours, as well as better integration of our local assets , means that it is now possible to monitor and manage our EEZ almost in real time. Mr. Speaker, the Blue Shield Programme is a new UK Government initiative to tackle illegal fishing and other unlawful activities around the UK Overseas Territories. Announced in November 2021 at the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC), the Blue Shield Programme is the latest project funded by the Blue Belt Programme, which actively protects and enhances over 4 million square kilometres of ocean globally. The aim of the Blue Shield Progr amme is to identify and analyse activities taking place within the maritime domains of Bermuda and other participating Territories that may impact the health and sustainabi lity of their respective biodiverse marine environments. For us it will provide a c omplete picture of m arine activities, which will allow improved management of our waters. Through establishing compliance and enforcement frameworks, Blue Shield will actively monitor activity, assisting us to ensure environmental regulations are met. Wher e necessary, Blue Shield will also help Bermuda to undertake enforcement ac-tion against non- compliance. Mr. Speaker, what I am particularly excited about is that the focus of the Blue Shield Progra mme is on marine resources, and it is being implemented by marine resource managers, who bring a wealth of resources, expertise and knowledge on fisheries and habitat management. This perspective is crucial to effectively understanding and managing the challenges in our particular context. Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members may be aware of a recent visit by a delegation from the UK’s Blue Shield team . The purpose of the trip was to u ndertake a needs assessment and gap analysis of our domain awareness, our existing capacity and to better understand our local situation. Prior to arriving the team developed a scoping document in December 2021 using the draft Marine Resources Enforcement Strategy 2021 developed by the Department of Env ironment and Natural Resources. This assessment took place over the first week of February by a team of three from the UK’s Marine Management Organi sation and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. While on Island the Blue Shield team undertook numerous meetings with the Governor, the Minister and the Permanent Secretary of Home Affair s, and technical representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR ) Coast Guard, Department of Marine and Ports and Disaster Management to assess the draft Scoping Document. Additionally , the team vis ited numerous fish landing sites throughout the I sland, the Marine Oper ations Centre at Fort George, the Eastern protected Grouper grounds with the Fisheries Section and wes tern areas with the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coast Guard. This gave the team the opportunity to exper ience first -hand local sea conditions and habitats, the size and capabilities of our vessels, the impressive capabilities of the Marine Operations Centre, and the assets of local enforcement. As an aside, they also got to partake of the mos t excellent fish sandwiches at Woody’s restaurant. And I am sure, Mr. Speaker, the Western MPs are very happy with that. Mr. Speaker, in terms of next steps the Blue Shield team, in conjunction with our local agencies, is now developing a three- year action plan based on their findings. While it is still being developed, I can say that the plan could incorporate a very impressive array of assistance, such as: • providing enforcement equipment to local agencies; • deployment of bespoke underwater camera equipment to monitor and protect ocean wil dlife; • use of latest satellite surveillance data to monitor maritime activity across the EEZ; • assessments within the EEZ using Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), as well as sate llite surveillance data, to identify shi pping trends and risks. This will help focus enforc ement activity in the entirety of our EEZ; • passive acoustic units, which, once deployed underwater, can monitor the sounds of vessels with GPS positioning systems turned off; and • enforcement training to build in evidence collection and case file management, as well as specialist satellite surveillance technology. Mr. Speaker , in closing, I am very excited about Bermuda's participation in the Blue Shield Programme and would like to thank the Her Excellency , Governor Rena Lalgie and her team, and the UK Government for their willingness to share this vital assistance with us, to help support our marine env ironment's surveillance, protection, and management. Bermuda will continue to align itself with the highest standards needed [ for] protecting our oceans and I
Bermuda House of Assembly look forward to updating this Honourable House in due course as we move forward with this exciting init iative. Thank you, very much, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you Deputy Premier. The next Statement we have on the Order [Paper] this morning is that from the [Acting] Minister of Works regarding the Tynes Bay update. Minister, would you like to present your Statement at this time? UPDATE ON THE TYNES BAY WASTE -TO-ENERGY FACILITY Hon. Wayne L. …
Thank you Deputy Premier. The next Statement we have on the Order [Paper] this morning is that from the [Acting] Minister of Works regarding the Tynes Bay update. Minister, would you like to present your Statement at this time? UPDATE ON THE TYNES BAY WASTE -TO-ENERGY FACILITY
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to provide this Honourable House with an update on the Tynes Bay Waste- to Energy Facility . Mr. Speaker, you will recall back in December of 2021, the Island was facing a crisis with waste di sposal. The full shutdown of the Tynes Bay facility due to boiler failures and the [ untimely ] failure of the baling contingency system meant that the Island unfortunat ely had to r esort to landfilling for a period of seven days. Today I am pleased to report that due to the efforts of the plant personnel and specialist contractors from overseas , those failures have now been rectified with both units now back in service and the contingency system repaired, thereby allowing the [ landfilling ] to be drawn to a close. Since November [29,] 2021, waste was i nstead baled and temporarily stored at the Tynes Bay contingency yard while the boiler repairs took place. This produced some 611 bales. Mr. Speaker, in the weeks that followed, the boilers were brought back on line and bales from the contingency system were returned to the plant for processing. Additionally, about half the material that was landfilled was also returned, equating to some 1,668 tonnes. Mr. Speaker, the Tynes Bay facility is now at the stage of beginning the plant stabili sation works mentioned last year. This work will provide extended life to the boilers, which is the most vulnerable part of the facility. This work has com menced with personnel from Europe already on Island. This first phase of the work, which focuses on B oiler Unit No. 2 is set to be completed in three months’ time. The second phase involving Unit No. 1, will commence around this same time next year , and take a similar amount of time to complete. Mr. Speaker, while this stabili sation work takes place, we are concurrently making progress with the full refurbishment of the plant, which will take some three to four years to engineer, tender, procure and execute . To that end we have secured the services of a project engineer to lead the project, thereby making significant progress through the next financial year. I want to thank again the great Mr. Nasir Wade , Plant Manager , and the Tynes Bay team for their efforts , and, indeed, the public for their patience and understanding while we make these necessary upgrades. As always, I will continue to give updates on the status of the Tynes Bay f acility as the works unfold. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank y ou, Minister. The next Minister with a Statement this mor ning is the Minister of Labour. Minister, would you like to present your Statement? Hon. Jason Hayward: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AUTOMATION UPDATE Hon. Jason Hayward: I rise today to provide an update on the Automation Project already underway in the Department of Immigration . We are extremely e xcited about these advances which will benefit both the Department, businesses and the general public. Mr. Speaker, …
Good morning.
DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AUTOMATION UPDATE
Hon. Jason Hayward: I rise today to provide an update on the Automation Project already underway in the Department of Immigration . We are extremely e xcited about these advances which will benefit both the Department, businesses and the general public. Mr. Speaker, in the Speech from the Throne of November 2021, the Government endeavoured to digitis e the immigration application process. As a r esult, the department turned its efforts to aggressively advancing the automation project and in early 2021 selected Microsoft Dynamics as its chosen platform to implement an end- to-end electronic, web- based IT system. This IT solution will allow the d epartment to perform the following functions currently done in di fferent systems, including mail login , work permit pr ocessing , and data warehousing. The combined solution is intended to drive efficiency and reduce the annual cost for software and associated mainte nance costs. The software elim inates the manual processing of paper files. Mr. Speaker, the objective of the Automation Project is to transition as much as possible away from paper -based processes. Due to the cost and complexity of automation of the proces ses, the department is implementing the project in phases. The functionality in the early phases will be basic in nature with further enhancements being released later. This current phase of the project includes, but is not limited to: 1. submission of applic ations; 2. payment of application fees via a payment gateway; 3. electronic workflow; 4. vetting and validation; 310 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly 5. status updates with log- in ability; 6. approval by the Minister or by Immigration senior leadership; 7. production and disbursement of final immigr ation documents; and 8. ability for the d epartment to run reports. Substantial work will be done in future phases to review other immigration IT s ystems to make the appropriate enhancements. This work will be released over time. Mr. Speaker, this project is in alignm ent with the Immigration Reform Initiatives articulated by the Ministry of Labou r. The benefits of the Automation Project are to: 1. eliminate paper from the application in- take process and reduce the volume of data entry required to move an application through the various phases in the process; 2. reduce the turnaround time required to complete all the work on an application and pr esent the customer with a response of the de-cision made; 3. provide a dashboard to management and staff to analy se operations and perfor mance; 4. improve the communication with customers and stakeholders in terms of frequency and time delivered; 5. improve the standard operating procedures along with providing a clear audit trail and i mproved quality assurance; 6. eliminate the submission of incomplete appl ications and reduce the rework associated with this; and 7. reduce the hassle and travel involved in the submission of applications by c ustomers. Mr. Speaker, a new re -engineered model of operation is required for us to bring the operations of the department into the 21 st century. Like businesses that are expected to think and do things differently, the department must do things differently. The Department of Immigration has undergone a rigorous process review and is several years into [its] efforts to re- engineer outdated processes and procedures. These include extensive process map-ping and analysis of key application processes such as work permit, Bermuda s tatus and n aturali sation, permanent residency certificate, Bermuda passports, and the electronic payment of application fees. One significant difference is that we will no longer issue hard [ copy ] paper certificates, letters, and work permit documents. Currently individuals receive hard copy immigration documents, employees receive work permit cards, and employers receive hard copy work permits. Moving forward, all documentation will be sent electronically and will be accessible on your computers and mobile devices in a digitally secure format. Should you choose to print a hard copy for your records , you will be able to do so. Mr. Speaker, t his is a significant change and the department will begin to communicate these changes to the general public in the coming weeks. We expect to launch Phase 1 of the Automation Sy stem during the month of March 2022. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. The next Minister that has a Statement this morning is the Minister of Health. Minister, would you like to present your Statement at this time? BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY 2022 -2027 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I have the honour to …
Thank you, Minister. The next Minister that has a Statement this morning is the Minister of Health. Minister, would you like to present your Statement at this time?
BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY 2022 -2027
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I have the honour to share with Honourable Members the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022- 2027 . Mr. Sp eaker, this House will recall the prev ious Health Strategy that covered the years 2014 to 2019. In 2019, the Ministry of Health began work to create a new strategy for the next five years ( which would have been 2020 to 2025) which could provide a framework for a redesign of the health care system –– the Government’s intention to transition to universal health coverage [UHC] being a clear and stated goal by that time. Mr. Speaker, this earlier work included a public survey, as well as surveys of, and intervie ws with, providers, insurers, health professionals and patients. A series of workshops with a Strategic Leadership Group held in March 2020 assisted in identifying de-sign principles for a refreshed Health Strategy. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, no further progress was made. In early summer 2021, a second group of dedicated stakeholders from across Bermuda’s health care community, responded positively to a request from the Ministry to form a steering committee whose main purpose would be to develop a roadmap for strengthening the I sland’s health system and achie ving universal health coverage. In parallel with that work, the Ministry of Health, supported by the advisory division of KPMG, started again to develop the next iteration of the Bermuda Health Strategy. Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022- 2027, which I am sharing today, includes the contributions of both the pre- pandemic leadership group as well as the UHC Steering Committee me mbers. It also further develops and, in some cases, up-dates the goals established in the previous Strategy. Thanks to the hard work of both of these groups, and that of KPMG, we now have a refreshed and revised Strategy. Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to report that the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022- 2027 represents one of the first actions to emerge from the roadmap for universal health coverage.
Bermuda House of Assembly Honourable Members will recall that “ stewar dship 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. Mr. Speaker, the new Strategy provides a clear vision for a healthy Bermuda community. It also reconfirms the Government’s commitment to univer sal health coverage, the achievement of which will ensure coverage of essential health care benefits for all res idents, through the Bermuda Health Plan, within a stronger, more sustainable health care system. Mr. Speaker, the new Bermuda Health Strat egy sp ecifies, and is arranged around, eight strategic principles which will direct our 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 co verage; • strengthening our health care workforce; • harnessing health care technology; • partnership and collaborative working; and • preventing wasteful care and promoting eff iciency. Mr. Speaker, these principles align with the Ministry’s vision of “healthy people in healthy comm unities.” They also align with our mission which seeks to make Bermuda healthier and ensure that all people have equitable access to needed informative, preven-tive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative essential health services, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that people do not suffer financial hardship when paying for these services and critical medicines. Mr. Speaker, the Strategy sets out the health needs associ ated 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. I would like to draw attention to some of the strategic principles we will be following in the coming years. First, the new Health Strategy places front and centre promoting healthy living and preventative care. Mr. Speaker, we know that health promotion and disease prevention are essential ingredients in building a stronger health system. In the coming months, we will be joining forces with other health care and community stakeholders to ensure this message is amplified and reaches all segments of Berm uda’s population. 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 m ore must be done to empower and support people to lead healthy lifestyles, and we will do just that. The emphasis on health promotion i ncludes mental health as well. There is a recognised need to challenge historical stigma and preconce ptions. Good physica l and mental health are collectively a part of our efforts to promote wellness and healthier living. Mr. Speaker, another highlight of this Strategy is its focus on the need for greater collaboration among health care industry stakeholders as embodied in the strategic principle partnership and collaborative working. We are building stronger partnerships so that together we can find solutions to the health challenges that this Island is facing. As stated previously in this House, Mr. Speaker, critically important for the work on universal health coverage is the engagement of, and collabor ation with, the broad group of stakeholders who form part of Bermuda’s health system. Such collaboration includes working with partners to bring about better coordination of health care delivery to ensure the effective and efficient utilisation of our health system. Mr. Speaker, we believe understanding and improving our health care pathways will strengthen the health system by defining standards, promoting and disseminating best practices and increasing res ident and care provider satisfaction. The collaboration needed to achieve this is enshrined in the new Health Strategy as a strategic principle. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the Strategy also features the shift to focusing on peop le-centred care to deliver essential care that meets the needs of indivi duals and families and improves their health outcomes. With this changed approach, which I have mentioned previously in this House, we expect 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. Mr. Speaker, 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. Mr. Speaker, in closing, we understand that the positive transformations we need to see will not happen overnight. After all, we reached this point over many y ears. Bermuda’s health system challenges are complex and require collaboration between all stak eholders to realise the people- centred, multi -year change necessary for a more sustainable future. However, Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the work that has bee n done to date to develop the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022- 2027, and I am also opt imistic about our path forward to creating a more equitable and efficient health care system for all Berm uda’s residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Thank you, Min ister. The next Minister this morning with a Stat ement is the Minister of Education. Minister, would you like to present your Statement at this time?
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Yes, Mr. Speaker, and thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo right ahead. SCHOOL -RELATE D COVID- 19 UPDATE Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I want to take this time today to provide updates on some COVID - 19-related school matters as we prepare to return to school next week Monday. Some have questioned the policies currently in …
Go right ahead.
SCHOOL -RELATE D COVID- 19 UPDATE Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I want to take this time today to provide updates on some COVID - 19-related school matters as we prepare to return to school next week Monday. Some have questioned the policies currently in place. More specifically, there has been a growing misconception that there is some di sparity between public school and private school guid elines. This cannot be f urther from the truth, as the po licies in place for schools apply equally to both public and private schools. Today I will provide the necessary information to clarify some of these misconceptions, hopefully.
The Return to School Testing
Hon. Diallo V. S . Rabain: Mr. Speaker, it has always been recommended that schools have policies in place to ensure that students return to school is done to ensure safety and limit the spread of COVID -19. As per the Bermuda public school return to school policy established in October 2021, when students and staff are out of school for five days or longer, we require a negative certified antigen or PCR test as a prerequ isite for the initial return to in- class teaching and lear ning. At that time, our private schools had alr eady i ntroduced a twice- weekly antigen testing regime and continued to use that programme when returning from breaks. Mr. Speaker, the Ministry and Department of Education have a responsibility to ensure the safety of our students and teachers and to keep schools open for in -class learning. When considering the return after the current break for the public school system, the Department of Education devised three options for return to school testing. • Option 1 was identical to what we have a lways done and would have all students tes ting the weekend before the return on Monday, February 21. • Option 2 presented a staggered start to the return from the break with all pre and primary schools testing on the weekend for a Monday, February 21 start, middle schools tes ting on Monday, February 21 for a Tuesday, Febr uary 22 start, and Senior Schools testing on Tuesday, February 22 for a Wednesday, Feb-ruary 23 start. Both middle and senior schools will be on remote learning until their respective schools [start]. • Option 3 was to continue the antigen scree ning programme to allow for students to submit their results on Sunday night and start school on Monday, February 21. During the Education Emergency Measures Committee (EEMC) meeting held on February 4, after consulting wit h our union partners, the BUT, BPSU and BIU, as well as MDL [ Molecular Diagnostic Lab] and health representatives, they recommended, and it was unanimously agreed, that Option 2, a staggered return, would be the return to school procedure for Monday, February 21. I want to thank our stakeholders for their contribution to this decision, as I believe that everything starts with a conversation. Our collaboration with the EEMC members has resulted in a final decision that all parties have agreed on. MDL has al ready put t ogether the schedule for testing that has been distri buted to all parents and guardians. Again, I want to extend my appreciation to all of those who came forward to ensure we have a plan that would be in the best interest of our school’s ecosyst em.
At Home Antigen Testing Programme
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, there have been queries received from parents and guardians about why at -home antigen testing was not utilised this time around for the return to school testing for the Bermuda public system. As I stated, this was a collective decision based on the current data around the antigen programme and submissions by our stak eholders. As a result of the then Omicron outbreak and its effects on MDL testing capabilities, returning to school in January was difficult. Additionally, the weekly saliva screening that was currently in place for st udents had to be replaced very quickly with an at -home antigen screening programme. Mr. Speaker, while it was always intended for a pilot programme to launch in January 2022 with 10 schools, the difficulties with the Omicron outbreak forced the programme to be expanded to all schools. While this programme was very quickly assembled, critical feedback was received from parents, guardians, and staff via si x Zoom informational sessions tailored for parents and staff for each of our different school levels. The features of the at -home antigen testing programme are: • It is not mandatory, but all students and staff are encouraged to participate. • Students and staff were provided with a supply of free antigen tests, which were generously donated to the Department of Education by ABIR, ABIC and BILTIR.
Bermuda House of Assembly • The acceptance of antigen tests indicated an agreement to participate in the testing pr ogramme. • Tests must be taken twice per week: once on Sunday evening and Wednesday evening. • Each test result must be reported electronica lly using a link provided by the Department of Education. • Positive results must immediately be reported directly to the school and the Department of Health by the parent of a COVID -19-positive student or by the COVID -19-positive staff member and not by the Department of Educ ation. Mr. Speaker, as we have entered the midterm break, the antigen screening data received and the process of obtaining that data is being examined to determine the best way forward. This process will also allow us to improve the receipt of the data more efficiently. To date, I can announce that participation is not at the levels it was at with the saliva screening programme, w ith all schools being over 80 per cent for the saliva screening. With the antigen screening pr ogramme showing a participation rate of approximately 57 per cent across all staff (50 per cent) and students (59 per cent) submitting forms twice weekly, we need those families who are not reporting to do so to ensure the safety of our school families. Starting with the return to school next week, the following are some of the things that are being worked on to be implemented: • All pre and primary schools will return to sal iva weekly screening. • The present antigen online form is being r evamped and retooled to be more efficient and allow critical participation data to be more quickly analysed. • PR campaigns around the need to participate and reminders to submit your r esults are b eing developed. I want to thank those who have worked very hard to get this programme up and running at such short notice. While not perfect, it has done an excellent job of doing what it was intended to, and moving forward I am confident we wi ll see much more partic ipation. I anticipate that by the time we return from the next term break, we will be at a level where these home antigen tests, which are distributed to all st udents and staff, will be used to report their twiceweekly results at levels that will facilitate using them to return to school.
Revised School Guidelines
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, one of the major talking points of late is the guidelines placed inwithin our schools, and if we will see any movement from where we are currently, that is in Phase 1. I have received many emails, WhatsApps and social media posts asking the same. Mr. Speaker, since my press conference on Wednesday, I have received many more emails with the common theme of essentially the need to remove all restrictions from schools altogether immediately. In these Chambers and in the other place, Honourable Members, please realise that we will be there one day, but tomorrow is not that day. Two emails were particularly disturbing as they gave a glimps e into the mind -set of some of our citizens and a lack of understanding that we are all in this together. The recurring theme of these more recent emails is demanding (not asking, demanding) that there be separate guidelines put in place for public and pri vate schools Mr. Speaker, I now quote excerpts from these emails. One of them had the following: “Most private school students are expats and don’t live in multi - generational households the Department of Health is trying to protect. You cannot put public s chools and private schools in the same basket, as the demographics are different and the union issues do not exist.” Mr. Speaker, the second email read as follows: “The Minister of National Security, Renee Ming, just said recently that children as young as eight years old are being recruited into gangs now. This is not surprising considering they have been in the public school system for the last two years of their lives since they were six years old. When you have had no consistent home or school environm ent for two years, the safety net and belonging of a gang is pretty enticing.” Mr. Speaker, it saddens me to read comments like this, as it does highlight the Two Bermuda mindset some of our citizens harbour and perhaps only whisper when surrounded by lik e minds. Unfortunat ely, some in these Chambers often dismiss this per-spective when this side even raises that concept. For professionals working in our country to think that it was acceptable to sit down at a computer and send emails essentially trying to claim that only a specific type of student can be found in the public school sy stem is appalling. In any regard, I am confident mindsets like this will not disrupt or dissuade the majority of us from doing what is in the best interests of finding the right balance for our children, our educators and our country. Mr. Speaker, as I stated, we are constantly looking to strike the right approach to maintaining the safety of our staff and students, with the ultimate goal of keeping schools open for in- class lea rning. We may not always agree, and we may not always get it right, but the decisions made are made with the best interests of our students, educators, and the Island as a whole in mind. While the decisions may be difficult, it remains my intention and the intention of this Go vernment to provide a safe in- school experience for our students and staff. 314 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, as a parent of a student in the public school system and as the Minister of Education, I am excited about the discussions currently taking place t o examine what life with COVID -19 inside our schools can look like. I want our children to have an educational experience that we expect them to have. Things like sports days with parents cheering them on, graduations, field trips, assemblies, end of school celebrations, interschool sports events and school photographs, to name a few, will be returning soon. In the EEMC meeting held on Wednesday, February 16, we discussed revising the current phases with most things that are currently not allowed to get goi ng in our schools being allowed to take place. However, it is essential to note that the shift also will come with c aveats. Mr. Speaker, it is aimed to have these revised phases connected to individual school levels of adherence to policies such as weekly screening, any revised mask -wearing mandates and vaccination levels, to name a few. I was excited for the enthusiasm around the table at the EEMC meeting to embrace this movement to “school as usual” for those schools and school families who demonstrate t hat they are doing all they can to protect our students and staff. I am sure those listening will be excited to know that our schools will soon be looking at how they operate beyond COVID -19. So, Mr. Speaker, barring any COVID -19 outbreaks, beloved activi ties such as sports days with parents cheering their children on, interschools sports events, graduations and leaving ceremonies, in - school class parties, birthday parties, school events and productions, class photographs, will be returning in the near fut ure, possibly as soon as next week. I can also report that the BSSF [Bermuda Schools Sports Federation] and Youth and Sport are already collaborating to bring sports events between schools back using the developed guidelines for the return to sports.
Close Contact Quarantine Policy
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, the current requirement for close contacts of positive students to quarantine is also to be revised. It is being proposed that vaccinated students, recently recovered positive students, and unvaccinated students who participate in the twice- weekly antigen or weekly saliva screening programmes will not be required to quarantine if con-sidered a close contact to a positive student. This represents a move forward from the previous policy [r equiring] all close contacts to quarantine. Additionally, students or staff testing positive will now quarantine for seven days instead of 10 days to align with the Island’s current revised quarantine policy. Again, there was enthusiasm for this when discussed in the last EEMC meeting. Discussions are underway on the best ways to implement this at the school level as eff i-ciently and quickly as possible to ensure proper monitoring.
Mask -Wearing Policies
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, there has been muc h discussion around mask -wearing policies in our schools. It is possible to search the Internet and find a study that supports anyone’s view on the topic. The number of emails received linked to studies from the mainstream to the fringe has been incredible. The facts remain, Mr. Speaker, the use of masks limits the spread of coronavirus. Period. Our goal to keep schools open not only aids our students in their lear ning but also aids our parents in their ability to work. There has to be a delicate balance st ruck, and I am sorry to disappoint those who sent the emails claiming most private school students are expats, as if these facts do not apply to them. If teachers are positive, they will have to quarantine. If enough teachers are positive and on quarantine, schools cannot open. Then we are back to square one. Regardless of if the school is public or private, these facts remain. Without teachers, schools will be forced to close. Therefore, parameters such as vaccination uptake and participation in the screening programmes have to weigh into these conversations. Mr. Speaker, I can announce that while in the midst of reviewing the mask -wearing guidelines, as of Monday, February 21, all schools will be able to revert to the mask -wearing policy of Phase 2. That is, only students from P4 up will be required to wear masks in classrooms. Some will ask why only those younger grades and not [everyone else]. It was recognised [that] the critical nature of our younger students learning r equired them to see mouth movement. As I stated, the mask -wearing mandate is currently being reviewed and will be revised as necessary moving forward which should lead to less mask -wearing in certain si tuations. Additionally, we will continue to listen to suggestions from our parents and incorporate those into moving forward.
Moving Forward
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, as the country moves towards living with COVID -19, there will continue to be precautions and guidelines that are necessary to remain in place to keep our school s safe and open. Even though COVID -19 remains a relativ ely mild illness for most children, we cannot pretend it doesn’t exist or has no impact on their long- term health. We must also be cognisant of the devastating effects on the ability of a school to operate as intended if too many positive test results are detected. We will always be dependent on our dedicated staff and our families at our schools to ensure pr otocols are adhered to, and I thank them for their conBermuda House of Assembly tinued efforts as we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Their sacrifices are not in vain, and our desire to keep our schools safe and open for in- class learning will always be our goal, and with their conti nued support, we will keep our school doors open. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. The next Minister who has a Statement this morning is the Minister of Social Development. Minister, would you like to present your Statement at this time? Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. TEEN DATING ABUSE AWA RENESS AND PREVENTION MONTH Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, I …
Thank you, Minister. The next Minister who has a Statement this morning is the Minister of Social Development. Minister, would you like to present your Statement at this time?
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
TEEN DATING ABUSE AWA RENESS AND PREVENTION MONTH
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to i nform this Honourable House and the general public that February is Teen Dati ng Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month. I would also like to take this opportunity to share what the Ministry of Social Develo pment and Seniors has done in support of this initiative. While the month is targeted towards teens, it is important that all a dults in our community who have healthy interactions with teens, not limited to parents and guardians, lead the charge of having convers ations with them on dating abuse. These conversations should include but are not limited to various aspects of teen dati ng such as what respect in a relationship looks/feels like, red flags leading to an abusive rel ationship or while in an abusive relationship; and hel ping agencies in our community. Mr. Speaker, Bermuda is witnessing an i ncrease 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. Mr. Speaker, by working together 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 campaigns, school and community forums implemented specifically for teens will potentially have a direct impact on reducing the number of adults i n abusive relationships in the future. Mr. Speaker, as Honourable Members of this Honourable House 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 beha viours to reduce these harmful relationships. Mr. Speaker, common red flags of abuse i nclude, but are not limited to: • demands made by a partner for personal/private infor mation such as passwords to access devices and/or social media accounts, et cetera; • name calling or intimidating behaviour; • apologetic behaviour or actions after a phys ical 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. Mr. Speaker, too often teens [mistake] these warning signs, also referred to as “red flags,” as a form of love. Adults 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 with an opportunity to ask questions, feel less vulnerable, [but feel] supported and safe. Mr. Speaker, also discussions on responding appropriately to these red flag warnings is critical to creating boundaries to stop t hese unwanted beha viours, and a way to support teens to build up the cour-age to leave an abusive relationship. Mr. Speaker, in support of Teen Dating Abuse Awareness [and Prevention] Month the Ministry for Social Development and Seniors hosted and facilitat-ed a virtual forum entitled “Domestic Violence Awar eness.” The panel consisted of Cindy Clarke, the Direc-tor of Public Prosecutions; Laurie Shiell, Executive Director of Centre Against Abuse; Tina Laws, Exec utive Director of Women’s Resource Centre; Susan Adhemar, a Chartered Counselling Psychologist; and Senator Lindsay Simmons. Mr. Speaker, the in- depth interactive conversation that lasted approximately 90 minutes was aired on CITV and watched by thousands of viewers on F acebook. During the conversation , Senator Lindsay [Simmons] shared her personal experience of domestic abuse and how she overlooked the warning signs of abuse. I received numerous positive feedback as a result of this forum. I would to take this opportunity to thank the panellists for their time and valuable insight and expertise on domestic abuse. Mr. Speaker, I am imploring members of our community to start or continue the discussions on the importance of incorporating respect in relationships either it be incorporated in the curriculum for schools, youth activities and sports, and youth groups. Mr. Speaker, in addition to the services pr ovided by the Department of Child and Family Services in supporting healthy teen relationships, there are organisations in Bermuda that help and advocate and ensure teens have access to information and services that support healthy relationships. These support sy stems are: • School counsellors; 316 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly • The Family Centre; • Teen Services; • Coalition for the Protection of Children; and • Centre Against Abuse. Mr. Speaker , I want to take this opportunity to highlight and thank Tammy L. Richardson- Augustus JP, a law partner who took the initiative to collaborate with US non- profit One Love Foundation. One Love Foundation is a national non- profit organisation that was create d in 2010 in memory of Yeardley Love, a 22-year University of Virginia senior who was murdered by her ex -boyfriend just weeks before her graduation that same year. Mr. Speaker, One Love Foundation aims to end relationship abuse by providing the tools, educ ational resources and workshops to empower young people with the knowledge to identify and avoid ab usive relationships. The organisation has educated nearly 1.7 million young people through workshops, both in- person and virtually. Mr. Speaker, in July 2021, Ms. RichardsonAugustus organised an inaugural event in partnership with One Love Foundation. The three- day Student Leadership Summit had thirty student participants aged 14 to 22 from public and private schools, and universities. Participants learned about the 10 signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships, how to identify and avoid abuse, and gained leadership skills to become youth ambassadors. Mr. Speaker, the Government is committed in observing February as Teen Dating Abuse Awareness and Prevent ion Month on an annual basis and e ncourages 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 conv ersations with teens throughout the year. Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members and Bermuda’s adults, as a collective we must remember that teens observe our actions daily, regardless if 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 foster healthy adult relationships in our commu nity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. The next Minister who has a Statement is the Minister of Transport. Minister, would you like to present your Statement at this time? Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. UPDATE ON THE NEW ELECTRIC BUSES Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: I am excited to provide …
Thank you, Minister. The next Minister who has a Statement is the Minister of Transport. Minister, would you like to present your Statement at this time? Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. UPDATE ON THE NEW ELECTRIC BUSES Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: I am excited to provide an update on our 30 new electric buses . The first 10 arrived earlier this week and were showcased to the media on Wednesday. They will be followed by two further shipments on 28 March and 4 April 2022. The interim charging stations to support the new buses have also arrived and are currently being installed at Dockyard, Fort Langton, and St. George’s bus depots. The initial charging stations will support the new electric buses pending completion of the int egrated 60- bus charging station and solar PV project at Fort Langton depot later this year. At a cost of $132,000 per bus la nded in Bermuda, the Xiamen bus is approximately 60 per cent less expensive than the current $334,000 MAN bus, a savings of $202,000 per bus. The electric bus has lower fuel and maintenance cost, resulting in a savings of $353,000 per bus over its 12- year lifetime. Taking into account capital, operating and maint enance cost, the 12- year life cycle cost of the new electric bus is approximately 50 per cent that of the current diesel bus. This represents an $11 million dollar savings relative to business as us ual. Mr. Speaker, the transition to electric buses supports the Government’s greening strategy by pr oducing zero roadside emissions, resulting in improved air quality and public health. Converting the public bus fleet to electric has the carbon equivalent of removing 1,500 cars from Bermuda’s roads based on today’s BELCO generation mix, and 2,400 equivalent cars based on the 2035 generation mix as the utility trans itions to renewable power generation. The Xiamen bus is 8.05 metres long and 2.35 metres wide, as co mpared to the current MAN bus at 9.7 metres long and 2.38 metres wide. The smaller bus supports road safety and reduces costly accident damage. The Xiamen electric bus carries a total of 40 passengers, which is 10 passengers fewer than the existing bus. The buses are airconditioned, fitted with cameras, USB charging for passengers, and there is designated priority seating for the senior citizens and persons requiring assistance. The buses have been designed to complete a full day’s work with overnight depot charging. The 180- kilowatt battery has a range of 180 kilometres at full capacity with AC, and to 250 kilometres without AC. Mr. Speaker, the buses will now be prepared for licensing and outfitted with DPT [Department of Public Transportation] equi pment in preparation for entering into service. Representatives from the manufacturer, Golden Dragon, will be on the Island for three months, from March through May [2022], to support with the commissioning of the buses and staff training. Special tooling and spare parts for the [new] electric fleet have been ordered and will arrive shortly. The new buses will enter into service between March and April of this year [2022].
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, the introduction of electric public buses is a transformational change i n Bermuda’s pu blic transportation. This is as big a transformation as when public buses were first introduced in Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to advise that even after onboarding the 30 new buses, we would be short of the minimum level of resources r equired to provide consistent and reliable service as our traditional fleet size is 100. Unfortunately, we have not reached the point where we can eliminate cance llations altogether; however, we do not anticipate mass cancellations, as we have s een over the last 12 to 24 months. The lower cost of the new buses supports faster replenishment of the public bus fleet, which will deliver reliability and eliminate service cancellations. Mr. Speaker, Bermuda is now one of the leaders in the Caribbean re gion to transition to electric public buses. It leads the area with a higher percentage of electric buses in our fleet. And, Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence I would like to acknowledge former Transport Ministers Rabain, De Silva, and Tyrrell who initiated and progressed this project over the course of the last three years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. The next Minister who has a Statement for us this morning is that of the Minister of National Secur ity. Minister. Hon. R enee Ming: Thank you, and good morning, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS DAY Hon. Renee Ming: Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to recognise International Customs Day which was on the January 26, 2022. Mr. Speaker, the theme of this year’s Intern ational Customs Day was “Scaling up Customs Digital Transformation by Embracing a Digital Culture and Building …
Good morning.
INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS DAY
Hon. Renee Ming: Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to recognise International Customs Day which was on the January 26, 2022. Mr. Speaker, the theme of this year’s Intern ational Customs Day was “Scaling up Customs Digital Transformation by Embracing a Digital Culture and Building a Data Echo System.” I t was dedicated to the united efforts of Customs to respond to the corona-virus crisis and support people and businesses by strengthening the global supply chain, reinforcing co llaboration, harnessing technology and putting people at the centre of the trans formation process. Mr. Speaker, the global supply chain is an i mportant link for any business to be able to operate effectively. COVID -19 has severely challenged the su pply chain. We had to look at ways of enhancing the way we do business as imports have increased threefold as a result of people not traveling. The resilience of our Customs officers from 2020 and into 2022 to be able to adapt and change quickly with the times is a true testament to the commitment we have as a de-partment. We are committed to helping with the r ecovery of the Island and continuing to strengthen our commitments to all importers while we transform into the new normal. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately again this year, as a result of COVID -19, the normal state of events for Customs Day was curtailed. Although our Annual Open House, Random Acts of Kindness, C. A. Smith Road Race, Staff Appreciation Celebration and the T. D. Robinson Golf Tournament did not go ahead as planned, we are hopeful that we can resume these events in 2023. Mr. Sp eaker, as with tradition, officers did attend the church service on Sunday, January 23, 2022 at the St. Paul’s AME Church where officers who have passed were recognised on a “Role Call.” Mr. Speaker, this year on Customs Day we honoured 28 officers with L ong Service Awards repr esenting 15 years, 25 years, 30 years, 35 years and 40 years with a presentation of certificates and commemorative gifts. This equates to over 540 years of experience and shows that these officers chose Customs as a career and not j ust a job. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognise those officers today and thank them for their service:
YEARS RANK OFFICER 40 Principal Customs Officer LaVerne Smith Senior Customs Officer Carla Burgess Customs Officer Michael Dill (retired) 35 Support Staff Patricia Trott 30 Customs Officer Clayton Fleming 25 Customs Officer Craig Lightbourne 15 Customs Officer Cory Berkeley Support Staff Camille Burgess Customs Officer Antonio DeMedeiros Customs Officer Anthonea Desilva Customs Officer Alicia Easton Customs Officer Tania Esdaille Customs Officer Paul Johnson Customs Officer Cle-Ann Lathan Support Staff M. Angeline Majors Customs Officer Caron O’Leary Customs Officer Jakisha Pencle Customs Officer Felicia Peniston Customs Offic er Natalie Pitcher Customs Officer Orlando Rice Senior Customs Officer O’Brian Roberts Customs Officer Dawnette Simons Customs Officer Gerald Simons II Customs Officer W. Kevin Simpson Customs Officer Kimerlie Smith Customs Officer Daniel Tor ak Customs Officer Marcia Wilkinson Customs Officer Susie Williams -Stovell
Hon. Renee Ming: Mr. Speaker, the Customs D epartment continues to play an important role in the Bermuda economy and, moreover, has maintained their mission which is to promote compliance with Bermuda's customs laws through quality service and responsible enforcement. As 2021 was another cha llenging year, for not only the Customs Department, 318 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Bermuda and the entire world, it has forced all of us to maintain our business continuit y by adapting and i mplementing safe and compliant ways of doing bus iness. Our staff and officers are responsible for facil itating trade, assessing and collecting revenue and interdicting drugs and other contraband. Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like to thank the Collector of Customs, Ms. Pearman, and her team for their service to Bermuda. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, that brings us to an end of our Statements for this morning. The next item on the O rder Paper for this morning is the Reports of Commi ttees. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. QUESTION PERIOD
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe now move on to our Question Per iod and I am going to ask for your indulgence as there are questions that have been indicated by a Member for the Minister of National Security. I am going to ask that the Members indulge me at this time in allowing …
We now move on to our Question Per iod and I am going to ask for your indulgence as there are questions that have been indicated by a Member for the Minister of National Security. I am going to ask that the Members indulge me at this time in allowing that her questions to the Minister be put first because she wishes to attend the funeral for the officer who unfortunately lost his li fe recently. I would prefer to have that done before she leaves rather than not have the questions put in her absence. So with your indulgence, Members, Minister Ming there is one Member who has indicated that they would like to put a question to you in r eference to your Statement. MP Dunkley, would you like to put your question?
QUESTION 1: INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS DAY
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Good morning to you and colleagues and the listening audience. To the Honourable Minister : Minister, I think it was on the bottom of page 1 that you read that i mports have increased threefold over the period you refer to. For clarification, are you referring to total vol-ume of imports or the total number of people actually importing?
Hon. Ren ee Ming: Good day, Member. Thank you for your question. I think it is the volume of imports.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Okay. Mr. Speaker, I would ask that the Honourable Minister check that number because if the total —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary question? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Supplementary, Mr. Speaker. So if the total volume of imports has increased threefold, why is the economy struggling so much? Hon. Renee Ming: Mr. Speaker, a response to that would be that the revenue that would be collected would have to be determined. …
Supplementary question?
SUPPLEMENTARIES
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Supplementary, Mr. Speaker. So if the total volume of imports has increased threefold, why is the economy struggling so much? Hon. Renee Ming: Mr. Speaker, a response to that would be that the revenue that would be collected would have to be determined. The Member is saying that the economy would grow in accordance to the revenue that would have been collected, but I would have to look to see what categories that would be. There could be areas where there may not have been revenue collected. So, if he would like to have a breakdown, that is something that we can supply. But at this stage I would not have that information on hand. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you. I would appr eciate the information. Second s upplementary, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Does the Honourable Mi nister believe that the volume of imports is a good gauge for the health of an economy? Hon. Renee Ming: Mr. Speaker, I think that gauges for the economy can be left to the person responsible for Finance. Hon. Michael H. …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNo further questions? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Not on this matter, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister, that is the only Member who indicated they had a question for you so . . . Members, thank you for the indulgence of allowing the Minister to go first. And as she goes to the funeral, I am sure she will be taking the well wishes …
Thank you. Minister, that is the only Member who indicated they had a question for you so . . . Members, thank you for the indulgence of allowing the Minister to go first. And as she goes to the funeral, I am sure she will be taking the well wishes from all of us here at Parliament at this sad occasion. Minister, thank you. Let’s go back to the order of Statements. The first Statement this morning was from the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier, you have two Members who wish to ask questions of you. The first is from MP Pearman. MP Pearman, would you like to put your question?
Ms. Susan E. JacksonApologies, Mr. Speaker, he has unfortunately just been called away from his desk at this moment.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. I will go to the next Member and if he is back afterwards, he can put his question. The next question, Deputy Premier, is MP Dunkley would like to put questions to you. MP Dunkley. QUESTION 1: BLUE SHIELD: IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVE MARINE ENFORCEMENT OF OUR EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE …
Okay. I will go to the next Member and if he is back afterwards, he can put his question. The next question, Deputy Premier, is MP Dunkley would like to put questions to you. MP Dunkley.
QUESTION 1: BLUE SHIELD: IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVE MARINE ENFORCEMENT OF OUR EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Honourable Deputy Premier: In regard to Blue Shield, what will be the cost going forward to Bermuda and what expenses are picked up and paid for by the UK?
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you for the question. That will be determined by the assessment that we will receive as a result of the visit of the team that came from the UK. Those costs are determined, but this is a programme that is fully funded by the UK Government at this time and there are no determinant costs that are associated with the Berm uda Gover nment to this point.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you. Yes, suppl ementary, Mr. Speaker. To the Honourable Deputy Premier: Could the Honourable Deputy Premier please provide some background detail on how the Blue Shield Programme will be managed and run? In other words, what will be the organisational structure, including people …
Supplementary?
SUPPLEMENTARY
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you. Yes, suppl ementary, Mr. Speaker. To the Honourable Deputy Premier: Could the Honourable Deputy Premier please provide some background detail on how the Blue Shield Programme will be managed and run? In other words, what will be the organisational structure, including people from the UK and people from Bermuda?
Hon. Walter H. Roba n: Again, as I outlined in my Statement, we received a visit from the Marine Man-agement team in the UK to come and do an asses sment that will determine all those issues. But as it r elates to what I can tell you right now, the management of our participation in Blue Shield locally will be handled by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR].
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Second question, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerQuestion? Go ahead. QUESTION 2: BLUE SHIELD: IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVE MARINE ENFO RCEMENT OF OUR EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: So would the Honourable Deputy Premier say that we are still at the infancy stages as far as the final organisational structure and who will actually manage the …
Question? Go ahead. QUESTION 2: BLUE SHIELD: IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVE MARINE ENFO RCEMENT OF OUR EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: So would the Honourable Deputy Premier say that we are still at the infancy stages as far as the final organisational structure and who will actually manage the programme?
Hon. Walter H. Rob an: Yes. But I have answered the question that the local management will be done by the Department of Environment and Natural R esources. The scoping work that is being done and the assessment that is being done by the UK personnel who were here will give f urther details as to how that will be ultimately carried out.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Supplementary, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker. This is a laudable programme, obviously, the waters around Bermuda are an important resource for us to enhance and protect. So, Honourable Deputy Premier, do you believe that the Department of Energy [sic] and Natural Resources will require more human resources, …
Yes.
SUPPLEMENTARY
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker. This is a laudable programme, obviously, the waters around Bermuda are an important resource for us to enhance and protect. So, Honourable Deputy Premier, do you believe that the Department of Energy [sic] and Natural Resources will require more human resources, or resources to manage this pr ogramme effectively going forward? Hon. Walter H. Roban: You made reference to the Department of Energy, that is not the department that is dealing with this matter.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Sorry, I meant to say the Department of Environment.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: It is Department of Enviro nment and Natural Resources.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, DENR.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes. The answer is no. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Supplementary. So, to be clear, they can—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: —accomplish this work with the current resources. 320 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report B ermuda House of Assembly Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Honourable Minister.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerFurther question? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: No, Mr . Speaker, not on this.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDeputy Premier, let me just see if MP Pearman—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Pearman. QUESTION 1: BLUE SHIELD: IMPROVIN G THE EFFECTIVE MARINE ENFORCEMENT OF OUR EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Honourable Minister and Deputy Premier. In your Statement you refer to the latest pr oject being funded by the Blue Belt Programme to pr otect and enhance our territorial waters. The Blue Belt Programme funding . . . so that will be UK funding, will it? Hon. Walter …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary, yes. SUPPLEMENTARIES
Mr. Scott PearmanDo you envisage that there will be any Bermuda Government funding as well, or will it solely be UK funding? Hon. Walter H. Roban: At this point there is no d etermination that there is going to be any need for Bermuda Government funding.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you. At page 2 of your Statement, you refer to assistance from our neighbours. At the bottom of page 2. Is that a reference to the US? And, if so, are the USproviding funding for this as well, or is it solely UK funding? Hon. Walter H. Roban: There …
Thank you. At page 2 of your Statement, you refer to assistance from our neighbours. At the bottom of page 2. Is that a reference to the US? And, if so, are the USproviding funding for this as well, or is it solely UK funding? Hon. Walter H. Roban: There was work being done by the US. But they are not providing any funding in relation to Blue Shield.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. QUESTIO N 2: BLUE SHIELD: IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVE MARINE ENFORCEMENT OF OUR EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE
Mr. Scott PearmanOn page 4 of your Statement, you refer to the need to undertake assessment and gap analysis, a needs assessment and gap analysis , are your precise words. What do you currently see as the needs and the gaps? Hon. Walter H. Roban: That will be determined by the persons …
On page 4 of your Statement, you refer to the need to undertake assessment and gap analysis, a needs assessment and gap analysis , are your precise words. What do you currently see as the needs and the gaps? Hon. Walter H. Roban: That will be determined by the persons who came here. That is why they were here to do it. [ Crosstalk]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary, yes. SUPPLEMENTARY
Mr. Scott PearmanWill you be involved in that determination as well, or will the Bermuda Government be involved in that determination as well? Hon. Walter H. Roban: They will work with the D epartment of Environment and Natural Resources to deal with those issues once their report is completed.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you very much. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. D eputy Premier, those were the questions for you, and thank you for your participation, Members. The next Statement that has questions indicated this morning is to the Minister of Works in reference to his Statement on Tynes Bay. And MP Cannonier, would you like to put your questions? …
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. On page 3, I just wanted to find out, the Ho nourable Member mentioned in the second to last paragraph “To that end we have secured the services of Bermuda House of Assembly a project engineer to lead the project . . . .” I …
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. On page 3, I just wanted to find out, the Ho nourable Member mentioned in the second to last paragraph “To that end we have secured the services of
Bermuda House of Assembly a project engineer to lead the project . . . .” I was just wondering if he could tell us if this is a firm or is this an individual and who is the firm or individual that we have taken on as the project engineer?
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Honourable Member, it is an individual not a firm.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary or second question?
Mr. L. Craig CannonierNo, I asked in my first question, who is it? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: You mean his name?
Mr. L. Craig CannonierIs it within house? Is it within government? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No, no. We hired him on as a consultant.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierOkay. So who is the consultant? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I don’t know the person’s name, Honourable Member. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Wayne L. Furber t: I don’t know the name of the individu al, but we have taken somebody . . .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary, yes. SUPPLEMENTARIES
Mr. L. Craig CannonierI am just trying to understand. The Minister has hired a consul tant and he does not know who it is? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: The actual name . . . it is in house. I can get that name for you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe Minister has undertaken to provide the name for you, so . . . we will endeavour that the Minister will provide that to you at some point.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes. And at what cost did this consultant come at? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Let me get it for you. [Pause]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre you able to get that now, Minister, or would you like to supply that later? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I will give it to him right now.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: The total amount is $170,000 per year.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerFurther supplementary or new . . . that was your two supplementaries. Do you have a second question?
Mr. L. Craig CannonierNo. That’s fine, Mr. Speaker. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I will get that name for you if it makes a difference to you, Honourable Member.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister, that was the only Member who had question for you, so we thank you both for your parti cipation. The next Statement this morning where there is an indication of a question is that for the Minister of Labour. Minister of Labour, the Opposition Whip would like …
Thank you. Minister, that was the only Member who had question for you, so we thank you both for your parti cipation. The next Statement this morning where there is an indication of a question is that for the Minister of Labour. Minister of Labour, the Opposition Whip would like to put a question to you. Opposition Whip.
QUESTION 1: DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AUTOMATION UPDATE
Mr. Jarion RichardsonThank you. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, Minister and good mor ning to the listening public. Would the Honourable Minister please clarify how much this first phase of the project has cost at this point? Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, the budget numbers will be coming out soon, and …
Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, Minister and good mor ning to the listening public. Would the Honourable Minister please clarify how much this first phase of the project has cost at this point?
Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, the budget numbers will be coming out soon, and in my brief I will be sure to provide all the figures that pertain to the digit isation process but we [INAUDIBLE ] anticipate spen ding moving forward.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Jason Haywa rd: I can endeavour to provide that Honourable Member with those particular figures. I do not have them offhand. 322 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: The Minister has indicated that he will endeavour to get you the figures that …
Mr. Jarion RichardsonI have a supplementary, Mr. Speaker. The Minister on . . . the last time he gave us an update said that there was a capital budget alloc ation of some $80,000 for this project. Do we anticipate incurring any further cost (is what I should say, not how much …
I have a supplementary, Mr. Speaker. The Minister on . . . the last time he gave us an update said that there was a capital budget alloc ation of some $80,000 for this project. Do we anticipate incurring any further cost (is what I should say, not how much have we spent so far). Do we anticipate actually further costs up to the March launch date?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Jason Hayward: The capital approved, he is correct, is $80,000. However, I have been informed that the cost has risen above the $80,000 mark. And as we continue to upgrade the system and expand the capabilities of the system certainly we should expect cost increases. But those cost …
Minister.
Hon. Jason Hayward: The capital approved, he is correct, is $80,000. However, I have been informed that the cost has risen above the $80,000 mark. And as we continue to upgrade the system and expand the capabilities of the system certainly we should expect cost increases. But those cost increases will be fund-ed out of the budget allocation for the Department of Immigration and I will endeavour to ensure that this is clearly articulated when we go through our budget briefs.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. That was your second suppl ementary, is there an additional question?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSecond question. QUESTION 2: DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AUTOMATION UPDATE
Mr. Jarion RichardsonI would like to ask, Will the Ministry calculate the cost savings from the autom ation project? Hon. Jason Hayward: I belie ve the Honourable Member is talking about in- house efficiencies, but there will be certainly cost savings as it pertains to our plans, but the cost will be …
I would like to ask, Will the Ministry calculate the cost savings from the autom ation project?
Hon. Jason Hayward: I belie ve the Honourable Member is talking about in- house efficiencies, but there will be certainly cost savings as it pertains to our plans, but the cost will be surrounded by supplies as it pertains to our printing of paper applications and these of that nature. And so we would not know the cost savings until after project has commenced in earnest and we were able to calculate the efficiencies created from one year versus previous years.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPut your supplementary. SUPPLEMENTARY
Mr. Jarion RichardsonIs it the view of the Minister that it would be a worthwhile exercise to undertake a cost-savings analysis after a one- year period of pr oject automation? Hon. Jason Hayward: Yes, ce rtainly. I believe if we are saying that we are moving in a more efficient manner it …
Is it the view of the Minister that it would be a worthwhile exercise to undertake a cost-savings analysis after a one- year period of pr oject automation?
Hon. Jason Hayward: Yes, ce rtainly. I believe if we are saying that we are moving in a more efficient manner it should be our responsibility to demonstrate the efficiencies that are created by the system. So, certainly, what we will do is monitor the fees that were . . . the cost of processing applications in previous years versus the cost of processing applications in future years to determine what those efficiencies actually are.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThird question, go ahead. QUESTION 2: DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AUTOMATION UPDATE
Mr. Jarion RichardsonWould the Honourable Mini ster inform this House how much processing time or application processing time we anticipate being cut by the automation project? Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, that will be better answered when we commence the process in earnest and go through all of our trial phases. Right …
Would the Honourable Mini ster inform this House how much processing time or application processing time we anticipate being cut by the automation project?
Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, that will be better answered when we commence the process in earnest and go through all of our trial phases. Right now we would be doing an estimation based off trials. It is not an accurate volume. And so the way in which we would be able to determine that is to see how much human resources would be allocated for the volume of applications that actually come in in a digital format. The Honourable Member would have to appreciate that we will want simultaneous digitis ed a pplication process with a paper -based application pr ocess at the beginning and so we would have a stretch of resources at the beginning of the project and it would not be a proper measure as to the efficiencies that are created in processing times. However, I am certain that as we move to a more digitised and automated format it will reduce processing times as these last steps that will be undertaken by the staff to process any one application form.
Mr. Jarion RichardsonNo supplementary, no further questions. Thank you, Honourable Minister. Thank you,
Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThank you. Bermuda House of Assembly Minister, those were the only questions that were for you this morning. So thank you both for your participation. The next Statement this morning where there is an indication of questions is for the Minister of Health. Minister, you have a question from MP …
Thank you.
Bermuda House of Assembly Minister, those were the only questions that were for you this morning. So thank you both for your participation. The next Statement this morning where there is an indication of questions is for the Minister of Health. Minister, you have a question from MP Dunkley. MP Dunkley, put your question.
QUESTION 1: BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY 2022- 2027
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Honourable Minister, you mention on page 2 that the KPMG advisory division has supported this work. To date, what fees have been paid for their work in this regard?
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I do not have that number in front of me, but I will undertake to provide that to the Honourable Member and that will obviously be outlined as well during the Budget Debate next week. But if I can get that information to the Honour able Member today, I will. But I will ensure that it will be part of the Budget Statement when we discuss the Heads because it relates to health and in particular the Department of Health. If I can find the answer in a few minutes, I can provide it to him but in any event, I will ensure that the expenses paid to date . . . actually, in addition to that, I believe that these paid to date are in the public domain as it was a question that was answered by the Honourable former Minister of Finance a few weeks ago with respect to KPMG’s expenses. But in any event, I will ensure th at this is a part of the budget representation as well.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: That certainly is accept able. And also, as part of the supplementary, if the Honourable Minister could outline in detail the fees going forward to the end of the programme.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThat was a supplementary? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, that was supplementary. Second question, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo ahead. QUESTION 2 : BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY 2022- 2027 Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you. On page 4 of the nine- page Statement, the Honourable Minister outlines the eight strategic princ iples, and while all of them are laudable and very i mportant, most of them are things that …
Go ahead. QUESTION 2 : BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY 2022- 2027
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you. On page 4 of the nine- page Statement, the Honourable Minister outlines the eight strategic princ iples, and while all of them are laudable and very i mportant, most of them are things that would be expected when you are dealing with health care, such as focusing on people- centred care, understanding our population’s health needs. The one that I would like to ask a question about here during this Question Per iod, Mr. Speaker, is bullet point number four, providing universal access to health care coverage. To the Honourable Minister: How will this be done, who will pay for it, and what will be involvement of the insurance companies?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honourable Member for that question. As was indicated in the Statement and when colleagues have an opportunity to actually read through the Health Strat egy you will note that providing access to health care coverage, which is bullet point …
Minister.
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honourable Member for that question. As was indicated in the Statement and when colleagues have an opportunity to actually read through the Health Strat egy you will note that providing access to health care coverage, which is bullet point number four, does speak to the need to deal with the unsustainable cost as well as addressing the issue of improving the health outcomes of our population. At this point answers to questions such as the cost and/or the particulars as it relates to how that particular bullet point number four, core option number four, will be deli vered are still matters that have to be considered. What is of equal importance, Mr. Speaker, and I am hoping that members of the public will adhere to our rallying cry which is to get an involvement from stakeholders, not just the medical community, patient representatives, insurance companies, TUC, international business, and the like, to join with Go vernment as we work collaboratively to deliver univer-sal health care that will en compass providing access to health care for our residents [at an] affordable price as well as ensuring that we take steps to have a people-centred care focus. So, we will be inviting me mbers of the public to collaborate and join with us to work together as we access that. The providing access to health care coverage at bullet number four does have some of the details but we just recognise that there are still a number of questions that have to be answered which is why we are calling on persons to help to join with us as we move toward this goal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Supplementary, Mr. Speaker. 324 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I appreciate the answer, which really doesn’t answer this specific question. So supplementary, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPut your supplementary. Rephrase it and maybe you will get the answer you are looking for. SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I have learned that from you. I will try to do t hat. To the Honourable Minister: What will be the involvement of the current insurance …
Put your supplementary. Rephrase it and maybe you will get the answer you are looking for.
SUPPLEMENTARIES
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I have learned that from you. I will try to do t hat. To the Honourable Minister: What will be the involvement of the current insurance companies in providing universal access to health care coverage?
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, as we have indicated before, the access to universal health care, we will be looking to provide essential care to individuals at a cost that can be attained as well as when it is needed. However, we have always maintained that there will always be a need for supplemental insurance, so the insurance companies will still be able to offer a supplemental benefit. What we will be doing under our health care system is providing just the essential benefits that are required for individuals. There will always be a need for supplemental insurance.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Supplementary, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary, yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, so who will pay for the essential level of insurance? Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, those are matters that have to be determined. We note that the public will obviously . . . the essential service package will be provided to …
Supplementary, yes.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, so who will pay for the essential level of insurance?
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, those are matters that have to be determined. We note that the public will obviously . . . the essential service package will be provided to all members of the public. Insofar as who will pay for it is a matter that need to be determined by the various working groups that will be established as per the roadmap in the document that was tabled t oday.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I believe I have run out of supplementaries so final question.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerFinal question. QUESTION 3: THE BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY 2022- 2027 Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Honourable Minister: Will Government be controlling the essential level of insurance prov ision?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, those are matters that need to be determined follo wing our collaborative approach. It is not envisioned that this will be a Government -run pr ogramme. You will note that we have the HID GHI as well as . …
Minister.
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, those are matters that need to be determined follo wing our collaborative approach. It is not envisioned that this will be a Government -run pr ogramme. You will note that we have the HID GHI as well as . . . HIP insurance . . . excuse me, HIP and FutureCare which are arms of the Government. You will note as well one of the Throne Speech initiatives that is in the Bermuda Health Strategy, which is for us to look at administratively, collaboratively . . . excuse me, engaging and administratively connecting the current Government’s policies for economies of scale and the like. However, it is not envisioned that whatever the Bermuda Health Plan and essential services packages would be run by Government. Not at all.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Supplementary, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I thank the Honourable Minister for that answer. So [if] it is not envisioned to be run by Government, who will actually run this very important part of this universal health care coverage? Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned in …
Supplementary.
SUPPLEMENTARY
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I thank the Honourable Minister for that answer. So [if] it is not envisioned to be run by Government, who will actually run this very important part of this universal health care coverage?
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned in this House previously, those are discussions that will be had. If it is envisioned that this would be something that would go out privately to be an RFP, and whoever going through that RFP process is the selected vendor, then that is how w e will proceed. But those are matters . . . it is still too premature for us to be able to provide concrete answers to that. It is all part of the collaboration that we will be asking me mbers of the public to help participate in as we move forward toward our objectives.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Minister, and thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister, there are no other Member who has questions for you this morning. We thank you both for your participation. The next Statement t his morning where Members have indicated they have questions is for the Minister of Education. Minister, MP Jackson would like to put a ques …
Thank you. Minister, there are no other Member who has questions for you this morning. We thank you both for your participation. The next Statement t his morning where Members have indicated they have questions is for the Minister of Education. Minister, MP Jackson would like to put a ques tion to you.
Bermuda House of Assembly Ms. Susan E. Jackson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. QUESTION 1: SCHOOL -RELATED COVID -19 UPDATE
Ms. Susan E. JacksonMy question is just in relation to page 4 where the Minister read the email about the Minister of National Security, Renee Ming, “ just said recently that children as young as eight years old are being recruited into gangs now.” I am just wondering, what the Minister’s plans are …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMember, if you have a question for the Statement by Minister Ming, you should have addressed it while she was taking questions. The Stat ement t hat you are—
Ms. Susan E. JacksonIt is in the Education Mini ster’s Ministerial Statement. I was just quoting what was on page 4 of the Education Minister’s Statement.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. The same information is there, but you started off . . . you put y ourself on thin ice when you made reference to the fact that you were addressing Minister Ming’s Statement.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonYes, it was . . . when I said “statement,” I should have said “quoted.”
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. So, you are addressing the content of the Education Minister’s [Statement, so you can] continue.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThank you, Mr. Speaker. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: You didn’t finish asking your question.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonYes, I am just curious what plans you are expecting to put in place to address this situation where we have eight -year-old being recruited into gangs. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Again, I can refer back to Minister Ming’s Statement where she talked about things that —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAah! Aah! Aah! I am going to caution you as to how you refer to that, Minister, because I just cautioned her for her question. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I know. She is asking what am I putting in place, but it is a . . . it was …
Aah! Aah! Aah! I am going to caution you as to how you refer to that, Minister, because I just cautioned her for her question. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I know. She is asking what am I putting in place, but it is a . . . it was already co vered in Minister Ming’s Statement, and it is not som ething that the department is putting in place, it is something that the Government is putting in place. And that is that they are putting in place things to a ddress gang violence. I am not sure what exactly she is asking for. Does she want an actual programme? Does she want something that is very specific? She has to be more specific than that.
[Inaudible interjections]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonWell, Minister, it is a concer ning quote here that you included in your Statement. And, you know . . . “When you have had no consistent home or school environment for two years, the safety net and belonging of a gang is pretty enticing.” I am just curious, if …
Well, Minister, it is a concer ning quote here that you included in your Statement. And, you know . . . “When you have had no consistent home or school environment for two years, the safety net and belonging of a gang is pretty enticing.” I am just curious, if we have eight -year-olds and young teenagers who are vulnerable, what is the education system doing to mitigate or address this declaration that you added to your Statement?
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, I would allow some leeway with the r ationale that this was put in there and it also speaks to the mind- set of t he persons who we are dealing with today. That was put in there because that was a letter [we] received [from] a private school parent arguing why there should be a different policy in place for pr ivate schools versus public schools by intimating that in public schools our children do not have consistent home or school environments. I am amazed that this went over that Member’s head, and she is now asking what we are doing to put in place without repudiating the statement that a parent would think that our children have not had co nsistent home lives. Who are we to judge that? But, Mr. Speaker, I will answer that question. We are putting things in place to address the entic ement of gangs at the lower level. As I mentioned, the Minister of National Security i s working very hard. In fact, we did meet previously, and we did have meetings on Monday to talk about . . . and she presented some ideas of what could happen cross -Ministry to help with her Ministry to deal with gang- related activ ity. But, Mr. Speaker, as I said, that statement was a broad statement brought by a parent of a pr ivate school student claiming that this is why we should have different policies in place for public and private [schools]. So, I do not understand how that part was missed because t hat was the only reason why I mentioned that part of the Statement.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThank you, Mr. Speaker. It clearly did not distinguish between who a uthored that quote within this Statement and — Hon. Diallo V. S. R abain: Mr. Speaker, can I offer a correction? 326 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Statement states clearly, I quote …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerHer point was that you did indicate that you received it from a parent, but it didn’t say whether the parent was a private or public school parent. [Crosstalk] Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: It actually did, Mr. Speaker, but we can move on. The Statement was quite clear.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThank you, Mr. Speaker, I do not h ave any further questions.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister, that was the only Member who had questions for you this morning. Thank you both for your participation.
Mr. Jarion RichardsonMr. Speaker, I just put som ething in just as the Minister was ans wering the question earlier.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. Minister, the Opposition Whip would like to put a question to you. QUESTION 1: SCHOOL -RELATED COVID -19 UPDATE
Mr. Jarion RichardsonThank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Honourable Minister. Minister, on page 4 of your Statement you said that these emails were a glimpse into the mind-set of some of our citizens and it saddens you. Further, it highlights [the] two Bermuda mind- sets that some of our citizen’s harbour. Without …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Honourable Minister. Minister, on page 4 of your Statement you said that these emails were a glimpse into the mind-set of some of our citizens and it saddens you. Further, it highlights [the] two Bermuda mind- sets that some of our citizen’s harbour. Without agreeing that there are only two mind -sets in Bermuda, I do ask: Have you reached out to anyone else from this other mind -set?
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I am responding to the emails as they are received. And as I stated in the Statement, with their increasingly promoting or asking that there be two policies being put in place, I could only reach out to the persons who have emailed me. I can state that I have reached out to the heads of all of our private schools to ask them if this is something that they are aware of, and they have all s aid no. They do not promote two different sets of rules. They agree that we need to have one set of rules for everybody.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES
Mr. Jarion RichardsonThank you Honourable Mi nister. What is the disruption that we would anticipate from this other mind- set? [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Jarion RichardsonSorry, on the top of page 5. It says, “I am confident mind- sets like this will not disrupt [or dissuade] the majority of us from doing what is in the best interests . . . .” So what disruptions was he speaking about? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Disruptions, …
Sorry, on the top of page 5. It says, “I am confident mind- sets like this will not disrupt [or dissuade] the majority of us from doing what is in the best interests . . . .” So what disruptions was he speaking about?
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Disruptions, as in marches, refusing to send children to school, refusing to adhere to the safety guidelines we have in place. Those type of disruptions. And the disruption of us marching t owards creating a more . . . looking at what we have in place and creating a more balanced approach to the guidelines that we do have in place. As I stated later on in this Statement, we are reviewing the phases. We are reviewing the quara ntine measures and we are reviewing the mask wearing . . . something on that shortly. So, I do not antic ipate those types of pushes toward creating separate policies. Depending on whether you are at a private school or at a public school it will be something t hat will distract us from moving forward with what we need to do and that is to create a policy that is conf idently keeping our schools in for in- school learning for both public and private.
Mr. Jarion RichardsonSuppl ementary, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister assure us that there will be no adverse consequences for anyone who raises an opinion that is framed as another opinion for the Mi nister, an “other mind- set”?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I actually don’t know how to answer that question, Mr. Speaker, because it is a bsolutely ridiculous. Everyone is allowed to send in their comments. Every comment is read, every comment is taken as we move forward. Some things will be implemented, some things …
Minister.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I actually don’t know how to answer that question, Mr. Speaker, because it is a bsolutely ridiculous. Everyone is allowed to send in their comments. Every comment is read, every comment is taken as we move forward. Some things will be implemented, some things wi ll not. I am not sure if he is referring to the good old days of the former rei teration of the OBA where if anyone made a comment against the Government when the UBP was in power that their mortgage would get pulled or they will be disenfranchised in some sort of way. Perhaps that is what he is referring to, —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAah! Aah! Aah! Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: —but this Government does not act . . . this Government does not debate— Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Minister! Minister! Let’s not have to do all that type of speculation. Let’s just deal with the questions before us, please. …
Aah! Aah! Aah! Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: —but this Government does not act . . . this Government does not debate—
Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Minister! Minister! Let’s not have to do all that type of speculation. Let’s just deal with the questions before us, please. Thank you.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, quite hones tly, I am trying to speculate what sort of retaliation he could be referring to. Perhaps he could be more specific.
Mr. Jarion RichardsonNo thank you, Mr. Speaker. I got the answer to the question. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. No other Members have questions for the Minister of Education. The next Statement that has questions this morning is the Statement from the Minister of Transport. Minister of Transport. MP Jackson, would you like to put your question to the Minister? QUESTION 1: UPDATE ON THE NEW ELECTRIC …
Ms. Susan E. JacksonYes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am just wonder ing if the Minister would be so kind as to provide any detail on the actual installation of the integrated 60- bus charging station and solar PV project at Fort Langton depot. Who will actually be installing that equipment and is …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Mr. Speaker, that is still in the advanced stages of the RFP process, so it would be inappropriate of me to share any other detailed information like that at this time.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonI do not have a supplementary on that. I will just await further information and detail on the company that will be installing the char ging stations. And, no, I do not have any further questions at this time. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister, MP Tyrrell would like to put a question to you. QUESTION 1: UPDATE ON THE NEW ELECTRIC BUSES
Mr. Neville S. TyrrellThank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning colleagues. Minister, in your Statement it is noted th at the new electric buses can travel up to 180 kilometres at full capacity. Question: What is the typical distance our existing buses travel, on average, on any given day?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Mr. Speaker, on any given day our b uses travel 150 kilometres.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe will take the supplementary to the first question. SUPPLEMENTARY
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes, thank you very much. I would appreciate it if the Minister could put that into miles. He is spe aking kilometres and most Bermudians would not know the conversion of that. They tend to speak in miles. Could he give us that breakdown in miles as opposed to kilometres, …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister, the question from the MP is, can you just put in a s imple conversion to miles rather than kilometres because most Bermudians are still on miles. Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: You divide 150 by 1.6 which gives you roughly about 100 miles.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary. SUPPLEMENTARY
Ms. Susan E. JacksonYes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. About how many miles does one bus travel each day for its circuit, its route? Do you know that Minister?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. 328 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. W. Lawrence S cott: Mr. Speaker, that was the question that I just answered. [It is] 150 kilometres or close to, just under, just shy of 100 miles.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNo, I think the Member had rephrased the question. The original question . . . you indicated that the bus it self, the electric bus, would get 180 ki lometres or 100 miles. The question now is: What is the normal route that a bus travels each day? Is it …
No, I think the Member had rephrased the question. The original question . . . you indicated that the bus it self, the electric bus, would get 180 ki lometres or 100 miles. The question now is: What is the normal route that a bus travels each day? Is it u nder 100 miles or more than 100 miles?
Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Okay. Let me provide some clarification. On pag e 2, we state that the “ The 180-kilowatt battery has a range of 180 kilometres at full capacity with . . .” (and that is with the AC on and full seats). On any given day our current buses will travel 150 kilometres.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSo, the electric range is far enough to cover the normal conditional daily route? Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: The daily route plus 30 kilometres —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: —at full capacity.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPut your question. QUESTION 2: UPDATE ON THE NEW ELECTRIC BUSES
Mr. Neville S. TyrrellThank you, Mr. Speak er. Minister, what is the expected lifespan of the batteries of the new electric buses? Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Okay. So the . . . I will give you three key numbers. There is a 12- year life expectancy for the vehicle. There is a 2- year complete veh icle warranty. And there is an 8- year electric drivetrain and battery warranty.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. And no supplementaries from anyone else? That brings us to a close of the Question P eriod this morning. Thank you all, Members, for your participation. We will now move on [to] the next item on the Order Paper this morning. CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECHES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDoes any Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDeputy Premier. You have your three minutes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to ask that the House pass on condolences to one particular family, a very well - known family within the Pembroke East, North Village area, the Tweed family, on the …
Deputy Premier. You have your three minutes.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to ask that the House pass on condolences to one particular family, a very well - known family within the Pembroke East, North Village area, the Tweed family, on the passing of Ms. BonnieJean Thelma Marie Tweed, a member of the Tweed family who live s very close to Palmetto Road and is a fixture of the North Village and that area around the Devonshire Recreation Club. So I would just like to make sure that —
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberI would like to be associated. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —this death in the fami ly is noted as many of us who are familiar with the North Village area know them well. I would also like to be associated (as I was not able to last week, the last …
I would like to be associated.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: —this death in the fami ly is noted as many of us who are familiar with the North Village area know them well. I would also like to be associated (as I was not able to last week, the last sitting, Mr. Speaker, be associated) with whatever condolences were given to Mr. Greg Swan. I have known Mr. Swan since the 1990s. He was clearly a well -known figure in the tel ecommunications and even in the utility community having had a career associated not only with tel ecommunications in one of our major telecom provi ders, he was obviously a civil servant and was well known in the business community and was also a commissioner of the Regulatory Authority. So his expertise in these areas is well known and clearly he is associated with a very well -known family within our educational sphere. So I would like to be associated with whatever condolences were given. And also, of course, he was a chair of the Public Service Commi ssion, so his prominence in public life and in private life certainly has to be recognised.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. W alter H. Roban: So, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I be associated with whatever condolences were already given [regarding] Mr. Swan?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Would any other Member like to make their contribution—
Ms. Lovitta F. FoggoYes, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to give a hearty congratulatory remark to the St. George’s Parish Council. Mr. Speaker, during these last couple of years throughout the pandemic, the type of services that the St. George’s Parish Council has provided has been not hing less …
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to give a hearty congratulatory remark to the St. George’s Parish Council. Mr. Speaker, during these last couple of years throughout the pandemic, the type of services that the St. George’s Parish Council has provided has been not hing less than stellar and remarkable (I would say). They have gone out of their way to make certain that people who are in need recei ve all sorts of vouchers. They have liaised with Members of Parliament to see how further they can assist members of the community safely, getting through those difficult ec onomic times. And I think that not enough has been said about the type of service and the type of support that Parish Council has provided so that we all can help our brothers and sisters through these difficult times. And I just thought that it was time for mention to be made of the great work and great support that St. George’s Parish Council has provided. And I have to say St. George’s Parish Council because I live in the Parish of St. George’s and I am speaking directly to how they have gone over and above to ensure that a great many people have r eceived assistance and help where needed for all of us to manage through this dreadful time of COVID -19. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. [Inaudible interjections]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDoes any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time?
Mr. Neville S. TyrrellMr. Speaker, I ask that this Honourable House send condolences to the family of the late George Rock, another one of my constituents who recently passed, of Lusher Hill. Persons who would know Mr. Rock are most likely cricketeers who are familiar with that sport. And I would imagine that …
Mr. Speaker, I ask that this Honourable House send condolences to the family of the late George Rock, another one of my constituents who recently passed, of Lusher Hill. Persons who would know Mr. Rock are most likely cricketeers who are familiar with that sport. And I would imagine that Mr. Rock is probably in the record books of the cricket fraternity. So I ask that condolences be sent to his famil y, especially his wife, Anita, who I also know quite well. Thank you, very much, for that, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. Thank you, MP. Would any other Member like to make a contribution at this time?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Richardson, you have the floor.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonGood morning to you and the listening audience. Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a somewhat sad day for us here at Cedar Aviation and the broader ai rport family because we laid to rest Mr. Ervin Burg ess. He was a long- serving employee in the entire airport community. He worked …
Good morning to you and the listening audience. Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a somewhat sad day for us here at Cedar Aviation and the broader ai rport family because we laid to rest Mr. Ervin Burg ess. He was a long- serving employee in the entire airport community. He worked at the airport in various capacities for about 35 years. He was a very strong team member. He knew what to do, when to do it, but he was also very, very playful. And that added to the enjoyment of the workday. Unfortunately, he did die suddenly on February 6 and he leaves to mourn a large family, including his brother Shannon; his two children, Thierry and Sanaa; and Selena, who is the mother of his children. And also he is a cousin of the Deputy Speaker, Derrick Burgess, and Dr. Warner. On a much happier note, I want to also reco gnise many birthdays of persons in our constituency 7, which would have been . . . I won’t say their ages, but Ms. Pauline Dickinson, Caroline Hammond, Kenneth Harrison, Valerie Madeiros, Cherily n Talbot, Beth Vesey , Anita Troake, Patricia Hol lis and Pamela Da wson. And Mr. Speaker, these persons . . . again, I won’t give their individual ages; however, they are celebrating significant milestones, most of which are beyond the age of 60. They represent significant i nformation and heritage and strength in our community and we certainly wish them well as they carry on to give valuable contributions. Thank you.
330 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Thank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member? There are none. Before we move on I would just like to send out a very happy birthday wish to a young 80- year-old, Ms. Loretta Bascome of Khyber Pass who is celebrating her birthday today . And I say young because I have always thought of her as a younger member of the family in her appearance there. And she still has that young youthful energy that she displays. So Happy Birthday to Ms. Bascome today on your 80 th birthday.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI can associate you. Okay. I thought you were bringing another one. Okay. Mr. Swan would like to be associated as well. We will now move on. MATTERS OF PRIVILEGE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. NOTICE OF MOTIONS FOR THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE ON MATTERS OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS GOVERNMENT BILLS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are two [ Government] Bills to be introduced this morning. Both are in the name of Mi nister Furbert, Acting Minister of Works. Minister, would you like to introduce your matters? FIRST READING MUNICIPALITIES AMENDMENT ACT 2022 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am …
There are two [ Government] Bills to be introduced this morning. Both are in the name of Mi nister Furbert, Acting Minister of Works. Minister, would you like to introduce your matters? FIRST READING
MUNICIPALITIES AMENDMENT ACT 2022
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following Bill for its first reading so that it may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: The Munic ipalities Amendment Act 2022. Mr. Speaker, should I do the next one?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes, d o the second. FIRST READING MUNICIPALITIES AMENDMENT (NO. 2) ACT 2022 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following Bill for its first reading so that it may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: The …
Yes, d o the second.
FIRST READING
MUNICIPALITIES AMENDMENT (NO. 2) ACT 2022
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following Bill for its first reading so that it may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: The Munic ipalities Amendment (No. 2) Act 2022. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, there are no other Bills to be intr oduced today. That now takes us to the business of the day, the Orders of the Day. ORDERS OF THE DAY
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe first item for debate this morning is the second reading of the Matrimonial Causes (Faul tless Divorce) Amendment Act 2022 in the name of the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs. Madam Attorney General, would you like to present your matter at this time? Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood afternoon. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill entitled the Matrimonial Causes (Faultless Divorce) Amendm ent Act 2022 be now read the second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections? None. Continue, Minister. BILL SECOND READING Bermuda House of Assembly MATRIMONIAL CAUSES (FAULTLESS DIVORCE) AMENDMENT ACT 2022 Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, t his Bill amends the Matrimonial Causes Act 1974 to reform the current legal process for obtaining a divorce, …
Are there any objections? None. Continue, Minister.
BILL
SECOND READING
Bermuda House of Assembly MATRIMONIAL CAUSES (FAULTLESS DIVORCE) AMENDMENT ACT 2022
Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, t his Bill amends the Matrimonial Causes Act 1974 to reform the current legal process for obtaining a divorce, nullity of marriage or judicial separation, and for related matters. The Bill repr esents the first part of a raft of reforms aimed at mod-ernising m atrimonial law in Bermuda. The proposed amendments are intended to aid in the reduction of conflict between persons applying to court for divorce, nullity of marriage or judicial separation, by reframing the prescribed procedures and formalities affecting arguably the most contentious parts of the court pr ocess for divorce. This Bill, Mr. Speaker, will principally usher in a new —and much needed—legal process which r eplaces the requirement for persons seeking a divorce to satisfy the court of “irretrievable breakdown” of the marriage by proving “evidence of conduct,” sometimes referred to as “separation facts” during the divorce proceedings. The proposed amendments will allow, instead, either party to a marriage to apply for a divorce order and to provide a “ statement of irretriev able breakdown” as conclusive evidence that the marriage has broken down irreversibly. Mr. Speaker, these kinds of reforms to matr imonial laws are commonly referred to as “no- fault” or “faultless” divorce regimes. They are so called because they remove the unhelpful blaming and shaming associated with having to prove, in court, that the conduct of one of the parties is at fault for the breakdown of the marriage. Mr. Speaker, allow me firstly to frame the cur - rent law at it stands. A person, or the petitioner, may apply for a divorce if he or she proves to the court that the marriage has irretrievably broken down and that one of the five facts referred to in this statute is rel evant to the marriage breakdown. Three facts are based on conduct (adultery, behaviour commonly referred to as “unreasonable behaviour,” and desertion). The other two prescribed divorce facts to be proved under the existing law are based on a period of separation prior to filing the d ivorce petition. Two years if both parties consent to the divorce, or five years otherwise. Under the current legal process, the court can hold that the marriage has broken down irretrievably only if it is satisfied on the evidence presented, that one of the five divorce facts is proved. If one of the five facts is determined, the court will grant a decree of divorce. We will go into more detail in Committee, Mr. Speaker, but in short, an element of blame or fault puts an onus on the respondent to the application to defend or refute the claims made by the petitioner unless the petitioner (the person applying for the di-vorce) is relying on separation. The proposed no- fault form of divorce will reduce the conflict which can be caused by allegations of fault, or blame, and permit more focus on the best interests of the children when marriage breaks down and divorce proceedings are instituted. Mr. Speaker, this Government is mindful of the arguments of those who might believe that the introduction of faultless divorce will somehow undermine t he institution of marriage or may risk an uptick in the divorce rate. The public perception is that it is easier to get a divorce. However, the decision to d ivorce ought to be a personal matter which is well considered by the parties to the union. State interventions which operate to force persons to remain in unhealthy relationships ought to be curtailed. Mr. Speaker, marriage and divorce statistics for Bermuda as published by the Department of St atistics indicate that in the years 2016 to 2019 the trend shows a decrease in marriages and a slight increase in divorces. For example, 2017 [had] the most divor ces with 175 divorce petitions filed and 173 divorces granted. In comparison, 2019 saw 168 divorce pet itions filed with 123 divorces granted. Mr. Speaker, unreasonable behaviour was the most cited reason for fault -based divorce in Bermuda during the years 2016 to 2019. On average, between 65 per cent and 75 per cent of divorces annually attributed unreasonable behaviour as the reason for the divorce. The remainder of the annual divorces were granted on the basis of a period of judicial separation with a fraction of 1 per cent of divorces granted on the basis of adultery or desertion. Mr. Speaker, due to the technical requir ements of the existing procedures the process can be quite intimidating for lay persons to navigate. For this and other commendable reasons, faultless divorce regimes have been implemented in several countries within the Commonwealth such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and in most states in the United States of America, to modernise and streamline the legal processes for divorce, judicial separation, and nullity of marriage. The amendments proposed in this Bill are modelled after the United Kingdom’s Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020. Mr. Speaker, the stress, effort and cost for persons to show fault is thought to be unnecessary, as it often conceals the real reason for the breakdown in the marriage and can be a factor which discourages spouses suffering under domestic abuse for filing d ivorce or separation proceedings in the first place. There may be circumstances where persons do not wish to further antagonise an already emotional situ ation by placing blame on their spouse for fear of r epercussions or because they want t o maintain some semblance of peace within the family relations. Mr. Speaker, socially we are all too familiar with the associated stresses within divorce proceed-ings which can cause angst, conflict and disagreement in families. The parties tend to become e m332 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly broiled in the contentious partisan features of the pr oceedings, often demonstrating an inability to look at matters objectively in the interests of all parties concerned, especially the children. This means that at an already stressful time in their lives, the current pr ocess incentivises parties to focus on negative conduct and make allegations about past events, potentially introducing or aggravating ongoing conflict. As a result, divorce proceedings can become drawn out, overly contentious and painful , producing indifference and acrimony within the family. The r esulting impact often strains a family’s finances and health and prejudices any hope of maintaining amic able relationships moving forward. Mr. Speaker, the amendments provided for in this Bill r emove some of the hurdles for applying for and obtaining a divorce, nullity of marriage or judicial separation. For example, amendments will introduce minimum time periods into the divorce procedures and modernise archaic language and terminology by i nserting plain English terms that are easily understan dable such as: “applicant,” “divorce order” and “divorce order final.” Mr. Speaker, amendments in the Bill also r evise the statutory timelines with the procedural steps required to obtain a divorce or nullit y of marriage. R evised timelines will help streamline processes and prevent case backlogs as well as unnecessarily pr otracted proceedings. Adjusting the time periods will not reduce the accessibility for parties to reconsider, or change course during divor ce, nullity of marriage or separation proceedings. Under the revised time per iods, an application for divorce will take a minimum of 20 weeks, which equates to 5 months, to obtain a final divorce order from the courts. Applicants seeking null ity of marriage will have between a 4- and 12- week time period before a nullity of marriage order is made final. Mr. Speaker, provision is made in the Bill for the Minister, after consulting the Chief Justice, to shorten or lengthen these statutory time periods in the divorce process by way of an order. The courts will also be empowered to shorten the time periods in a particular case by applying its judicial discretion. Mr. Speaker, reducing the legal and procedural complex ities directly translates into a reduction in legal costs for parties, and simplifies the process for “litigants -inperson” who may not be able to afford legal represe ntation. Such savings can then be used towards sustaining the family members and children in the post - divorce environment. Mr. Speaker, the Government is mindful that the present Bill prescribes measures that are expected to reduce conflict between parties, and by doing so will reduce harm and trauma caused to children who live through a parental divorce. Other areas where we are institut ing practical changes to the pr ocess include establishing an easily accessible online platform to facilitate divorce and separation filings. This platform will contain information to assist parties with understanding their rights, obligations and the judicial process. Mr. Speaker, the amendments set forth in this Bill will change the law by removing the legal requir ement to make allegations of fault about spousal conduct but to have lived separately for up to five years. This Government continues to support marriage and healthy family arrangements. These amendments offer better chances that people will move on more constructively when divorce is inevitable. This ultimately benefits children and families. Mr. Speaker, should these amendments become law, ther e will indeed be space for more amic able outcomes for families facing marriage breakdown and divorce. The legal process —in and of itself —will no longer contribute to amplifying or adding to the conflict between the parties in the ways we know that the exis ting court process may exacerbate. Mr. Speaker, I am confident that the proposed Bill will garner cross -aisle support. The provisions of the Bill have been seen by the Family Bar SubCommittee of the Bermuda Bar Association and the Family Court, who provided meaningful, constructive comments on an illustrative draft of the Bill. Mr. Speaker, this Bill is the cornerstone of an improved framework for faultless divorce in Bermuda that is to be further developed as we monitor and evaluate the emerging trends after implementation. Whilst this Bill goes a long way in intended outcomes, it is the first part of a raft of reforms aimed at moder nising matrimonial law in Bermuda. And with those introductory remarks, Mr. Speaker, I now read for the second time the Bil l entitled the Matrimonial Causes [(Faultless Divorce)] Amendment Act 2022. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Mr. Scott Pearman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, MP Pearman. The Speake r: MP Pearman, you have the floor.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Speaker. And my thanks to the Honourable and Learned Attorney General for her helpful presentation. I note that one of the questions she put forth in anticipation indicated was that she was hopeful for cross- party support on this Bill. And let me assure her that she …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my thanks to the Honourable and Learned Attorney General for her helpful presentation. I note that one of the questions she put forth in anticipation indicated was that she was hopeful for cross- party support on this Bill. And let me assure her that she has it. This is a Bill that the Opposition supports and for reasons I shall elaborate upon in a m oment, an area where perhaps the Bill might also go further. So, let’s step back for a moment and delve into the history very briefly, Mr. Speaker, the history of divorce law.
Bermuda House of Assembly Historically, society, and by extension our laws, have wished to persuade those who are married not to divorce. There is an importance to marriage. There i s a sanctity of marriage. And there is a family unit that can be greatly supportive of children and ot hers surrounding the family, and therefore historically society, and by extension our laws, have wished to create barriers to exit, to make it more diffic ult for people —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerHold on one second. Madam Attorney General, you need to mute yourself. Carry on, MP.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you. They have created barriers to exit. And one can understand perhaps why those barriers are there. We do not w ant people to get married too hastily. We don’t want people to divorce too hastily, or to take something so important lightly. But this Bill is about the …
Thank you. They have created barriers to exit. And one can understand perhaps why those barriers are there. We do not w ant people to get married too hastily. We don’t want people to divorce too hastily, or to take something so important lightly. But this Bill is about the lifting of those barriers, and the reason for that is that the perfectly justifiable sentiment of creating barriers to exit has to be put in the scales against the very real concerns and collateral damage that occurs not just to people who themselves divorce, but to those around them, including children. There is considerable cost to divorce. Divorce takes a great deal of time. For some, and indeed most, there is emotional trauma. It is one of the har dest things for those who have gone through it. I have not, but for those who have gone through it they say it is one of the hardest things in life to deal wi th. And as I hinted earlier, there is considerable collateral damage, particularly to children. Mr. Speaker, that damage comes because divorce in itself is bad enough but the historic laws imposing barriers to exit require divorce to be achieved through the attribution of misconduct and the apportionment or attribution of blame. And as the Honourable Attorney General said earlier, blame and shame. And if this situation of divorce is hard enough in and of itself, both to those concerned and to others, why is it that society would choose to have legal mechanisms in place that make it that much harder, that attribute blame, that invoke shame? Mr. Speaker, the current law as it stands has been addressed by the Attorney General, but let me just add a very bri ef summary. First of all, the law as it stands imposes a three- year barrier to those who are married. You cannot petition for divorce for a period of three years after you have been married unless you can demonstrate either exceptional hardship or an insta nce of depravity. Both of those things are quite high and hard to establish. Therefore, for those who marry wrongly or find it does not work out, or maybe did not know something about the person that they were marrying, they are locked in for a three- year pe-riod unless those exceptions apply. So that is the first barrier. The second barrier to exit, as discussed by the Attorney General, is that it is necessary to show before getting a divorce that there is an irretrievable breakdown in the marriage. And t hat is the language of the statute, an irretrievable breakdown. In America I think they say “irreconcilable differences,” but here it is “irretrievable breakdown.” And as the Learned A ttorney General said, you have to establish one of five different grounds. And by “establish,” that does not just mean “allege,” it means you have to produce ev idence to support one of those five grounds. And those grounds can be rather extreme. Three of the five r equire you to blame the other person to get your divorce. Those currently are adultery, unreasonable behaviour or just sheer plain desertion. He or she walked off. So those three of five grounds make matters worse for an already bad situation because not only must your allege one of these three things, adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion, but you have to produce evidence before the courts of that behaviour. And how can that make matters better, Mr. Speaker? That just pours fuel on the fire, and there is already a fire. The other two grounds, again, as discussed by the Attorney General are where you have been separated for two years and you wish to get divorced and the other person, the spouse, agrees. So two years with consent and agreement. Or, where one of the two parties does not agree, he says, I am not going to let you get divorced from me, you have to wait five years. So that is the current legal terrain. And conceivably, under the current legal terrain, in the absence of evidence, and where your spouse does not agree to the divorce, you could be locked into a marriage that you do not wish for a complete period of eight years. That is the first three- year barrier before you can petition for divorce, plus five years where you cannot show any other grounds and your spouse does not agree. So if quite liter ally, Mr. Speaker, someone has a change of heart, and there is no fault to be put or blame to be thrown, that person could be locked into a marriage they do not wish for as much as eight years. This Bill today, for which we commend the Gover nment, and whic h the Opposition supports, proposes to get rid of all of those five grounds of irretrievable breakdown and substitute it with a concept of a faul tless divorce. Now, I would like to point out one technical point. Unless we misunderstood the Bill, the Bill is not (I repeat, not) removing the three- year barrier to exit. As I understand it, and I welcome a response from the Attorney General, you will still have to be married for three years before you can petition for divorce in Ber-muda, after this Bill becomes law, say for exceptional hardship or depravity. That is my understanding and I 334 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly would be grateful for the confirmation from the Attorney General. Mr. Speaker, that is the history here. It may surprise people, given that we are putting this Bill forward i n 2022, that these changes were adopted els ewhere long, long ago. I did not do an exhaustive r esearch of every [state in the] United States, but in California they got rid of the requirement for blame and they introduced faultless divorce as long ago as 1969. Quite surprisingly, the UK only brought about these changes in 2020 after a case called Owens vs Owens that went all the way to the UK Supreme Court. And just very quickly, anecdotally, I think the first instance judge, Mr. Speaker, was frustrated by t he law. He did not see the sense in it. Therefore, he refused the wife’s application for divorce. He refused the petition saying that she had not demonstrated any grounds, and all the way up it went. And in the end, that dec ision in Owens vs Owens spurred the UK on to intr oduce faultless divorce into their laws and it is that Bill or something similar to it that is being brought forward today. Also interesting to note in terms of looking to the UK law, is that the three- year barrier to exit that exists in Bermuda and which, as I understand it, is not being done away with, was actually reduced from three years to one year in the United Kingdom 37 years ago, in 1984. And to me that begs the question, Given that we are overhauling our laws, rightly, in my respectful opinion, why is it that we are leaving in place the three- year barrier to exit? Why are we not reducing it to one year as the UK did 37 years ago, or doing away with it entirely? And that is the singular question that I pose to the Honourable and Learned Attorney General. It may well be that this is part of the raft of further changes that she referenced in her speech, but if it is being delayed, why is it being delayed? And if it is coming, when is it coming? In addition, Mr. Speaker, and without getting overly technical, this Bill is seeking to expedite the time that it can take to get what lawyers call a “decree nisi” which will now be understood in common English as a “conditional order” and to get a “decree abs olute,” which will now be known as a “final order.” So there is going to be an expedition in process which can only be a good thing. And, Mr. Speaker, when a lawyer stands in this Honourable House and says that he does not think that lawyers should be paid more money, it is probably wor th listening. But the Family Bar has been consulted, we are told, and the Attorney General did not actually say that they were supportive, merely that they were consulted, but I rather anticipate that they are supportive. Certainly, the Opposition is supportive. And we are also told that this is the first part of a raft of reforms affecting marriage. And so, I would be grateful if the Attorney General in reply could perhaps elaborate upon that a little bit and tell us what the second or third or fourth raft looks like because it is hard to anticipate what they may be other than per-haps a reduction or elimination of the three- year barr ier to exit. Mr. Speaker, wrapping up, obtaining a divorce in Bermuda and going through a divorce anywhere, is hard enough. It should not be made harder by the need to assign blame. It should not be made harder by the imposition of public shame. Even more i mportantly, Mr. Speaker, this Bill and the introduction of faultless divorce lessens the negative impact upon our children. It is anecdotal, I accept, but I have often heard that children who go through divorce seek to blame themselves. And that is made so much harder if they hear . . . and they will hear. It does not just get locked up tight in a courtroom, they will hear tha t Mommy did this or Daddy did that, or someone else was involved. It is hard enough. So we very much support this goal of lessening the negative impact on children. This is a good Bill. The Opposition supports it. And subject to our query about why we are not reducing or doing away with the three- year barrier, which the UK did away with 37 years ago, we support this Bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Honourable and Learned Attorney General.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wi sh to make a contribution at this time? I note however that it is 12:29. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? If they do, I would suggest that we wait until after the lunch period and we can continue …
Mr. Sc ott PearmanMr. Speaker, I can confirm that there are those on my side who would wish to speak further after lunch on this Bill.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNone on your side? Anyone else? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Yes, on our side, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOh, there are. There are! Oh, okay. Okay. All right. So, I suggest then that we go ahead and break for lunch now and we will resume with the other speakers after lunch at 2:00 pm.
Mr. Scott Pearm anThank you, Mr. Speaker. Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Does any Minister . . . Deputy Premier, or Premier, would you like to move us? Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, yes, I move that the House do now adjourn until 2:00 pm.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections? There are none. Members, the House now stands adjourned until 2:00 pm. Enjoy your lunch. Proceedings suspended at 12:30 pm Proceedings resumed at 2:00 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] BILL SECOND READING MATRIMONIAL CAUSES (FAUL TLESS DIVORCE) AMENDMENT ACT 2022 [Debate …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood afternoon, Members. I trust that everyone has had a refreshing lunch break and is ready to resume the business of the day. For the listening audience, when we broke for lunch, we were in the middle of the debate on the Matrimonial Causes (Faultless Divorce) Amendment Act 2022, which …
Good afternoon, Members. I trust that everyone has had a refreshing lunch break and is ready to resume the business of the day. For the listening audience, when we broke for lunch, we were in the middle of the debate on the Matrimonial Causes (Faultless Divorce) Amendment Act 2022, which was presented by the Attorney General, Minister of Legal Affairs and Constitution Affairs, Ms. Kathy Lynn Simmons. The responding comments from MP Pearman . . . he had completed his comments. And now the floor is open for any other Member who may wish to make a contribution to this debate at this time. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? Is there any other Member?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes, we would appreciate that.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonOkay. Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker, and those in the listening audience and my fellow colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I woul d like to add a few comments to the discussion on the, I guess, generally characterised as “no- fault” divorce because, on the face of it, I think the headlines could …
Okay. Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker, and those in the listening audience and my fellow colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I woul d like to add a few comments to the discussion on the, I guess, generally characterised as “no- fault” divorce because, on the face of it, I think the headlines could quite easily say that the PLP is now making divorce a lot easier, which could be misinterpreted as an attack on the institution of marriage. Which I and, I am sure, others agree that marriage is actually one of the fundamental cornerstones of society in the context that it is the unit that is generally attributed with having a significant impac t on shaping the lives of our young people, helping them become older and take over the running of the country or any other society. And so, I want to make sure that the general public understands that this is not, obv iously, an attack on the institution of marriage and, in fact, the legislation itself is both sensitive and sens ible. The marriage construct, depending upon your personal reference, goes back almost to the beginning of society in terms of creating a structure in which persons can both be taught and observe. Because we know that people learn by what they are told to do, but I think more so by what is modelled before them — both positive and negative. And so, the legislation as proposed is actually a unique opportunity to strengt hen society by ens uring that everyone has a holistic environment in which to enjoy their upbringing. And I say that also because in some context now the idea of traditional marriage is taking on a di fferent description. As I said, some would say that you should get married and that is the only opportunity to have children. Nowadays, of course, there is less f ocus on the legal context of marriage and persons just decide to live together, but can still have a wholesome environment in which they raise children. And even more s o, we are getting to a stage whereby some persons would believe that you do not even have to have a male and female, you can have persons of the same sex raise children. So, I am speaking right now to the sensitivity of the whole discussion of marriage and how this legislation is, again, both sensitive and sensible. Now, I will tell you a quick story. When I went to Warwick Academy many, many years ago, it was interesting because for me it was a new environment. And the whole concept of parents being marri ed or divorced or otherwise was almost like one of those unspoken discussions. And I was pleasantly surprised . . . and I still remember this. When I was in my first year of Academy we soon understood through just general conversation that many persons wer e living in families or households whereby the parents themselves were, in fact, divorced. And it was not this huge negativity that sometimes is, in fact, attributed to d i336 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly vorce. And so, I am saying that you can, obviously, have a very wholesome upbringing even in the i nstance whereby there is not the traditional marriage. Now why is this sensible? I would suggest to you, Mr. Speaker, that this is sensible because if we accept —and I do accept —that a strong marriage or a strong family household is valuable f or the upbringing of children, then they must also accept that a dysfunc-tional household is a catastrophe, almost, for the upbringing of children. And so, this legislation does not say, Well listen, everybody can get divorced. What it is saying is, Listen, in the instance whereby your family situation is best served by not being together, then this is a sensible way by which you can actually r emove yourself from that situation. I will also add, Mr. Speaker, that, again many years ago, one of my jobs was ac tually at a law firm. And I was mindful of that fact that sometimes persons who believed they should not be in a marriage situation would file for divorce and then would pay exorb itant fees for that process. And when I say “exorbitant” in some instances the actual legal bill alone would exceed $25,000, $30,000 even $40,000, which, obv iously, is a significant drain on the financial resources of the family and, more particularly, the spouse that would be less financially able to do that. And so, in some instances what happened was the family would be . . . would stay together, but in an incredibly dy sfunctional sense, which would then lead to other nega tive outcomes. And in that context, if we refer to what Minister Ming informed the House at the last session in terms of there was the attempt now for persons to recruit children as young as eight into gangs, Minister Tinee Furbert spoke (today actually) about the need now to have greater information around safe dating for teens . . . all of these things are, in my mind, speaking to the negative impact of a dysfunctional family. And so this legislation, in a sensible way, is now saying, Listen, to the extent that the traditional family structure is not a wholesome environment, there is the practical, sens ible opp ortunity to create a better environment. To all of us, of course, it means that if we are able to nurture our children in a more productive env ironment, the impact on that child is going to be pos itive and this allows them to go into the community. They c an obviously learn better, they can get to school and be in a more positive mind- set when it comes to learning. And even for the spouse, it allows them to have a more . . . I want to say a more whol esome life because they can move away from the neg-ativity that exists in some cases now, because they simply cannot negotiate, if you will, the legal process to allow them to get out of what is a dysfunctional rel ationship. So, again, at the risk of being a bit repetitious, I want to just emphasise that to those in the community that may see the soundbite and think, okay, fine, the PLP is now making divorce easier , that is actually not the case. What the Government is doing is actua lly ensuring that there is an opportunity to strengthen families, even though it may result in persons not being in the traditional structure. It is realistic that a nontraditional structure can be a better environment. And I would actually say it actually is a better environment than being in a dysfunctional traditional structure. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the further debate. And I do note, of course, that the OBA has said that they are supportive, so we look forward now to Bermuda generally moving to a more holistic home environment which would obviously bring significant advantages to all of our young people and even to those spouses themselves who are currently being negatively impacted. So, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP Richardson. Would any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Simmons -Wade, you have the floor.
Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -WadeYes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sure many of us, or most of us, know individuals or families where there are situations where the family h as stayed together in the best interest of the child. But in most cases, because there is so much dysfunction in the home, …
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sure many of us, or most of us, know individuals or families where there are situations where the family h as stayed together in the best interest of the child. But in most cases, because there is so much dysfunction in the home, it is really not in the best interest of the child. You have individuals who, for financial reasons or a failure to want the public t o know the issues that occurred in their marriage, stay in the marriage. Mr. Speaker, reiterating what the previous speaker just said, who suffers are the children. The children who have parents that are not happy, that talk about each other, children who are in a hostile env ironment . . . Mr. Speaker, there are various types of families. There are unmarried families, people who are unmarried whose children have grown up to be very, very successful. There was not a need to have a mom and dad in that household for that child to grow up to be well -rounded. There are also situations where people, Mr. Speaker, who are married and they have a child who is the middle of a very hostile, dy sfunctional relationship. Mr. Speaker, this legislation allows the opportunity for people to have that divorce without having to air all their dirty linen. And I think that is what happens very often when people do not want to upset the spouse, to be able to say what happened or for people in a small community like this to find out exactly what happened and who cheated and what went wrong.
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, I think in following other countries Bermuda is making significant progress in r especting and taking into consideration how important our children are. Minister Ming talked about how chi ldren get involved in gang violence, Mr. Speaker. Very often they are looking for someone, they are looking for the attention, they are looking for someone who is going to consider them as valuable. And I think what happens when [parents] are in a d ysfunctional rel ationship or marriage, the child feels that they are not valued. And very often that child, Mr. Speaker, may even feel like they are responsible for the break -up or for the issues that are concerned. So, Mr. Speaker, I do support this legi slation. I feel that having no fault in a divorce allows the oppor-tunity for people who are together now to be able to move out of a relationship and move ahead with their lives, in the best interests of their children and the best interest of each other. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Would any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? Any other Member? No other Member? Minister. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence, before I go any further in responding to Honourable Members, I would like to take …
Thank you, MP. Would any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? Any other Member? No other Member? Minister. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence, before I go any further in responding to Honourable Members, I would like to take this moment to thank the team who actually have worked very hard to put together the policy and the Bill with regard to this very important initiative, namely Lawyer and Policy Analyst Jason Outerbridge— and this is my Ministry team — Parliamentary Counsel Amani Lawrence and Assi stant Parliamentary Counsel Alsha Wilson. So, I would like to thank them on behalf of the Government for their excellent work with regard to this leg islative initiative. And Mr. Speaker, with that being said I acknowledge and appreciate the support of Members, and I will briefly respond to the question raised by Honourable Member Pearman. And that is with r espect to why Bermuda has not reduced the tim e per iod for a divorce . . . I am sorry, marriage before you can apply for a divorce from three years to one year. And that is simply because we do not have legislation in place (or legal protections) to prevent sham mar-riages as they do in the UK. And so, until the Minister responsible for Labour and Immigration actually fina lises that initiative that he has begun— and it is very important to the country to have everything working together —we will maintain the three- year time period. With regard to the par t 2, that I mentioned, of this particular initiative, we have had recommenda-tions from the Bar Association (their subcommittee on matrimonial law) with regard to joint applications and other matters that will come up in part 2, which is being pursued and drafted at this time. I will also make mention to Honourable Members, Mr. Speaker, that accompanying these amend-ments are also going to be procedural guidelines and the underpinning for applications, which we will see in due course, which is currently being drafted by Ms. Lawrence in Chambers. So, with that being said, if there are no other questions or comments, Minister, I will be pleased to move that the Bill be committed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Deputy Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. House in Committee at 2:16 pm [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL MATRIMONIAL CAUSES (FAULTLESS DIVORCE) AMENDMENT ACT 2022
The ChairmanChairmanHonourable Members, we are now in Commi ttee of whole House for further consideration of the Bill entitled Matrimonial Causes (Faultless D ivorce) Amendment Act 2022 . Minister Simmons, Attorney General, you have the floor. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. Mr. Chairman, I would like to …
Honourable Members, we are now in Commi ttee of whole House for further consideration of the Bill entitled Matrimonial Causes (Faultless D ivorce) Amendment Act 2022 . Minister Simmons, Attorney General, you have the floor. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. Mr. Chairman, I would like to move all of the clauses because they are, in a lot of cases, reproductive in terms of the administrative provisions. So, with your indulgence, I am going to move clauses 1 through 38.
The ChairmanChairmanContinue, Minister. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. Mr. Chairman, the Bill seeks to amend the Matrimonial Causes Act 1974 to reform the current legal process for obtaining a divorce, nullity of marriage or judicial separation. Clause 1 provides the title of the Bill. Clause 2 amends …
Continue, Minister.
Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. Mr. Chairman, the Bill seeks to amend the Matrimonial Causes Act 1974 to reform the current legal process for obtaining a divorce, nullity of marriage or judicial separation. Clause 1 provides the title of the Bill. Clause 2 amends section 1 of the principal Act— In subsection (1) to provide the definition of Minister. To insert new paragraphs (c), (d), (e) and (f) 338 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly into subsection (2) to ensure that references to d ecrees, which will now be changed to orders, can still be read as including decrees if these were granted before the coming into operation of the Bill. Clause 3 amends section 2 of the principal Act by changing references to a divorc e, judicial sep aration and nullity of marriage to those of a divorce order, nullity of marriage order or judicial separation order. Clause 4 repeals and replaces section 5 in the principal Act to provide— New subsection (1) that an application for a divorc e order may be made to the court by either party to a marriage. New subsection (2) specifies that an applic ation for divorce must be accompanied by a statement that the marriage has broken down irretrievably (“statement of irretrievable breakdown”), and th at this statement may be made by the applicant. New subsection (3) makes it clear that a court in receipt of an application must take the statement of irretrievable breakdown as conclusive evidence that the marriage has broken down irretrievably, and make a divorce order accordingly. New subsection (4) provides that a divorce order is at first a conditional order and may not be made final before six weeks have elapsed from the making of the conditional order. New subsection (5) provides that the court cannot make a conditional order until the applicant has confirmed to the court that they want the applic ation to continue, and the applicant cannot give that confirmation until 12 weeks have elapsed since the start of the proceedings. New subsection (6) provide s that the Minister, after consultation with the Chief Justice, may by order shorten or lengthen the minimum periods provided in subsections (4)(b) or (5). New subsection (7) provides that under subsection (6) the period resulting in the number of per iods in subsections 4(b) and (5) will not exceed 18 weeks. New subsection (8) provides that, in a partic ular case, the court may shorten the time periods set out in subsection (4)(b) and (5). New subsection (9) provides that an order under new [section] 5 will be subject to the negative resolution procedure. Clause 5, Mr. Chairman, repeals section 6 of the principal Act by removing the supplemental prov isions as to facts raising presumption of breakdown of marriage. Clause 6 amends section 7 of the principal Act to change terminology from petition for a divorce, petitioner, decree and decree absolute to apply for a divorce order, applicant, divorce order and divorce order final. Clauses 7, repeals sections 8 and 9 as they are no longer necessary or appropriate because they relate to evidence of facts of irretrievable breakdown, which will no longer exist because of clause 4. Clauses 8, amends section 10 of the principal Act for consistency with clause 4 by changing references in the principal Act from petitions to applications and from granting of decrees nisi and absolute to making of conditional and final orders. Clauses 9 amends section 11 of the principal Act to change terminology from presentation of a pet ition for a divorce to proceedings for a divorce order and from petition to application. Clause 10 amends section 12 of the principal Act to change terminology from presentation of a pet ition for a divorce to proceedings for a divorce order and from petition to application. Clause 11 amends section 13 of the principal Act for consistency with clause 4 by changing refer-ences in the principal Act from petitions to applications and from granting of decrees nisi and absolute to making of conditional and final orders. Clause 12 repeals and replaces section 12 of the principal Act for consistency with clause 4 by changing references in the principal Act from petitions to applications and from granting of decrees nisi and absolute to making of conditional and final orders. Clause 13 inserts new section 16A into the principal Act to provide— New subsection (1)(a) to provide the twostage process for nullity orders; New subsection (1)(b) to provide a four -week time period before a nullity of marriage order may be made final. New subsection (2) provides that the period in new subsection (1)(b) cannot be lengthened to a per iod exceeding twelve weeks. New subsections (3) and (4) to provide that the period in new subsection (1)(b) may be shortened or lengthened by the Minister, after consultation with the Chief Justice, by ord er subject to the negative resolution procedure to a period that does not exceed twelve weeks. Clause 14 amends section 17 of the principal Act for consistency with clause 4 by changing refer-ences in the principal Act from petitions to applications and fro m granting of decrees nisi and absolute to making of conditional and final orders. Clause 15 repeals and replaces section 19 of the principal Act to update the section references that apply in relation to a nullity of marriage order. Clause 16 amends secti on 20 of the principal Act to change terminology used for a nullity of mar-riage order and a judicial separation order. Clause 17 amends section 21 of the principal Act as it is no longer necessary or appropriate be-cause it relates to evidence of facts of i rretrievable breakdown, which will no longer exist because of clause 4. Clause 18 amends section 22 of the principal Act as it is no longer necessary or appropriate beBermuda House of Assembly cause it relates to evidence of facts of irretrievable breakdown, which will no longer ex ist because of clause 4. Clause 19 amends section [23] of the principal Act to change terminology for a presumption of death and dissolution of marriage order. Clause 20 repeals section 24 of the principal Act as it is no longer necessary or appropriate be-cause it relates to evidence of facts of irretrievable breakdown, which will no longer exist because of clause 4. Clause 21 amends section 25 of the principal Act for consistency with clause 4 by changing references in the principal Act from petitions to applications and from granting of decrees nisi and absolute to making of conditional and final orders. Clause 22 amends section 26 of the principal Act for consistency with clause 4 by changing references in the principal Act from petitions to applications and from granting of decrees nisi and absolute to making of conditional and final orders. Clauses 23 amends section 27 of the principal Act to ensure that references to decrees will be changed to orders. Clause 24 amends section 28 of the principal Act for consistency with clause 4 by changing references in the principal Act from petitions to applications and from granting of decrees nisi and absolute to making of conditional and final orders. Clause 25 deletes the proviso to subsection (1) in section 29 of the principal Act to remove the duty of the court in the exercising its powers to have r egard to the conduct of either party to a divorce pr oceeding when considering a financial provision order or a property adjustment order so as to place the parties in a financial position they would have been in had the marriage not broken down and each party had properly discharged their financial obligations and r esponsibilities to the other party. Clause 26 amends section 30 of the principal Act to ensure that references to decrees will be changed to orders. Clause 27, Mr. Chairman, amends section 32 of the principal Act to ensure that references to decrees will be changed to orders. And likewise, clause 28, amends section 34 of the principal Act to ensure that references to decrees will be changed to orders Clause 29 amends section 35 accordingly. Clause 30 amends section 45 of the principal Act to ensure that references to decrees will be changed to orders. Clause 31 amends section 46 in the same vein. Clause 32 amends section 50 in the exact manner. Clause 33 amends Schedule 1 of the principal Act to ensure that references to decrees will be changed to orders. Clause 34 amends Schedule 2 of the principal Act in the same manner. Clause 35 makes consequential amendment s to references in the Minors Act 1950, the Court of A ppeal Act 1964, the Succession Act 1974, the Stamp Duties Act 1976, the Rules of the Supreme Court 1985, the Children Act 1998 and the Domestic Par tnership Act 2018 for consistency of terminology within the principal Act. Clause 36 provides the transitional to disapply the provisions in this Act where proceedings for a divorce, nullity of marriage or judicial separation have started before this Bill comes into operation, so that the proceedings can conti nue under the principal Act without the amendments made by this Bill. Clause 37 gives the Minister power to make regulations for such transitional, incidental, suppl ementary or consequential provision as appears to the Minister to be necessary and expedient. And finally, Mr. Chairman, clause 38 provides the Act will come into operation on a day the Minister appoints by notice in the Gazette . Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you, Attorney General Si mmons. Are there any further speakers?
The ChairmanChairmanMP Pearman, you have the floor.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Chairman. I know we are moving all clauses, but I antic ipate it will assist if I refer to the clauses chronologica lly in t erms of the questions that I have. My first question, Mr. Chairman, arises in r espect to clause 4 at page 2. …
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I know we are moving all clauses, but I antic ipate it will assist if I refer to the clauses chronologica lly in t erms of the questions that I have. My first question, Mr. Chairman, arises in r espect to clause 4 at page 2. And if the Honourable and Learned Attorney General can confer, it seems to me that this is the meat of the Bill which she is brin ging forward with our support. And I am just wondering specifically about (this is still at clause 4, Mr. Chai rman) the newly inserted section 5(3)(a) which is where it says: “The court dealing with an application under subsection (1) shall —(a) take the statement to be conclusive evidence that the marriage has broken down irretrievably.” So, my question for the Learned Attorney General is . . . I think it is that deeming provision that really lies at the heart of this Bill and it allows that deeming of provision to trigger a divorce, is that correct? Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: That is correct, Member.
Mr. Scott PearmanI am grateful. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 340 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Still on the same page, in the same clause in relation to the inserted section, now at section 5(4)(b), and we see the interplay of (a) and (b) where it goes from …
I am grateful. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 340 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Still on the same page, in the same clause in relation to the inserted section, now at section 5(4)(b), and we see the interplay of (a) and (b) where it goes from being a conditional order at (a) into a final order at (b). Again, I am in clause 4 of the Bill, section 5(4)(a) and (b). “A divorce order —(a) is, in the first instance, a conditional order; and (b) may not be made a final order before the end of the period of eight weeks . . .” My question, Mr. Chairman, for the Honour able and Learned Attorney General is: Can she elabo-rate upon why we are having the eight -week period? What is the purpose of the eight -week period? And how did they arrive upon eight weeks as an appropr iate period? Thank you.
The ChairmanChairmanMadam Attorney General. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. The period in between a conditional order and an order being made final is always known as the cooling off period. And my honourable colleague will know that there are many issues that impact a divorce —emotional and …
Madam Attorney General. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. The period in between a conditional order and an order being made final is always known as the cooling off period. And my honourable colleague will know that there are many issues that impact a divorce —emotional and otherwise —and there are times when the parties may have further consideration as to whether or not they want to take the entire route. The eight weeks . . . let me just find that one. (I am sorry, if you will bear with me one quick second, I just want to make sure I find my notes to be absolutely correct on that one. Bear with me one second.)
The ChairmanChairmanNo problem. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: I have paper ever ywhere. Mr. Chairman, the period has been shortened to take into consideration that we do not have the same issues that arise, particularly with the partic ulars. In the first instance, or I should say under the curre nt provisions, …
No problem. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: I have paper ever ywhere. Mr. Chairman, the period has been shortened to take into consideration that we do not have the same issues that arise, particularly with the partic ulars. In the first instance, or I should say under the curre nt provisions, it is necessary for the respondent to have time to respond. And this actually was a recommendation from the Family Bar that aligns with the shortened requirements in the divorce proceedings.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you, Attorney General. Do yo u have further?
Mr. Scott PearmanYes, Mr. Chairman. As I understand it, the eight weeks is a cooling off period. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Mm-hmm.
Mr. Scott PearmanWhich I completely understand. Just below that, again, we were in subsection (4). Be low that in subsection (5) is actually a reference to something happening earlier in time because it is before the conditional order is made. It says “the a p-plicant has confirmed to the court, before the …
Which I completely understand. Just below that, again, we were in subsection (4). Be low that in subsection (5) is actually a reference to something happening earlier in time because it is before the conditional order is made. It says “the a p-plicant has confirmed to the court, before the end of the period of twelve weeks from the start of proceedings, that they wish the application to continue.” I am reading that to be another, sort of, quasi cooling off period. Is that what is intended, that there is a sort of 12- week cooling off period before the conditional order and then an 8- week cool ing off period between the conditional order and the final order? Or is the 12 weeks for some other reason?
Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Mr. Chairman, that is absolutely correct. It is important that the provisions strike the right balance. On the one hand we are a llowing a divorce in different circumstances to achieve a more positive outcome for parties and families, but at every step along the way there is always the occ asion for the parties to pause, in particular the petitio ners. So, yes, this is in fact another cooling off period.
Mr. Scott PearmanAnd I think it is relevant, Madam Attorney General, because one of the earlier speakers mentioned that perhaps this Bill is making divorce easier. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Mm-hmm.
Mr. Scott PearmanAnd I do not think that it is right. It is just making the process less painful and damaging. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Yes, Mr. Chairman, the Honourable Member is absolutely correct. At every step of the proceedings the sanctity of marriage is always appreciated and [there] is always an …
And I do not think that it is right. It is just making the process less painful and damaging.
Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Yes, Mr. Chairman, the Honourable Member is absolutely correct. At every step of the proceedings the sanctity of marriage is always appreciated and [there] is always an attempt to make sure that where there is an opportunity for there to be a reconciliation of the parties, and understanding that parties can avail themselves of mediation and other vehicles to reach that reconciliation, the requisite time period is accordingly assigned.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you. Madam Attorney General, clause 5 of the Bill on page 3 repeals section 6. And I just want to clarify that that repealing, that is bringing out all the pr esumptions of breakdown, is the purpose of clause 5. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: That is correct, Mr. Chairman. …
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you very much. Bermuda House of Assembly My next question, still on the same page, it is now down at clause 7. And clause 7 seeks to repeal sections 8 and 9 of the principal Act. And I understand why section 9 is coming out, and I just had …
Thank you very much.
Bermuda House of Assembly My next question, still on the same page, it is now down at clause 7. And clause 7 seeks to repeal sections 8 and 9 of the principal Act. And I understand why section 9 is coming out, and I just had a questi on on why section 8 is coming out. In your Memorandum of Explanation of the Bill you said that section 8 of the principal Act was coming out because it related to evidence of facts of irretrievable breakdown which will no longer exist because of clause 4 . Looking, if you have it, at section 8 of the principal Act that is being repealed, I just was curious. I can see why section 8(2) is coming out, and I can see why section 8(3) might come out, but I was just wondering why would not section 8(1) stay in? Why would a person not be able to present a petition for divorce, which will now be called seeking an application for an order for divorce, where they already had a judicial separation? I just . . . I did look it up, and the UK has done the same thing. So i t may be that we are just following them. But I do not understand why that section is coming out . . . that subsec-tion.
The ChairmanChairmanMinister. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. It is, in fact, a reproduction of the UK provision and this is a part of the completeness of the entire legislative scheme and it was deemed, in light of the new provisions, not to be necessary.
Mr. Scott PearmanOkay. But let us hope they are not making a mistake and we are following it, but so be it. Thank you very much, Madam Attorney General. Just one more— Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: I just wanted to point out, as I said earlier in my opening statement, that we …
Okay. But let us hope they are not making a mistake and we are following it, but so be it. Thank you very much, Madam Attorney General. Just one more—
Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: I just wanted to point out, as I said earlier in my opening statement, that we will keep the provisions and their impact under constant review to make sure that we actually have gotten it right, notwithstanding that this on a UK precedent. Thank you.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Attorney General. And it may be that I am wrong. I am not saying I am right, it just seemed odd. That is all. At page 4 of the Bill, clause 9 is amending section 11. And subsection (a) of clause 9 is changing the temporal period. So …
Thank you, Attorney General. And it may be that I am wrong. I am not saying I am right, it just seemed odd. That is all. At page 4 of the Bill, clause 9 is amending section 11. And subsection (a) of clause 9 is changing the temporal period. So it is deleting “either before or after the presentation of a petition for divorce” and it is expanding the temporal period with “when procee dings for a divorce order are contemplated or have begun.” Actually, I am sorry, it is not necessarily expanding it; it is just changing the time period. Can you just assist at a very high level, what is the logic behind that? Why are we changing time periods in terms of the process? Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: The simple answer is that the time periods that exist were not deemed to be necessary.
Mr. Scott PearmanOkay. Mr. Chairman, my next and final question, I think, is at clause 11—
Mr. Scott PearmanAnd clause 12 is repealing and replacing section 14 of the primary Act. And section 14 of the primary Act is proceedings after decree nisi, which will now be the conditional order, special pr otection for respondent separation cases. And that is being replaced. And I know some of the …
And clause 12 is repealing and replacing section 14 of the primary Act. And section 14 of the primary Act is proceedings after decree nisi, which will now be the conditional order, special pr otection for respondent separation cases. And that is being replaced. And I know some of the language is changing, it is being modernised, but are you aware of any other differences here in the new section 14 being inserted by clause 12 and the old one in terms of thinking or procedure or intention? Or is it really just a straightforward modernisation of the clause? And that is my last question. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Madam Attorney General.
Madam Attorney General.
Hon. Kathy Lynn SimmonsThank you, Mr. Chai rman. As with the updating of the terminology, the exercise was used as an opportunity to modernise the provisions that applied to this particular initiative ge nerally. So, this would be a result of that modernisation as well.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you. Those are all my questions, Mr. Chairman, thank you.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you, MP Pearman. Are there any further speakers? Any further speakers? There appear to be none. AG, do you want to move those and continue? Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the Preamble be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanMove the clauses first. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: I am sorry, Mr. Chai rman. I move that clauses 1 to 38 be now approved. 342 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Chairman: It has been moved that clauses 1 to 38 be approved. Any objections …
Move the clauses first. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: I am sorry, Mr. Chai rman. I move that clauses 1 to 38 be now approved. 342 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The Chairman: It has been moved that clauses 1 to 38 be approved. Any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved.
[Motion carried: Clauses 1 to 38 passed.] Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. I move that the Preamble be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Preamble be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. I move that the Bill be reported to the Hous e as printed.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Bill be reported to the House as printed. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Yes.
The ChairmanChairmanAre there any objections to that? There appear to be none. The Bill will be reported to the House as printed. Thank you, Attorney General Simmons. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. [Motion carried: The Matrimonial Causes (Faultless Divorce) Amendment Act 2022 was considered by a Committee …
Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. The Bill will be reported to the House as printed. Thank you, Attorney General Simmons. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman. [Motion carried: The Matrimonial Causes (Faultless Divorce) Amendment Act 2022 was considered by a Committee of the whole House and passed without amendment.]
House resumed at 2:41 pm
[Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy. Members, are there any objections to the Matrimonial Causes (Faultles s Divorce) Amendment Act 2022 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. The Bill has been reported as printed. Thank you, Members, for your participation on that matter. We will now move on to …
Thank you, Deputy. Members, are there any objections to the Matrimonial Causes (Faultles s Divorce) Amendment Act 2022 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. The Bill has been reported as printed. Thank you, Members, for your participation on that matter. We will now move on to the next matter on the Order Paper for this aft ernoon, which is consideration of the Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 2) Order 2022 in the name of the Minister of Health. Minister.
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that consideration be given to the Draft Order entitled the Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 2) Order 2022 proposed to be made by the Minister of Health in exercise of the power conferred by section 107A of the Public Health Act 1949.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections to that? There are none. Continue, Minister. DRAFT ORDER PUBLIC HEALTH (COVID- 19) EMERGENCY EXTENSION (NO. 2) ORDER 2022 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to invite this Honourable Chamber to consider the Order entitled Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension …
Are there any objections to that? There are none. Continue, Minister.
DRAFT ORDER
PUBLIC HEALTH (COVID- 19) EMERGENCY EXTENSION (NO. 2) ORDER 2022
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to invite this Honourable Chamber to consider the Order entitled Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 2) O rder 2022. Mr. Speaker, Members will be aware the current Public Health Emergency Order is scheduled to lapse on 27 February 2022. The Emergency Orders, which have been in place since the 30th 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 com-municable disease that poses a threat to the Island. Mr. Speaker, we live on a very small island, and as you know from previous outbreaks, the cor onavirus 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, Mr. Speaker, we are fortunate in that the COVID -19 vaccine is available to any resident who wants it. As a reminder, Mr. Speaker, this includes booster vaccines for all th ose who are 18- years and older, 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 [6] months prior. To make an appointment for first, second, or booster jabs, go to www.gov.bm . As has been said many times, Mr. Speaker, vaccines save lives. The two- dose Pfizer vaccine has
Bermuda House of Assembly been shown to be 95 per cent effective in randomised trials, even with the highly transmissible Delta and Omicron variants, the vaccine’s effectiveness 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 seriously ill, less likely to end up in hospital, and less likely to die. And our o wn data in Bermuda here has shown that to be true. Specifically, since the mass vaccination campaign began in January 2021 through the epi -week six in 2022 (which ended, Mr. Speaker, on the 12th of February) we have had a total of 366 hospitalisations, 66 persons were fully vaccinated people and 300 persons were not fully vaccinated. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the data related to deaths shows the same pattern —16 fully vaccinated people and 92 people who were not fully vaccinated all died due to COVID - 19. Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that even if you are fully vaccinated, your own personal 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 hospita lised or to die. Mr. Speaker, 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. However, I cannot say this too many times, success in dealing with COVID -19 requires, Mr. Speaker, a community effort. It is a community effort because this is one of the few situations when an individual’s decisions to adhere to public measures or not impacts all of us. In this pandemic, individual decisions can, and do, have Islandwide consequences. So, please carry on following public health guidelines because the pandemic is not yet over. Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Health I co nsulted with the Chief Medical Officer and determined that a communicable disease of the first category, namely, COVID -19 and its variants of concern, does continue to pose a severe threat to public health in Bermuda. To control and contain the spread of infection 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. Mr. Speaker, this Order before us now will extend the Public Health COVID -19 Emergency O rders 2021, made under section 107A of the Public Health Act 1949, and empower the Governor to co ntinue the 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. Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members will be aware that the Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension Order 2022 was made under the affirmative resolution procedures for 30 days, expiring on the 27th of February 2022. We know that the COVID -19 pa ndemic continues to rage on globally, exacerbated by a new variant of concern, namely, Omicron, which is still pervasive in Bermuda. We also know a public health emergency will continue to exist on our Island beyond the 27 th of February 2022. Therefore, in accordance with section s 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. And this statement, Mr. Speaker, coincides with an anticipated further lifting of public health r estrictions, as was announced previously in this Hon-ourable House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Does any ot her Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker, good afternoon.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Dunkley, you have the floor. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Honourable Minister for the sum mary of the Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Exte nsion (No. 2) Order 2022. So, Mr. Speaker, much of what the Honour able Minister has said has …
MP Dunkley, you have the floor.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Honourable Minister for the sum mary of the Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Exte nsion (No. 2) Order 2022. So, Mr. Speaker, much of what the Honour able Minister has said has been repeated over and over and over again. And I fully support the repetition because when we face a very diff icult situation, like we have through this pandemic, it bears repeating information to people because it has been quite clear that some of our challenges are as a result of people not paying attention to what can help us . . . some of the simplest things t hat can help us, such as wearing masks, social distancing, practicing good hand h ygiene, and stuff like that. But here we are, Mr. Speaker, now 23 months of public health emergency extensions and I think we all know —all of us as Members of the Parliament — that many people in Bermuda are tired of the situation. They are worn out. Many have serious challenges that have impacted their life because of COVID -19. The obvious ones, such as employment, unemployment, businesses struggling, lives change, education, our children not being able to develop and mature in the environment that they used to. We have talked about all of these challenges quite often in this honourable place and outside this honourable place with our constituents. In addition to that, we are c ertainly now learning more and more about the mental health challenges that are starting to impact people. So, people 344 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly are tired of all of this and people are looking for a fresh perspective on the way forward. So, I think when the Government mentioned a few weeks ago that we have to learn to live with COVID -19, I think people’s spirits were lifted. And when some of the restrictions were lifted, again, a couple of weeks ago, I think people were buoyed by the opportunity to come out of the bubble that they were in, so to speak, to spread their wings a little bit in a good way, I refer to, Mr. Speaker, and get back to doing some of the things that they enjoy, like being able to go to the gym, being able to see people who they could not have seen over the past 23 months. And so, learning to live with COVID -19 was certainly a breath of fresh air, Mr. Speaker. So, I think it is disappointing for a lot of people today that this Order is going to be extended to allow it to be continued until the 31 st of March 2022. W e appreciate the advice of the Chief Medical Officer. I have a couple of questions for the Honourable Minister. First and foremost, can the Honourable Mini ster please provide an overview of the necessity for this Emergency Extension? What does this extensi on a llow to be covered that could not be covered in other ways? For example, Mr. Speaker, we are meeting in the House of Assembly on a regular basis now right through, I believe, until the middle or end of March when the Budget will end. And so, there is plenty of opportunity to bring another Order if it is needed. And so, I ask the Honourable Minister to give some bac kground on the requirement for this Order and what flexibility it allows the Government, because I think that is what the people of Bermuda want to understand. You look around us through the rest of the world and you can see that, in some countries like the UK, they have lifted all restrictions. You look at other countries, like Hong Kong who is going through their worst stage through COVID -19 with the Omicron var iant gripping their shores, and the potential that they might try to test all millions of their residents over the next couple of days. So, the playbook for COVID -19 has been varied. The playbook for COVID -19 has shown successes to so me jurisdictions and then fai lures crop up quite quickly because that is the nature of this virus with its ability to spread. So, I ask the Honourable Minister to provide some more clarity to this Honourable House and to the people of Bermuda because understanding the need for this is critically important. And many people feel that it could be done away with at the present time. In addition, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Honourable Minister providing some background on hospitalisations to date. I think the number was 366. And of those, 66 were fully vaccinated and 300 were not fully vaccinated. My question to the Honourable Minister is: How many of those 366 had not even one vaccination? I think that is an important number for Members of Parliament and the community to be aware of as well. Similar to that, unfortunately, with deaths, the Honourable Minister said, I believe, that 16 were fully vaccinated and 92 were not fully vaccinated. How many of those people who tragically passed away with COVID -19 did no t have one dose of vaccine upon their most unfortunate passing, Mr. Speaker? I think those numbers are important to understand and come to grips with. Mr. Speaker, another question I would like to ask the Honourable Minister is, in her deliberations with C abinet and the deliberations with the Chief Medical Officer, what does the Honourable Minister b elieve will be the situation going forward with the need for any further vaccine boosters? And how long will the current booster last, Mr. Speaker? There has been a lot of speculation throughout the world about the vaccine and the number of boosters. I think it is important for us, as Members of Parliament, as we try to support the Government in this initiative to get rid of COVID -19 from our shores and to contr ol it as much as we can, as we have tried to do from the very beginning of this pandemic, to get an understanding of what could be next. Many Bermudians rallied to the cry and took the vaccine. They have taken all three doses of the vaccine. We have been b lessed because the UK, in a very timely manner, has provided us with the vaccines to really jump at it very quickly. In January of last year, well before many other jurisdictions . . . and I think many Berm udians jumped at it and supported the Government’s call, supported the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and generally our community of doctors in Bermuda, to get the vaccine. So, to the Honourable Minister: What is the potential going forward that further boosters will be required? The Government has s et out in summary form what the next steps will be about restrictions. And I think all people look forward to that. I agree 100 per cent and I have been saying it for some months now that we have to learn to live with COVID -19. It has been proven early on through the pandemic that it is not going to disappear quickly. And even the experts, Mr. Speaker, disagree . . . or not disagree; that is probably the wrong word to use. But even the experts have differing opinions on when we will see the tail end of COVI D-19. Obviously, we have seen at least five different variants. There are some indications in other parts of the world that there is a sixth variant that is taking place. So, we need to keep our guard up. But one thing is for sure, Mr. Speaker. I know I can speak for myself and countless Bermudians from one end of the Island to the other. They are well aware of what they need to do to try to stay healthy. They still practice it every day even though some of
Bermuda House of Assembly our restrictions have been lifted. And I think it is important for us to continue to provide as much information as we can going forward so that we can have a more normal life, not only for all of us as adults, but certainly for our children who, at the tail end of COVID -19—if this is the tail end, and I believe we are getting close to the tail end of this —are still probably struggling with the implications and the restrictions and requirements under COVID -19 more than adults are struggling, Mr. Speaker. So, with those comments and with those questions, I look forward to other Members who wan ted to partake in this debate and also to some answers from the Honourable Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Member. Would any other Member like to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member?
Mr. Anthony Richardson—and good afternoon, again. I want to speak generally in the context of the Extension, but mostly about the whole COVID -19 and the health of recent. I want to start my comments by giving a significant thank you to all of those persons who have been in the health …
—and good afternoon, again. I want to speak generally in the context of the Extension, but mostly about the whole COVID -19 and the health of recent. I want to start my comments by giving a significant thank you to all of those persons who have been in the health system. And it is not just the health care workers directly, but it is also persons like the Fire Service, for example, Immigration and Customs, because they all play a significant part in terms of helping Bermuda to, I would say, successfully manage its way through the whole COVID -19 exper ience. To the Minister and al so to the Premier as the leaders of the, I want to say Bermuda charge, and also the Chief Medical Officer and others, I want to offer my support because I have been pressing, cer-tainly in terms of understanding some of the basis for decisions, and they hav e been steadfast despite wit hering criticism from a whole lot of people to make sure that we always remained on our risk focus. The most recent adjustments, and even as the previous speaker spoke to the greater relaxation now, have still been based upon r isk. And I know from discussions recently it is that Bermuda has increased the number of residents who have immunity, whether it be through the initial vaccination process, the more recent booster process, and now Government has given concrete recognition to natural immunity, which would arise from those persons who would have had COVID -19 and now recovered. And so, I want to give a very strong commendation to all of those who have been in the process. I am also mindful of the fact that the language has no w been eased in terms of the “us versus them.” There seems to be a change in language now recognising that certainly we have to get used to living with COVID -19, it is not going to go away, and that there are clearly some common sense things that we can do. The Minister and others, of course, continue to reinforce one of the most fundamental things, which is to wear masks. I was actually at a service yesterday and I was pleased to note that the leader himself stood up and said, Listen everybody, you have on masks — you’re not wearing them correctly. And so, the message is getting out there, if you are going to have your mask on because you are indoors, then make sure that both your nose and your mouth are covered. And so, the message is getting there. Also, I guess I want to just end by saying once again that we may individually disagree with some of the decisions that are being made by the broader government. But I want to once again emphasise the fact that if we take more time—all of us —to listen and to understand the focus being on the risk to Bermuda, the economy, the risk to the health system generally, and more particularly the risk to the hospital, that, again, we may not agree, but the decisions being made are practical and reasonable. And we are now getting to that stage, thankfully, whereby we can adjust to the fact that COVID -19 will be with us, but also adjust to the fact that if we act in a practical sustained and sensible way we will be able to manage and move forward. And then clearly, beyond all of this, is to move to a greater focus now on “getting life back to normal” and strengthening the economy. So, I definitely, again, support what the Mini ster is doing at this stage. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to mak e a contribution at this time? Any other Member?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Simmons -Wade, you have the floor.
Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -WadeMr. Speaker, I guess the previous speaker talked about it seems like there is not as much of a divide. Unfortunately, there still is. But I think the most important thing, Mr. Speaker, is that we respect people’s choice to decide whether or not they move forward with the pandemic …
Mr. Speaker, I guess the previous speaker talked about it seems like there is not as much of a divide. Unfortunately, there still is. But I think the most important thing, Mr. Speaker, is that we respect people’s choice to decide whether or not they move forward with the pandemic . . . I mean with the vaccine, sorry. 346 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly One of the things that I will say [is that] I commend the whole health team and everyone that has worked—including MPs, Opposition, anybody that has worked—to help us to move out of this pandemic. Mr. Speaker, there is information for getting the vaccine and for not gett ing the vaccine. Each of them is just as strong as . . . I would not say each of them is just as strong; but everybody has a doctor, has a scientist, someone who is going to support the facts. The reality is that we, along with the rest of the world, Mr. S peaker, have been affected by COVID -19. The decisions that have been made— very difficult decisions, Mr. Speaker —by this Government to pr otect this country, have been successful. We now have to learn to live with the pandemic, Mr. Speaker. But most importantly, Mr. Speaker, we have to look at protecting our health care system, but, more importantly, protecting the citizens. Decisions are b eing made to protect those, especially the most vulnerable persons, Mr. Speaker. So, moving forward, even if we decide to relax the regulations, Mr. Speaker, I just hope that everyone makes decisions not just to protect themselves, but to protect those that are around them. Vulnerable persons are dying. Vulnerable persons are dying still staying at home and being isolated. Seniors in rest homes, Mr. Speaker, are still not going out because they are vulnerable and potentially they could get COVID -19 and, potentially, they could die. Mr. Speaker, so many people talk about the fact that COVID -19 does not really kill you. But very often there are people who have underlying health conditions that do not even know they have them. So, what happens? They end up in the hospital, they have long-term COVID -19, and unfortunately some of them die, Mr. Speaker. So, what I encourage ever yone who is liste ning to the House [to do is] to make wise decisions, to protect the people that are around you. Mr. Speaker, our actions are going to determine what happens in this country in regard to any future regulations. Our actions are going to mak e a difference. So, I ask everyone to take personal r esponsibility to protect our country, to protect our family and protect our friends so that we can move out of this pandemic and learn to live with it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou have the floor. Mr. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good afternoon to everyone in the listening public. Yeah, I kind of, I think we have all been on pretty much the same page here going forward— we are looking out for the future of Bermuda and …
You have the floor. Mr. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good afternoon to everyone in the listening public. Yeah, I kind of, I think we have all been on pretty much the same page here going forward— we are looking out for the future of Bermuda and its health. But I did have some questions that I was ho ping that the Honourable Minister would maybe address, especially concerning the community and the economy. You know, I was just reading a recent article in the Entrepreneur magazine where it talks about pyjamas versus suits, and it was really centred around this w hole idea that we have gotten so used to being home in our pyjamas and working from home that we are not going back out to the office. And the article continued on to say that, you know, the bosses and the managers want employees to come back to work. What I want to say, and what I want to ask is, are we at some point in time going to continue to have the Minister admonish people and to encourage people to please get back out into the community? We are seeing our economy taking a dive. If you walk through town, you can see where entrepr eneurship is dying off. And one of the keys to helping entrepreneurs survive is to get people back out, back into the community, back into the business centres, so that we get more spending, which would support the economy. W e know that in the past I believe that the Minister has made an attempt to say, you know, she is admonishing people to get back out. But I am encouraging the Minister to please continue to shout this out, to get people back out, out of their pyjamas and back into their suits, back into the city or wherever it is that they go to work because just that alone will help invi gorate because it does drive and encourage spending within the community. One of the other areas that I was curious about was I know that P 4 and above, I believe, are still required to wear a mask in our schools. And I was just curious as to where the Minister stands on this here, as far as . . . I know that education has brought that up. But the Health Minister, how does she feel about the f act that people are not —teachers and st udents —wearing masks all day? And where does she stand on the health benefits and health risks concer ning wearing masks all day for our teachers and our students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Pearman, you have the floor.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Speaker. Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, my colleague MP Dunkley and my colleag ue MP Cannonier have addressed the i ssue of the emergency extension to some level of degree. I just want to touch on a few brief points. And I certainly welcome any response—supportive …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, my colleague MP Dunkley and my colleag ue MP Cannonier have addressed the i ssue of the emergency extension to some level of degree. I just want to touch on a few brief points. And I certainly welcome any response—supportive or ot herwise —from the Health Minister to what I have to say. Obviously , when you are restraining people’s right to move, to act lawfully, you want those restraints to be the barest restraints minimum . . . the barest restraints necessary by the situation. I very much ap-preciate that the Minister of Health has a balancing exercise to do and I did listen carefully to one of the prior speakers talking about the health risks to the elderly in the community. At the same time, this Gov-ernment has said boldly and repeatedly that we have to learn to live with COVID -19 and to move on. And we agree. That involves, obviously, looking at the schools. And we have now heard an announcement in respect of masks. I wonder if that goes far enough or if it can go further; but at least it is a step. We would like to know when that is going to come into place. And, more importantly, when will the mask mandate be done away with altogether? You know, what does that time horizon look like, Honourable Health Mini ster? MP Dunkley addressed a number of issues, but let me just pick up on one of them, and that is the travel authorisation form. The Opposition has been against this from day one. So it will not surprise you for me to say now: When are we going to get rid of it? It does seem like an unnecessary encumbrance. We know the statistics of those wh o came to visit our Island during the last six months of the last calendar year. We know that those statistics were pa ltry in contrast to the six -month period in 2019, pre - COVID -19. I mean, I may not have the exact numbers to hand, but it was 400, 450 in t he last six months of 2019 —450,000, or thereabouts. And my understanding from the report given to the House is that the last six months the last month was a mere 27,000. Those are not precise figures, but the point is there— less than 10 per cent. We need t o do more to encourage people to come to our Island. We need to do more to encourage tourists to return to our Island. We have seen, actually, statistics on GDP growth to islands to the south of us —Aruba, Anguilla, and others. We are seeing 15 per cent, 17 per cent GDP growth down there as people are returning. So why is it that we have a travel authorisation form that just creates a barrier to travel? Mr. Speaker, I do not know if you have had to travel of late or during the COVID -19 period, but I have. And it is really inconvenient to try to upload i nformation and get the form and print the form. God knows how someone who is not tech- savvy could manage to do it! I mean, how does the senior who may not be tech- savvy go to visit his or her grandchild in the US and come back easily? And, of course, you cannot upload the travel authorisation form without the requisite tests. So, it is something, I think, that is no longer necessary. Obviously, we thought it should have been gone from the beginning. But we wou ld certainly like to hear from the Minister of Health as to her views. If you need to know where people are staying when they land, well, we have a form for that. If you need to know that someone has a test, well then, get a form when they get the test result. Why are we add-ing an additional layer of bureaucracy? Why are we adding an additional cost? We want to make Bermuda open again before there is nothing worth visiting on our Island. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member? There are none, Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank honourable colleagues for their contributions. Mr. Speaker, starting from the last speaker and moving f orward, as …
Thank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member? There are none, Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank honourable colleagues for their contributions. Mr. Speaker, starting from the last speaker and moving f orward, as it relates to the TA. You will recall that the Honourable Premier did indicate that the TA would be and continue in existence until the end of this budget year. The honourable colleague suggested that we collect the data on . . . I think he is referring to the former pink form that we used to—
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Point of clarification, Mr. Speaker, to the Minister.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of clarification. POINT OF CLARIFICATION Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes. The Honourable Mi nister said “wil l continue to the end of this budget year.” So, is that March 31 st of this year? Because I thought the Premier said to the end of April 2023. Hon. Kim N. …
Point of clarification.
POINT OF CLARIFICATION
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes. The Honourable Mi nister said “wil l continue to the end of this budget year.” So, is that March 31 st of this year? Because I thought the Premier said to the end of April 2023. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: That is correct, Mr. Speaker. Not this year, next year; next budget year.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank s for the clarity. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Oh, wow! Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, the pink . . . the Honourable and Learned Member that just spoke prior said that we collect the data for persons that travelled to Bermuda. That was the former pink for m …
Thank s for the clarity.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Oh, wow!
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, the pink . . . the Honourable and Learned Member that just spoke prior said that we collect the data for persons that travelled to Bermuda. That was the former pink for m and when we introduced the TA we actually got rid of that pink form so that the information collected from the TA is beneficial to both the BTA as well as the Department of Immigration because it does provide information 348 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly about where persons are staying and the like. But, again, as the Honourable Premier indicated, the TA will be there until the end of the next fiscal year. Mr. Speaker, with respect to the issues as they relate to the mask wearing, the Honourable Member Minister of Education did speak in his Ministerial Statement about provisions as they relate to the masks. The office of the Chief Medical Officer and the other colleagues that help to provide input with r espect to the public health measures that are neces-sary for keeping Bermuda safe, that information and input is also provided to the Minister of Education for him to assess accordingly. We have spoken previously on numerous occasions as it relates to the ability to reduce the transmission of the virus through the wear-ing of masks. Mr. Speaker, as it relates to the question concerning the booster and the vaccine, the manufacturers are still researching and assessing whether or not subsequent boosters will be required. Also, I can speak to the question as it relates to how many per-sons have b een either hospitalised and/or have passed that have not been fully vaccinated. As we have spoken about previously, fully vaccinated is certainly for the Pfizer two doses plus two weeks as per the manufacturer. So, I do not have the information as to how m any persons may have received one dose. But to be fully vaccinated it is two doses plus two weeks in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, unless it is the Johnson & Johnson, which is one dose and two weeks. Mr. Speaker — Hon. Michael H. Dunkle y: Point of clarification, Mr. Speaker. Sorry to interrupt, Minister.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of clarification. POINT OF CLARIFICATION Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, my question was: Is there any information available on how many people have been hospitalised and have unfortunately passed away with not even one dose of the vaccine— just for clarification. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: I would have to …
Point of clarification.
POINT OF CLARIFICATION
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, my question was: Is there any information available on how many people have been hospitalised and have unfortunately passed away with not even one dose of the vaccine— just for clarification.
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: I would have to get that information. But, as I indicated from the numbers, if you were . . . the persons who have passed away, 99 persons were not fully vaccinated and they passed away due to COVID -19 and 16 persons were fully vaccinated. Again, I just explained what fully vaccinated means, which is two doses and two weeks in accor dance with the manufacturer’s instructions or one dose, as is the case with Johnson & Johnson. Mr. Speaker, the existing Public Health Emergency expires on the 27 th of February, which is next week Sunday. You will recall that next Friday is the Budget and by precedent and practice the Budget is the only Order of the Day on the 25 th. The 27th would be Sunday. This Order needs to be made and passed not only in this House, but also in the Senate, so wai ting until next week is not an option. Also, Mr. Speaker, as I indicated previously in the House, the existing Order . . . sorry, we have pr eviously made announcements that as of March 7th there will be further, border roll -backs, so to speak, changes in the policy of arriving to Bermuda, which we know will certainly assist with respect to our travels, particularly our tourism, persons coming here . . . I am sorry, our leisure time travellers. I have to end by saying, Mr. Speaker, accor ding the World Health Organization, the Public Health Emergency of International Concern still does exist as it relates to COVID -19. Om icron is still in Bermuda and still travelling throughout the world, so it is still a variant of concern. We have announced a couple of deaths just this week, Mr. Speaker. So, regrettably, we are still in the midst of a pandemic and, as such, based on the recommendation of the Chief Medical Officer, it is regrettably still required for us to extend the Public Health Emergency Order because of the circumstances we find ourselves in. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to move that the Draft Order be approved and that a suitable message be sent to Her Excellency the Go vernor.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections to that? There are none. The matter has been moved and the appr opriate message will be sent to the Governor. [Motion carried: The Draft Order entitled Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 2) Order 2022 was approved.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, thank you for your contributions. That brings that matter to a close. We now move on to the next item on the O rder Paper today, which is the second reading of the Pharmacy and Poisons Amendment Act 2022 in the name of the Minister of Health. Minister. BILL …
Members, thank you for your contributions. That brings that matter to a close. We now move on to the next item on the O rder Paper today, which is the second reading of the Pharmacy and Poisons Amendment Act 2022 in the name of the Minister of Health. Minister.
BILL
SECOND READING
PHARMACY AND POISONS AMENDMENT ACT 2022
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill entitled the Pharmacy and Poisons Amendment Act 2022 be now read a second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections? There are none. Bermuda House of Assembly Continue, Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present to this Honourable House the second reading of the Pharmacy and Po isons Amendment Act 2022. Mr. Speaker, the primary purpose of the Pharmacy and Poisons …
Are there any objections? There are none.
Bermuda House of Assembly Continue, Minister.
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present to this Honourable House the second reading of the Pharmacy and Po isons Amendment Act 2022. Mr. Speaker, the primary purpose of the Pharmacy and Poisons Act 1979 was to establish a statutory body called the Pharmacy Council, legislate requirements for the registration of pharmacists and pharmacies, and control drugs, poisons, prescriptions and the importation of medicines. Mr. Speaker, the Pharmacy and Poisons Amendment Act 2022 updates and improves this legislation as it relates to the membership of the Pharmacy Council. Mr. Speaker, this Bill allows for the appointment to the Pharmacy Council of a member qualified to assist with legal or ethical matters. It also gives the Chairman of the Pharmacy Council a casti ng vote in matters that end in a tie. In closing, Mr. Speaker, this Bill seeks to amend and improve the P harmacy and Poisons Act 1979 by enhancing the membership and the proces ses of the Pharmacy Council. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker, thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Dunkley, you have the floor. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Honourable Minister, thank you for the very brief, brief. Just a couple of very short questions. Assuming that these two changes —additional board member “who shall not be a registered pharm acist, appointed by the Minister as a person appearing …
MP Dunkley, you have the floor.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Honourable Minister, thank you for the very brief, brief. Just a couple of very short questions. Assuming that these two changes —additional board member “who shall not be a registered pharm acist, appointed by the Minister as a person appearing to him to be qualified by his training or experience or both to assist the Council in matters of a legal or eth ical nature”; and for the second change for the Chai rman to have the “casting vote” . . . so I assume that in the past there have been issues in regard to both of these matters, one with having a legal opinion, and secondly with having tied votes. Is that correct? Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, the addition of an extra person brings the composition of the Pharmacy Council to eight. And also, Mr. Speaker, similar to other professional bodies that are medical in nature, they have the assistance of a qualified lawyer to assist with respect to matters of procedure as well as ensuring that due process and the like takes place so as to avoid any litigation or unnecessary failure for the due processes to be adhered to. A lawyer would be the one that would be able to assist and make sure that due process occurs.
The Spe aker: No further speakers? Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to move that this Bill entitled the Pharmacy and Poisons Amendment Act 2022 be now committed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Deputy Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House in Committee at 3:2 0 pm [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL PHARMACY AND POISONS AMENDMENT ACT 2022
The ChairmanChairmanHonourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole House for further consider ation of the Bill entitled Pharmacy and Poisons Amendment Act 2022 . Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr . Chairman. I would, with your leave, like to move all three …
The ChairmanChairmanContinue. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Clause 1 is self -explanatory. Clause 2, Mr. Chairman, amends section 4 of the principal Act to provide for the Minister of Health to appoint to the Pharmacy Council, a member appearing to [her] to be qualified to assist the Council …
Continue.
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Clause 1 is self -explanatory. Clause 2, Mr. Chairman, amends section 4 of the principal Act to provide for the Minister of Health to appoint to the Pharmacy Council, a member appearing to [her] to be qualified to assist the Council in mat-ters of a legal or ethical nature. Clause 3, Mr. Chairman, amends the First Schedule to the principal Act to give the Chairman of the Pharmacy Council a casting vote in matters that cannot be decided by a majority vote, because the amendment made to section 4 of the principal Act un-der clause 2 will result in an even number of members on the Council. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chair man: Thank you, Minister. Are there any further speakers? There appear to be none. Minister.
350 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move now the Preamble.
The ChairmanChairmanMove the clauses first, Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Chairman, I wo uld like to move clauses 1 through 3 be accepted.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clauses 1 through 3 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 1 through 3 passed.]
The ChairmanChairmanNow you can move the Preamble. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the Preamble be approved as well.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Preamble be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approve d. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the Bill be reported to the House as printed.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Bill be reported to the House as printed. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. The Bill will be reported to the House as printed.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you, Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you, Members. Mr. Speaker. [Motion carried: The Pharmacy and Poisons Amend-ment Act 2022 was considered by a Committee of the whole House and passed without amendment.] House resumed at 3:23 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] REPORT OF COMMITTEE PHARMACY AND POISONS AMENDMENT ACT 2022
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy. Members, are there any objections to the Bill entitled Pharmacy and Poisons Amendment Act 2022 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. The Bill has been reported as printed. Members, am I correct, that brings us to an end of the items on the …
Thank you, Deputy. Members, are there any objections to the Bill entitled Pharmacy and Poisons Amendment Act 2022 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. The Bill has been reported as printed. Members, am I correct, that brings us to an end of the items on the Order [Paper] to be dealt with today, Ministers? And if that is the case, we can have third readings. Madam Attorney General?
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 21
Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: I move that Standing Order 21 be suspended to enable me to move the Bill entitled Matrimonial Causes (Faultless Divorce) Amendment Act 2022 be now read the third time by its title only.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections? There are none. Continue. BILL THIRD READING MATRIMONIAL CAUSES (FAULTLESS DIVORCE) AMENDMENT ACT 2022 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that the Bill be now read a third time by its title only and passed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe Bill has been read a third time by its title only and is now passed. Thank you, Madam Attorney General. [Motion carried: The Matrimonial Causes (Faultless Divorce) Amendment Act 2022, read a third time and passed.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister of Health. SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 21 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that Standing Order 21 be suspended to enable me to move the bill entitled Pharmacy and Poisons Amendment Act 2022 be now read the third time by its title only.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAny objections? There are none, c ontinue. BILL Bermuda House of Assembly THIRD READING PHARMACY AND POISONS AMENDMENT ACT 2022 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill be now read a third time by its title only and passed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe Bill has been read a third time by its title only and has now passed. Thank you, Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Moti on carried: The Pharmacy and Poisons Amendment Act 2022, read a third time and passed.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Ministers and Members for your contribution in today’s discussions around the legislative agenda that has been dealt with today. We now move t o the motion to adjourn. And Premier and Deputy Premier, I see you both smiling at me. Hon. E. David Burt: I am going to …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMr. Premier. ADJOURNMENT Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that this Honourabl e House do now adjourn until Budget day, Friday, February 25th.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAt 10:00 am. Hon. E. David Burt: At 10:00 am, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAt 10:00 am, thank you. That means we can go home now [unless] some Members would like to speak. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, I would like to— Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Mr. Speaker. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, I saw the Deputy’s camera on there. So, Deputy Speaker, would you like to— Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes.
The SpeakerThe Speaker—lead us on the motion to adjourn? Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week I started on the motion to adjourn and we were . . . we had some technical difficulties and we were all shut off. So, I was only speaking probably …
—lead us on the motion to adjourn? Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week I started on the motion to adjourn and we were . . . we had some technical difficulties and we were all shut off. So, I was only speaking probably about a minute and a half, so I will continue, about where I finished last time. But Mr. Speaker —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou can continue at the beginning, go right ahead. APPOINTMENT OF NEW OMBUDSMAN Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Oh, thank you, that is what I meant to say. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Vict oria Pearman, the soon to be outgoing Ombudsman, who …
You can continue at the beginning, go right ahead.
APPOINTMENT OF NEW OMBUDSMAN
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Oh, thank you, that is what I meant to say. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Vict oria Pearman, the soon to be outgoing Ombudsman, who has served her maximum term as the Ombudsman for eight years —eight quick years. I do not know what eight slow years are, but it seemed like eight quick years. And Vicky has done a marvellous job, a fantastic job. She has done . . . it seems like ever ything she does, she does very well, even as she masters the courtrooms in this country. So, hopefully, she will come back into private practice, Mr. Speaker. But Mr. Speaker, I am a bit taken back because what I am told is that the chief occupant in the largest house on Langton Hill wants to appoint the former Police Commissioner as the Ombudsman. A nd I find it a bit concerning because, Mr. Speaker, if you look at the history of Government House, I would ve nture to say that 70 per cent of the appointees that come under their charge are people of . . . are white, Mr. Speaker. And so, I am a little concerned about that, because I do know, and I think I have been told by sources outside the Government that between 12 and 14 applied for this job, Mr. Speaker. And so, I get concerned there, particularly when we are holding . . . and when I say “we” I mean the chief occupant is holding up appointing the Police Commissioner. We have an Acting Police Commissioner. In my opinion he is doing a great job and is well qualified for the job. It seems that when people of colour are applying or are in line for a job, they seemingly have to go through an apprenticeship scheme before they can be finally appointed, Mr. Speaker. And this is concerning to me, Mr. Speaker. But back to the proposed appointment of a former Police Commissioner, this is the same Police Commiss ioner who, under his charge, when our people who were peacefully protesting on December 2, 2016, were pepper -sprayed with chemical weapons. And most of these people, Mr. Speaker, were seniors. Why would we . . . why would the chief occupant, even though th ey were not there, want to appoint somebody like this to be the Ombudsman, Mr. Speaker? 352 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly When we have our inmates that are incarcerated, sometimes they write to the Ombudsman about their concerns or some issues they may have. Do you think they will be conf ident in writing to an ex -Police Commissioner who comes from a culture that systematically targets Blacks, in particular, for prosecution and then jail, Mr. Speaker? Particularly when you look at our prisons, at least 99 per cent of our inmates are people of colour. But no one can dispute the culture that these folks come from because they target Black folks, Mr. Speaker. And no one can tell me that only Black folks do wrong, because if you visit our prisons and you see 99 per cent, at least, of the inmates are Black, you would think that only Black people commit crimes, Mr. Speaker. And the other thing is, Mr. Speaker, not so long ago a young lady who was driving with children in her car was stopped by the police. I think the windows in her car were tinte d too dark. But what happened after that really, really annoyed me when they took the car from the lady with the children and put them on the street and they had to find their way home. Mr. Speaker, some years ago we changed the name from Police Force to a Police Service. Now, a Police Service would not do that. They would not do that. And I guess what they will tell me is that the dri ver of the car was driving a car that should not be on the road. Well, because you may be right under the law it does not m ean you should not have a heart. They could have made sure the lady got home, whether they took her themselves or let her drive and then took her car. No, they put her on the street with her children. That is a Police Force . That is the culture that these folks come from and this is the same culture that broke into the Brown - Darrell Clinic down by John Smith’s Beach. They broke in there, covered the cameras up, Mr. Speaker, and do you know what they called that in our day, and I think they call it today? B reaking and entering. They broke and entered and they probably stole, because why would they cover up the cameras, Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I think you can remember and many of us should remember that last year a polic eman was dismissed from the Police Force for turning off their camera. And the policeman appealed, went through the court process and appealed to the S upreme Court. Well, the determination was upheld. Okay, that is fine. This policeman was dismissed, approved by the courts, yet policemen can go down to Brown -Darrell Clinic, break into an office, conceal the cameras, and no charges have been made against them. This is the culture . . . this is the culture that the chief occupant wants to put as the next Ombuds-man, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when you look at the laws in this country, the laws that have been made, as you know, Mr. Speaker, that I think it was up until 1968 maybe, the chief occupant of the largest house on Langton Hill sat in LegCo [ Legislative Council ]. So, they were there approving all these draconian laws that mainly pertained to Black folks. Racist policies like policemen can only get a job as far as a certain rank in the Police Force. Certain jobs were prohibited to Blacks. The payment, the income disparity was approved, Mr . Speaker. It is the same culture, system, that pros ecuted and jailed Reverend Monk who was helping workers in Dockyard in 1902. They are cut from the same culture, Mr. Speaker. And then we have the chief occupant of the largest house on Langton Hill sup porting the deal to give away our airport to Aecon, Mr. Speaker. Instead of the chief occupant directing the Government of the day to London to get the funds to do the airport, they approved this deal with another government agency . . . not a government agency, but Aecon from Canada, Mr. Speaker. And then what they went on to do, and all endorsed by the chief occupant, was sign an agreement that guarantees the minimum revenue at the airport, Mr. Speaker. So far it has cost us just be-low $40 million —over $3 million a month, Mr. Speaker. And this is as of September 30, 2021. So, another bill, I am sure, is on its way to Minister Scott, Mr. Speaker. This, this, this record . . . this record by Go vernment House, Mr. Speaker . . . this is the same group that th e chief occupant initiated the investig ation of Dr. Brown. But, Mr. Speaker, they never initiated any investigation of an Attorney General of the previous Government who shredded papers — government papers —who also obtained information illegally. There was n o investigation, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we had a former Accountant General receive stolen police files. There was no i nvestigation initiated by Government House, Mr. Speaker. This is what they have done, Mr. Speaker. I tell you, the record of that la rgest house on Langton Hill ––it would shameful to Buckingham Palace. Because a lot of times people think Buckingham Palace knows about all of this here. They do not. They do not even know what is going on down here as far as that is concerned. And, you know, they put laws in place in this country endorsed by the FCO represent ative to Bermuda that were outlawed in the UK, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one other sad part about it is that this chief occupant of the largest house on Lang-ton Hill, who initiated the investigation of Dr. Brown, meets on a regular basis with the Commissioner of Police, the DPP and the Chief Justice. It almost takes me back to Reverend Monk’s case, reading the hist ory, when he went before the courts and he had the father . . . the son w as the prosecutor and another relative here and [Reverend] Monk called them the Father, Son and the Unholy Ghost. This is the same group that is persecuting and trying to prosecute Dr. Brown for something that is commonplace in the UK.
Bermuda House of Assembly I am going to repeat this because I have said it before— and yes, let it be a broken record to some. But they give contributions to political parties in the UK and get government contracts. Now, I am not sa ying this happens here; but it happens out there. It is public knowled ge; but it is okay. But when they come to Bermuda there has got to be a different law for our people, because they want to control. And we know what it is all about. They really are trying to control Dr. Brown because he brought the Uighurs in, because he had a good relationship with the President or the chief of state of the United States. They did not like that and they thought they should have been told. But immigration does not fall under the chief occupant’s purview. It falls under the Immigration Mini ster. That is why Colonel Burch was there, Mr. Speaker. And then, you know, when it comes to shootings in Bermuda, gang shootings . . . and everybody blames the Minister. They blame Minister Ming. Well, let me say this, Mr. Speaker. Minister Ming is not i n charge of policemen in Bermuda . . . oh, no, I am sorry, she is in charge of one policeman in Bermuda, backed up by their son who is about 7 foot 7 [inches]. But putting that aside, outside of . . . inside of working hours, Minister Ming is not in charge of one policeman in Bermuda. She does not direct them; she cannot tell them what to do. She can suggest, but she cannot tell them what to do. We have complaints about the police, about what is happening in this country that police . . . it is their work. Bermudians need to complain to the lar gest house on Langton Hill. They call it Government House because they are in charge of the police. I don’t know whether to call them Police Force or Police Service, but they are in charge. The Minister is not in charge. And then when it comes to gangs, the first thing they say is look for Pastor Bean. Yes, Pastor Bean, yes, let me say again, he is a personal friend of mine. That is why I am able to talk about this here, Mr. Speaker. And they want to know where Pastor Bean is. Well, the way they come across is as if . . . if a shooting was to take place tonight, they call Pastor Bean and say Pastor Bean we’re gonna be shooting tonight, can you come out and try to stop us? He does not know this, Mr. Speaker. You know, if you look at, I guess, between 2012 [and] 2017, and beyond that a bit and some working in our time, they hired a firm from, I think, New Jersey, from the USA. I think it was called John J. College. And what they paid them, I think it was about three or f our times what they are paying Pastor Bean. And these folks were not here like Pastor Bean is here when a shooting occurs. He not only goes to the site, but he goes down to the hospital and visits everybody at all hours of the night and morning. But why d o they try to put so much pressure on his job, Mr. Speaker? You know, some things they do not know about Pastor Bean. For years Pastor Bean has been assisting people to go overseas for whether it was drugs or alcohol into a rehabilitation centre —not f inanced by Government. He was backed by a lovely white lady, a foundation that was friendly to Bermuda and they paid for the rehabilitation. But there were sometimes [when] Pastor Bean had to get somebody out tonight or tomorrow, he had to go in his pockets and help pay. But this is what he has been doing for years. He never told anybody. He will not come out in the public and say that. That is what he has done for years —no cost to this Government. But they will complain about that. That is what he did, Mr. Spe aker. And it is not happening like it used to because the l ady has sadly passed away, Mr. Speaker. But that is what this lady . . . she had a great relationship with Pastor Bean, and Pastor Bean had a great relationship with her . . . [that is what they] were able to do, Mr. Speaker. So, if you want to complain about the shootings, complain to the largest house on Langton Hill. They are in charge of the police. Minister Ming is not in charge. Pastor Bean does not know when shootings will occur. He does not know. If he did know, I can assure you he would up there to try to stop it. That is what he would do, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am asking the chief occupant of Government House to erase the racial disparity in the justice system. Stop this investigatio n of Dr. Brown. They can do it if they want to, but you know her predecessors that came before her probably told her, Oh you need to watch out for . . . and they named certain people. I am sure I am on that list. It would be nice to get me off her list, but I am sure I am on that list, Mr. Speaker. That is what we are hoping that they will do — stop it. And they . . . they . . . they must take respons ibility. And when I say “they”, the chief occupants of the largest house on Langton Hill, because it was Dr. Brown, again, in 2008 on two separate occasions went to that location—the largest house on Langton Hill—to try to get assistance in here on the situation. Mr. Speaker, I would venture [to say] that he was denied by the chief occupant. But I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, if we had looked . . . if it was a different demographic that was shooting at . . . each other, we would have all sorts of experts down here, studies being done, and all that type of thing . . . all that type of situation would be going on. But because it is Black on Black crime, I guess they must say, okay, they’re only killing themselves, let them . . . whatever, I do not know. Sometimes I wonder. What we are asking these folks to do, they have got to . . . some of them are embedded with this mistrust of Blacks. We have far too many in Bermuda that think that way. And let me say that we have some good white folks and they have suffered because they have been on the front lines. We had people in the United States killed— white people killed— walking 354 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, [Jr.] to eradicate poverty and all the racial stuff in America. So, there are some very good white folks, like Blacks, in this country that have a heart, who see us as equal. But we have far too many that are not b ecause in Bermuda the same racial disparity in the jus-tice system continues, led by the chief occupant of the Langton Hill. That is where it comes from because they are the ones in charge of the police, they are in charge of the DPP, and they are in charge of the Chief Justice, Mr. Speaker. And [what] I would like to see come out of Government House [are] some pr ogrammes, not only to educate our young men–– let someone come from the FCO because they have spent over $10 million investigating Dr. Brown. Why don’t they give that $10 million back to us and let us educate our boys and girls in Bermuda and get them on to something worthwhile in their lives? That is what they should be doing, not trying to eliminate our folks and lock them up. That is what they do, Mr. Speaker. And right now we have one of the lowest . . . I think one of the lowest prison populations that we have ever had. Our young men and young women are not so bad, you know, Mr. Speaker. They are no different from anybody else. But let me say, l et me finish this statement,
Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerDeputy, I just looked at the clock and even though you have been very good, you have got five seconds left. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Let me say [this], Martin Luther [King, Jr.] says that silenc e is betrayal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy. Does any other Member wish to— Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. MP Dunkley — Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: That is me.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou have your 20 minutes. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I speak tonight on a matter that has grave consequences and, certainly, I believe, s erious implications to our Island home. A matter, Mr. Speaker, that after the shock announcement …
You have your 20 minutes.
SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I speak tonight on a matter that has grave consequences and, certainly, I believe, s erious implications to our Island home. A matter, Mr. Speaker, that after the shock announcement earlier this week has seen little explanation or understanding from the powers that be to the people of Bermuda. A former Premier —the longest serving Premier in Bermuda—Sir John Swan, said earlier, and hit the nail right on the head, and I quote him, Premier Burt has a crisis on his hands . Yes, indeed, Mr. Speaker, I support that sentiment. There is a crisis, whether the Premier and any colleagues acknowledge it or admit it or not. Sir John Swan said it, and many people bel ieve it, Mr. Speaker, and thank him for speaking out. It was a shock resignation that caught the country by surprise and it appears [it] caught many of the political colleagues of the Member by surprise. Mr. Speaker, to me, it is unbelievable that, what I consider a respected Member of the House, certainly, a respected Minister, has resigned so su ddenly. And at this time, Mr. Speaker, I believe [from] the resignation would have been 11 days to the budget debate. A very respected Member of the House of Asse mbly. And I say that, Mr. Speaker, to put it in context because, while my colleagues and I sit on the other side of the House, it is very clear that we have had some good debates with the Honourable former Mini ster. They have lacked any political contenti on and the Minister —the former Minister —has been all about business. But we must look at the facts at the present time, Mr. Speaker. In my view, the most respected PLP Minister has resigned. One of the most important ministers, the Minister of Finance (I believe, after the Premier, is the most important Minister), has resigned. Doing so very close to the budget is certainly a very concerning situation. Typically, Mr. Speaker, the budget is around Valentine’s Day, so the budget is about two weeks late anywa y, Mr. Speaker. It is a real concern at this time, Mr. Speaker, because the economy is in turmoil. There are many questions that need to be answered. People need to know what the plan is for the Government. Thank God, while the economy might be struggling, in many areas we have international business that is still very strong. But the rest of the economy seriously needs some attention and work. Tourism is bleak. Our airlift, Mr. Speaker, is very weak at the moment. And there are many questions, I think, about what the airlift will be going forward, Mr. Speaker, through the summer period. Projections for 2022 appear to be somewhat sketchy at this time, Mr. Speaker, as far as hotel occupancy. There is no doubt unemployment is high. This is exacerbated by the pandemic. The cost of li ving is high. Inflation continues to rise, not only here in Bermuda, but throughout the world. And that will have an impact, Mr. Speaker, on our cost of living and our inflation rate. Mr. Speaker, COVID -19 has wrecked our economy in many, many different areas. Many Bermudians are struggling. But at the same time, Mr. Speaker, many Bermudians have left the Island and many Bermudians are considering leaving the Island.
Bermuda House of Assembly So, Mr. Speaker, sadly I speak to facts that are not pleasant. Sadl y, I speak the reality that many are dealing with. Mr. Speaker, the question we ask is: What took place? What is going on? But it is against a backdrop, Mr. Speaker, that within less than a month we have seen three resignations that have all shocked the community. The first was that the chief scientist through the COVID -19 pandemic resigned very quic kly in early January, effective the end of January. The scientist that Government had lauded and we all laud-ed for the work that had been done, the tireless co ntribution day and night through this extended period of time. Second was the resignation of a Senator who, most unfortunately and disappointingly, was not pa ying rent to a senior landlady. And now, this week, the shocking resignation of the Minister of Fin ance. As I have said, Mr. Speaker, a respected and the most respected PLP Minister resigned. Just think about that for a moment. Resignations happen all the time all across the world. But for somebody in that position to resign, Mr. Speaker, it is very cur ious and concerning. This was the Minister who has the purse strings and appeared committed to balancing our budget. That was [the] constant conversation from the Minister of Finance through these years. Committed . . . he appeared committed to i mproving t he economy. And Mr. Speaker, whether you agreed with policy or not, this Minister, like the former Minister Bob Richards, knew the numbers. He was prepared. Afterall, that was his career. Mr. Speaker, for the Honourable Member to resign and do it so suddenly and at such a critical time requires thorough analysis and critique. And, most importantly, I believe it requires explanation. But why, Mr. Speaker? Because red lights are flashing, alarm bells are ringing, and people need to know. Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member has not spoken at this time and maybe he will later in the m otion to adjourn or maybe at another time. The Premier has offered very little or no understanding, so the mystery and the concern continues to rise, in my view, Mr. Speaker. Now, M r. Speaker, what is more concerning to me is the fact that the Honourable Member that I know, I took as somebody who was very dedicated, very committed to his task. He took great pride in the work that he did, Mr. Speaker. And I believe he always liked to finish the job that he started, Mr. Speaker. But he did not do that this time. He made the dec ision to leave. Now, Mr. Speaker, I am sure that decision to leave was not an easy one. I am sure it was a very tough one. But Mr. Speaker, it appears that this d ivide between the Premier and the Honourable former F inance Minister was just not closable. That is a con-cern from a respected Minister. It appears that the differences of opinion, policy and approach on issues were not reconcilable, Mr. Speaker. That is a real concern when you lose a respected Minister. The rel ation appears irreparable, Mr. Speaker. That is a concern. So, Mr. Speaker, the people that we serve deserve some understanding, they deserve some an-swers, they deserve some insight. It cannot be glossed over, it cannot be covered up, because qual ity in important positions is critical if we are going to get out of this mess. And we lost somebody who was respected, whether you agreed with his opinion, whether your politics were different, we lost somebody who was respected. So, I look forward to the Premier and the Honourable Member to speak. If the silence remains, Mr. Speaker, the trust and the support will erode continuously in the PLP Government and we do not need that, Mr. Speaker. Let me be very c lear. The PLP have a huge, signif icant majority. They are the Government. But sadly, very sadly, the current leader, the Premier of this country, has once again failed with poor decisions, poor leadership, failed promises, and critical, repeated resignatio ns. That is a worrying trend, Mr. Speaker. Now, no one is perfect and explanations can help us get through this matter, Mr. Speaker. But one of the best on the PLP side walked out the door. And when you couple this with some of the other political news st ories, such as $3.6 million that was paid out without a bid process, when you couple this with the economy that will struggle over time and the economic plan that the Government has presented has not been gripped strongly by the community; when you couple this with the support for some failed initiatives such as Arbitrade, when you couple this with failed promises that have not made the light of day yet, Mr. Speaker, there is a big gap between words and delivery. And that gulf, Mr. Speaker, breeds a lack of confidence and hope in the people of Bermuda. In my opinion, the shine has come off the ball. And the resignation, Mr. Speaker, has exposed the Premier. And no one —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerJust let me remind you to turn your vi deo on, I just noticed your video is s till off. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Oh, sorry, Mr. Speaker, it must have gone off because I turned it on. But an yway, can you see me now?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAll right. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerJust click it again, if it co mes up. You should be okay. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Got it now? 356 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: No, you must have a faulty . . . there you go. Good. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: …
Just click it again, if it co mes up. You should be okay.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Got it now?
356 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: No, you must have a faulty . . . there you go. Good.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: It is showing that it is on now, Mr. Speaker. Okay, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I was saying is that no one to date wants to address this challenge. The article that came out earlier this week (and I will refer to it, Mr. Speaker) in the Royal Gazette, is titled “[Curtis] Dickinson hard to replace —but not impossible . . .” And in that article, Mr. Speaker, there are a number of Members in the PLP who said very little, and one Member was not even aware that the resignation had taken place. This is quite concerning, Mr. Speaker, as that suggests a lack of communication between the various entities in Government. And this is very concerning. In that article also, it talked about . . . it will not be impossible to replace the former Minister. So, what happened, Mr. Speaker? The Premier put himself as the Minister of Finance. So, now we have the Premier, Minister of Finance and Minister of Tourism. Really, Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker, obviously, the Premier does not have faith in the talent around him. That is my view, Mr. Speaker. I would like the air to be cleared on that. Because for any person to hold three positions like that, it has to be very difficult, nearly impossible, to carry out those functions. There is not enough time in the day, Mr. Speaker. Not enough time in the day to do the responsibilities of the Premier, which is 24/7, then to do the responsibilities of Minister of Finance with a difficult economy that we have, and the Go vernment budget that is in poor shape with the increasing debt that we have, with the potential for [being put on the] black list that we have, Mr. Speaker . There is not enough time in the day. And then when you add Tourism to that, that is struggling, and our competitors seem to be beating us hand over fist. This will not end well, Mr. Speaker. The wheels in Premier Burt’s leadership are falling off at a critical time for Bermuda. It is not acceptable, Mr. Speaker. We need to do better than this, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are 30 Members on the Government bench. Power is now concentrated in the hands in the—
Hon. Renee Ming: [INAUDIBLE ] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: —most important ministries in one person. And you mean to tell me, Mr. Speak-er— Hon. Renee Ming: [INAUDIBLE ]
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: —that there no one else—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Ming, I think your microphone is on. Hon. Renee Ming: Oh, sorry, sorry. Thank you, thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister Ming. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, it sends a message that there was no one else capable to help carry the load in those very difficult ministries. And so, Mr. Speaker, does the Premier listen to his Cabinet? Why did the most respected Minister walk out the door? …
Minister Ming.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, it sends a message that there was no one else capable to help carry the load in those very difficult ministries. And so, Mr. Speaker, does the Premier listen to his Cabinet? Why did the most respected Minister walk out the door? Does the Premier trust his Cabinet? Who does the Premier listen to? Does the Premier have a kitchen cabinet who provides him advice? Mr. Speaker, we face challenging times. This Premier has lost the confidence of the people of Ber-muda. And I challenge Members of the Government tonight to stand up and show their confidence in the Premier because that is what the people of Bermuda want to see. They want to see t hat they still support this Premier, because he has lost the confidence of the people of Bermuda and we face critical challenging times. The best Member, the best Minister, just walked out the door, Mr. Speaker. It is not a good sign. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP Dunkley. Does any other Member wish to speak?
The SpeakerThe Speaker—you have the floor. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Ms. Lo vitta F. FoggoThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start with the Member who just finished speaking. And I would like to say, first off, there is no question about the finance acumen that the most recent former Minister, MP Curtis Dickin son, possesses. It is sad, I think, …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start with the Member who just finished speaking. And I would like to say, first off, there is no question about the finance acumen that the most recent former Minister, MP Curtis Dickin son, possesses. It is sad, I think, Mr. Speaker, when we choose to try and make political gas, political spin around the departure of Minister MP Curtis Dickinson. Let me say this, I believe all of us who sit on this side of the Government have nothing but respect for MP Dickinson because in his portfolio there is no doubt that he acquitted himself with the highest of professionalism. No question. Here is what I will say, Mr. Speaker. What is of concern to me . . . yes, we have had recent resi gnations, and two of which I spoke to publically as to why they resigned. Respecting MP Curtis Dickinson, I am sure that should he believe that he has to explain
Bermuda House of Assembly in the public domain the reasons behind him leaving his portfolio, he will. But it is his choice for the ma king. And how he does that and when he does that is a matter for him. What I can say, unlike what was suggested, [is that] MP Dickinson has not abandoned us. We still have his talent to rely upon in terms of helping us, as a Government, in dealing with matters financial and other matters. Because, I think, as MP Dunkley did say, one thing is for certain, he is held in high esteem in the public domain because of the type of abilities he demonstrated in the execution of his office, not just as a parliamentar ian, but also as a person well -versed in finance and banking. MP Dickinson is still an MP in the PLP Go vernment. MP Dickinson has not left us bereft of his talent because he still sits amongst us and he can still advise and help where and when he sees fit . And I think if we respect his professionalism and respect the fact, as MP Dunkley suggested, that he is one of the best who sat over us, then we should respect his de-cision as to when and if he will share his reason for giving up his portfolio, because t here could have been a myriad of reasons, none of which we know intimat ely. But MP Dickinson did inform us of the fact that, you know, at this point in time, he cannot continue in his portfolio. He did not say that he will not continue to serve us, and to serve the people of Bermuda and, in particular, his constituency. He did say that he . . . the public can rely on him for that. I think rather than making speculation and political spin, we should have respect for a sitting Mem-ber of Parliament in his deci sion to do what he did, and no doubt he had very good reason for doing so. Because one thing I will agree with MP Dunkley, I am sure it was of major importance why he made that decision. And [there are] all sorts of things as human beings we are confronted with and will cause us to take action in one way or another. And without kno wing any details personally, I think we should show r espect and let MP Dickinson decide if he wishes to speak regarding his departure. But in the meantime, I want to thank MP Dic kinson for his stellar service and I want to thank him for his continuous support and continuing support as a member of the PLP.
TEACHER’S REMARKS ABOUT SLAVERY
Ms. Lovitta F. FoggoMr. Speaker, on another note, in recent times the public was dismayed an d shocked when they learned that there is a teacher who sits in the private sector who, in my opinion, had the audac ity to suggest to students that at one point in time during slavery that, …
Mr. Speaker, on another note, in recent times the public was dismayed an d shocked when they learned that there is a teacher who sits in the private sector who, in my opinion, had the audac ity to suggest to students that at one point in time during slavery that, you know, slaves . . . slaves . . . not all slaves were treated ba d; some were treated benevolently. To me that is an oxymoron, Mr. Speaker, when you deny somebody their freedom and their rights and then suggest that this is . . . that in denying them those freedom and rights, that this is . . . [to say] there were acts of benevolence is very curious to me, bewildering, in fact. Mr. Speaker, I am not dismissing the fact that there was a public apology made. I cannot overlook the fact that in 2022 we have persons who would dare to suggest that slavery was not necessarily a bad thing. And I say that generally, but in the way in which that was implied to students, that is what it meant. It is unconscionable and it speaks to what many talk about when they talk about the miseducation of our people because that is a prime exampl e of miseducation. I would dare say that perhaps there are some who need to subject themselves to the treatment that slaves had to endure— being burnt at the stake alive, being shackled, giving birth to multiple children and have them taken from them and s old off as property for others to earn from economically. We were considered parcels, objects, our humanity was denied and yet, in modern- day Bermuda where no less an educator is going to suggest that slavery at times was good for some people. Mr. Speaker, in my estimation, that is nothing less than criminal. That is how we indoctrinate our young people to think that the treatment of another race of people is okay by a group that benefited from them economically, mostly, and in other ways. When any individual’s freedoms and rights are cut to the point [of being] completely obliterated, how on any corner of this earth in our present -day society [could] anyone try to espouse that it was good in some ways. We have heard the stories of Jacob’s Island where slaves were beheaded, their heads were put on the stake, whipped to death, as I said, burned at the stake. And everything that they did, they did for the comforts of those who enslaved them because they were treated like animals and objects and, again, their humanity was denied. That speaks to the fact, and I think under this Government, the real need to ensure that our history . . . and in the Ministry of Culture as well. Efforts must be continued to be made to tell the real story, to tell history as it was. Because it is u nconscionable that as we move forward there are some of our young people who still are under the notion, given, I would say, their education, that the inequities and disparities that exist between people are okay, especially between a people t hat were at the, I guess, top end of the totem pole and benefited and those who found themselves at the bottom of the rungs of the ladder and were oppressed, enslaved, and the likes. And I will not . . . you know, I am not going to sit here, Mr. Speaker, and suggest that all peoples, regardless of background, have not suffered, right? Because I think we have both suffered on both sides of the wrong. Because with the miseducation and the indoctrination . . . because that is what it was. It has allowed one gr oup of people to believe that, I guess (and I am saying this in quotations), what happened in 358 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly history was okay. And [it] allows one group of people even to the present day to still dismiss the legacy of facts of what took place because we live in a society where people are still treated differently, where be-cause of the economic disparities, because of slavery, one group of people still find themselves in totality as a group still very much disadvantaged and cannot participate and benefit in the same manner that those who did benefit from slavery can. And Mr. Speaker, I will say it again. It is i ncumbent upon us to ensure that where and when we can, we rewrite history to tell the real story. Because until all Bermudians know what transpired and know all the ugly truth, I do not think that going forward we can truly come together as one. And I think, as parliamentarians, it is our job where and when we can to introduce policies, to introduce legislation, to level the playing field and to try and give opportuni ty to those who, until now, have found themselves in the position where they are disenfranchised. Mr. Speaker, I know that many of us are aware of some of the things as a Government that we have put in place over the years when we have given opportunity t o small and medium sized businesses to ensure that they get a fair opportunity to help Government in delivering on its mandates. Mr. Speaker, with all of the work that has been done in terms of trying to put apprenticeship programmes in place, with introducing tax plans that would see that those who fall below a certain income level do not pay the same level of tax as those who are in a higher income bracket. Mr. Speaker, we saw where day care allo wance was put in place for those families who cannot afford to pay for day care. We saw free college tuition was put in place. And Mr. Speaker, as a Government, we need to put our focus and attention on ensuring that we continue to implement like policies to help our people move up that economic ladder and be in a position where they can live with dignity. Because all a man or woman ever really wants is to be able to live with di gnity, to put a roof over their heads, to take care of their families and operate within the society within which they live and be contribu ting members —positively —in that society. So, Mr. Speaker, you know, the challenge is for all of our schools —private and public —to ensure that when they have our young ones before them, that they are careful in their delivery to not continue to mis - educate our children, but take . . . and I think that it is an honour being an educator. Take that honour and use it to ensure they have to build our young people into strong, forward- thinking young persons and, where and when they can, direct them to opportunities that lay before them or put them in programmes that will give . . . be a gateway for opportunities for them to realise . . . further realise their talents and to be able to chase their dreams and realise their goals. Mr. Speaker, as a Member of Parliament, I want to say that I am still 100 per cent committed, as are my colleagues, to doing everything within my power to help my constituents, to help my community, and to help my beloved Bermuda to become that shi ning model for the rest of the world. And I w ill do that until my dying day, Mr. Speaker, whether I am still a politician or not. And on that note, Mr. Speaker, I will rest my case.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou had 30 seconds left, so you had it timed correctly. Would any other Member wish to make a contributi on this evening . . . this afternoon? Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAny other Member? Any other Member? Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister Furbert, you have the floor. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was not sure if you could hear me as I was talking.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere you go, you have got your 20 minutes. CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you. I will not use all of my 20 minutes, Mr. Speaker, but I do want to speak to lea dership and another topic. But leadership comes in many forms, many characteristics, many …
There you go, you have got your 20 minutes.
CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you. I will not use all of my 20 minutes, Mr. Speaker, but I do want to speak to lea dership and another topic. But leadership comes in many forms, many characteristics, many shapes, many sizes, and I want to assure Bermuda that your leaders —your MPs —are committed to the job in which they have been elected to do. They are committed to see the progress of our beloved country, Bermuda. Decisions that we make as leaders, Mr. Speaker, because I think people get confused or try to interpret what a decision would be when decisions are made on behalf of our country. And sometimes we get it right and sometimes it is a trial and error and som etimes we get it wrong. But decisions are not outputs, Mr. Speaker. Decisions are stepping stones. And so, if we realise that something has not gone a certain way, we can re- evaluate it and make another step tow ards another solution. And that is the beauty of our dec isions that we have to make, Mr. Speaker. I am going to move on, Mr. Speaker, to a nother topic that does require us to make decisions, again, remembering that decisions are stepping stones. And I want to speak particularly to neglect and abuse of seniors and vulnerable persons. If families are out there neglecting and abusing children, they
Bermuda House of Assembly are also capable of neglecting and abusing seniors and other vulnerable persons. And I speak to vulner ability in the way of persons not being able to do for themselves. And so, you have a child who needs a guardian to be able to assist them to, let us say if you start from really young, to bathe them, to feed them, to take them out, to teach them, and they require y our finances. You have to financially take care of them because they are unable, because of their age, to be able to take care of themselves. And we have to realise that this can happen to us as we age as well. Depending on our health condi-tions, sometimes we could be put in a position where we are unable to take care of ourselves as seniors. And so, I want to remind adults that they have to co ntinue to look out for people who are vulnerable so they can assist them with having to take care of themselves. I am very concerned, Mr. Speaker, because, you know, I am hearing, I get wind of lots of stories as they relate to the vulnerable persons in our communi-ty. And seniors reach out to me. A senior reached out to me recently because they are in the hospital and they have been there for quite a while and they own their own home, Mr. Speaker, and they want to be able to go home. They have all of their cognitive faculties, Mr. Speaker, yet they are unable to go home be-cause someone in their family is preventing t hem from going home. The majority of our seniors, Mr. Speaker, own their own homes. And so, it is important as we age that we are thinking about what could possibly be [in the future] and that we are putting provisions in place that can protect us. You have to be teaching your children b ecause many of us give, give, give to our children and we are not teaching them where the money comes from and how hard we are working as guardians and parents to be able to provide for our children. We are not teaching them where that comes from. And so, they have this false belief that it just comes from . . . it appears out of the sky. And as we give to our children, we have to teach them to give back. It is very i mportant that we are teaching them to give back because w e also want them to give back to us as we age. Just as we were looking out for our children when they were younger, we want to teach them to look out for us as parents and guardians as we age. I just found it unbelievable . . . because in a perfect world there was a senior who had, you know, their faculties and they owned their own home, in my opinion they should be able to go home with su pport—with family looking out for them or, you know, to be able to afford a caregiver who can assist them in their home. But instead, we have persons who find themselves stuck in our hospital. And we have spoken about this over and over and over again. We know that our families are broken. And so, it is just i mportant, Bermuda, that you hear this. We have to teach our chil dren the importance of family and taking care of one another. There is also something else that concerns me, Mr. Speaker, because, you know, there are many persons who are working in a low -income bracket and there are many persons who are aged who are on financial assistance because they are unable to afford long-term care or are unable to afford a caregiver, because it can be quite expensive and costly. But those seniors who find themselves working or persons, adults, actually right now, who find themselv es working in the low -income bracket will probably most likely find that they will need the assistance of government or financial assistance because, should they fall ill or have some sort of health condition, they are not going to be able to afford care i n a nursing home or residential home or being able to stay at home with nursing assistance. You know, when we compare what that cost is today, I mean, people who are wor king in a low -income bracket today will find themselves having to rely on our governmental system. And I want people to be aware of that. If you are a hustler and you are not paying contributions into a pension, or even if you are an employer and you are not paying someone’s contributions, then we put people in a precarious position when i t comes down to being able to access funds for living. People are living much longer, Mr. Speaker, much longer. I had someone reach out to me, again, the other day . . . and this is what I mean when I talk about planning. They shared that their loved one was in a nursing home and that they had sold their home so that they could have money to pay for the nursing home fees. And they were calling me to find out what their options were because they were about to run out of the money for which they had sold their home. I magine that. You know, you would think you sell your home for a certain amount and you are living longer and your money is running out! And that is a real real ity. It is a reality that many seniors are facing. Obviously, there are some things that people can consider to try to get their expenses down, but it is a real reality. And so, my message to Bermuda today, while we are not going to be able to plan for everything and certain circumstances, and situations that we find our-selves in sometimes can be very challenging, we still must think about it. We still must think about what that looks like and what that plan could be and how we may want to, you know . . . especially younger persons. You know, time is of the essence. You know, you want to be making very wise decisions when it comes to how you are allocating and spending your money. We are very thankful for the private pension that this Government has put into place. I think people will find that very helpful but, you know, I am sure we can recognise that people are living longer and we will run out of that money. So, it is important that my mes360 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly sage today is that we are thinking and we are planning and we are thinking about ageing. To all the seniors and persons who find themselves in vulnerabilities, our Government is still committed to being able to provide for support, benefits and allowances because we understand people’s needs. And that is what you have in this Government, Mr. Speaker, leaders who understand that there are many people out there with vulnerabilities and many people out there that have needs. And so, we will con-tinue to fight to make our country a place where we can afford social services and social assistance for the people of this country if they are unable to provide for themselves. Mr. Speaker, I just came from an event earl ier. And one of the songs was Lord I just can’t give up now. And we will find ourselves in struggles, as lea ders, as parties, and sometimes we may want to give up. But we have to remember that we made a dec ision to be here. And we must continue to push on with that decision that we made to continue the fight to be able to help our people. And I will end there, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Does any other Honourable Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member? Would any other Member wish to make a contribution?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou have your 20 minutes. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Mr. Jarion RichardsonThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to speak to the ongoing crisis that Bermuda faces, which has really been exacerbated by the sudden resig nation of the Finance Minister. I am not sure to what extent I can speak to the disaster, that is, a budget that …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to speak to the ongoing crisis that Bermuda faces, which has really been exacerbated by the sudden resig nation of the Finance Minister. I am not sure to what extent I can speak to the disaster, that is, a budget that loses its Finance Minister on the eve of Budget day. But I will endeavour to do so. Mr. Speaker, the analogy or what comes to mind is the stor y of that Roman Emperor Nero who fiddled while Rome burned. And that is what I think is happening right now in Bermuda, Mr. Speaker. I think we are facing several crises all at the same time, any one of which would have been disastrous to so small an Island and so small a population. Whether we look at the state of reducing the number of jobs we have in the market; whether we look at a walk through the City of Hamilton and look at the buildings or the busines ses that are currently boarded up; whether we look at the lines that are gathering around the charitable organisations to provide minimum care for people, i ncluding food and clothing, getting laundry done; whether we look at the state of our roads; increased violence; drug trafficking and gangs; we seem to have a hard time with buses [operating] on a regular basis, and lord knows our labour relations have taken several steps backward for some reason. We are in not one, but many crises. And then you add the factors that are not in our control, Mr. Speaker. Factors like rampant infl ation, global inflation. We are looking at circumstances that ultimately will prove better. I mean, Mr. Speaker, the debt situation is, or can be, somewhat complex. But I do think the former Finance Minister understood it probably better than most. His ability to walk into Wall Street into capital markets to restructure sovereign debts —he really, really did a service to this country by those actions. And he had to go do that again. We were anticipating that same action this year. So, when we are faced with multiple crises such as these, and then we lose one of the most vital players on the field, you cannot help but start to worry. I am mindful that it is an unpleasant topic to discuss, especially given it is a small group of us up on this hill and we try to work together, but at this point in time, we really do have to start calling balls and strikes as we see them. The crises are simply exacerbating to the point that they will not be sustainable. One of the things that we really ha ve to co ncern ourselves with, Mr. Speaker, is that our economy is not just in a bad state, it is in a horrible state. And it is getting worse, not better. Our tourism product has been made lame by any number of contributing factors. But at this point, we are working uphill. I believe it is the Greek god Sisyphus who pushed the boulder uphill and it just kept rolling down, and that was his punishment. Tourism . . . we are just working as hard as we can and we just do not seem to be [making] any headway on th is issue. Then you throw on top of that that we are a successful international financial centre and that success comes with a cost. That cost is the attraction, the eye of other countries. Other people are looking at us. The EU is looking at us constantly , whether it is London, whether it is New York, whether it is Toronto . . . other financial centres, whether Hong Kong or Sing apore, we are in the big boys’ game. And when you are in the big boys’ game, you have to play by the big boys’ rules, and they, undoubtedly, are not a fan of the pieces of the pie that we are taking. So, we need people who are well read in i nternational financial services, especially given that it is seemingly the sole pillar of our economy, Mr. Speaker. As we all rushed indoors to s top the spread of COVID -19 and to protect the most vulnerable amongst us, it was the knowledge workers with r eBermuda House of Assembly mote working capabilities that were able to sustain the economy. A lot of people suffered and are still suffering from the COVID -19 crisis. But it was the knowledge workers, especially in international finan-cial services, that kept a lot of our economy moving. And we want that money coming into Bermuda; we want it moving around Bermuda. We need as many people working towards that end. And I do think that the former Finance Minister understood that and was working towards that. This budget that we are looking at, Mr. Speaker, has to perform almost a miracle. It has to balance debt maintenance, it has to balance the ref inancing of debt this year, it has to stimulate the economy, it has to provide a safety net for those amongst us who were adversely affected over the last two or three years. This is no small thing. And it would be a challenge for even the best of us, Mr. Speaker, but we can be assured that if it was a nearly impossible task for the best of us, then handing that job to one- third of a person is just about as disastrous as you can get. I follow on from MP Dunkley that the Premier’s job . . . now I speak, obviously, having never been a Premier, that is a job few amongst us have held. So I think that when we do have former Premiers speaking, that it is important that we pay attention. The Premier of Bermuda being a 24/7 job, what it r equires, the commitment, I can only assume about that. I mean, I have read the paper like everybody else, but I have never been the Premier. So, when one of us turns around and says this job requires all of you, I am prone to listen. And undoubtedly, we will hear from others tonight who are familiar with that role. Sir John [Swan] spoke and he called this sit uation a crisis. And, again, I am inclined to listen to him. I mean, for all that people can say adversely about Sir John Swan, he, nonetheless played a key role . . . he was one of the key architects, to my mind one of the reasons why we all have smartphones in Bermuda, why we are actually having a conversation about i nfrastructure and wireless cable and broadband. He was the one that . . . not by himself, but certainly was there to reshape the economy, and, in doing so, made us the envy of other international financial centres in the world. I am not sure to what extent we have, if at all, squandered the gifts that have been given to us, to be fair, Mr. Speaker. Because it seems like every road has got a hole in i t. It seems like every hedge is overgrown. It seems like we cannot figure out how buses work. And it is not like they are brand new, Mr. Speaker. We did not invent these things. It seems like our unions are having to fight for every single little thing now , Mr. Speaker. I mean, how much more can we take? We have reached the inflection point. I really think that when the Finance Minister tendered his resignation, that said everything that people should listen to. Again, we are on the eve of a budget, a budget that has to accomplish a thing that is darn near impossible. And one of the key [architects]—if not the key architect —of the budget decided to put it down and walk away. I mean I do not know what conversation took place, but the Finance Mini ster does not strike me as a quitter. He does not strike me as a person who would walk away. He does not strike me as a person who does not see things through. He does not strike me as being dim -witted. He strikes me as being full of integrity. Now, I do not want to sanctify the man, Mr. Speaker. But he just strikes me as being the person we need. And we need him to get on with this partic ular job. And that he put it down and walked away . . . that says something is really bad to my mind, Mr. Speaker. What is disconcerting . . . or rather, I hope that tonight we hear a lot of people speaking up, either in defence of the Finance Minister or in support of the Premier, just making our voices known, because we are being watched right now, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure to what extent public opinion regards us as a rubbing- stamping body in this Honourable House on this hill. But unless this House speaks loudly and clearly in this crisis period, we will not . . . the public will not have a good opinion of us. Now is the time that action is required. And if we fail to act . . . I cannot see a public having conf idence in us, Mr. Speaker, if the thing that takes place tonight is nothing short of a very loud cry from the very top of the building about the state of Bermuda and what we ought to do about it. To that end, Mr. Speaker, I hope that Rome does not burn down to the ground because I cannot believe that we are so addicted to power that we would rather be kings of the ashes. To that end, those of us who fail to act in this current crisis are just as complicit as the emperor who fiddled while Rome burned. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMr. Swan, I hear your voi ce. It sounds like you are going to get your 20 minutes. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Mr. Hubert (Kim) SwanYes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was due to come in on the batting order, but sometimes, you know, you have got to come to the pitch. I think, Mr. Speaker, as one who sat in caucuses with Sir John [Swan], who was raised somewhat in golf by …
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was due to come in on the batting order, but sometimes, you know, you have got to come to the pitch. I think, Mr. Speaker, as one who sat in caucuses with Sir John [Swan], who was raised somewhat in golf by his father, we are very closely connected family -wise, as someone who ran in the 362 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly polls that stood at the polls in 1983, who like yourself, was around during those times, I think that it is i mportant to put some things into perspective. Sir John is a national hero, one who I respect deeply and love dearly. But Sir John is also a statesman. And statesmen should know when to weigh in to the pol itical fray and when to utilise their role not to be partisan. Now, I am sure Sir John did not sit in an OBA because when the OBA formed in the way they were formed, Mr. Speaker, it begs to differ. And I do not want to go there tonight and waste my time talking about what took place in 2011 and how it took place and all those things that happened at that particular time. But for Sir John to weigh in politically at this particular time, when the country is going through a difficult period, Mr. Speaker, the country is faced with financial difficulties, and yes, Mr. Speaker, I can-vassed for my former Finance Minister. I love him dearly, respect him dearly and respect that he has made a choice. But I take issue when the Opposition, who have remained silent week after week, now see this as a hobby horse to jump on. Let me remind them, Mr. Speaker, that it is not the first time that a Finance Minister has not been there when he was there for a tenure. I remember a time when my good friend Sir John, before he was a knight, was presiding over a government that had an internal rife that was . . . there was a group called “Concerned Bermudians.” I am going back to between 1985 and 1989 when he had a Cabinet as large as exists today. I know, Mr. Speaker, because I was around. And Mr. Speaker, let me tell you this. When you went to the polls in 1989, internally he had people who raised an Independent candidate—the only Ind ependent candidate in this country to win under this modern constitution. I got the second most vot es ever as an Independent candidate. And in 2012 it was St uart Hayward. And Stuart Haywood was supported by the same person who came back into the UBP fold and then when David Saul became the Finance Mini ster, having never been in politics before, okay? And did Sir John resign when he had internal strife because he did not have the confidence of the late C.V. Jim Woolridge at that time, he did not have the confidence of . . . the Honourable Deputy did not have the confidence of the Honourable [Ralph] Marshall, he did not have the confidence of Harry Viera, he did not have the confidence of a lot of people. But you know what he did? He settled down and he r egrouped and he continued on to lead Bermuda right up until he decided that it was time to step off the stage, and that was some maybe five or six years later, to become the longest serving Premier. He was the longest serving Premier at that time. So, I am disappointed with what Sir John has to offer because politics . . . you have to put what it is. Had Mr. Dunkley come here and said what Sir John had said in the vacuum of Sir John, it would have been his political . . . you know he is the Opposition. And Opposition has a little bit of luck; they can be irr esponsible, Mr. Speaker. But Sir John is a statesm an. And the OBA made him a national hero whilst he was still able to stand on the ground. And those of us who respect our national heroes have shown deference and respect to him irrespective of the station or where he sits politically. So, I take issue when persons who should be acting like statesmen decide to become partisan. That is the issue I have today, Mr. Speaker. And so, for the Honourable Sir John Swan, what he says he is entitled to. But from the platform he chose it to be political. And a party that he was not . . . he says he was never involved with the OBA. It was UBP. I was the last UBP leader. Sir John was probably the fourth or the fifth, after Sir Henry, Sir E dward, John Sharpe, a Finance Minister who was Premier in 1976, [and] went to Parl iament while his colleagues were in the library. And when they came out of the library, he was no longer Premier and he was no longer Finance Minister.
An. Hon. Member: Do tell.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) SwanThe leader of the country became the late Sir David G ibbons, who became the Premier and the Finance Minister. I was a young fellow working at the Belmont Hotel then. Mr. Speaker, I mean, you know, persons are coming. They are saying, Oh, we got a hobby horse to …
The leader of the country became the late Sir David G ibbons, who became the Premier and the Finance Minister. I was a young fellow working at the Belmont Hotel then. Mr. Speaker, I mean, you know, persons are coming. They are saying, Oh, we got a hobby horse to jump on! And you know, and they have got a li cence to be irresponsible. So, during these crises political parties have always had them and they have always regrouped because they have to. You have to recal ibrate sometimes. And yes, I have great respect for my good friend and colleague Curtis Dickinson. And he is quite capable to speak for himself —
Mr. Hubert (Kim) SwanAnd when he feels it necessary. But I do take issue when a person that has been elevated to a statesman’s point tries to, you know, act as if when they were a leader they never had controversy. They had to navigate through con-troversy their entire time. And as I …
And when he feels it necessary. But I do take issue when a person that has been elevated to a statesman’s point tries to, you know, act as if when they were a leader they never had controversy. They had to navigate through con-troversy their entire time. And as I mentioned the “Concerned Bermudians” and some of the players . . . go back and look at your history and you will see that it was not without controversy. Fast forward from 1989, Sir John went to the polls. And if it were not for Maxwell Burgess and Wayne Furbert —hello —from Hamilton West in 1993, the PLP would have been the Government in 1993. Did Sir John resign then? No,
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker. You were in the House. He regrouped and formulated, then he brought independence to the fore and that was the final straw, along with McDonald’s. And when McDonald’s came up, did he resign then, Mr. Speaker? Tell me, Mr. Speaker. It caused the Premier that replaced Sir John to have to go b ecause the backbench of the UBP held hands with . . . Mr. Speaker, if you were here today you would be able to speak to that. I do not see your face, but I know you know. They held hands with the Opposition . . . now Dame Jennifer Smith and Alex Scott and the like. A motion of censure was handed down on a UBP Premier who supported Sir John during a contr oversial time, but he did not resign when he was tied up with McDo nald’s. That’s hard to say, you know, now that you have been elevated to statesmanlike status and you want to jump on the partisan bandwagon. People out there have to be reminded of what really took place in history. I was not on the list to speak about t hat, but when the Opposition Member, Mr. Richardson, deci ded that he was going to use the hobby horse of Sir John and the elevated status that the OBA gave him to jump on board, I had to remind him that the UBP navigated through some very tumultuous times. Sir John being the leader for 13 years, the longest Premier ever, navigated through some tumultuous times. He was the first person to introduce a parliamentary aide [INAUDIBLE]. That caused some controversy. He did not resign, he went on and he became a P remier that could present well. Persons that want to speak need to look back in history and get their . . . as my grandpa used to say— An. Hon. Member: Ducks in order.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) SwanGet your papers straight. That is a real Hog Bay, Whale Bay sa ying—get your papers straight! My Uncle Bill would say, Get your papers straight. REORGANISING GOLF IN BERMUDA
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanNow, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that in my capacity as Chairman of the Government Golf Courses [Board of Trustees] we have certainly had to do some reorganisation of late. And I am very proud of some of the things that we have been able to accomplish, Mr. …
Now, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that in my capacity as Chairman of the Government Golf Courses [Board of Trustees] we have certainly had to do some reorganisation of late. And I am very proud of some of the things that we have been able to accomplish, Mr. Speaker. And we could not have done it without the good work of some good people. I want to take this opportuni ty, Mr. Speaker, to say thank you to a member of the board who probably was on the board the longest out of everyone, Mr. Denton Outerbridge, who is amongst those who will be featured in the Hall of Glory that we are starting to establish as we remember people like Walter King, the recently honoured Clem Talbot, Denton Outerbridge, along with Keith Pearman, formed the first Black finalists in the prestigious Bermuda Amateur down here at Mid Ocean in the early ’70s, following on the late Eardley Jones, who i ncidentally, his son just won the Bermuda PGA Championship and they b ecame the first father and son victors of that. But I just want to salute, Mr. Speaker, those persons who have worked for and on behalf of the Bermuda Government through that board, whic h includes a former Chairman in the name of the Honourable Mr. D. V. Derrick Burgess who did yeoman service and also, Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Neville Tyrrell. You would know, Mr. Speaker, over the last year we had the untimely passing of Mr. Greg Ma ybury, Cal DeRosa, and certainly the staff have had to endure those types of tragedies and sadness. But they have trouped on and we are working to reorganise the government golf courses. And today I am proud to say, Mr. Speaker, proud to say, that we have a new management team reorganised and restruc-tured to serve public golf to the best and to make it the shining example [to which] the world will come. Mr. Speaker, we took the opportunity to align ourselves with probably one of the best public golf courses i n the world, Bethpage. By going to them, Mr. Speaker, and seeing their model, they operate on behalf of the State Government of New York, so it was government to government relationship. They invited us there at our expense. But certainly we went there as their friends to learn how they can preside over five public golf courses in one location, where they are going to host the Ryder Cup and they have hosted the US Open and the PGA Championship. So, we benefited from how they have preserved public golf for t he State of New York and we are working hard to do likewise. But I am here to say, Mr. Speaker, I am so proud today because, just today, with the help of the board members, like Ms. Ianthia Butler, with Deputy Chairman Mr. Vincent Hollinsid, with LaMel Bur ch, I mentioned a former member Mr. Denton Outerbridge and Mr. Quinton Ming, Senator Owen Darrell, MP J ason Wade, and Mr. Allan DeSilva. We will today a nnounce our new management team which consists of our new Director of Finance, Administration and HR who comes from the Ministry, comes from government to us, Ms. Thomassinna Hassell to go along with young Mr. Jayson Jackson, the Golf Course Superi ntendent; Mr. Steven Lambert, the Head Golf Professional up at Port Royal; and today we are finalising Mr. Brian Morris as the Head Golf Professional at Ocean View. And some of these posts . . . people consi dered them to exist, but they were not . . . we have regularised them, are regularising them now and we are putting that structure to fall into place. 364 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly For me i t is a labour of love, Mr. Speaker, because I was birthed out of public golf in 1970 at Port Royal. That is when I learned to play golf when it was implemented. But we look at Ocean View as the mother course of us all. And with young Jayson Jac kson and the team, the plan is to make those 27 holes of equal value and, certainly, to make sure that what you can expect at Port Royal you will also receive at Ocean View. Why? Because you would not have a Port Royal if it was not for Ocean View. A lot of people do not know that in 1933, Louis Raphael ‘Kid’ Corbin from St. George’s was the golf pro at the Devonshire Golf Links, the same property. And many people know that it was constitutionally named Queen’s Park Golf Course, Mr. Speaker. But the Ocean View Club was founded in 1950 by Mr. A. B. Place, and Mr. David Tucker was the President. A lot of people do not know that history and a lot of pe ople know of Mr. Lowe and Reverend Simons and [ INAUDIBLE] Senior who were founding members, but A. B. Place from the Bermuda Recorder . His son is still alive. I went to see him not too long ago, Mr. Speaker. He drives his car around in Minister Tinee Furbert’s constituency and remembers Louis Corbin coming up to talk to his father about his exploits golf internatio nally. And let us not forget, Mr. Speaker, that as we promote Bermuda to the world in golf and tennis, that the history of both of those sports owes a great debt of gratitude to the good works of Bermudians who went international. Louis Corbin’s story is being told, a St. Georgian, from a Cut Road family, but he was born and raised in Wellington right up there where Minister Ming grew up and where I preside as a Member of Parliament. And, Mr. Speaker, he is closely connected with my uncle Herman Santucci Bascome, right out of Whale Bay and the Bascome family. So, Mr. Speaker, as I wind up let me just say that the vision for golf as it relates to our tourism product is all about making us modern, allowing us to respect our history recognising the contributions that were made. And let us not forget, and make sure that we get our history right. And before that we have to thank Dr. Jeffrey Sammons who is the Chief Historical Consultant for the government golf courses of Berm uda and also the Bermuda Professional Golfers Ass ociation, because without him we would have persons re-writing history just like the Honourable Member I just spoke after was trying to do. And it was incumbent upon me to set the record straight based on events that I experienced first -hand. Any Premier who has been around for 13 years would not be where he is unless he was able to navigate . . . what? Controversial situations. And that is the truth. And how he navigates it depends. But when you elevate one while he is alive to statesman-ship, I would hope that he would take stock by what the good young fellow is trying to offer and say Maybe I needed not to wade into the political fray; maybe I could have been more statesmanlike and directed those comments to somebody who is actively in pol itics. That is my contribution, Mr. Speaker. One day I hope to take my own advice as I sit on the side lines but on [INAUDIBLE]. And as they say out there, I am PLP and I am going to do it all the way tonight. And all the way we shall go PLP. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? No other Member?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou guys are getting real close. The next time I’m going home, see? You better get to the microphone quicker next time, Members. You have your twenty minutes. COVID -19 AND THE ECONOMY
Mr. Michael A. WeeksThank you, sir. I am not going to take that long. I just want to make a little contribution. Mr. Speaker, good evening, to you. I just want to go on a different tack and talk about the economy and COVID -19. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off …
Thank you, sir. I am not going to take that long. I just want to make a little contribution. Mr. Speaker, good evening, to you. I just want to go on a different tack and talk about the economy and COVID -19. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off by recognising our health care workers and the tireless efforts that they have done. A lot of the time I think we do not give them enough credit in the hospitals and our cli nics and the like, and those doing the tests and whatnot. I am taking time now just to thank them. Mr. Speaker, as I move on, I want to recognise Dr. Carika Weldon. We have talked about her contribution and I just want to say publicly that I wish her well. I have known her practically all of her life and she has done a yeomen’s job. I just want to make sure that my thanks for her contributions have been noted. Also, because I do a lot of work in the food security business, i.e., giving food to those who are unemployed, underemployed, homeless, and those working people who still cannot make ends meet, Mr. Speaker, that food security business is actually . . . it is not a business; it is a service, let me be clear. That food security service has grown in the past two years like you would not believe. So that is a good indicator of what our people are going through during this COVID -19, and how they are trying to survive. But the food service industry has r eally stepped up and done what they were supposed to do. But, Mr. Speaker, [as] we talk about COVID - 19 directly , I want to talk about how COVID -19 has wrecked out country, how it has put our country on the
Bermuda House of Assembly precipice of financial uncertainty for our econom y and our people. But one thing that we do not talk about much is what COVID -19 has done in our homes. Some of us in our homes, in our families, in our rel ationships were for vaccinations. And there were some in the home, in friendships, that were not for vaccin ations. But what I have seen while I am out there, Mr. Speaker, is some fragmenting of the home, some fragmenting of friendships, believe it or not, because of the stance taken as to whether or not we are for or against vaccinations. I want to say t hat now that we are getting back on track and we are about to lift all of the regul ations, it is time for us to look not only to maintain what we are doing as far as health and safety, i.e., the washing of hands, the wearing of masks, six feet of distance, and the like. Now is the time for us to get back together community -wise, you know, put aside what side you are on, because sometimes it came down to that. Because of my position . . . and it is not necessary to say what position mine is, but because of my position I have had some heated conversations. So now that we are moving closer to the lifting of regulations, I would say it is time for us to come back together as a community because if we are going to pull ourselves up out of this quagmire that we are in economically, it is going to take all of us, Mr. Speaker. All of us are going to have to come together and do what we need to do with no finger -pointing or blaming. This pandemic was not Bermuda made. This pandemic was global. And we were led by the Premier and his team and they have done a yeomen’s job, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in saying that the Premier and his team, like the Health Minister, the Finance Minister (I don’t want to go too far), Labour and Immigration, and the like, I don’t want to c all everyone individually because I will probably forget someone, but hats off to the Premier and the team, Mr. Speaker, for all that they have done. I specifically want to talk about the Labour and Immigration Ministry that I feel was on the . . . (how d o I put it), almost on the last line of defence to make sure that the everyday Bermudian was still in a loop . . . his needs and his welfare was put first. The Ministry and Labour and Immigration led by Minister Jason Hayward put forth a lot of energy and forethought and commitment. Mr. Speaker, these things must be pointed out because when we are out on the street and we hear that the Government has not done an ything, [some say] Government is leading the country over the edge, you know what needs to be sai d more and more at every chance we get, Mr. Speaker, is that our Government, our Cabinet . . . each one in their own lane was doing things to make sure that Berm udians came first. Under Minister Hayward’s leadership a lot of the things were kept, like Financial Assistance was increased. The Ministry made sure that jobs were on the protected list. We could go on and on and on. They have even gone so far as to make sure now that (I don’t know what it is called right now) blended fam ilies, some who are born i n Bermuda, some who are born overseas, all of those things that this particular Ministry was making sure that in spite of the bad times, despite what we are going through his Ministry soldiered on, unlike other ministers in their respective lands, and they would do what was best for the ever yday Bermudian. The proof is in the pudding. So when we hear about what the Government has not done, there is a whole list of what our Government and our Gover nment Ministers have done, Mr. Speaker. As I close, Mr. Speaker (I said I would not talk long), I want to talk briefly about the Ministry of N ational Security —that Ministry, ably led by Minister Renee Ming and her team, the gang violence team. We know that fingers are always pointed as to what we are doing in Gover nment and leadership positions . But this particular Ministry cannot survive if not for community involvement. Each of us has to take our place. Each of us has to see what we can do to assist in eradicating and arresting what we see as gang vi olence, as cri me on the rise, and whatnot. Gone are the days where we feel safe on the street when it gets dark and the lights come on. We cannot leave fixing this issue to our Minister of National Security and her team. Each of us has to take responsibility. As I close, I want to say that each of us must look after our own street corner. When we see som ething happening, make that call to Crime Stoppers. Or if you do not feel good doing that, there are community leaders. Talk to your pastor, talk to your MP. We cannot, in this particular instance, especially, point our fingers at the Minister and her team. Mr. Speaker, with those few words, I thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you MP. Does any other Honourable Member wish to make a contribution at this time?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Jackson, you have the floor. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThank you, Mr. Speaker. These past few days with the resignation of the Minister of Finance has really caused me to r eflect, and reflect particularly on the leadership style and the people management of our Premier as leader and head of the Cabinet. I have just been taking a …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These past few days with the resignation of the Minister of Finance has really caused me to r eflect, and reflect particularly on the leadership style and the people management of our Premier as leader and head of the Cabinet. I have just been taking a look at the experiences, in particular the public resi gnations that we have seen over the last couple of 366 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly years. And it just brings to my attention, with some concern, just exactly how the Cabinet is being managed. This is a senior team of people who have come together from different disciplines and are working hard [with] collective responsibility to provide the best service to Bermuda as they possibly can. But as I just reflect over some of the exper iences that the public has had to endure through some of the behaviour of our Cabinet Ministers over the years, I am now becoming more concerned about the leadership of the Cabinet and the management style and his ability to make sure that there is certainly a level of responsibility and accountability to the people of Bermuda. I began with the rather brushed- over reaction to the first of the public disgraces —the Minister who was travelling overseas on government business on the taxpayers’ dime. And the result that we received back here in Bermuda, and consequently globally, has a very disrespectful public well -produced video of something that was derogatory to women in particular and insulting to the people of Bermuda as a standard of which I believe most of us would like to aspire to much better than that. I reflect on that and I thought , Well why would the Premier not have used something like that as a teachable moment ? In 2018 the Ministerial Code of Conduct was published. We were all very proud to see that something concrete was put in place. And it was laid out there, even in the first pages. They are like CliffsNotes, Mr . Speaker, so it’s not like you even have to read the 20 pages of this booklet. But in the first few pages it is put right there in a few words, ba-sically, instructions on how to have some form of i ntegrity and accountability and management for yourself as a Cabinet Minister. But that is not the case. That has not the response we got. Instead, the bad behaviour of the Minister was brushed over, it was swept under the carpet and we moved on. Very few lessons seem to have been learned from that. And before I go on, I was actually looking at that video again, which, to me, is very disturbing. But we will not go there today. As I was looking at where the Minister was while he was overseas, I thought, You know what? This person was so off in left field. And here we were seeing an entrepreneurial innov ative concept of a cereal store. And I thought this Mini ster completely missed the boat on this. Here he could have come back to Bermuda. He could have been in that store going, Wow! This is a great idea. How can I bring these seeds of innovation back to the people of Bermuda? How can I generate that type of creativity here on this Island? But no, he is sitting there making fun of things, disrespecting women. And then, he gets a pat on the back, Mr. Speaker, and told take your seat and move on. All right. So, Mr. Speaker, we move on without any public acknowledgement that the Premier has in any way given any kind of instruction, or training, or desensit i-sation. The vast majority of people in Bermuda are women. We get back to business, everybody sort of brushes off, forgets about that, and the next thing we know, Mr. Speaker, we have another person who has inappropriately made sexual comments to a civil ser vant no less. A civil servant! And what does he get in return? O h yes, all right, whether he wanted to or not he signed the letter, he walked off and then a few months later he is promoted and appointed to Leader of the Senate. And then I believe he was given a Jun-ior Ministry. I am saying that, Mr. Speaker, to say now we are past teachable moment s. Where was the leadership? Where was the management of the team at a critical and super -obvious situation? This is not an ything that is, like, unclear or we’re not sure. This was blatant bad behaviour and the leadership did abs olutely nothing to rectify the situation. And do you know why I know that, Mr. Speaker? Because it happened again! It happened again. And then, we got stuck with a global pandemic. And yes, absolutely, we followed the rules by the book. The entire wor ld followed those instructions. Every single person here in Bermuda followed those instructions, except two of our Ministers. They decided they were going to go off and party. One of them was the one who gave the exemption to have the party! Mr. Speaker, I am so upset. I am so upset because here we have now a trend of bad behaviour in the Cabinet. And where is the leadership? Where are the people management skills to train these folks up and tell them this is not right? [They] have a collective responsibi lity to behave [themselves] and to represent [themselves] the way [they] are supposed to. And do you know what is even worse, Mr. Speaker? I am going to speak to one of those Mini sters who was doing a really, really good job. You could see he was committed. You could see he knew how to do his job. Now why would he be led down a garden path like that, Mr. Speaker, without anybody here to support and say, Wait! Whoa, whoa, whoa. There are certain things we cannot do when we are doing it in our capacity as a public officer. And as a Minister there is even greater responsibility. That is what you are getting paid for. I am so disappointed. And it does not end there, Mr. Speaker, it goes on. And yes, those two resigned, and they have taken their seats. Whether it has been for the good of Bermuda we do not know. But we will never know be-cause the leadership of that Cabinet did absolutely nothing to remediate the situation. Those Ministers have gone off now. We do not know if they will ever be back. And then, Mr. Speaker, we turn around and . . . you know what? I have the most respect for the MP in constituency 4. She sat there in this motion to adjourn today and she spoke to the vulnerability of our
Bermuda House of Assembly seniors. She spoke to the abuses [by] family members upon seni ors. And then we had another Member of Parliament, a Senator, who has blatantly disrespected and then, at least allegedly, projected himself as being superior over a senior. And we all know what the ec onomic situation is for the best of us. So imagine bein g a senior and receiving that kind of treatment and behaviour. And no one in the leadership did anything! And through it, our leader knew the situation and did nothing! He did not even sit him down and tell him what is right and what is wrong. And then only when he got caught or exposed did he have to tender his resignation and have it accepted. This is not the b ehaviour of a leader, and it has nothing to do with the management of people, Mr. Speaker. And I am very upset about that. Do you know why I am really, really upset about it? Because then we have what I would consi der to be one of the Ministers who has demonstrated the greatest of integrity, who has shown responsibility, who has carried collective responsibility, and do you know what he did? I can not believe it, Mr. Speaker. He chose to resign. He couldn’t take it anymore. I don’t know why. But when you have a situation where you have to —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWhat is your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Speculating]
Ms. Lovitta F. FoggoYes. That Member does not speak for the former Minister. And while she can speculate, she needs to not phrase things in such a way as though she knows. That is pure speculation on her behalf. And I think if she is that sensitive she would be sensitive enough to …
Yes. That Member does not speak for the former Minister. And while she can speculate, she needs to not phrase things in such a way as though she knows. That is pure speculation on her behalf. And I think if she is that sensitive she would be sensitive enough to know that perhaps it is up to that Member to choose when and if he is going to speak. Show him that c ourtesy and respect. Mr. Speaker, thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Member. She can give her viewpoint, but she cannot think what he says because he has not spoken yet. Continue.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThank you, Mr. Speaker, but he has resigned. It does not matter; it really does not matter. The point that I am making is that when you have the behaviour, what is almost serial bad behaviour, of not only Cabinet and other Members of this Parliament, and we see the …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, but he has resigned. It does not matter; it really does not matter. The point that I am making is that when you have the behaviour, what is almost serial bad behaviour, of not only Cabinet and other Members of this Parliament, and we see the rash of resignations that are taking place because of bad behaviour, published and publicly acknowledged bad behaviour, and then when we see a Minist er who has shown all integrity, all commitment, all collective responsibility, has worked tirelessly in the most difficult portfolio of this Cabinet, tender his resignation . . . he tendered it! He wrote it out purposefully, I do not want to do this any more, and walked away . That says to me that there is something that is not right. With collective responsibility it falls on —
[Audio interference]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Foggo, your microphone is one.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonAnd so, I am suggesting that there be some serious inner thinking and contemplating on what to do to strengthen the Cabinet. I do not know what to suggest. I am not the Leader. But there is something that needs to be done to c ircle the team and figure …
And so, I am suggesting that there be some serious inner thinking and contemplating on what to do to strengthen the Cabinet. I do not know what to suggest. I am not the Leader. But there is something that needs to be done to c ircle the team and figure this out because they may have 30 people over there but —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP, if you have a point of order, make a point of order. We are not going to let this debate get deteriorated. If you have a point or order, or clarif ication, get my attention first. I am not allowing any shouting out.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonSorry, Mr. Speaker. So, if the Government has 30 members to choose from, whatever comes next, and whether that is a change of leadership, or whether that is a form of a reshuffle, whatever needs to happen, the Cabinet needs to get itself cohesive and they need to rethink what …
Sorry, Mr. Speaker. So, if the Government has 30 members to choose from, whatever comes next, and whether that is a change of leadership, or whether that is a form of a reshuffle, whatever needs to happen, the Cabinet needs to get itself cohesive and they need to rethink what is going to happen in the future because, Mr. Speaker, we are about to go on a very rough ride. And it is not just Bermuda. But I must absolutely say that Bermuda is going to experience a lifestyle of which it is not accustomed to. People are feeling it now, big time. So, the Cabinet ne eds to come to grips with that, whatever it is that needs to happen, so that they can gather themselves and strengthen themselves and figure out what needs to be done in order to carry this country forward. We are going to be in big trouble. Big, big trouble, Mr. Speaker. And I am worried. I am worried for all of the people who are out there who are suffering right now, who are looking to this Government, who are looking to the Cabinet for inspiration, for i nstruction. They want to be able to trust in somet hing. But right now they are not feeling or seeing any of that. 368 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly So, I am going to leave it there, Mr. Speaker. But I am definitely throwing down that gauntlet. Cabinet under whatever the leadership . . . whether the leadership has to change, or the leadership needs to get itself sorted out as far as its people management is concerned, we need all hands on deck, and all hands need to be clean. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a comment at this time? Any other Member?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberGood afternoon, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNo. Now, we see you. Continue. You have your twenty minutes.
Mr. Wayne CainesThank you, Mr. Speaker. It is always a pleasure to have the opportunity—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe lost your video. We hear your audio, but we lost your video. Mr. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, I am actually off the Island. I am in J amaica, and I am trying to do this from—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe see you now. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Mr. Wayne CainesThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was not going to speak (I was listening and I heard the contributions by my co lleagues ), until I heard the diatribe from the speaker who spoke before. Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity in this country to look at what is …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was not going to speak (I was listening and I heard the contributions by my co lleagues ), until I heard the diatribe from the speaker who spoke before. Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity in this country to look at what is happening economically, to look at what is happening socially, and it is clear that this is an opportunity for us all to put our oars in the water. We are pontificating and trying to understand why the Minister of Finance left. But, Mr. Speaker, it is my assertion that this is not what we need to focus on. We need to focus on all of our different compartments and all of t he different things that we do and what can we do, what can I do, what can my family do to make Bermuda a better place? In Bermuda oftentimes we focus on that which is really big instead of the little change and the links that make things happen. I know t he Minister of F inance and what is irrefutable is that he is a man of integrity and that he is a man of honour and that he has served this country with distinction. I listened to the speaker before, and she di sparaged my leadership. She disparaged my comm itment, the work that I have done and then she marked it down to what she figured was a mistake. Now, Mr. Speaker, if we were to cast aspersions on her past, Mr. Speaker —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThe Member is misleading the House. I did not at any time in any way disparage his reputation, his leadership at all. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, you did! Another Honourable Member: Yes, you did.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAh! We will not be having Member s shouting in! Okay? MP De Silva, if you cannot control your mouth, I suggest you keep your microphone off and do not tempt yourself to get on the wrong side of this conversation. You clear, MP De Silva? Hon. Zane J. S. …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe next time you are out of here. I am not going to let this night get deteriorated in any sense because, yes, there are very sensitive issues before us right now, and if it is not kept in hand it will go to a level we do not need …
The next time you are out of here. I am not going to let this night get deteriorated in any sense because, yes, there are very sensitive issues before us right now, and if it is not kept in hand it will go to a level we do not need to let it go to. So, I am not even going to let us start there. Everybody who wants to speak will have the opportunity to speak. There is no need for you to be shouting in. If you have a point of order, raise your poin t of order. Now, we will continue with the point of order that was raised. Are you finished, MP Jackson? MP Jackson, you are finished? MP Caines, continue.
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWhat is your point of order , MP De Si lva? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member just cut in— Ms. Jackson —and said that she did not disparage the Honourable Member Caines. And she clearly did, Mr. Speaker ! So, my thing …
What is your point of order , MP De Si lva?
POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member just cut in— Ms. Jackson —and said that she did not disparage the Honourable Member Caines. And she clearly did, Mr. Speaker ! So, my thing is that she is misleading this House. And you heard her, Mr. Speaker, yourself. She disparaged—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAh!— Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: She disparaged MP Caines.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP De Silva, the Member made her point, and I am listening very carefully and letting . . . if it crosses a line, I will be the first to acknowledge it crossed the line. Okay? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Okay, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Caines, I know you are skilful enough to defend or speak to the issues that you need to speak to. Use your talent an d your skill. And you have the microphone.
Mr. Wayne CainesMr. Speaker, it is quite typical, when people have the opportunity to say things they . . .I am not going to let history not be told this afternoon. Mr. Speaker, when we look at the Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation [Team] [DRRMT], I was a part of a Government …
Mr. Speaker, it is quite typical, when people have the opportunity to say things they . . .I am not going to let history not be told this afternoon. Mr. Speaker, when we look at the Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation [Team] [DRRMT], I was a part of a Government that, when that did not exist, I was a part of Government that put that in place— an entity that was put in place to make sure that when there was a national disaster in this country t hat we had a team put in place to make sure that [this team] happened. I was proud to be a part of a Government , Mr. Speaker . . . I was proud to be a part of a Go vernment , Mr. Speaker, that when there was no country coast guard, I was proud to be a part of a Gover nment and lead a Minist ry that established Bermuda’s Coast Guard. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to lead a Gover nment and to be a part of a Government and to lead a Ministry that put forward a gang violence reduction unit that established opportunities when we were at 15, 20 gang violence . . . excuse me, 15 gang murders in a year. For one year, Mr. Speaker, we had no violent activities, no murders in one year. I was a part of a Government , Mr. Speaker, that did initiatives such as Redemption Farms and that put on programmes in schools. Mr. Speaker, I do not want that Member to allow history to mislead itself. When, through the leadership of this Government , we started FinTech, Mr. Speaker, when there was no such thing heard . . . that speaker would all ow for this country to think that I went around the world disgracing this country. Ask how many companies have come to this country and set up in this country based on the work that this Go vernment did. Mr. Speaker, the list can go on and on. When we wer e in the throngs of the pandemic this Government put together a plan that , when all government s around the world were fiddling and fumbling and trying to find the way around, it was this Government that put together a solid plan. Mr. Speaker, when that M ember was in her bed, I traversed this country night and day, day and night, making sure that our people were safe at the airport, making sure that our young people came back safely. Mr. Speaker, I would not allow that Member to allow history not to be tol d, the work, the yeoman service that I put in and continue to put in for the people of this country. So, when she tells the story, Mr. Speaker, she must tell the entire story. Days . . . 20-hour days wor king relentlessly on behalf of the people of this country. Like many people that stopped us all in the streets and they said, What is the Government doing? and What is their plan? There is a plan for Government . But let me say something, Mr. Speaker, I would allow for you to check the work that I have done in this country and that I will continue to do in this country — the nights, the days, the toils that I worked on behalf of the people of Bermuda. I would not allow that Member , that perfect Member , the blemish- less Member, the Member that has made no mistak es in her life, to leave the people of Bermuda thinking that I have not done the work that I have done specifically on their behalf and will continue to do—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order? Point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. Scott PearmanThe Honourable Member , I think perhaps mistakenly, is misleading the House. I understood him to say that he was abroad and perhaps his reception was not very good. I sat here— as did we all —and the Hansard will show that MP Jackson praised his leadership. What she said …
The Honourable Member , I think perhaps mistakenly, is misleading the House. I understood him to say that he was abroad and perhaps his reception was not very good. I sat here— as did we all —and the Hansard will show that MP Jackson praised his leadership. What she said was that she was disappointed in his 370 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly conduct in relation to a particular incident in the UK. And then went on t o say —
Mr. Scott Pearman—that she praised his leadership and it was sad for him to have to leave his Cabinet role. So, I think perhaps he may not have heard in full—
Mr. Scott Pearman—what the Honourable Member said. Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Pearman, your comments have been noted. MP Caines.
Mr. Wayne CainesMr. Speaker, unfortunately that Member is a part of a team, and I am not going to let him mince his words to make light of what that Member just did to my name and to my reputation. I will not stand for that. Yes, she does not know anything …
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately that Member is a part of a team, and I am not going to let him mince his words to make light of what that Member just did to my name and to my reputation. I will not stand for that. Yes, she does not know anything that went on in our organisation internally. She does not know an ything that went on behind the scenes. And so what that Member is trying to do is to put lipstick on a pig and I will not allow that Mr. Speaker . That Member —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order? POINT OF ORDER [Imputing improper motives ]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThe Member is imputing i mproper motives here. That is not what I intended, and that is not what I said. He is completely taking it out of context. Those are not my words, and I am not perfect.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerLet me just . . . let everybody take a breather. Calm down a little bit. The Member made reference, the Honourable Member when she spoke made reference to an inc ident and she used that incident to basically say that, you know, it was a shame to see someone …
Let me just . . . let everybody take a breather. Calm down a little bit. The Member made reference, the Honourable Member when she spoke made reference to an inc ident and she used that incident to basically say that, you know, it was a shame to see someone of your hard work having to leave because of an incident. But, everybody remember that we just need to slow down a pace and keep going.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI think Honourable Member Caines . . . I think Honourable Member Caines is very gifted in being able to defend himself and I think he is doing okay in speaking for himself. He was the person there. The rest of it is all hearsay in this regard. Honourable Caines, …
I think Honourable Member Caines . . . I think Honourable Member Caines is very gifted in being able to defend himself and I think he is doing okay in speaking for himself. He was the person there. The rest of it is all hearsay in this regard. Honourable Caines, you are on a tack that is very—
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker —
The SpeakerThe Speaker—acceptable. Continue on the tack that you are on. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker —
Mr. Wayne CainesMr. Speaker — Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of clarificat ion, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP De Silva? POINT OF CLARIFICATION Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, Mr. Speaker, you just talked about the incident when the Honourable Member Caines was a Minister and abroad, and you said that he had to leave because of t hat. He did not leave because of that …
MP De Silva?
POINT OF CLARIFICATION
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, Mr. Speaker, you just talked about the incident when the Honourable Member Caines was a Minister and abroad, and you said that he had to leave because of t hat. He did not leave because of that incident, Mr. Speaker . I am just clar ifying that for the record.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerClarifying. The point is whatever inc ident (my word ) that drove him out (my word again) the Member was just saying she was sorry that his talent was lost from around the table.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYour talent has been recognised, and I know that you are talented enough to be able to continue your conversation in a vein that represents what you want to represent, without the assistance from anybody else. Continue on.
Mr. Wayne CainesMr. Speaker, the resignation of the Minister of Finance was a shock to us all. I think this has all give n us opportunity to do some introspecBermuda House of Assembly tion. When people look and they say who will be the next Finance Minister or what we are going …
Mr. Speaker, the resignation of the Minister of Finance was a shock to us all. I think this has all give n us opportunity to do some introspecBermuda House of Assembly tion. When people look and they say who will be the next Finance Minister or what we are going to do for budget . . . I will tell you something that I said in our caucus, Mr. Speaker . This is an opportunity for us all to work together, to band together, to look at the band- aids where they need to be applied, to look at where the introspection needs to take place. And what is clear is that this party has a hist ory of overcoming obstacles, of working together, of being st rong and understanding what the people of Bermuda need. We did not get elected to Government for what Wayne Caines wants, or what Curtis Dicki nson wants or what David Burt wants. We are an amalgamation of the thoughts, the hopes, the dreams of all of Bermu da. No matter what I might think personally of where we are, this party is committed to changing things for the people of Bermuda. This is a wake- up call, and this is an opportunity for us to reset, and the reset must take place where we all dig into what is important to us and that is the work, the time, that the people of Bermuda need. This is no time for anyone to be abandoning the ship, pointing fingers or self -aggrandising. This is a time for our country to come together. It has been well-documented that these are critical times for Bermuda, and I echo that sentiment. But I do say that with a large backbench there is great responsibility. There are opportunities for us to continue to support the Government , to hold them accountable, but more important ly to row in and work together. So, we can all point and highlight what we feel are deficiencies and inconsistencies. That, I say Mr. Speaker, is not the right thing to do. I say that this is a time for us to rally behind and hold up each other and prop up our Ministers and to prop up our Government and continue to work on behalf of the people of Bermuda. It is important to understand that Minister Dickinson was important. He has put down his sheath, not as a Member of Parliament, [but] as a Finance Minis ter. And I am telling you that there are great co ntributions for him to make still in politics and still for the people of Bermuda—still for his family, still for his constituency. The reality of it is that we still have him as a significant tool in the party’s toolbox. I am committed to continue to work on behalf of the people of Bermuda. I know that my colleagues continue to hold each other accountable, continue to work hard, continue to understand . . . continue to understand that there are things that we got wrong, and we will continue to get wrong. But we must be r eminded that we work on behalf of the people of Be rmuda, and it is with their voice that we speak. It is for whom we stand and we speak in this room every day, Mr. Speaker , and we have to understand that is our responsibility —not to answer to what the Opposition are saying today. They did not vote us here! They will continue to talk and to chirp and to do that which they are em-ployed to do. What are we employed to do? We are employed to lead, to govern, to make decisions on behalf of the people of Bermuda. And that is what we will continue to do. We must go back into our constituencies, Mr. Speaker . We must work doubly hard and tell them that we are still on the battlefield on their behalf. We must pass legislation that reflects the needs, the wants, the desires of our people because that is why they elected us. This is no time to lick our wounds! This is time to make sure that we galvanise, we work hard, we go back to our base, we go to int ernational business and we give them and show them our plan. That is what this country expects for us. We must not take our time today and highlight and argue and fuss. This is the party that was elected by the people of Bermuda to govern! And govern we w ill. We will accept and acknowledge that the Finance Minister is gone. But we still have a responsibility to lead in our constituencies, lead in our ministries, lead in our fam ilies, lead in our community clubs. We do not sit in an ivory tower; we are peop le that lead in this country. And we must lead with our minds; we must lead with our hearts. We must lead with our brains. We must lead with good finance, with strong ethics and strong morals and strong principles. That is what the people of Bermuda put us here for. We need to be reminded sometimes when we hear the Opposition talk, Mr. Speaker . That is what they are there for. But lest we not forget, we are here to lead. We are here to govern, and sometimes people leave ministries. Som etimes people leave departments, but the people of Bermuda must always have a voice. They must always have strong leadership. They must always have ethical leadership. Mr. Speaker, whilst that Member , in whatever thing she attempted to do to my name, Mr. Speaker, I am committ ed to the people of Bermuda. I am committed to my party. I am committed to openness, to honesty, to transparency, to hard work, to dedication, not only to the people of constituency 14. Because [if] you ask the people in my constituency, have they seen me, have I been there, have I been by their side? The answer will be yes, Mr. Speaker . But guess what? My constituency is not just my only responsibility. It is every household in Berm uda. It is every family in Bermuda, no matter the colour, no matter the g ender, no matter the religion. We are all in this together. We are all in this together. And if this country is to rise, if this country is to succeed, we must continue to hold each other accountable, march in our bearing, Mr. Speaker, and continue to work for the betterment of the people because these are our people. No one is coming from the north to save us. Nobody is flying down to help us. It is our responsibi lity, and we must roll up our sleeves, and with honour, with integrity, with discipline, with a steadfast determ ination, we must work on behalf of the people of Bermuda. 372 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member . Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, if no one from the Opposition is ready, I can go.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDoes any other Member wish to make a contribution before the Premier closes us out? [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Scott PearmanI will share my throat here, Mr. Speaker —MP Pearman.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Pearman, you have your 20 minutes. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, thank you. Mr. Speaker, I am going to take it down a notch. I am grateful for the intervention of some other MPs, and let us leave that one behind. Let us focus on the matters at hand. The matter at hand is that this has been a …
Thank you, thank you. Mr. Speaker, I am going to take it down a notch. I am grateful for the intervention of some other MPs, and let us leave that one behind. Let us focus on the matters at hand. The matter at hand is that this has been a very bad week for Bermuda. And please notice, Mr. Speaker, that I do not say it has been a bad week for the PLP. I do not even say it has been a bad week for the Government , although surely it has. But more i mportantly, it has been a bad week for Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, Bermuda is a small island, but we have a surprisingly big number of problems. And we need to try to solve those problems. And it is not just COVID -19. We had i ssues before COVID -19. We had economic issues, we had social issues. And COVID -19 has served to amplify that and make it worse. If anyone doubts what I have just said (I do not think people would), just look around. If you want to park in Hamilton— you ca n park! Because there are no cars and bikes anymore. If you walk down the street it is not hard to do so—no tourists around. Wi ndows are boarded up; businesses are out; people are out of jobs. Things are bad. And this week did not help. Mr. Speaker, what I would like to talk about this evening is principled leadership. We had the resignation of the Finance Minister, Curtis Dickinson. And by common consent —I will repeat that, common consent—he was a good man. He is a good man. We are not merely here tonight to seek to take political a dvantage of the resignation of a serious player from the Government . We are here tonight to comment that it is extremely disturbing that he has gone. It is not good for Bermuda. It is not good for the PLP. It is not good for the Government . And that he would walk out on the eve of the budget underscores the concern. I would go so far as to say that Curtis Dicki nson is a man who typifies principled leadership. He was extremely successful in private practice in Ber-muda, yes, and also abroad in New York City. He left that successful private practice to serve the people of Bermuda. He came in, no doubt at a vast reduction in salary, to give his time, effort, energy and intelligence to try to fix our economic woes. To me, that typifies principled leadership. I would also underscore how he behaved as a politician, because he did not behave how many of us do unfortunately behave on this hill, in this House. He just got on with the business that needed to be got on with. No tricks. No s leight of hand. He told it to us straight. And often, because of the times we are in, what he had to say was bad news. But he was honest about it, and he was straight about it, and he said how he was going to solve it. Actually, one of the things I remember most about him (I do not want to speak of him in the past tense) is that he very rarely, if ever, spoke on the m otion to adjourn. I do not think he ever did. If he did, I stand corrected. But I do not think he ever bothered because that was not why he t hought he was coming to Parliament. He was coming to Parliament to deal with the business that needed to be dealt with and get on with it —and try and solve things. He was measured and spoke well —often. And he was straight. You ask him a question, he gave y ou the answer. He did not try and duck it, bob and weave, deflect, deceive. No! He just told you what it was. How much is our debt? Oh, our debt is $3.65 million. Whoa, okay thanks. Billion . . . excuse me. As I say, he told us to it straight. Now, Mr. S peaker, the Government does not have to take that from me. They said it. Time and again, I can remember people standing in this House commending his ability as the Finance Minister, and I remember specifically the Deputy Speaker of the House doing so. I remember MP Famous doing so. I remember Vance Campbell doing so. I remember the Premier doing so. And I also remember that I did because often after he presented a budget, what I would try to do is to recognise the things that he said with which we agreed, t he sensible course of action, the solutions. I made it a point each and every year that he presented his budget to say where I supported him—and maybe that is not political, but that is how problems get dealt with. That is how problems get solved—through b ipartisanship, through support. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to pause and observe this, lest it be said that, again, I am grand-standing. I would like to praise the Finance Minister for what he did last August when he refinanced parts of our debt. It was a very smart move. We said so at the time. We commended him at the time, and I was pleased he did it. He took advantage of low interest
Bermuda House of Assembly rates and he tried —tried —to get Bermuda a little bit less out of a tough spot. But unfortunately, that was just a li ttle bit. We have two or three or possibly four notes due this year. We have more notes due next year. And here is a man who was Finance Minister, whose expertise was debt—that is what he used to do off at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in New York City. I t hink he then went on to Morgan Stanley. I mean, you know, that is his area of expertise. We had a pretty smart guy dri ving a very tough horse out of the debt mire. And it is a considerable debt mire. When I discussed debt in this House, and I mentioned t he fact that we had an unfunded public sector pension liability, and I sought to add our national debt to our public sector pensions liability, what did the Premier do? He point -of-ordered me, said I was trying to deceive and mislead. Well, no. The F inance Minister came out and clarified the position when he last spoke in this House. He did not try to deceive and mislead. He said what it was. He spoke the truth. He recognised the problem —because if you do not recognise the problem, you are not going to solve it. Anyway, Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how poli tical it is for me to do this, but I would like to personally thank the Finance Minister for his service to Bermuda. It was a tough, tough role for him to hold and we still have lots and lots and lots of problems, but I would like to thank him. Mr. Speaker, back to the topic of principled leadership. Principled leadership is not about schem-ing as to how best to divide and how best to destroy. That is politics. That is not principled leadership. We must com e together. I have said before, we have more in common than that which divides us. I entirely agree with MP Caines, who said only moments ago that we are all in this together. We are all in this t ogether. We are facing a common storm. Yes, some boats are b igger than others. But the storm is coming, and we all have to face it. And if we spend time bic kering with each other and trying to divide each other and destroy each other, we are not going to solve the problems. The reality, Mr. Speaker, is we might n ot solve the problems if we all come together and try and solve them. They are that big. We have got to realise that. Mr. Speaker, principled leadership is not about answering a question with a deflection or a di straction, or even worse, a deceit. I do not want to be the one standing here giving bad news, so I will talk about something else instead. Or I will distract you because I will start attacking something else that happened in the history, because then we will all pay attention to that instead of t he problem in front of us. Distraction, deflection, deceit —that is not principled leadership. Mr. Speaker, principled leadership requires sound judgment. It requires you to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. And when something i s wrong, it requires you, us —all of us —to call it out, not hide it or sweep it under the rug, or hope someone does not find out about it, and it will all be okay because by the time it blows up we will be long gone. That is not principled leadership. This week, Mr. Speaker, we also saw Sir John Swan describe the Burt administration as being out of control and in crisis. I would say this, wouldn’t I? But I think Sir John is right. But I think it is bigger than that. I think we are actually not merely seeing a crisis in the Burt administration, I think we are seeing a crisis in the Island. We are an Island in crisis. We are a people in crisis. Those are not the same thing. Mr. Speaker, our social fabric is torn and it does not get better if we keep tearing at it. It gets be tter if we try together to mend it. We heard in the last few weeks from two people who once were associated with the Burt administration and the PLP Gover nment that it has lost its moral compass. Those are their words, not mine. My words are these: I certainly hope not. But I am concerned. Let me just take a handful of examples. There was a $1.2 million payment to a former Premier. There was $800,000 that went missing—Savvy Entertainment. We now are, I think, getting solar panels on the top of the National Sports Centre at great costs — which we probably cannot afford, owing to a loan that may or may not have been authorised. We will see. We have lost Dr. Carika Weldon. We pause and also, like MP Caines earlier, thank her for her service. We have had two Senators resign— one owing to sexual harassment allegations, the other for alleged threats to a senior. Alleged threats, I accept, but nonetheless concerning. We now know that resQwest —which never had to tender —got $3.6 or some say $3.7 milli on—
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Point of order, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker . I believe the Honourable and Learned [Member] is mi sleading, although not, perhaps, intentionally, the Honourable House. That matter, with respect to the co ntract for resQwest up until the end of November, was …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you for the clarification.
Mr. Scott PearmanMr. Speaker, I stand corrected. I fully accept what the Honourable and Learned Minister has said. And if I have my number wrong, I apol ogise. I think my point is still good; but I accept her clarification with grace. 374 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of …
Mr. Speaker, I stand corrected. I fully accept what the Honourable and Learned Minister has said. And if I have my number wrong, I apol ogise. I think my point is still good; but I accept her clarification with grace. 374 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly These are just examples, Mr. Speaker . You get my point. My point is that these, put on d isplay and under the microscope, questions of judgment test whether or not these are the actions taken by som eone of principled leadership. We now learn, deeply regrettably, that the Premier himself will take on, again, the role of Finance Minister. I wi ll point out the obvious: he already has, I think, Tourism. He is responsible for casinos. I think he might be economic development as well, but ma ybe that has gone somewhere else. It is hard to keep track. But these are not the decisions of someone who believes that we all need to work together to solve our collective problems. This was an opportunity . . . well, I will leave it there. Mr. Speaker, MP Kim Swan spoke earlier, and I am highly surprised by what he said. He described, and I am quoting here, “ internal strife in the PLP” and a party “in controversy.” And it was that PLP MP who was the first person to use the word “resignation.” Mr. Speaker, I know you like—
POINT OF ORDER
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanPoint of order, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member alluded to my speech which I referred to the UBP leadership. I was referring to Sir John [Swan’s] leadership and referencing to him being a statesman elevated to natio nal hero, weighing in in a partisan way. And I …
Point of order, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member alluded to my speech which I referred to the UBP leadership. I was referring to Sir John [Swan’s] leadership and referencing to him being a statesman elevated to natio nal hero, weighing in in a partisan way. And I gave illustrations of the political strife that he experienced whilst he served for 13 years as leader. So, I believe the Honourable Member might be misrepresenting what I was saying.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Speaker . I had underst ood him to be discussing when someone r esigns and when someone does not and therefore he was discussing the issue of resignation. The Hansard will tell if I am mistaken. POINT OF ORDER
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan—to mischaracterise what I was saying, Mr. Speaker . He is totally . . . he is a skilled lawyer, but he will not misrepresent what I was saying. What I was saying was referenc ing that a person elevated to a national hero status should not have weighed in …
—to mischaracterise what I was saying, Mr. Speaker . He is totally . . . he is a skilled lawyer, but he will not misrepresent what I was saying. What I was saying was referenc ing that a person elevated to a national hero status should not have weighed in in a partisan way, and I gave examples of the 13 years which he navigated under some very difficult circu mstances and did not feel it necessary to withdraw hi mself. I was using that as the reference. I did not make reference to any situation that we were in save and except to say that I have worked with—
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Speaker . I will try and speed up, so people do not eat into my time. All I would say is this, that if MP Swan did not think that Sir John was correct to describe an Island in crisis, and you think he was being political, …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker . I will try and speed up, so people do not eat into my time. All I would say is this, that if MP Swan did not think that Sir John was correct to describe an Island in crisis, and you think he was being political, well , respectfully most people would disagree with you. Anyway, I will move on, Mr. Speaker . I was just about to say that I know you like your cricket. Permit me a different sports metaphor from the United States, that of baseball. In baseball, it is three s trikes and you are out. There have been far more than three strikes here. Back to principled leadership, Mr. Speaker . Why would a man who is clearly so deeply and pr ofoundly about duty and service resign on the eve of the budget? As my colleague and friend MP Richar dson said, the Finance Minister is not a quitter. Som ething has happened—and something big. MP Lovitta Foggo is right: he will tell us when he is ready, and we wait to hear. I am not speaking . . . and I should not speak about him in the past t ense because we may yet see his return in some capacity. But for now, he could be the king across the water. To conclude, Mr. Speaker, this has been a bad week for Bermuda. Not just for the PLP, not just the Government , but Bermuda as a whole —all of us. And unfortunately, when we look at the week that is on its way to come, we hear that Bermuda may be placed, again, on a grey list. Let us all hope that does not happen because we must all want what is best for this Island —even when we disagree on certain bi ts of policy. In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I just cannot help . . . I just cannot shake the feeling that this week the wrong man resigned. Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this tim e? Any other Member? [Inaudible interjection]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDoes any other Member like to make a contribution?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Cannonier, you have your 20 minutes. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThank you, Mr. Speaker . I am not going to spend too much time on the resignation of the former Minister . I think my colleagues have flexed well and spoken very clearly of the admiration that all of us have had for the position that he [was] in. I …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker . I am not going to spend too much time on the resignation of the former Minister . I think my colleagues have flexed well and spoken very clearly of the admiration that all of us have had for the position that he [was] in. I think the major issue here really is a time when we are all looking for hope. It does not matter what side of the fence you are on; it does not matter if your house is blue, green, yellow, whatever the case may be. At a time, with the circumstances of Bermuda and where we are, this was an impactful blow to Bermuda because at the time of budget, we were looking for hope and we were expecting to hear from the F inance Minister something that would give us just a peek at being able to hold onto something, that we were going to make it through. The realities of where we are, Mr. Speaker . . . and I will refer to, just quick ly looking at my notes here. The realities of where we are is, people are still lining up for groceries. I have been in the . . . I have had the opportunity to be able to go out and deliver lunches and the like and dinners. People are still lining up, and it is not just low income. It is middle income as well that is suffering at this time. We have heard enough reports about during COVID -19, the rich are getting richer, yet the middle class and poor are getting poorer. Through these whole last two years of COVID -19, this pandemic, we got a challenge on our hands. Parents are very co ncerned about our schools and the kids. You walk through Washington Mall and it looks like you are walking through a clearance house—completely empty on the ground floor. No one in there. We recognise that our tourism numbers are just as low as they can possibly get. The cost of living is continuing to rise, and even in the good work that is being done . . . we just saw within the last week BELCO did a great job at giving out groceries. But people were complaining about their BELCO bill. Here we are doing a good work, and I commend the Honourable Member for putting on such a fantastic opportunity of giving groceries away to those who are in need. But then at the same time, on the breath of ev eryone was, You need to lower our BELCO bill . That is no indictment on the Honourable Member . That is just a fact on where we are, our cost of living continues to increase. And those of us who listen to the news are hearing that, uh -oh, well , interest rates are going to go up, so that must mean Government ’s costs are going to get higher, and so other goods are going to get higher as well. Here we are. When you walk through the park you see young men, more than I have seen ever in the history of Bermuda. You walk through Par -la-Ville Park or any of these parks. You cannot get a few feet without one of them asking you for money. Young men lost and bewildered. And let me add to that, young Black men and a few White men as well. And now I see lad ies who are part of it as well and it r eminds me of when in 2011. We were all out canvas sing at that time, a similar situation. But the volume and the number of young people who are out there on their own has grown tremendously. You flip that coin over, Mr. Speaker, and you look at the ministries that we have here by our Go vernment —National Security, we see crime is up. Education, we are getting votes of no confidence in ed ucation. Tourism, record number, low numbers. Health, it is going up and up and up and we are looking at a plan by the Health Minister, and the teams have come up with a different one than the original one, so they must have abandoned the first one. I do not know. We will hear more from the Health Minister. Transport, we see we have got electric buses, but we have had strikes which had nothing to do necessarily with the number of buses that were on the road. And now we have lost air lift. St. Regis is still waiting for their gaming licence after promises were made. Still not there. And lo and behold, BIU pres ident says, “What has this Government done?” And I have heard speeches this afternoon that have spoken about we are going to get on with getting the business done, please forgive us, our commitment to doing better . . . all of this is coming from our Government , but yet, at the same time people are looking for some hope and something to hold on to. So, when that resignation came our Government got a glimpse at how much everyone was behind the PLP’s former Finance Minister. Black, White , low, rich, international business, local business —all you got to do is look at the blogs. Everyone was rooting for this guy to bring us some hope. So, excuse us for having questions about why at the eve of a budget this happened! Now, I get the point th at the Honourable Member Kim Swan was making, his point that you know John Swan should not have weighed in. John Swan did not weigh in on behalf of the OBA. All he said was we are in a crisis! That is non- partisan! UBP does not exist. We got some UBP members around, yes; but they do not exist as a party. The former Leader knows that. He made a non- partisan comment, and it is not the first and last time that he is go-ing to do it. Now, I am not trying to blow any smoke— 376 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan: Point of order, Mr. Speaker . Point of order, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanYes, I think the Honour able Member in his flow is misleading the House. I did not say the Prem ier was representing the OBA. I said the former Premier Sir John Swan was speaking on behalf of the OBA. I said the Honourable Sir John Swan should be above …
Yes, I think the Honour able Member in his flow is misleading the House. I did not say the Prem ier was representing the OBA. I said the former Premier Sir John Swan was speaking on behalf of the OBA. I said the Honourable Sir John Swan should be above partisan politics because he was elevated to national hero status —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay, Member, Member . . . I am clear on what you said. You have expressed your vie wpoint. The other Member is expressing his viewpoint. He is not interpreting. He is not trying to twist what you said.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanWell, he was representing what I said, Mr. S peaker, that is why I called a point of order.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. All right. I am listening very clearly because I know today is very sensitive. Okay? Continue on.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes, Mr. Speaker, if his comments were partisan, then I am not s ure partisan on whose side. Quite frankly, there are only two parties out there right now, so I am not sure who he is talking about. Like I said, UBP does not exist an ymore. So, where …
Yes, Mr. Speaker, if his comments were partisan, then I am not s ure partisan on whose side. Quite frankly, there are only two parties out there right now, so I am not sure who he is talking about. Like I said, UBP does not exist an ymore. So, where this partisanship comes from, I do not know. So, maybe he can clarify i t in an article for us. That would be good. Or maybe he could do like a former Honourable Member and say to Mr. Tweed, I ask for forgiveness. Because what I see happening here, quite frankly, the arguments that we have heard today I have not heard from thi s PLP Government answer to any of the issues that are out there right now. And when the OBA was Government , yes, we had to answer to issues, and this Government must answer to the issues that are out there. They are out there! Now, if the PLP wants to ignore the people of Bermuda . . . but when your BIU president comes out and says what he has to say, what has this Gover nment done in five years ? Oh my goodness, somebody needs to pay attention! There is not anybody else . . . no one partisan saying that. T hat is the BIU president willing to teach us, get up and say there is a vote of no confidence. Something is not going well. And when you add to that the Finance Mini ster that we all admire, all of us, and he resigns on the eve of a budget . . . maybe the comments that were given were right. Well, couldn’t the Premier have m anoeuvred through this until after the budget? And I listened to former Members talking about resignations and all that. And I will be like Zane. I saw in the paper where he said, you know, he knows what it means to resign, or something to that effect. I certainly do as well. We know what the cut and thrust of politics is. But at the end of the day, we have a problem. And it is up to this Premier to give us hope in what is going to happen now and in the future because the past has been ugly. It has been ugly and I have been calling since PLP became Government to revitalise the economy, get something going. And when the Premier gets up and says, Oh, well we are not going to do the Amer ica’s Cup again because (we keep hearing), oh well, [only] part of the Blacks benefit from this here. Well, let me just say this here, Mr. Speaker, I was in charge of making sure that entrepreneurs up at WEDCO built the infrastructure for the America’s Cup. An d you want to know what? Every week I met with the Minister Grant Gibbons and his permanent secretary and I was screaming at them you got to make sure Bl ack people get up there and low -income people get jobs up here. And WEDCO as well, the leader of WEDCO will tell you every week I was calling them, you better get these people to work . So, I do not want to hear this nonsense coming from . . . and I excuse my word for saying that there, but the reference that the America’s Cup was not good for Bermudians and that the elites made money. Well, they made money and he is one of those elites! So, whose boat is he in? And there are a lot of small entrepreneurs up there making money! Black people leading up, the emcee of America’s Cup leading up, putting him on the world stage. And we sit here and after KPMG or whoever did the report (I cannot remember who did the report) comes out (a world-renowned firm) and says this worked well for Bermuda and we still, based on race . . . and let me say this here, based on race, Mr. Speaker . I am not PLP’s friend. Okay? I want to be very clear. I want to be very right, introspective here. Think about what I am about to say. I am not your friend. What I am is your brother. And when you get up here and you make these subtle movements and words suggesting that our issues are still rooted in some of these Black and White issues, you are in control! Make the changes that are needed because we are looking for it. And the hope that was placed in Curtis Dic kinson as the former Finance Minister was just that —it was non- partisan. It was not B lack and it was not White. It was all about the economy. And that is where we need to be. And the more the PLP continues to run this race card on all kinds of issues, we are not going to get anywhere. That is why we cannot get 10,000 more people here because we will not remove the
Bermuda House of Assembly race card. We need 10,000 more people on this I sland. So, as a Government and as an Opposition let us remove everything. Let us bring back the Marc Bean’s and the Paula Cox’ s and let us make sure . . . and put John Swan in the room, too. Let us fix this thing! All smart people —including [those] in PLP. And let us fix this because the issue really is we need more people in this Island. And that is the only thing that is going to fix it. Not in the [INAUDIBLE], but in 10 million [sic] more people. They are building buildings that are empty. But they are building and getting ready because they want more people to maintain their standard of living. And if we do not fix that, then we have got major, major issues. That is the issue of this country that we need to address. Nothing else. Get more people here so our entrepreneurs can survive. That is our challenge. Now, I am going to go back to I am not your friend ; I am your brother . So, the pain that you feel, I feel, too. And the racial injustices that you have felt, I know them as well. So, do not get up here preaching that stuff to me in this Honourable House because I am a part of it, as if I cannot identify with it. Because that is what you are doing. Let us place the cards on the table. And there is no White Member in your party that can identify with you and me. Not one! The White Members in OBA’s party who cannot identify . . . and that goes back to even . . . and I will admit it, part of my resigning. They cannot identify. But I will not stop fighting to ensure that they can identify. But I am not going to beat them over the head. We are not getting anywhere. Same old sorry story every time we get in the House, we go back to t hat. When are you going to stop? The land of opportunity is Bermuda. Let us take control of it and make something happen. Not one of you out of the 30 of you have defended where is the $800,000. Not one of you have defended and said, listen . . . and I ca n tell you. You bring the former Finance Minister back to the table, I will ask him myself. Why was the — [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Deputy Speaker, in the Chair]
Mr. Wayne CainesPoint of order, point of order, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker .
Mr. L. Craig Ca nnonier—one- point -something mi llion dollar loan made— [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Wayne CainesThe Member does not know if anyone in our party has had any conversations about the $800,000. He has no clue what goes on behind closed doors in our party, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker .
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I acknowledge that. What I am saying is where is the $800,000? We know it has gone missing. I do not to know if it was stolen or what, but it went missin g.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThere needs to be an investigation, a continued investigation, on to where it is.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Cannonier, can you get closer to the microphone because it is very diff icult hearing you. 378 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, I like being up close to you, cousin Derrick. But while you are in that seat, Deputy …
Mr. Cannonier, can you get closer to the microphone because it is very diff icult hearing you.
378 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, I like being up close to you, cousin Derrick. But while you are in that seat, Deputy Speaker, I just want to say to you that I concur with you as well. This nonsense about not having a Bermudian commission er and the like, we have experienced pe ople, people that I grew up [with], that have been in there for years. That appointment should have already been made, not any acting commissioner. We have several people that we can name, all of us off of the top of our heads, who can do that position and it is still not filled! It is an injustice in Bermuda. It cannot go on! So, I concur with you—
Mr. L. Craig CannonierWhat in the world? A first - world country, Bermuda. So, I just wanted to say that I concur with that. But I want to say this here: you know our Premier came in on the wave of transparency. He beat up our former Finance Minister, you know that, Deputy …
What in the world? A first - world country, Bermuda. So, I just wanted to say that I concur with that. But I want to say this here: you know our Premier came in on the wave of transparency. He beat up our former Finance Minister, you know that, Deputy Speaker, over transparency especially with the airport. But the Premier cannot even tell us the terms of the $11 million for Gencom. I mean, you know, these are basic questions that are being asked. People are just looking for answers. If we do not give any answers, then they speculate. They just spec ulate! And what we need to do . . . and I have been saying it over and over and over, Premier, so that people do not speculate. Give some answers so they do not speculate. But this is a running commentary of this Premier. Now, the OBA had its resignations, and I was one of them. But we have got a sling of them. And if the Honourable Member Swan was going to get up and talk about, oh well, you know, John Swan he had problems , and, you know, worked his way through the relationship and so he did not resign. Well, we got an opposite case here! We have got Ministers resigning one after the other, and then even some Senators resignin g. So, what is the Premier not doing? Or what is he doing to prevent this? I am concerned. Everybody else on the street is talking and concerned. Something needs to happen here! And it is not like the PLP is not capable. And then you have a former Premier of the PLP saying that the depth of the PLP, Oh, the Premier is not going to have any problems filling all of those positions that should become available. He has got a wealth of intellectual capital within the PLP . But yet, two, three days later, he makes himself the Finance Minister! And all the people in Bermuda who were non- partisan with the former Minister Curtis Dickinson are now basically saying, oh my goodness, we are in trouble because the Premier has taken it over. He needs to answer! Why? You have got all of this intellectual capital behind you. Why not give it to somebody else? Now, that is him and he can answer for it. He has not had a chance—
Mr. L. Craig CannonierSomething needs to happen. And if the Premier does not give any answers, I am going to say this here because none of my colleagues are willing to say it: the Premier needs to r esign because more stuff is going to come out, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker , of anomalies …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Cannonier. Any further speakers? [Inaudible interjection]
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerAny further speakers? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker .
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThe Chair recognises the Ho nourable Member Zane De Silva. You have the floor, Mr. De Silva. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker . Mr. Deputy Speaker, it is very interesting to listen to the former Premier, Craig Cannonier, …
The Chair recognises the Ho nourable Member Zane De Silva. You have the floor, Mr. De Silva.
SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker . Mr. Deputy Speaker, it is very interesting to listen to the former Premier, Craig Cannonier, and his speech. And he just finished off a speech talking about how he was concerned about resignations. That
Bermuda House of Assembly should shock the Island. It should send shockwaves through the Island! Because that Honourable Member Mr. Deputy Speaker . . . and he said he resigned. If I remember correctly, he was removed in a cloak of darkness. And we still do not know, Mr. Deputy Speaker , why —
Mr. L. Craig CannonierPoint of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker .
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is your point of order, Mr. Cannonier? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThe Honourable Member is misleading the House again. He has repeated this over and over, cloak of darkness , all of this kind of stuff. He knows nothing of what he talks about. He is the only MP before the courts, nobody else.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerContinue, Mr. De Silva. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . And that, too, is interesting that Mr. Cannonier should talk about who is before the courts. Maybe Horseshoe Beach needs to be investigated, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and who the Minister was who gave Rick …
Continue, Mr. De Silva.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . And that, too, is interesting that Mr. Cannonier should talk about who is before the courts. Maybe Horseshoe Beach needs to be investigated, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and who the Minister was who gave Rick Olson that contract and why he gave it to him. So, tell Mr. Cannonier I will take my seat —
Mr. L. Craig CannonierPoint of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —and let him explain that one.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMember! I am trying to recognise who is speaking. You say a point of order and then you wait for my acknowledgement. You do not go on, say a point of order and start talking.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYes, Mr. Cannonier, what is your point of order, sir? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierPoint of order. The Honourable Member once again is speculating and mislea ding the House. An investigation was done into it. So, maybe he needs to do his homework because he usually does his homework. He is a little emotive right now. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Point of order, Mr. …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWho is . . . who is the point of order from? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Honourable Member from constituency 10.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerIs that Mr. Dunkley? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, sir.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is your point of order, sir? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Michael H. Du nkley: Mr. Deputy Speaker, as the Premier at the time, I made sure that that contract was awarded in an appropriate way. So, any alleg ations to Mr. Cannonier are false and should be r …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Dunkley — 380 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy Speaker—you have made your point. — Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . I appreciate your time.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you. Mr. De Silva continue. You heard your point of order. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Deputy Speaker, well then since we are on apologies, let us have one from Mr. Cannonier. I have not been before the courts for anything to do with anything at all. …
Thank you. Mr. De Silva continue. You heard your point of order.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Deputy Speaker, well then since we are on apologies, let us have one from Mr. Cannonier. I have not been before the courts for anything to do with anything at all. You talk about speculation. Mr. Deputy Speaker, all I said was maybe Mr. Cannonier needs to explain to the people of this country how Mr. Rick Olson got a contract at Hors eshoe Beach. That is all I said. I did not give any sort of accusations whatsoever. But see, sometimes a guilty conscience tricks peopl e hard, doesn’t it? You see, so I did not make any accusations —
Mr. L. Craig CannonierMr. Deputy Speaker? I will apologise, Mr. Deputy Speaker . I will apologise. He has been charged.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Cannonier, you just cannot speak out like that. Okay? Let us get it straight now.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is your point of order, sir? POINT OF ORDER
Mr. L. Craig CannonierI said that I apologise to him. I should have said that he is the only one in the House that has been charged, an MP that has been charged with something. So, if he wants to go down this road, we have got a long road that I can …
I said that I apologise to him. I should have said that he is the only one in the House that has been charged, an MP that has been charged with something. So, if he wants to go down this road, we have got a long road that I can go with him, for sure. For sure. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Deputy Speaker, that is why I said maybe some other things should be investigated, too. And I will let those who wear the hat, let it fit and let them wear it and let them deal with it, Mr. Deputy Speaker , as that will be dealt with in due time too. Because we understand that I am not the only Progressive Labour Party Member that has been in this type of situation before, and I will not be the last either, I can assure you. [Laughter]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Let us move on. Let us move on, Mr. Deputy Speaker . [Laughter]
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Deputy Speaker, point of clarity.
[Inaudible interjections]
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWho is speaking? It is very difficult to recognise the voice. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I take no point of clarific ation. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Honourable Member from constituency 10. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I take no point of clarific ation. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerI did not recognise— Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Is that what he is saying?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerHang on. You asked for a point of clarificatio n— Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I don’t take that.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThe Member said he is not taking a clarification. Continue, Mr. De Silva. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Oh, because he spoke the truth. [Laughter] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, th ank you, Mr. Burgess. And what the Honourable Member was indicating . . . let us just …
The Member said he is not taking a clarification. Continue, Mr. De Silva.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Oh, because he spoke the truth. [Laughter]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, th ank you, Mr. Burgess. And what the Honourable Member was indicating . . . let us just be clear, I said I am not the first and I will not be the last, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker . Witch - hunts on this Island are alive and well. And I just tell everyone that sits in this Honourable House , especially if you wear a green and white shirt, to be prepared because you never know when your turn is coming. Now, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, let me move on. A lot of noise has been made today —and I call it noise —from the Opposition about the resignation of our former Finance Minister. I think it is rather rich, Mr. Deputy Speaker, rich that they want to try to get polit iBermuda House of Assembly cal points out of his resignation. We had their former chairman, Thad Hollis, who resigned, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, over the $350,000 Westgate. Now let us hear Mr. Cannonier talk about that for a moment. They had a former chairman who investigated it —
Mr. L. Craig CannonierPoint of order, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker ! Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —and he resigned.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierPoint of order, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker . Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Why did the former —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThere is a point of order. What is the point of order, Mr. Cannonier? POIN T OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes, the Honourable Member is misleading the House again trying to assign why someone resigned. The former chairman r esigned . . . that was not the reason he resigned b ecause he found out the truth. Again—
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerContinue, Mr. De Silva. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you. Thank you, Deputy Speaker. You see, you see you can tell when you are hitting home. You can really tell, Mr. Deputy Speaker , because not only did he resign, but they had several other people resign as …
Continue, Mr. De Silva.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you. Thank you, Deputy Speaker. You see, you see you can tell when you are hitting home. You can really tell, Mr. Deputy Speaker , because not only did he resign, but they had several other people resign as well. In fact, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I am very curious as to why there is so much concern over our Finance Minister res igning. And there seems to be serious concern by the Opposition when they had a Premier —a Premier! —first time in our history, resign, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. In our hist ory—
Mr. L. Craig CannonierPoint of order, Deputy Speaker. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —and we still do not know —
Mr. L. Craig CannonierPoint of order, Deputy Speaker. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: We still do not know why he resigned.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Cannonier, taking a poi nt of order is at the discretion of the Chair. Now, what is your point of order? We are not going to be playing this all day. POINT OF ORDER
Mr. L. Craig CannonierWell, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, the Honourable Member is speculating once again and that shou ld not happen.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerBut, Mr. Cannonier, you opened this up, you know, you were speculating and making all sorts of statements. You opened it up!
Mr. L. Craig CannonierBut . . . I would like for the Deputy Speaker to say when I speculated because all we had done was spoken on behalf of the people that we are hearing from, on their concerns —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerDo not ask the Deputy Speaker any questions.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierI would love to hear where I speculated. I never speculate. I speak the truth. I was kicked out of the House—
Mr. L. Craig Cannonier—by giving you the truth. I was kicked out of the House for giving you the truth. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Mr. Deputy Speaker —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Cannonier — Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —the Honourable Member is using up my time.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy Speaker—do not go there with me. Please. Mr. De Silva, continue. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . See, Mr. Deputy Speaker, these guys know, when I speak, I am going to hit them, and they want to try to use up my time. So, …
—do not go there with me. Please. Mr. De Silva, continue.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . See, Mr. Deputy Speaker, these guys know, when I speak, I am going to hit them, and they want to try to use up my time. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, let me carry on. It is amazing that the Honourable Member Cannonier just talked about bringi ng back Marc Bean, 382 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly bringing back Paula Cox. The same people they cruc ified every week! It is amazing. Last week, they were crucifying the Finance Minister over his travel. Crucif ying him! And had he not resigned. Had he not r esigned, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I contend that you would have heard—
Mr. Scott PearmanPoint of order, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker . Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: That would have their topic of conversation this week.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerPlease sit [closer] to the micr ophone so I can hear you!
Mr. Scott PearmanMr. Deputy Speaker, I am mo ving from where I have sat all day, and I have been heard all day, including by you. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: That is disrespectful!
Mr. Scott PearmanThe Honourable Member is misleading the House, and I believe intentionally so. Not one member of the Opposition stood up and criticised the Finance Minister. He is referring to a media story about the Finance Minister’s travel. There was no comment in that story from any Member of the Opposition, …
The Honourable Member is misleading the House, and I believe intentionally so. Not one member of the Opposition stood up and criticised the Finance Minister. He is referring to a media story about the Finance Minister’s travel. There was no comment in that story from any Member of the Opposition, nor did any Member of the Opposition speak to it in the House. So, I would ask that he wit hdraw that remark which is misleading. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker .
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYes, Mr. De Silva, the Oppos ition has not stated that in the House and I did not see anything attributed to them directly. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, thank you, I will wit hdraw that. I will withdraw that, Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you. Hon. Za ne J. S. De Silva: But I will tell you what, had he not resigned this week, I can guarantee you that the Opposition would have had something to say about that this week because that is how they are. But Mr. Deputy Speaker, I move …
Thank you.
Hon. Za ne J. S. De Silva: But I will tell you what, had he not resigned this week, I can guarantee you that the Opposition would have had something to say about that this week because that is how they are. But Mr. Deputy Speaker, I move on. My next comment is wi th regard to the former Premier Sir John Swan. I mean, my thing is, who the hell does he think he is, Mr. Deputy Speaker ? This is a former —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Unparliamentary language]
Mr. Scott PearmanThat is unparliamentary language that has just been used by the Member of Parliament.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you. Continue, Mr. De Silva. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you. Mr. Deputy Speaker, for a former Premier to say that our Premier, David Burt, is mishandling this crisis, this is damaging our economy, international business and the men that have a background …
Thank you. Continue, Mr. De Silva.
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you. Mr. Deputy Speaker, for a former Premier to say that our Premier, David Burt, is mishandling this crisis, this is damaging our economy, international business and the men that have a background in i nternational business and banking. And to go after our Premier. Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Premier appoints Ministers. If a Minister resigns, even if the Premier disagrees and that Minister is determined to resign, he has to accept it. So, for the former Premier of this country, John Swan, to point at our Premier and try to make him look bad, in my opinion, with his comments in the paper this week, is poor! Poor, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Any Premier of a country . . . if a Minister resigns and that is their choice, you cannot make them stay. And by the way, all of a sudden in one day the country is in a crisis, Mr. Deputy Speaker ? I am di sappointed in the OBA for riding this horse of the Sir John Swan bandwagon because they have jumped on it. They know damn well, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that the budget is going to be presented next Friday —
Mr. Scott PearmanPoint of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker .
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerIt is a point of order. Who is the point of order?
Mr. Scott PearmanIt is MP Pearman, Mr. Deputy Speaker . This is now the second occasion—
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Pearman . . . Brother Pearman, it is still difficult to hear you. Can you come closer to—
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThat is better. POINT OF ORDER [Unparliamentary languag e]
Mr. Scott PearmanThis is now the second occasion of unparliamentary language by this MP speaking.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Pearman, I have been here in this Parliament long enough and heard that la nguage before. It is not . . . that language is not s tated as profane language in the dictionary. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, then I will use it in …
Mr. Scott PearmanRespectfully, Mr. Deputy Speaker— The Deputy Speaker: I am not giving you permission to do anyt hing. Mr. Dunkley, do not make those statements when I am in the Chair. Please. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Honourable Member , I think that the Member needs to control his language. He is …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Dunkley? Did you call out a point of order? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I did call a point of order and I am close to my microphone.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Dunkley, if you do not call a point, I am not recognising you. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I did call a point of order,
Mr. Deputy Speaker .
The Deputy Speakerthe deputy speakerOkay, I did not hear you. Okay, you have got a point of order? State your case. POINT OF ORDER [Unparliamentary language] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: MP Pearman has adequately stated it. This Member is out of line with the language. He pushes the limits all the time and it …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOkay, Mr. Dunkley, I have ruled on that. Continue, Mr. De Silva. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Honourable Member . Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you. Thank you, Deput y Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker, as I was about to say, I think it is rather bold for …
Okay, Mr. Dunkley, I have ruled on that. Continue, Mr. De Silva. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Honourable Member . Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you. Thank you, Deput y Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker, as I was about to say, I think it is rather bold for anyone, let alone a former Premier, to chastise our Premier for the resignation on his own . . . he decided, Mr. Deputy Premier [sic] that he wanted to resign. Now what d isappoints me with the OBA is they know . . . well, I know they were the shortest Government in our history, so maybe they did not have too much experience. But they certainly had enough experience Mr. Deputy Speaker, to know that when budgets . . . the work on budgets starts in Oct ober/November of the previous year. Everyone knows, that sits in this Honourable House— and if they do not, they should not be here —that the budgets, by this time, Mr. Deputy Speaker, are all but done. So, if Mr. Curtis Dickinson had got hit by a bus this week and unfortunately died, what would we have done? We would just carry on! All the speeches have been wri t384 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly ten for every Ministry. All the budgets have been all but decided. Life goes on. And as a businessman, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I have had some very key people in my business experience who have left me at the last minute— whether it be through their own accord or otherwise. But you know what you do, Mr. Deputy Speaker , in business and in government? As the Premier said this week , life goes on. Nobody on this chat, nobody on this Zoom call, no one in the House of Parliament or the Senate is irreplaceable. Any one of us could die t onight, Mr. Deputy Speaker . But what I will say is this: I have a lot of r espect for Curtis Dickinson, too. And I believe that he has done a good job. And you know what, because he has done such a good job and resigned just a couple of days ago, I have to believe that that job will conti nue. We will reap the benefit of his good work! All we have to do is deliver the budget in which he had a big hand in producing. So, I fret not, Mr. Deputy Speaker . You have got the wrong guy. You have got the wrong guy b ecause life goes on. And the OBA, UBP, BDA —call them what you like—they should know from exper ience that we are here today, gone tomorrow, but life goes on. Now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, how much time do I have left, please?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYou have six minutes. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Okay. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I listened very intently to MP, the Hon ourable Member Jackson, another one I was disappointed in, another one. Because she talked, again, the bogey -man talk, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker . The bogey -man talk. …
You have six minutes. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Okay. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I listened very intently to MP, the Hon ourable Member Jackson, another one I was disappointed in, another one. Because she talked, again, the bogey -man talk, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker . The bogey -man talk. And I quote, she said that this Island will face times like we have never faced before. Now, th at may be true in the context of the statement. But her context was because our F inance Minister resigned. And she went on to say that we are in big, and I quot e, big, big trouble, and she is worried about our people suffering. Now, where was she in 2012 t hrough 2017, Mr. Deputy Speaker ? Now, I could go through a litany —a litany —of programmes that the OBA cancelled under their Government . I could also mention three big things that they did, too, and it was not for the same people that she indicated were s uffering. And if anybody from the Opposition wants me to name those, I will. I will take a three- second break.
[No audible reply]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: No, I did not think so, Mr. Deputy Speaker . But, Mr. Deputy Speaker, let me say this, what I did not appreciate about the [Honourable] Member Susan Jackson is she went after my co l-league Wayne Caines. She went after him, Mr. Deputy Speaker ! But all I am going to say is this, because she is so perfect and their party is so perfect —
Ms. Susan E. JacksonPoint of order. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —and they never made any mistakes, —
Ms. Susan E. JacksonPoint of order. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Deputy Speaker, but I will tell you what, we in the Progressive Labour Party we are like the everyday p eople that vote for us, Mr. Deputy Speaker . We make mistakes! We do. And we admit to our mistakes, …
Point of order.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Deputy Speaker, but I will tell you what, we in the Progressive Labour Party we are like the everyday p eople that vote for us, Mr. Deputy Speaker . We make mistakes! We do. And we admit to our mistakes, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but I tell you what, when we make mistakes we tie up our laces, we tie those shoes nice and tight and we get back to work. And MP Caines is one of those people, so I took exception to the Honourable Member going after him in particular because everybody, Mr. Deputy Speaker, makes mistakes on our side. But they are so perfect, over there in the OBA. They do not make mi stakes. But, you know what, Mr. Deputy Speaker ? We in the Progressive Labour Party —
Ms. Susan E. JacksonPoint of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —we make some mi stakes, and we will make some more, but you know what?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerHang on, Mr. De Silva. I hear somebody, I did not hear what they said, but I hear somebody.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonYes, thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . I just want to make a point of order that he is making a personal attack. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: He? POINT OF ORD ER
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThe Member . . . the Member of constituency 29 is making personal attacks — Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: No, I am not making any personal attack!
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerHang on, Mr. De Silva. Conti nue, Ms. Jackson.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonI am not perfect. Bermuda House of Assembly The Deputy Speaker: Are you finished?
Ms. Susan E. JacksonAnd I refuse to accept any of the accusations that he is making against me.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOkay. Continue, Mr. De S ilva. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Mr. Deputy Speaker, I did not make any acc usations against that Honourable Member . All I said was that she is perfect. That is all I said. I did not make …
Okay. Continue, Mr. De S ilva.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Mr. Deputy Speaker, I did not make any acc usations against that Honourable Member . All I said was that she is perfect. That is all I said. I did not make not one accusation. Now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, let me finish on this note, right. We have watched the press go after our Premier in the last week, and even some Oppos ition members mentioned again about resQwest, right. And what you have to realise is that . . . I want to tell the people of thi s country something even Mr. Cannonier said again tonight that I am before the courts. And let me tell you what happens when you go before the courts, Mr. Deputy Speaker . The banks cut you off financially. I know from experience. So, Cannonier and the res t, stop it! You are going after our Premier now. Stop it! Because if, by chance, he dropped a piece of paper on the ground and the police happened to see it and they want to book him or charge him, until he gets to court and proves his innocence, guess what? The banks will cut [him] off! And it is not right and we in this Honourable House, Mr. Deputy Speaker, have to stop it. We have to stop it because that is serious. And now the com-bined Opposition —
Mr. L. Craig CannonierPoint of order, Mr. Deputy Spea ker. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —combined Opposition are going after our Premier!
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOne second, Mr. De Silva. Mr. Cannonier, what is your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes, unfortunately, the Honourable Member is misleading the House. It sounds as if he is trying to say that only PLP Members have been under that. I can speak to that myself.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerHave you been before the courts, Mr. Cannonier?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOkay, that is not a point of order, Mr. Cannonier. But I thank you for your contribu-tion. Continue, Mr. De Silva.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierMy apologies. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I want to emphasise, right, let me . . . it is obvious that the consultants for the OBA have given them their script because they are all on it. They are all on it. And you see it …
My apologies.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I want to emphasise, right, let me . . . it is obvious that the consultants for the OBA have given them their script because they are all on it. They are all on it. And you see it on the blogs and you see it tonight. Just look at the topics; they have been given their orders. Let me just finish on this, Mr. Deputy Speaker, again one more time, right.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMm-hmm. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: You have a leader in Premier Burt. They hav e tried to insinuate that our Premier is doing something underhanded with resQwest. Mr. Deputy Speaker, there are ways and means to check to see who owns what shares in what company in this …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYou have 20 seconds, Mr. De Silva. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: You have a register of i nterest. All I am saying, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is stop getting that kind of personal . . . where you may force or coerce the police into investigating Members of Parliament …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, Mr. De Silva. Are there any further speakers? 386 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Any further speakers? Hon. Renee Ming: Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerIt sounds like the Honourable Member from St. George’s, constituency 1, Ms. Ming. Ms. Ming, you have the floor. APPRECIATION FOR HELPING AGENCIES AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS Hon. Renee Ming: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Well, Mr. Deputy Speaker, what an afternoon! I have sat here and I have listened …
It sounds like the Honourable Member from St. George’s, constituency 1, Ms. Ming. Ms. Ming, you have the floor.
APPRECIATION FOR HELPING AGENCIES AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS
Hon. Renee Ming: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Well, Mr. Deputy Speaker, what an afternoon! I have sat here and I have listened and I am . . . something like when my colleague that spoke before me when he said “rich.” I had to laugh because I was thinking the same thing. Now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, you know, we come here and I guess, you know, the Opposition has a job to do. The Government has an even more i mportant job t o do. But when you hear certain things being cast out and thrown out, for me, it becomes alarming because we can all sit here and talk about somebody that has passed. I mean, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we could go back and say, well the UBP did XYZ, OBA did this. I mean, you know, I just think that, you know, you could say that Premier Cannonier whether he was forced to resign or whatever, r esigned. We had Shawn Crockwell who resigned. We had Mark Pettingill who resigned in their time. I mean, Shawn Crockwell’s motion to adjourn on 1 July 2016 is one that this country heard and kind of really put out there what he thought and what he felt at that time. He even said that the truth will set him free when he actually said that. But, Mr. Deputy Speaker, why waste tim e on those things right now? We have people in our constituencies who are struggling, whether it be financial struggle [or] whether it be emotional struggle. So, we need to be talking about those things, Mr. Deputy Speaker . What I wanted to take my time to talk about today is the helping agencies and the community stakeholders in my area, in St. George’s, who are do-ing things to help. And maybe us sharing what it is that we are doing down there may inspire and encourage someone else to assist. Mr. Deputy S peaker, for the last two years we have had a feeding programme. Unfortunately, when outbreaks arise we do have to stop and take a break, and that is out of an abundance of caution for those persons who volunteer and assist, and also for those persons who r eceive meals from us. But, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have at least 21 persons who on any given Saturday and Sunday will come. They assist, they are professional; they ensure that everything is just perfect for a person who is going to receive a meal from us. And we have persons who reach out to us and they call us and they want those meals. And sometimes we wish we could do even more than what it is that we are doing now. We have seniors on our regular routes that look and ask for our meals. We have families who are looking and asking for meals, Mr. Deputy Speaker , and like I said to you, we have at least 21 volunteers who come on a regular basis. All it takes is one WhatsApp message to say “tomorrow is on” or “Saturday is on” and they are there. We get donat ions from our community for gloves, for dishwashing liquid, for containers, for things to clean and scrub pots because there are pots. That is something that we have to do as well, Mr. Deputy Speaker . And what we get from that is we are showing in our comm unity that we can rally together, and we can do things that need to be done. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have churches in our community, all the churches have one day of the week where they provide soup and a roll. So again, there is assistance that may be sou ght on the weekend. There is also some assistance that we seek through the week. And we are all community stakeholders; we work together, we try and help where we can. Mem-bers of the community make large pots of soup and donate. And that is what we are doi ng to be able to assist. In addition to that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have our Parish Council in St. George’s who are on board, on the ground hitting the pavement, listening to people and being able to offer assistance where they can. They have a different approach. They do vouc hers and they have had vouchers in terms of food vouchers, gas vouchers, electricity vouchers and so. Once again, this is another community stakeholder who is doing what they can to just make and get our community through. Mr. Deputy Speaker, earlier my colleague earlier said that we are all in this together. And there is no doubt about that, because when one fails, we all fail. And what we are doing in our area— and when I say that, I say St. George’s in a broad sense— is to be able to assist. Because one other thing that we don’t know, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is when . . . we do not know what time or what situation we may find ourselves in. I also want to say in terms of a feeding pr ogramme that we have been partnering with Somer’s Supe rmart in St. George’s for two years. April 29 (which is quickly coming up) is two years that Somer’s have partnered with our feeding programme and pr ovided meals. At one point, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we were doing up to 200 meals on a Saturday and 200 meals on a Sunday, and that still continues to this time. And I actually would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. [Tredick] Gorham and [ Rowan ] Ramotar and his bri lliant team of chefs because we work with them on menus that are pleasing and also can be us ed for our seniors. They have actually . . . they reach out to us,
Bermuda House of Assembly they ask us how persons thought the food was. It is a great partnership right now in a time of need. So, you know, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have a very good relationship with our community policing team and this has actually been in place since 2017. We meet monthly. We talk about the issues that are happening in St. George’s. We have action plans in place. We assist as much as we can. We have community members who assist. We work with the various Government ministries to assist. But, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, there is more that I believe that could be done, but I think that we are do-ing our little part of what we can do. My motion to a djourn today is to maybe inspire someone else to be able to do something in their area because, Mr. Dep uty Speaker, there is no denying that the people are struggling and that we could all use some help. And so what we are doing, just one little bit at a time or one step at a time, is to be able to offer the assista nce that we can. And that is in addition to other things that we do in our constituencies as well. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I also would like to take this time to thank the volunteers from constitue ncies 1, 2 and 3 because, like I said to you, there are 21 per sons who come out at the drop of a dime. Thanking my donators from constituencies 1, 2 and 3 because we may not think about it but there are costs associated with that. We go through probably two cases of even containers on a weekly basis and that in itself is probably about $60 or $70. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, my message today is, yes, we are all in this together, and if we can I think we should look to either work as a group, work singly, to be able to do what we can to help those persons. I do not think, you know . . . we are going to fuss about many things, but that is not going to help the person who is hungry today and may be hungry tomorrow. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I am going to close on that remark and I would hope that all of those persons who ass ist us heard the appreciation that comes from this because it is not just me, MP Swan and MP Foggo are involved and their constituents who come out and assist. If we can in some way inspire som eone else to just take a little bit of something and get someth ing going then I think that some of the har dships that people are facing, they may just have something as small as it may seem as a meal, but it offers some assistance. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, again, thank you to all of the volunteers. Thank you to Somer’ s [Supermart], thank you to their workers and everyone who assists us and, like I said, hopefully we can be an i nspiration to someone else. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker .
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberHear, hear!
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, Minister Ming. And just let me also join and acknowledge the cooperation of Mr. Tredick Gorham. He is certainly one of our great citizens of this country, and his staff. Any further speakers? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Yes, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker .
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerI hear . . . I know your voice. It is Cole Simons. But, Cole, you are not coming through real loud enough— Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker .
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy Speaker—or good. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerGo head, Mr. Simons. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: It has been an interesting debate this evening. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I would like to speak to some of the comments that have been made— The Deputy Speaker: Hang on, Mr. Simons. I cannot . . . I am just . …
Go head, Mr. Simons.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: It has been an interesting debate this evening. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I would like to speak to some of the comments that have been made— The Deputy Speaker: Hang on, Mr. Simons. I cannot . . . I am just . . . the reas on why I am trying to hear you is because I am thinking the reception is probably not coming through the radio real good. So, that is why . . . I don’t know, maybe it is, but it’s a little diff icult hearing you.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: How about now, Mr. Deputy Speaker ?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYes, sir! That sounds like Hadley. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I cannot get any closer! I will be in your lap if I got closer! [Laughter] SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerIt is all right, [ INAUDIBLE ]— Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: —before I get into my r emarks, I would like to make a few comments on comments that were made by Members of Parliament. And I would like to begin with the Honourable Zane De Sil va. Mr. …
It is all right, [ INAUDIBLE ]—
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: —before I get into my r emarks, I would like to make a few comments on comments that were made by Members of Parliament. And I would like to begin with the Honourable Zane De Sil va. Mr. Deputy Speaker, it was with amusement when I heard him say in regard to Members being charged, he said the PLP was in a situation of being charged by the courts before. He said he is not the 388 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly first and he will not be the last PLP Member to be charged. Mr. Deputy Speaker, this is unbelievable! What type of standards do we have in the PLP whereby a sitting Member of Parliament will say that future Members, if you sign up for the PLP, be pr epared to be charged by our courts for any malfeasance? Unhe ard of, Mr. Deputy Speaker! And then he went on—
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerLet me . . . let me try to clear it up, Mr. Simons. It is very clear that in the prisons the popul ation indicates who is positive. I say no more. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you. At any rate, it continues, Mr. Deputy Speaker, it continues! …
Let me . . . let me try to clear it up, Mr. Simons. It is very clear that in the prisons the popul ation indicates who is positive. I say no more. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you. At any rate, it continues, Mr. Deputy Speaker, it continues! And I will declare my interest as I am a banker. Mr. Deputy Speaker, he went on to say that as he had been charged, the banks have cut off his accounts; they have locked his accounts. Well, Mr. De puty Speaker, it locked his accounts because of proceeds of crime legislation that was put through by —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons, be very careful there. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Point of order. The Deputy Speak er: What is your point of order, Mr. De Silva? POINT OF ORDER Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member is heading down a …
Mr. Simons, be very careful there. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Point of order. The Deputy Speak er: What is your point of order, Mr. De Silva?
POINT OF ORDER Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member is heading down a very slippery slope; a very slippery slope indeed. And what I would advise that Honour able Member to do is . . . he has got a Learned Member sitting by his side. He has got to be very careful of what he says and how he says it.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerI will take care of that, Mr. De Silva. Thank you for your assistance. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Thank you, Deputy Speaker, for your gui dance, but I will continue. As I said, under banking legislation they are forced to, in essence, lock accounts …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons, please do not make this . . . I would ask you to withdraw the stat ement if you are saying it in relation to what Mr . De Si lva said. You do not know the charges; I do not know the charges. Hon. N. H. Cole …
Mr. Simons, please do not make this . . . I would ask you to withdraw the stat ement if you are saying it in relation to what Mr . De Si lva said. You do not know the charges; I do not know the charges.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I am not talking about this charge, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWell, we do not know the re ason. We have people’s bank accounts being interfered with without even being in any procedure— [Crosstalk] Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Okay. Well, I am not talking about his account specifically. If you will allow me one more minute, then you can see …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWell, we do not want to go somewhere where you can get in trouble. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I am not going anywhere I will get in trouble.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOkay. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, guess who the Office of the Proceeds of Crime legislation were? The Honourable Paula Cox, the Honourable Eugene Cox and the Honourable David Burt . So the banks are following legislation that was put in place by the PLP Government.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons — Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order. Point of order . Point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerHang on. Hang on, Mr. De Si lva. [Crosstalk]
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons, I would ask you to steer away from that. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I am finished. I have made my point. The Deputy Spe aker: Because based on what you are saying, please stay away from that. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I have finished. I have …
Mr. Simons, I would ask you to steer away from that.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I am finished. I have made my point. The Deputy Spe aker: Because based on what you are saying, please stay away from that. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I have finished. I have made my point.
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: A point of order, Mr. Dep uty Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is the point of order, Mr. De Silva? POINT OF ORDER [imputing improper motives] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member is imputing improper motives. Because the Honourable Member first mentioned my name and then talked about proceeds of crime.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYes. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: They are two different matters altogether. My matter before the court, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is one that I am sure, I am so positive that I will be exonerated, Mr. Deputy Speaker, from a witch -hunt!
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerHang on, Mr. De Silva. Mr. Simons, I would ask you to withdraw those remarks. If not, I will have those remarks erased from the record. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Hang on, Mr. Deputy Speaker. May I have a comment, Mr. Deputy Speaker? I was not the one who …
Hang on, Mr. De Silva. Mr. Simons, I would ask you to withdraw those remarks. If not, I will have those remarks erased from the record.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Hang on, Mr. Deputy Speaker. May I have a comment, Mr. Deputy Speaker? I was not the one who raised the issue of having your bank account locked. That was — [Crosstalk]
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYou mentioned the proceeds of crime, Mr. Simons. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, the reason why you could have locked it is because of the proceeds of crime; that is the only reason you could block an account! That is why I [ INAUDIBLE]. Hon. Zane J. …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThat is not true. That is not true, Mr. Simons. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: It is untrue.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThat is not true. [Crosstalk] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order! Point of order! Point of order!
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOne second, Mr. De Silva. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Honourable Member is —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOne second, Mr. De Silva! Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Oh, sorry.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons, that is not so. That is not correct. That is not the only reason they do that. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Well, that is surprising. [ INAUDIBLE] I’m moving forw ard, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I have made my point.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerPardon? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker — Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: My point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerHang on, Mr. De Silva. I am trying to hear what Mr. Simons has said. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: All I said is that I am moving forward on another topic now.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerNo, I want you to withdraw those remarks. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, which remarks would you like for me to wi thdraw?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThe ones , when you talked about they only do that if it is basically —let me par aphrase— if it is suspected that you are involved with proceeds of crime.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberBut that’s the name of the law. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, what I would say is that it was one of the laws that banks use to freeze accounts. I am just educating the community.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerBut you were referring to Mr. De Silva. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I only referred to him because he brought up the issue of his accounts being blocked.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat I would ask is that you withdraw that remark because you are referring to a particular Member. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Okay. I will withdraw it, for expediency, Mr. Deputy Speak er— 390 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Deputy Speaker: Thank you. …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, Mr. Simons. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOh, I am sorry. Mr. De Silva, what is your point of order? POINT OF ORDER Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Well, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I do not think that this should be accepted. He said that he is going to withdraw it for expediency, and he knows that …
Oh, I am sorry. Mr. De Silva, what is your point of order?
POINT OF ORDER
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Well, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I do not think that this should be accepted. He said that he is going to withdraw it for expediency, and he knows that it is correct. He is disagreeing with you ; that is number one. Number two —
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: You have already ruled on this, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons, you have not got the floor. Mr. De Silva has the floor.
Mr. De Silva.
Hon. Zane J. S. De SilvaThank you. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker, the reason I drew a point of order and I said the Honourable Member is imputing improper motive . . . and I have to smile. I have to smile, right? Because he is trying to link MP De Silva …
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker, the reason I drew a point of order and I said the Honourable Member is imputing improper motive . . . and I have to smile. I have to smile, right? Because he is trying to link MP De Silva with proceeds of c rime legislation, and he works for the bank. But the Honourable Member, maybe he is not qualified enough to sit in the right spot in the bank, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I have talked to the CEO of the bank, Mr. Deputy Speaker. And I understand very clearly what the [stance of the] CEO is and what the stance is of those who make the decisions —
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Point of order. Mr. Deputy Speaker, he is eroding my time. He is eroding my time. He is making a speech, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons. Be quiet. Go ahead, Mr. De Silva. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker, just now when I spoke, I had a litany of points of order. But this is very important, though, Mr. Deputy Speaker, especially for my fellow colleagues …
Mr. Simons. Be quiet. Go ahead, Mr. De Silva.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker, just now when I spoke, I had a litany of points of order. But this is very important, though, Mr. Deputy Speaker, especially for my fellow colleagues in the Progressive Labour Party. But what the Honourable Member tried to insinuate, and it is very important, Mr. Deputy Speaker —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. De Silva, I think your point is made. Your point of order is well covered. Mr. Sim ons, will you also withdraw those last words because of expediency , please? Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I will be happy to do so, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, Mr. Simons. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. So let us get on with it. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have said a lot about the Minister of Finance. And it is has been a very, very interesting week. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I have known …
Thank you, Mr. Simons. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. So let us get on with it. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have said a lot about the Minister of Finance. And it is has been a very, very interesting week. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I have known the Mini ster of Finance for 20 years —20 years plus. And I can say without a doubt he is not an impulsive person. He is not a quitter, Mr. Deputy Speaker. It is my estim ation that his retirement from the Ministry of Finance was the end of a journey that became untenable.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYou are speculating, Mr. S imons. Hon. N. H. Col e Simons: And that is a loss to Bermuda. Mr. Deputy Speaker, he is one of the few Members — Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThere is a point of order, Mr. Simons. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speak er, the former Minister of Finance —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. De Silva, what is your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member, I think maybe unintentionally, or maybe intentionally, is misleading the Hous e. You cannot speculate. He cannot speculate. He said he knows the Honourable former Finance Minister well …
Mr. De Silva, what is your point of order?
POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member, I think maybe unintentionally, or maybe intentionally, is misleading the Hous e. You cannot speculate. He cannot speculate. He said he knows the Honourable former Finance Minister well enough to know he does not make i mpulsive decisions. He cannot make that statement, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWell, Mr. De Silva, I do not think he has gone wrong there. He has not said an ything . . . If he gets out of line, we will deal with that. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you. Bermuda House of Assembly So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, as I …
Well, Mr. De Silva, I do not think he has gone wrong there. He has not said an ything . . . If he gets out of line, we will deal with that. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you.
Bermuda House of Assembly So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, as I said, he has cross appeal in this community. And this week we have seen a community which in essence has come unstuck. One of my colleagues said, We have become a community that has lost hope. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I walk up and down this country every day. And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I have heard what people have said. In fact, I ha ve recorded some of their comments. And I will share with you what the comm unity has said.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerDo not play that recording. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: One gentleman said to me, Mr. Simons, we have to get this country right, Mr. S imons. Becaus e this country is on fire! We need to be prepared to pull the emergency fire alarm because things are that bad …
Do not play that recording.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: One gentleman said to me, Mr. Simons, we have to get this country right, Mr. S imons. Becaus e this country is on fire! We need to be prepared to pull the emergency fire alarm because things are that bad and we are in danger of harming our economies and our families. They have also said t he economy or the cou ntry is economically spent. There is no hope whatsoever.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Who is that, your consul tant? [Crosstalk]
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, as I said, these are—
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. De Silva, Mr. De Silva, please. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: These are the peo ple whom I have spoken to on the street who asked me to share these comments with the House on this matter. They said, Look, we are looking at the tea leaves of destruction. …
Mr. De Silva, Mr. De Silva, please. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: These are the peo ple whom I have spoken to on the street who asked me to share these comments with the House on this matter. They said, Look, we are looking at the tea leaves of destruction. The tea leaves of destruction, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Again, where is the hope? Where is the leadership? Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Finance Minister provided that leadership, and now we are like a boat without a rudder when it comes to the financing and the leadership in the financial discipline that heret ofore was provided by the Minister of Finance.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons, you are making an allegation with no evidence in that last statement. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, can you explain the allegation that I was making?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerI am not explaining anythi ng. You made an allegation. I would ask you to be very careful. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you. Mr. Deputy Speaker, as was said earlier, people are suffering. We have inflation like we have never seen before. The US says that we are …
I am not explaining anythi ng. You made an allegation. I would ask you to be very careful.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you. Mr. Deputy Speaker, as was said earlier, people are suffering. We have inflation like we have never seen before. The US says that we are at an inflation rate of 6 per cent to 7 per cent, which is the highest in the past 40 years. People in Bermuda cannot afford to live. They are worse off than they have ever been. And they feel that they have not had the support that they [need] to make life affordable in this country. We have seen BELCO bills go up by 30 per cent. We have seen food costs go up. In fact, as the Honour able Michael Weeks said, Mr. Deputy Speaker, our food banks, our food security stations are overwhelmed with people lining up for a meal, and th eir only meal for the day. What has this Government done for these people during these challenging times? You know, Mr. Weeks is an honourable man. And he has registered his concern with the Government. And he has brought it here today. Is it not that the Honourable Gover nment is not listening to Mr. Weeks when he raises these issues in caucus? I mean, where is the sol ution?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is the point of order, Mr. Weeks? POINT OF ORDE R [Misleading]
Mr. Michael A. WeeksYes. Thank you, Deputy. The Honourable Member is misleading on this. He has misconstrued my statements. First of all, he does not know what we talk about in caucus.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Weeks, it is kind of diffic ult to hear you very clearly.
Mr. Michael A. WeeksYes. I was saying, Mr. Deputy Speaker, first of all, the Honourable Member has mi sconstrued what we talk about in caucus. He does not know what we talk about in caucus. So he is misleading the House there. And secondly, I was not calling out the Go vernment on …
Yes. I was saying, Mr. Deputy Speaker, first of all, the Honourable Member has mi sconstrued what we talk about in caucus. He does not know what we talk about in caucus. So he is misleading the House there. And secondly, I was not calling out the Go vernment on what I have experienced with the food banks. Okay? Because COVID -19 has made it hard for everyone. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYes. No, the speaker, Mr. S imons, said that he asked if you mentioned this in ca ucus or are [they] listening? He did not make an authoritative statement on that. 392 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly [Inaudible interjection] Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank …
Yes. No, the speaker, Mr. S imons, said that he asked if you mentioned this in ca ucus or are [they] listening? He did not make an authoritative statement on that.
392 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly [Inaudible interjection]
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you. And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, thank you for the elucidation of the gentleman, Mr. Deputy Speaker at the end of the day the facts are irrefut able. People are almost starving in this country, and very little is being done for them other than the work that is being done in the third sector, in which the Honourable Member who just spoke, works. The third sector is doing the jobs that some of our government sectors ought to be doing. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I will move on to my next section.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerContinue. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: As was said earlier, when it comes to leadership, it was very interesting to see that an AME pastor, an African Methodist Church pastor, said that our current Government has lost its moral compass. From a church, from a pas tor who has full …
Continue. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: As was said earlier, when it comes to leadership, it was very interesting to see that an AME pastor, an African Methodist Church pastor, said that our current Government has lost its moral compass. From a church, from a pas tor who has full support and full endorsement of this Government.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order. Point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThere is a point of order, Mr. Simons. What is your point of order, Mr. De Silva? POINT OF ORDER Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes. I do not know if it is my video, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but I do not see the Opposition Leader speaking.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerNo. He is close to the m icrophone. I see the top of his head. [Laughter] The Deputy Speake r: Yes. But I want him close so we can hear him. I really do not want to see him. [Laughter] Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: See my hands, Zane? Hon. …
No. He is close to the m icrophone. I see the top of his head. [Laughter]
The Deputy Speake r: Yes. But I want him close so we can hear him. I really do not want to see him.
[Laughter] Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: See my hands, Zane? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Okay. I see his hand, but I would like to see that piece of paper he is reading from.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I am not reading from an ything.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerNo. He would not read from a paper, not the Honourable Member Cole Simons. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, thank you. Mr. Deputy Speaker, the other issue that I would li ke to address is the issue of my Warwick co mpatriot, the President of the BIU. …
No. He would not read from a paper, not the Honourable Member Cole Simons. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, thank you. Mr. Deputy Speaker, the other issue that I would li ke to address is the issue of my Warwick co mpatriot, the President of the BIU. He said, the PLP failed to protect Bermudian workers, and they have lost their moral compass as well. I have been in Parliament for 23 years, and I have never, ever heard the families split up like that, that is the Labour family of this country. And if there is fighting there, one can i magine how the rest of this country is feeling.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWell, Mr. Simons, you know, this is the first time you have endorsed remarks by Rev. Tweed and Brother Chris Furbert . Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Because this is the first time that they have, in essence, said something that I can agree with, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThe first time. Okay. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: That is why, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOh, okay. Okay. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I will continue. We talk about the no confidence vote. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we heard about the teachers, the BIU havin g a recent no confidence, a motion of no confidence, and the Minister of Education, the …
Oh, okay. Okay.
[Inaudible interjection]
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I will continue. We talk about the no confidence vote. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we heard about the teachers, the BIU havin g a recent no confidence, a motion of no confidence, and the Minister of Education, the Com-missioner of Education, the Permanent Secretary of Education. Mr. Deputy Speaker, that tells us som ething. Mr. Deputy Speaker, you will also note that a similar mot ion of no confidence was held in 2019 in the Department of Education. A similar no confidence motion was held for, again, the Commissioner of Education and the Permanent Secretary.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: That no confidence vote was held on the OBA in 2 020 too!
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. De Silva. Continue, Mr. Simons. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, the continued unrest that we have had in our Ministry of Transportation . . . and I have heard that there were rumblings of no confidence there. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, these issues are reoccurring issues …
Mr. De Silva. Continue, Mr. Simons.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, the continued unrest that we have had in our Ministry of Transportation . . . and I have heard that there were rumblings of no confidence there. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, these issues are reoccurring issues that have not been addressed, and the stakeholders feel unheard, undervalued and worthless in regard to what they do and how they make their contribution, and how they go about earning their [liv elihoods] and makBermuda House of Assembly ing their contributions to Bermuda as a government employee. Mr. Deputy Speaker, when it comes to gang violence, to me that is the most egregious challenge that we have today. Because gang violence and youth violence demonstrate that the community has failed these young people. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have failed these young people because of a number of things. As was said by my colleague, the Honourable Craig Cannonier, our economy is weak, and the only way we get our economy back up and running is to get 5,000 or 6,000 people here to expand our wor kforce so there is more money in circulation and so that people can get on working and re- invigorating our economy. Mr. Deputy Speaker, in addition, as I said earlier, because of the cost of l iving people are either underemployed or unemployed, or working two jobs to make ends meet. And as a consequence, our children are fending for themselves. There is no one at home to oversee them. There is no father there because he may be out working. The mother may be out working because they cannot afford not to work. And so these young people are raising themselves, and all they want is community. And as a consequence, because they want community they fall victim to gangs. So it is imperative if we are to address our social issues, we need to address the challenges when it comes to the cost of living.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOne second, Mr. Simons. There is a point of order; at least I heard one. Is that Mr. Famous? POINT OF ORDER
Mr. Christopher FamousMr. Deputy Speaker, yes. The Honourable Member (I am using that word loos ely) is using racial tropes to say Black children are g oing into gangs because their parents are working hard. Everybody’s parents work hard, and not ever ybody goes into a gang.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, first of all, ask him to go back to sleep, quite frankly, because he has not made a contribution at all.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons — Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: One of my colleagues said, He is part of the fringe group that we need to address in this House.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat was that, Mr. Simons? Mr. Christopher F amous : So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, you are allowing all of these personal at tacks?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Famous. Please do not address the Deputy Speaker like that. Mr. Simons, I do not know what you said. I cannot hear you. You are close enough to the micr ophone, but it is very difficult to hear what you are sa ying. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. …
Mr. Famous. Please do not address the Deputy Speaker like that. Mr. Simons, I do not know what you said. I cannot hear you. You are close enough to the micr ophone, but it is very difficult to hear what you are sa ying.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, as I said I am moving on. I am almost near the end because I know I only have 20 minutes. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, when it comes to the concentration of powers, one is very, very concerned. As we all know, the Minister, the Premier is currently the Premier, the Minister of Finance and the Tourism Minister. This is almost unheard of in any modern d emocracy in any modern economy!
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons, that is not so. That is not so, Mr. Simons.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberPoint of order. Point of order.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWe have had a former Premier who replaced three positions in the Government before. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I am talking about best practices. And when it comes to best practices, we have 30 people in this House of Assembly who are wearing the green PLP …
We have had a former Premier who replaced three positions in the Government before.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I am talking about best practices. And when it comes to best practices, we have 30 people in this House of Assembly who are wearing the green PLP tie and badges. If there is such a wealth of information, wealth of support, wealth of confidence in your 30 Members, why can’t we give another Member —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons. Let me say this, Mr. Simons. What the Premier is doing is not illegal. And I am sure the Premier would make the appropr iate appointments at the appropriate time. And I am sure he will address that when he speaks tonight. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. …
Mr. Simons. Let me say this, Mr. Simons. What the Premier is doing is not illegal. And I am sure the Premier would make the appropr iate appointments at the appropriate time. And I am sure he will address that when he speaks tonight.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deput y Speaker, I am saying this because I am concerned, and I am very concerned because I do not want the Honourable Premier to in essence be the King of Ashes in Berm uda.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYou have got 20 seconds. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I do not want this concentration of power to be our recipe for disaster. Mr. Deputy Speaker —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, Mr. Simons, your 20 seconds are up. We appreciate your concerns. Thank you so much. Any further speakers? 394 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerSounds like Minister Hayward. You have the floor, Minister Hayward. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Deputy Speaker, when I entered Parliament, I was introduced to a term. That term w as political theatre. And I think what we have seen today from the Opposition is a …
Sounds like Minister Hayward. You have the floor, Minister Hayward.
SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Deputy Speaker, when I entered Parliament, I was introduced to a term. That term w as political theatre. And I think what we have seen today from the Opposition is a demonstration of that particular term that was introduced to me by the Opposition Leader and the Shadow Minister of F inance, the Honourable N. H. Cole Simons. Mr. Deputy Speaker, may I be permitted to read a few excerpts from the Reply to the [Budget Statement]?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerContinue. Yes, you may. Hon. Jason Hayward : On page 1 it reads, “Mr. Speaker, on the economic front, the societal disruption in Bermuda has been grave. Let’s face it; we were just not prepared for this type of catastrophic event. It was a shock to our economy. It was …
Continue. Yes, you may. Hon. Jason Hayward : On page 1 it reads, “Mr. Speaker, on the economic front, the societal disruption in Bermuda has been grave. Let’s face it; we were just not prepared for this type of catastrophic event. It was a shock to our economy. It was a stress test that revealed Bermuda’s fiscal management under the Progressive Labour Party was seriously lacking.” Mr. Deputy Speaker, he goes on to say on page 7 of that very same document, “Mr. Speaker, many Bermudian residents see the budget as very aspirational and one that lacks details. It provides very little hope and is likely the most nonspecific Budget Statement ever presented.” Mr. Deputy Speaker, it goes on to say, “Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the budget statement is to give the public two specific things: 1) A report and analysis of the government’s finances for the past fi scal year within the context of the overarching external conditions and government objectives and 2) the go vernment’s plans for the country for the next fiscal year, and how those plans will affect government’s rev enues, expenditures and balance sheet.” On page 8—this will be my final quote —he said, Mr . Deputy Speaker, “Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has failed to deliver either one of these objectives in any kind of robust or detailed fashion. Instead, he has merely listed off a number of issues facing the country without any specific plan as to how to meet those challenges. There is virtually no anal ysis or context, other than COVID -19, of government’s financial performance . . . ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE DECLINES.” That was the response to the Finance Mini ster’s Budget [Statement] last year from the Opposition. But today there was no praise of the Finance Mini ster’s work last year. It was all criticism. And now somehow the Minister of Finance, who presented a budget last year that was inadequate in their eyes, is now the knight in shining armour as it pertains to Bermuda’s economy. That is not to disparage my co lleague but that is to show the hypocrisy of what is go-ing on today. Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Minister of Finance did something additional before he left. He released to this country an Economic Recovery Plan. That R ecovery Plan talked about a future trajectory for ec onomic development. But it also talks about fiscal pol icy restraints. This Government has a plan in place as to how we will move forward. Sadly, last year right be-fore the budget, we lost one of our key financial gurus, a mentor of mine, a football coach of mine, Mr. Anthony Manders. Mr. Deputy Speaker, that was a grave loss, but the country still had to be run, and we found a way to continue. There is no doubt that the [former] Minis ter of Finance possessed the skill set and capability to navigate us through our financial and fiscal policy decisions. But Mr. Deputy Speaker, this Government, not just the former Minister of Finance, but this Government, has a plan. And in that plan that was released, it spoke about one thing— us adjusting ourselves to combat the economic woes of the pandemic. The Opposition wants the world to believe that the country’s economic woes are a result of some f inancial mismanagement. If we look at the economic performance as we were closing off 2019, the traject ory was extremely positive. Something happened, Mr. Deputy Speaker, in 2020 and it was a pandemic. The health care crisis led us to an economic crisis. From day one we knew tough times were ahead. So the mis-categorisation today that all of a sudden the ec onomic situation of the entire country is now heading sharply downhill because there is a change of personnel within the Progressive Labour Party Gover nment can be nothing further from the truth. But the country, Mr. Deputy Speaker, does want to hear a plan. And we have one. We have r eleased one and it is the Economic Recovery Plan. That was specifically designed as a response to the urgency of the situation that we have faced. It provi ded a clear fiscal path forward and then it determined what economic initiatives we needed to execute to get Bermuda back to where it was heading at the end of 2019. Mr. Deputy Speaker, there is a lot of talk about what has been done in terms of how we support persons who are struggling within our economy. We, as members of the Progressive Labour Party should all be pleased with the collective response of this Government, whether it be the way in which we set up a new unemployment benefit programme . . we have spent, Mr. Dep uty Speaker, over $70 million to support persons who were displayed from the workforce. Many jurisdictions, countries and territories have not had that same level of response that we had for our people. You know why? Because we had a human-centred approach. We assured that we took care of
Bermuda House of Assembly our people first, despite what many would say in terms of our fiscal position at the time. Mr. Deputy Speaker, numerous companies received payroll tax relief as a result of their economic woes, hundreds of taxi drivers, p ersons in the hotel and restaurant sectors. We granted over $12 million in grants through the Economic Development Corpor ation to provide support for small businesses. We paid many grants during that time, Mr. Deputy Speaker, so that our small businesses c an survive. We made amendments to the pension legislation to allow persons to dip into their pension and get up to $18,000 over a two- year period, Mr. Deputy Speaker. There was custom duty relief in many areas, also allowing persons to suspend pension cont ributions and other benefit contributions so that they can stay afloat. This Government did not abandon the people of Bermuda in their time of need. The track record is straight, Mr. Deputy Speaker. We were on the front lines supporting our people. Our MP s, despite the pandemic, continued to knock on doors to see if people were in need. We continued with our feeding pr ogrammes. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I mention this almost every week. If we would not have amended the financial assistance legislation, 100 fami lies would have timed out of financial assistance. What state would we have been in, or would those individuals have been in, if they were no longer receiving that assistance? The children in the households of those 100 families, how would they have receiv ed food? Where were their heads going to rest at night? Sometimes we talk about the social economic conditions, but we do not talk about the factors that lead to the social economic conditions. And taking your most vulnerable popul ation off of benefit, whi ch was designed by the previous Government, does not improve the social economic condition of the people of this country. Notwithstanding that, we move forward. We allow persons to work remotely from Bermuda. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to announce t hat I have approved over 1,000 applications. That has been a small buffer due to the contraction in our tour-ism numbers. But Mr. Deputy Speaker, if you look at the real estate reports, the real estate reports will tell you that the real estate business was booming in the pandemic, due partly to the measures this Gover nment put in place. Mr. Deputy Speaker, our programme moving forward will contain strong fiscal policy. It will contain strong labour market support and it will also contain strong specific sectorial reforms. We have not turned out back on the workers of this country, Mr. Deputy Speaker. In fact, we increased the benefits and pr otections by expanding provisions in the Employment Act. Mr. Deputy Speaker, you will have the Labour Advisory Counci l quarterly meetings commence shor tly. And we will put in further recommendations for more benefits for the working- class people of this country. See, this Government can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can assure that we have sound financial stewar dship and we can assure that we are doing things in terms of what will be to a level of social development. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I want to be clear that there are seven main themes in our Economic Recov-ery Plan. The first defines Bermuda’s economy, the growth and new industries. And there is highlight of growth and existing industries. The long- term reinsurers in Bermuda, Mr. Deputy Speaker, continue to grow. If you look at their new business formations, they are expanding. The number of employees that are working in long- term reinsurance are also expanding. Unfortunately, those sectors that rely on tourism experienced a contraction, but the Government has worked to remove some restrictions within the economy which will lead to a greater level of tourism and we hope to see our expansion of employment in those areas once again. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we also want to make f inancial markets work better for businesses and con-sumers. We are removing some of that red tape. Build a critical new infrastructure and enhance our current infrastructure leading to jobs. We want to see a new waste management facility tied in with a revamp of Tynes Bay. They said we need to expand our residential population. Well, a key feature of our Plan is expanding Bermuda’s residential population to counteract the negative impact of changing demographics. Mr. Deputy Speaker, you know as well as I do that Bermuda’s population is ageing. You know that there will be more people leaving the workforce than entering the workforce. You know that is who is our dependency ratio. So this Government is well aware and cognisant that we need to bring in more persons. Where we might disagree is the way in which we bring in more persons. Once the economy starts to expand, we have natural organic growth in terms of persons who are here to work. But not to displace Bermudians who are suitably capable and qualified for doing jobs. Because our priority is always g etting our people back to work, ensuring Bermudians are living dignified lives. Mr. Deputy Speaker, through our national job strategy, we will continue to provide training and d evelopment and employment services to our people. Throughout the pandemic we have directly provided services to over 600 individuals. Some would say, Well, how many of those in dividuals have gotten jobs? That is a shallow way of thinking, Mr. Deputy Speaker, if you know that you are in an economy where jobs are contracting and the employers control the demand in terms of labour and not the Government. But what I would say is, th ose 600 people who have been through our programmes are better prepared to take advantage of job opportunities when they open up. 396 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The Ministry of Labour has been tasked with the Youth Employment Strategy because we recognise that our youth employment is unacceptable. We also recognise that youth unemployment can be a contributing factor into antisocial and risky behaviour. And as a result, Mr. Deputy Speaker, in short order the Ministry of Labour will be rolling an earnest youth employment strategy that falls into direct alignment with our National Youth Policy. The Minister of Health, Mr. Deputy Speaker, announced today . . . or was it yesterday? But she just recently announced our plans to move forward with revamping our health care system with access to quality and affordable health care. It is what we need, especially with the demographics of our population, which is shaped somewhat like an inverted pyramid, which means your largest population groups are now your older population groups. Mr. Deputy Speaker, the last main theme is developing supportive legislation and regulatory framework that enables innovation on the Island to thrive, so that we see innovation and technology. We see the work that the Minister responsible for Home Affairs is doing in terms of the energy sector and some of the new initiatives that they have coming on board. You see the work that the Premier and those other Ministers who have direct involvement in terms of FinTech. You see the work that we are doing to support the creative individuals in our economy that wants to move forward with technology and innov ation.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMinister, you have one minute. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Deputy Speaker, it always seems like when I am talking about the positive things that this G overnment is doing I never have enough time to finish. But I would say is that this Government does have a plan that is …
Minister, you have one minute. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Deputy Speaker, it always seems like when I am talking about the positive things that this G overnment is doing I never have enough time to finish. But I would say is that this Government does have a plan that is well -laid-out and we will be steadfast on the execution of that plan. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to—
The Deputy Sp eaker: Thank you, Minister. Any further speakers? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYes . . . I’m trying to . . . who is that voice? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Minister Rabain.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMinister Rabain. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: How are you doing, Mr. Deputy Speaker?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerI am very well. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I haven’t spoken on the motion to adjourn in quite a bit. I want to thank my colleagues who went before me, especially Minister Hayward, who was on the path that I was going to go …
I am very well. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I haven’t spoken on the motion to adjourn in quite a bit. I want to thank my colleagues who went before me, especially Minister Hayward, who was on the path that I was going to go down and talk about some of things we have done. And the reason is, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have heard what I can consider a coordinated—
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMinister, do you have your tie? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Yes. You want me to put it . . . I can put it on while I’m talking.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYes, go ahead. We don’t want you to lose any time. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Yes, so Mr. Deputy Speaker, what we have been forced to listen to is a coord inated attack by the Opposition here and it was done for a reason. It was done for a …
Yes, go ahead. We don’t want you to lose any time.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Yes, so Mr. Deputy Speaker, what we have been forced to listen to is a coord inated attack by the Opposition here and it was done for a reason. It was done for a reason. That reason is the other half of the opposition. You know, we will see that printed tomorrow on the front page. [AUDIO SKIP] the leadership of the Progressive Labour Party. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we had the buzz words. We had Mr. Pearman’s not here to take political a dvantage. We had Mr. Cannonier talk about the race crime. He even invoked the spirit of Marc Bean and Paula Cox. Yo u had Cole, the Leader of the Oppos ition, talking about Where is the hope? And how are we going to get out of here? And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we know what the buzz words are. And we know why they say the things that they say, Mr. Deputy Speaker, because the other half of their support, as I said, the front page tomorrow will say, OBA questions credible leadership of the Progressive Labour Party. Or something similar to that, Mr. Deputy Speaker. But you know what? That daily that some of us still run out and purchase for whatever reason, cannot say and will not be ever able to say, Mr. Dep uty Speaker . . . do you know what that is? OBA talks about solutions for Bermuda. OBA presents ideas to get Bermuda moving forward. OBA presents itself as a credible Opposi tion. They will never be able to say that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, because they never do. They simply fail. They spent the last three hours going on and on about the lovefest that they have for our former Minister of Finance, how wonderful he was and how he wa s doing such a great job until, as you saw, the speaker before me, Minister Hayward, pointed out the hypocrisy of that. Now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I can move on, and I can talk about . . . I want to talk about what the Leader of the Opposition said. And it was interesting, because he started off by saying, I have known the former Minister of Finance for (I believe he said) 20 years. And I could stop for a point of order. I believe he said 20 years.
Bermuda House of Assembly The Deputy Speaker: No. He said 20 years.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: He spoke to his impeccable credentials. He spoke to how he has known him as a great friend and then, Mr. Deputy Speaker, [AUDIO SKIP 08:18:29] if your friend quit suddenly, what is it that you do? I know what I did. I picked up the phone to say, Hey, bro, are you okay? Is there anything I can do? Is there anything I can help with? But, no, this friend of 20 years did not pick up the phone. He decided to get on the air tonight and talk about how he thinks the former Minister of Finance is thinking. How he thinks the former Finance Minister came to his d ecision. How he thinks the former Finance Minister must think about the leadership of the Progressive Labour Party. All he did was just speculate. That is not what you do with a friend. You pick up t he phone and see if they are okay. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, it speaks to the h ypocrisy.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, a point of order.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons, what is your point of order. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: The Honourable M ember —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerI can’t hear you, Mr. Simons. I can’t hear you. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, the point of order is that the Honourable Minister of Education is unintentionally misleading the House.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMr. Simons, I still can’t hear you. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, can you hear me now?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerVery, very . . . go ahead. Try it. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I can hear him loud and clear, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I said that the Minister of Education is unintentionally mi sleading the House because if he may know or …
Very, very . . . go ahead. Try it.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I can hear him loud and clear, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I said that the Minister of Education is unintentionally mi sleading the House because if he may know or may not know, I have spoken to the [former] Minister of F inance and I had a conversation with him on the da y that he resigned.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Oh, my — [Crosstalk]
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOkay. Thank you. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: So I ask the Minister of E ducation to withdraw his comments.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, Mr. Simons. Minister Rabain, you heard that. He did . . . he has spoken to the former Minister of Finance. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: And I take that point, and I withdraw the comment of, all I said was, if that was my friend, I would …
Thank you, Mr. Simons. Minister Rabain, you heard that. He did . . . he has spoken to the former Minister of Finance.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: And I take that point, and I withdraw the comment of, all I said was, if that was my friend, I would pick up the phone and ca ll. He just confirmed that he has picked up the phone and called. So it even boggles the mind even more that he would come here and say, Well, this is what I think. But, anyway, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I do not want to dwell on that because I think I have made my point. We know what the plan was, we saw what the plan was, and it was executed. And I give them all points for that. It was executed beautifully. And we now know what the headline tomorrow will say. PLP leadership in question. And we will go with t hat, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but there are some things that were said in the Opposition Leader’s statement, here he said, Where is the hope? Mr. Deputy Speaker, where are the ideas from the Opposition? They seem to be very good at ident ifying every and anythin g that is wrong but were very short on ideas. And that Member, for whatever reason, he memory is is short, Mr. Deputy Speaker, because I see him talking about, I see him mentioning about the issues that are going on now between the BUT and the Ministry and the Department of Educ ation, that Member forgets that the BUT was on “work to rule” during his entire couple of months that he was the Minister of Education. They voted to be on work to rule. And when the One Bermuda Alliance was voted out of office, they were still on work to rule for an entire two school terms, work to rule because they did not trust the leadership. But, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I just wanted to make sure and remind that Member that that was the case that I came in and found as the Minister.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Point of clarification.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerOne second, Minister. Mr. Dunkley. POINT OF CLARIFICATION Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Can the Honourable Minister please explain the difference between work to rule and that no conf idence vote in the current Education Minister? 398 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of …
One second, Minister. Mr. Dunkley.
POINT OF CLARIFICATION
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Can the Honourable Minister please explain the difference between work to rule and that no conf idence vote in the current Education Minister? 398 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I would be able to explain it, but I have not received any information from the Bermuda Union of Teachers as of yet as to what the purpose of their no vote of confidence is. But I do know that work to rule was voted in place because they felt the former Administration was not listening to what it was they were asking for and they decided that they would only do the bare minimum to make sure that schools were open. So that is the difference between the two. Thank you for that timely interjection. So as I said, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have heard the buzz words. PLP has failed to protect Bermudian jobs. When it comes to leadership, they have lost their mora l compass. Where is the solution? And here is a new one. The concentration of power is concerning. These are all things that have been mentioned tonight, and I just wonder what is the endgame? And why the endgame can’t involve what is it that we can do bet ter together for the plight of our people. But, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have heard from our side. We have heard Minister Ming talk about the food deliveries and community services that is happening down in St. George’s. We have heard Minister Hayward talk about the Economic Recovery Plan and the things that are built into that to help our people. We have heard MP Weeks talk about the plight of less unfortunate and things that could be happening and should be happening. And we know . . . I see . . . I note my colleague, Mr. Famous, is teed up to let them know some of things that have been going on with the Parish Pride projects and things that have been put in place to help our young people. Because they talk about what we are doing for our young people, come out to Devonshire. Come out to Devonshire on a Sunday and join in with the young people who are helping to unity the Parish of Devonshire. In fact, come out tomorrow, and as Minister Ming talked about the food resumption of services, there will be food banks r esuming tomorrow in several of our constituencies d elivering meals to persons who look forward to seeing us come knock on their door and deliver a meal. These are real life solutions to real life pro blems. Not us standing up here pontificating and foll owing a political consultant plan on how to malign the leadership of the country when it does nothing to show that you are a viable option for the people of Bermuda. All it does is show that you can complain and you can complain very, very well. And so thi s lovefest that you have with our former Minister of F inance . . . I am happy that you actually have it. I am happy that you are talking about the brilliance of him now; unfortunately, you are talking about it after he has decided that he wants to do somet hing else. Why couldn’t you have done that before? Why couldn’t you have done that last year when we did the budget? Why couldn’t you have spoken out last week when the Royal Gazette was maligning former Mini ster Dickinson about a trip to New York that he went on to improve the economic things that are happening in Bermuda? But you jumped on the bandwagon this week when they talked about how brilliant he is. As Minister Hayward talked about, political theatrics, hypocrisy at its finest , and that is all it is. And while we know that your printed arm of the One Bermuda Alliance will go hook, line and sinker and print whatever they can to highlight what it is that you say today, and the other more positive things that have been said will be relegated to the second, third page, our people know because they feel it and they see it and they are happy with what it is that is happening within the Progressive Labour Party. Now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I just wanted to move on and I will finish up with this, something that I spoke about this morning. I was reading some of the comments, and you know, I know how we play this PR game, and I looked at how the Royal Gazette reported my Ministerial Statement. I saw some of the co mments and some of them were really interesting. Rabain wants to create a division between public and private schools, and the like. That was far from the truth, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I spoke out this morning to point out some of the awful things that were being sent to me, and if anyone read my Statement they would see through in and throughout, I spoke about how we are all in this together. We all have to work together. We cannot continue to move along thinking that there should be one rule for one set of people and another set of rules for another set of people. That is not how we are going to get through whatever it is that we are working on. We all have to work together. We all have to u nderstand that we all will suffer if we do not work t ogether. But, Mr. Deputy Speaker, you know, I understand what they are trying to do. I understand what they want to do, but Mr. Deputy Speaker, they will not deter. They will not deter. They will not make me move away from [us] moving together as a unified front because education needs to not fail in Bermuda. Education whether it is public or private needs to continue to move forward and continue to do the things that need to be done because if education fails, our entire country fails. And that does not mean . . . that means there is no OBA, there is no PLP, there is n obody. Why would I want that? Mr. Deputy Speaker, why would I want that? I need everybody within these Chambers and everybody out there listening. Our schools only exist to educate children. If there are no children in our schools, there is no need for an ybody else to be around. Schools do not exist to employ teachers. They do not exist to employ persons within the Department of Education [like] permanent secr etaries, Ministers and the like. They exist to educate our children. And that always will be, and that always has to be at the forefront of everything that we take
Bermuda House of Assembly into account when we talk about education in Berm uda. And with that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I just want thank you for this time. And I do want to take this time, I know it is unusual for us to do this, but please colleagues, keep Officer Daemon Bell’s family in [your] prayers. They buried their loved one today and it was a very emotional funeral, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Thank you.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, Minister Rabain. I think I hear and see Christopher Famous. Mr. Famous, you have the floor.
Mr. Anthony Richardson—and to those who are in the listening audience. Mr. Deputy Speaker, some time ago, several years ago actually, I wrote an article that was pu blished in the Bermuda Su n and it reflected on part of my childhood where I grew up in the Devonshire area. And we …
—and to those who are in the listening audience. Mr. Deputy Speaker, some time ago, several years ago actually, I wrote an article that was pu blished in the Bermuda Su n and it reflected on part of my childhood where I grew up in the Devonshire area. And we used to go down to Devonshire Dock quite a bit. And the illustration I used was two of us were out on the North Shore on a somewhat small boat and at that point the b oat springs a leak. The question I posed was, and is, What do you do? You are in a boat, for whatever reason with someone that you don’t know or don’t like. What do you do? And clearly the answer has to be you realise that you have to get back to shore. I t is not the time to start to argue and to fuss and to complain about who caused the hole. It is time to get back to shore. And that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is where I believe we are in the Bermudian context. Today was a demonstration of a great big fist fight. And I think we have to use a different analogy, lost the plot. We need to now, collectively, get back to shore. Now, once we are back on shore, i.e., got the economy back on track and the Island back on track, there may be a need for a discussion, a heated di scussion, and maybe even a bit of a fight. But now is not the time for that. I also often reflect on the fact that we as the adults, in this case as the Bermuda leaders, are setting an example. And the example that we set are for everyone, but in my mind’s eye right now, I am thinking about children on a playground. What do the chi l-dren see? The children see today that the adults are fighting. We need to do better. So, let us collectively pause. We have taken the majority of the motion to adjourn t oday to discuss or comment on what we think may or may not have happened in the context of the resignation of the Minister of Finance. And for the e ntire week or so everyone has been pontificating about what that means, and so now we are in this entire dir e straits because of the one person. I want everybody to now think about the fact of the number 150. Why 150? Because in the PLP ranks all of the existing MPs have different areas of expertise and experience and backgrounds. But I would offer that in the direct professional experience of finance, accounting, general management and all the rest of it, that there is at least 150 years of collective experience that remains, including MP Dickinson, at the availability for the entire party, the country and indeed, the Premier. So as we are all talking about this idea of hope, let’s remember that we are not hopeless. And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and those who are listening, remember also that there is a whole host of civil servants who support the Government when it comes to its financial matters and managing the economy. Plus, if we go back to the analogy of people on a boat, the international business community are also supportive of what the Government is doing. And it may not be because they necessarily support the PLP or the OBA or any individual person, but because they recognise that we are in this together. It has been said and we know it is true from a financial point of view that no company is going to have a rating that is going to exceed the country. So it is in our collective interest to ensure that Bermuda does have financial success. So on that same vein, I actually want to take a different tack and thank the OBA, thank Sir John Swan, thank those in the international business sector and everyone, except Vic Ball, who has elevated the former Minister but current MP (to use a sporting analogy) to the rank of financial GOAT, the greatest of all times. It has been amazing to see that almost to a person, and the Opposition Leader spoke to it earlier, tremendous public credit has been given to MP Curtis Dickinson, when everyone (or many people) failed to do so prior to his resignation. And so my comment to the general public is, understand what is taking place. People understand—
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] 400 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Scott Pearman: I am afraid the Honourable Member, perhaps misleadingly, is misleading the House. We have actually praised the Finance Minister befor e. And I even cited occasions …
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWell, Mr. Pearman, I do know you have praised the former Minister before and ot hers.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonWell, I take the point. I will only say the resignation of MP Dickinson has caused a hue and cry in terms of Bermuda now being in this significant deficit position which I clearly do not agree with because, fi rst of all, as I said earlier, all of those …
Well, I take the point. I will only say the resignation of MP Dickinson has caused a hue and cry in terms of Bermuda now being in this significant deficit position which I clearly do not agree with because, fi rst of all, as I said earlier, all of those persons within the PLP in the broader community are still available to provide assistance and there is a need for us to all work together. But also, which may also be more important, is the fact that MP Dickinson himself is still available, as the Premier said, to pr ovide advice as and when necessary. But I still reemphasise the point that I want to thank all those who have raised his profile to the st atus of the financial GOAT, the greatest of all time, be-cause as a previous person also spoke to, MP Dicki nson has actually crafted our next budget. Everyone in the House, and Bermuda, more generally, should u nderstand that the budget is not going to change drastically in the next two weeks. And so whatever ac umen has been accorded to MP Dickinson, remains throughout the budget. You simply cannot change all of those things within this short timeframe. And so we should all look forward, next week when the budget is released, to this groundswell of support for the budget because it would have been crafted to a large degree by that same person who everyone, and I agree, has elevated to that role of the greatest of all time. I will say it again, that if it doesn’t take place, especially from those Members, all of us who are in the House, it would show that there is lack of understanding of how the budget process actually works. I will digress for a small moment because earlier I refracted the fact that everyone has elevated MP Dickinson to the role of GOAT except for Mr. Vi c Ball who has, or at least an article has been published t oday which was attributed to him. And I will say this, if you will, that first of all, the article has the biggest small word in our vocabulary almost which is “if.” It is if, if, if. And I went th rough to look at how many times it said if. But what I want to highlight to his colleagues in the OBA, is that he has said, and he is one of their colleagues, that . . . if I may quote, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Anthony Richar dson“I have warned Bermudians repeatedly about the disaster that neglect and mismanagement of the economy would lead to. ” (In his words.) “ The former finance minister, for all of his credentials and experience, has been a part of that mismanagement. He has presided over a deteriorating fiscal situation without …
“I have warned Bermudians repeatedly about the disaster that neglect and mismanagement of the economy would lead to. ” (In his words.) “ The former finance minister, for all of his credentials and experience, has been a part of that mismanagement. He has presided over a deteriorating fiscal situation without any concrete solutions. ” And to skip to one other part, “ He has presi ded over reduced pension contributions, he has allowed people to raid the pension funds and he has caused working- class Bermudi ans to wait longer to receive their pensions. He has provided tax increases and new taxes on a population already struggling after the sugar tax and a significant rise in health prem iums.”1 Mr. Deputy Speaker, on the basis that Mr. Vic Ball is a colleague of the Opposition MPs, we need to be sure that they are consistent. Which is it? Is it the fact that he is the greatest of all time, as they have said? Or is their colleague, Mr. Vic Ball, correct? Mr. Deputy Speaker, I want to continue in terms of the significant hope and reality that is Bermuda. And I have said it before, that people have to have confidence before they spend significant amounts of money. Based on what I do each day, I normally drive east from Smith’s Parish headed t oward St. George’s. Mr. Deputy Speaker, there remain several houses that are going to be built. And based upon where they are, based upon the size, and based upon the designs, you can rest assured that the cost of those houses in total will easily exceed $3 million, and maybe as high as $5 [million] or $6 million. That speaks to the fact that, notwithstanding the naysayers, there are those with actual money who are still pr epared to invest in Bermuda and they would not do so if they thought of Bermuda as a sinking ship. More specifically, I do thank one of the prev ious speakers, MP Jason Hayward, because he r eferred back to the $70 million. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we all know that the Progressive Labour Party is def initely a people- centred party. And if there needs to be a decisi on made in terms of business or people, the Progressive Labour Party will always side with the people. So refer back to the $70 million which was spent in large part during the COVID -19 shutdown. I will say this, and I think I have said it once before als o, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that every business that is profitable that laid off their staff and allowed their staff to receive the Government funding for those periods of time when the staff was laid off, has to commend the Government for making that decision. To be clear, if anybody was operating a business that was profitable and making money, and they still chose, made that decision, to allow their staff to be laid off to benefit from the Government, it means that
1 Royal Gazette 18 February 2022
Bermuda House of Assembly they too should be commending the Government for what they did. Secondly, I will say in terms of the opportunities that still exist within the Bermuda economy is that there was a recent advertisement for an open course that talks about international business in Bermuda. In that regard I want to commend Mr. Craig Simmons who is Senior Economics Lecturer at the Bermuda College, because he has pulled together on a weekly basis persons who are senior within the international business sector and they have taken the time to explain what opportunities exi st. And if I recall correctly, the number of persons who attend, and it is normally about a two to two- and-a-half-hour lecture, is more than 100. And the beauty of it is that they are able to clearly understand beyond all the noise from the experts in the international business sector what really exists, what opportunities there are. In that regard, I refer back to Minister Diallo Rabain as the Minister of Education because it is clearly important for our students and our parents to understand that there are opportunities. However, those opportunities are only going to be available to those who are prepared for them. And it does not mean that you have to be the brightest person in the class. That is for sure. What it means is you are going to have to have t he willingness and the preparedness to learn. I also had a conversation, actually just yesterday, with a different person that talked about the fact that whether it be trades or otherwise, there are opportunities available, and we have to continue on to ensure that our young people are prepared for those things. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I have two more things to say, and one is that, coming back to a more co mmunity -based and what we are doing down in Hami lton 7 is, there has been a significant effort to renov ate the Cleveland County Club (I am going to call it) and it has been a community effort. The Bermuda Gover nment again has assisted in some aspects of financing for which we are tremendously grateful, but more i mportantly as a community activity the goal i s to bring the club together because that will create a hub for anyone in the area. What has happened is more than just a bar, there will be a separation between the lower level and the upper level to allow the community to utilise the upper level, in par ticular, so that they can have gat herings without the need for younger persons to go downstairs to use the bathroom, for example, through the bar. They can actually use just the upper level and do all the activities and by doing so you bring the community together without unnecessarily exposing the younger children even to having to walk through a bar area, for example, to use the bathroom, or whatever. So you have a complete separation. That is an example of how the Government, notwithstanding all these ot her complaints and concerns, are still assis ting to move the community forward. So I want to emphasise again that I have been disappointed, to be honest, that we have spent such a significant period of time basically speculating as to why MP Dickinson chose to resign. We all accept, of course, it was a surprise and the timing was odd, but it does not mean that the Government f inances, the economy or the budget will suddenly fall off the rails. We will still move forward. And emphasi sing again that from hi s own perspective, he is still a part of the team, very much part of the team.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonThe last thing I want to say, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is this. It goes back partly to what MP Lovitta Foggo said a lot earlier. One of my constituents died and I went to his service, of course. And one of the comments was that he used to drive quite …
The last thing I want to say, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is this. It goes back partly to what MP Lovitta Foggo said a lot earlier. One of my constituents died and I went to his service, of course. And one of the comments was that he used to drive quite a bit. He was an older gentleman. His comment was that even when he drove some the US soldiers around Bermuda, he could not go inside certain hotels and he could not in some cases, be allowed to use the bathroom based upon his skin colour. Therefore, a few weeks ago when there was some public commentary in terms of (I want to careful) about an alleged activity at Saltus Grammar School in terms of children having to do a project (I will call it), I was disappointed because notwithstanding the apol ogy, there was not the fullness of telling us what the assignment was because that would have allowed a lot of clarity. And I was even more alarmed to be told, actually, that a more egregious situation took place at the same school more than 10 years ago with a different head master, of course different students, different teachers and a whole pile of differences, but the same institution which speaks to there being, potentially, an underlining systemic problem that has to be addressed. And I say that only today because I want to make sure that the public understands and the school also that we, at least I and oth ers who are making comments to me, have not forgotten that this has taken place. I was still looking for the school to do more than they have done thus far to ensure that this situ ation is corrected.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, Mr. Richardson, your 20 minutes is up.
Mr. Christopher FamousYes, Mr. Deputy Speaker. 402 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Deputy Speaker: Mr. Famous. Thank you. You have the floor. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINI STER
Mr. Christopher FamousJust let these people know the batting order has changed, so these are going to get hard right now. Mr. Deputy Speaker, let me start with a defin ition. Kabuki is a form classical theatre in Japan known for its elaborate costumes and dynamic acting but often it is sometimes …
Just let these people know the batting order has changed, so these are going to get hard right now. Mr. Deputy Speaker, let me start with a defin ition. Kabuki is a form classical theatre in Japan known for its elaborate costumes and dynamic acting but often it is sometimes used in political discourse to describe an event characterised by more showmanship than content. Mr. Deputy Speaker, if anyone knows about motion to adjourn it is you and me. And there has never been any ti me in the last two years that the r emaining six OBA MPs have all stayed behind for m otion to adjourn. Today is the first time in two years. So we see as Minister Rabain said, we see what the plan is. Mr. Deputy Speaker, you are a religious man I take it. Take your mind back to Palm Sunday. What were they telling Jesus? They were telling Jesus, Hosanna, Hosanna . Five days later what did those same people say? Hang him. So let’s take our minds back to last week on February 10th, they had the then F inance Mi nister in the paper. Oh, he spent $17,000 on a trip. Oh, what is he doing for all that . . . what he spent all that money for? Hang him! This is a waste of the taxpayers’ money. Three days later, Oh, Hosanna, Hosanna, the king has left us! Let me remind people of something. All right? When OBA MP Jeff Baron resigned, there was a v acancy in constituency 25. It was an OBA seat. MP Dickinson was picked as the candidate. MP Dickinson did not win that seat by himself. If you remember, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the entire PLP caucus was called out to canvass that seat. The entire PLP caucus walked up and down the hills of Warwick. Belmont, Harbour Road, Morgan’s Road, Spring Hill —I could go on and on because I know all those roads. My point being Mr. Deputy Speaker, t he reason we won that seat, the reason MP Dickinson became Minister Dic kinson was because of a team effort. The same team effort why his financial policies over the last 39 months has been effective. A team effort. I am not in Cabinet, but when he told Min isters, No, you can’t get it. They did not get it. Much to the consternation to some of our union partners. So suddenly the same person they are saying Hosanna to, they want to hang for the last 39 months. It wasn’t like the OBA just said, Okay. We are not g oing to run a candidate in that seat because you have got such a smart guy. Run. No, they ran against us and they ran a dirty campaign against us. So don’t act like you are the friends of Minister Dickinson. Moving on, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Someone ment ioned about a blacklist. I won’t get into the racial connotations , but where what are the facts, Mr. D eputy Speaker? The United Kingdom is the world’s bi ggest place for money laundering. But they are not on the blacklist. The Caribbean Islands have less than 1 per cent of tax avoidance, but they are always on the blacklist. So ask yourself, Why is it called the blacklist? Mr. Deputy Speaker, why are we in debt? We are in debt because we borrowed money to pay our civil servants, to pay our people. Our civi l servants who pay rent. Our civil servants who pay mortgage. Our civil servants who buy groceries. Our civil ser vants who buy insurance. But guess what, Mr. Deputy Speaker? They talk about, Oh, the Government hasn’t controlled the debt. Government hasn’t controlled the cost of living. So there are two questions. Do they want us to fire those civil servants? Because that is the only way we are going to cut our debt. Ask them that! Do they want us to fire our civil servants? B ecause they know that won’t work because then the civil servants will not be able to buy groceries, they won’t be able to afford insurance, they won’t be able to buy cars, and they won’t be able to buy milk. They do not want that! There is another thing, Mr. Deputy Speaker. They keep t alking about the cost of living. Well, when has the OBA ever talked about the unfair profits that these companies are making? They have yet to say the obscene profits that some people are making in insurance. Why? Because they are shareholders. They are major shareholders of the same insurance companies. I will be like MP Zane De Silva. I am going to wait for a point of order. Do I hear it? No! Because they know they are making profits. They are contri buting to the cost of living in this country. Mr. Depu ty Speaker, the word hypocrisy has been used a lot. So let’s use this word. How is it hypothetically, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that somebody could owe the government $300,000 in unpaid taxes? U npaid taxes and unpaid health insurance, but yet a specific politica l party would let them run as a candidate? How is that, Mr. Deputy Speaker? Now, I am not referring to other recent situations. But if you are going to talk about somebody who owes $15,000, let’s talk about that guy who owes $300,000 to the taxpa yers of Bermuda, but yet he can still be a candidate for a certain party. Mr. Deputy Speaker, let’s talk about transparency. They want to know why the Finance Minister quit or resigned. We see people say, Why did he r esign? They are the same ones who said they were going to give a report about why somebody else was forced to resign. We have yet to see that report. I will wait again for a point of order. Sorry, I can’t hear it. Mr. Deputy Speaker, just imagine that these people are praising the Minister and they were condemning him for the last four years, apart from now and then they might say something nice, but for the
Bermuda House of Assembly most part they were condemning him and they were saying the Government has no financial plan. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I am going to move on. Do you know this area called Rocky Lane?
Mr. Christopher FamousThere is a family that lives midway up the way. I think you may know them, ma ybe not. The Burgesses. There is almost . . . they have this church called Burgess AME . . . sorry, Bethel AME Church. Well, anyway, the patriarch of that fam ily is …
There is a family that lives midway up the way. I think you may know them, ma ybe not. The Burgesses. There is almost . . . they have this church called Burgess AME . . . sorry, Bethel AME Church. Well, anyway, the patriarch of that fam ily is named Mr. Norris Burgess. And yesterday I saw his son, Norris Jr., and he gave me some of his f ather’s wisdom. And I asked him, Can I quote your f ather in Parliament tomorrow? And he said, Go right ahead. So I am asking you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, can I quote Mr. Burgess in Parliament?
Mr. Christopher FamousHe had a saying. Norris Jr., said that Norris Sr. said he used to sit his children on his knees and tell them, We are building this house. Don’t worry about how long it takes because each course that we build is one course closer to the top. Let me …
He had a saying. Norris Jr., said that Norris Sr. said he used to sit his children on his knees and tell them, We are building this house. Don’t worry about how long it takes because each course that we build is one course closer to the top. Let me repeat that. One course closer to the top. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I have read all sorts of comments i n social media. I have heard all sorts of comments from people you wouldn’t expect. Oh, the sky is falling in. Oh, the ship is sinking. All these negative comments on the radio and shows. Mr. Deputy Speaker, if I did not know better, [I] would think Arm ageddon is about to reach us and that COVID -19 has come back in again in a worst form. Yet no one talks about the progress that this Government has made, Mr. Deputy Speaker. No one talks about the work that Minister Tinee Furbert does with the seniors and the children and the differently -abled people of this country. That doesn’t seem to be a big catch headline. That doesn’t seem to be talked about in churches on Sunday, Mr. Deputy Speaker. No one talks about the work that Minister Scott has done to bring electric buses to this cou ntry—the first country in the Caribbean to have electric buses, Mr. Deputy Speaker. No one talks about the work that Honourable Minister Walter Roban does to save our environment. No one! That does not seem to catch the headlines. No one talks about the work that the Attorney General does on legal reform, as evidenced today with the no- fault divorce. No one talks about that. That does not make the headlines. That does not make the talk show rounds. No one talks about the work that Minister J ason Hayward did to make sure that $70 million went into the pockets of our people during the pandemic. Because if they did not get it, guess what, they would not have been able to pay rent. They would not have been able to pay mortgage. And let’ s talk about the economic collapse had that happened. No one talks about all the work that MP Caines and Senator Lindsay [Simmons] do in Parish Pride, getting young people out every weekend to help clean up this country and giving them a sense of working together for other people. You see, Mr. Deputy Speaker, one course closer to the top. All of what we have been doing for the last four to five years, and what you have been doing since 1998, are building blocks for a better Bermuda. Yes, no one wants to be in debt, but do we have choice? Do we tell our civil servants, Listen, we got less tourists coming in, so listen, you are going to have to take a 20 per cent cut, bro. That’s not going to go down well, even if makes fiscal sense. Mr. Deputy Speaker, l et me say this here, I say to those who sit on the front benches, Soldier on. We may disagree at times, but soldier on. To those in the backbenches, continue to challenge those in the front benches. And most importantly, continue to tell the story of what this Government is doing for the people of this Island. Because if it was up to the Royal Gazette, the OBA and certain talk show hosts, they would have us painted as if we were the worst people in the world. Mr. Deputy Speaker, for those who say the PLP backbench do not speak up, they do not know the PLP backbench. And you can attest to that, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I would like to quote Reverend Tweed, if possible. Is that okay with you?
Mr. Christopher Famous[Playing an audio recor ding] “And so I will end just by saying this. The same way that the BUT and our teachers have our full support, the current Premier has my full support. He has my full support. So don’t allow misrepresentations in a paper that we ought not …
[Playing an audio recor ding] “And so I will end just by saying this. The same way that the BUT and our teachers have our full support, the current Premier has my full support. He has my full support. So don’t allow misrepresentations in a paper that we ought not even read or trust to shape a narrative for you. Don’t allow that. We can have our own conversation and we can mend and fix our own relationships. That is our responsibility. That is our obligation to our people, to the people that we serve. It is our people that suffer.” [End of audio recording] Mr. Deputy Speaker, as the great reverend said, Do not allow others to shape our narrati ve of each other. There is no way you are going to have 30 Aunt Haggie’s children in one room and they agreed 404 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly on what type of chicken. They are not! Some want barbeque, some want fried and some just want it not cooked. That’s our nature, Mr. Deputy Speaker. And I am saying to my people, I don’t care if you are Black, White, Somerset . . . well, if you are Somerset . . . well, you know what I mean, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Don’t allow these charlatans, these kabuki be other people to shape the narrative of what this Government —your Government that you voted in twice over the last five years —to form, because they did not show up tonight because they love Minister Dickinson. They showed up to try to take advantage of public sentiment. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I am goi ng to end my quote like how I started. Mr. Norris Burgess, One step closer to the top. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, MP Famous. Are there any other speakers? Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, Mr. Deputy Speaker. The Deputy Spea ker: That sounds like the Deputy Leader, the Honourable Walter Roban. You have the floor, Deputy. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, I am just trying …
Thank you, MP Famous. Are there any other speakers? Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy Spea ker: That sounds like the Deputy Leader, the Honourable Walter Roban. You have the floor, Deputy.
SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, I am just trying to get my camera on so you can see my less than handsome— The Deputy Spe aker: You could have left it off, but — [Laughter]
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Well, thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to have my 20 minutes. Let me just say that motion to adjourn is as much a pain as a pleasure. And I say I take pleasure in the opportunity to participate but the pain is because, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I am part of such a wonderful team, they often take the [wind out of my sails] already, and much of my script gets erased. And the things that I want to say, gets said. And I thank my honourable colleague for that pleasure, that pain, because I know, because I do not have to participate in motion to adjourn every week [when] we sit because I know the strength of our team, our 30 [member] team. It is not just reliance on those who sit around the table on Tuesday. It is supported and strengt hened by the whole 30 of my beautiful, wonderful colleagues who often take the winds out of my sails and take my script away from me. But I will say this, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I have a few things I can say tonight. And I must commend much of my team, like Kim Swan, who have . . . as I will quote Mr. Swan, gotten the paper straight. They have not only gotten the paper straight tonight in this House, Mr. Deputy Speaker, they get the paper straight e very day with the leadership that they are providing in this Government, many of my non-Cabinet colleagues who are leading parts of the Government. And as the Honourable Member Chris F amous has said, y ou know, as we traipse over the hills of Warwick to get the Honourable Member MP Dicki nson in, who is still a Member of Parliament . . . I was listening to the Honourable Member who sits for con-stituency 22 tonight and it almost sounded like he was giving an obituary to the MP Dickinson rather than a tribute. Well, a tribute that was more like a congratul atory and an obituary speech. He was talking to him like he was gone. He isn’t gone; he is still a Member of this House, Mr. Deputy Speaker. And I see the Speaker there. So perhaps, Mr. Speaker, if you are here, I will refer to you.
[Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes, I am back in the Chair. Continue on. Hon. Walter H. Roban: So I have heard interesting comments tonight in many ways. And I will just touch on history, a top ic that both myself and the Deputy Speaker love quite a bit. I note that this past week …
Yes, I am back in the Chair. Continue on. Hon. Walter H. Roban: So I have heard interesting comments tonight in many ways. And I will just touch on history, a top ic that both myself and the Deputy Speaker love quite a bit. I note that this past week has seen many people in the media speaking about the events of Monday. And I certainly must refer to a former Pre mier, the Honourable John Swan, who spoke. And I must u nfortunately use one word to refer to the comments that he made in the paper and in the visual media. Now, I say this with a level of respect, but I think it is important, as a Member of this House and the oaths that I have taken also, to be honest with what I say. And I must use the word, Mr. Speaker, unbecoming. And I say that for a very clear reason, because I have a personal relationship with Sir John. Let’s make that clear. That [[relationship] goes back many years. But I found those comments unbecomi ng. And I say that for a number of reasons. One is that we ap-preciate that there are very few people in this country who have sat in the position as head of the Gover nment, particularly modern governments since 1968. And with that comes a very special and unique experience; a very special and unique journey of which no one else can share. And even I as the Deputy Premier of the Government do not share the exclusive responsibility of the Premier, or what past Premiers have held. It is a unique experience that often Premiers must take their own counsel; they cannot take it from anybody else. They have the weight of decision - making that no one else shares. And they have the weight of an experience, Mr. Speaker, that no one else shares. And it has been eloquent ly said by a few Members tonight about the history of that experience
Bermuda House of Assembly that many have had as Premier, Mr. Speaker. And one would think that those who have had the exper ience of the history, the experience of Premier would understand that sometimes it is bes t to keep silent. The persons who sit in that role, Mr. Speaker, have all had a relative experience, a unique experience that only they can share. And to come out and be critical often . . . unless it is a very grave situation, to me is unbecoming. And even some of what I have heard tonight, Mr. Speaker, from some of the former Pre miers who still sit in this House troubles me [with] what they said. Now I understand the cut and thrust of pol itics, Mr. Speaker, but I also have a certain under-standing, although from a distance, of the uniqueness of the world that a Premier holds. So that there is a gentleman today who is a Premier, [and] the Premier who he has succeeded have all shared an experience that none of us can actually relate to. And that means also t he success and the trials and the failures of being in that office, and the responsibility. And I would think that a former Premier would want to take a posture of understanding rather than a posture of criticism directly to someone who holds an office that they once held. That is my view and my perspective on this matter. And the word I have to hold to when referring particularly to Sir John is unbecoming. Because he had another special role which one would think that he would seek to be impartial or appear to be impartial when it comes to matter. So I found his comments unbecoming. There is history around the experience of ev ery Premier that many have spoken to tonight. So I think that we all must remember, Don’t come to this House and rewrite history. Because there may be somebody in here who remembers it as it actually was experienced. Not as you think it was. And it also something that we have to remember when we are in this House. But, Mr. Speaker, I want to go on because I do not want to stay in a pla ce where others have been as much. But I would like to make some other com-ments. And, frankly, as somebody who also shared a personal relationship with the former Finance Minister, I must say that I, of course, was saddened by his de-parture from the positi on. As many have said, he brought a certain unique background to the role [and] we all were pleased with, generally, with the job he was doing. And I think we saw the benefit of that particularly through the crisis of the pandemic over the last two years. But I also would remind people, and many have already said it, that guess what? This train can’t stop. There is a history of Cabinet Ministers leaving under [different] circumstances. And some circu mstances have often brought great stress to the situation that a Government faces. But our system is d esigned, Mr. Speaker, to be continuous irrespective of who sits in certain Cabinet roles, whether it be the Premier or the Finance Minister. There are processes that govern how the country operates irrespective of who is in the office, so that no matter what happens there can be continuity in governments. And despite the enormous loss of the quality of experience that the Finance Minister who was in the position, the Honourable Member Curtis Dicki nson, who is not there anymore, he is no longer in that [position] . . . but the Government will continue, as other governments have continued, as our Gover nment has continued when we found ourselves without somebody sitting around the Cabinet table. Because the system i s designed to continue. The budget will be delivered on time next week. The other issues that the Government has to deal with of a fiscal matter will be addressed. And I myself will prefer to look at this as we all will have to deal with the issues going f orward. Not just whoever will sit in the position of Finance Minister. We all will. All of us who sit in Government. All of us who sit in this Legislature will have to take responsibility for what happens to the country going forward in continuance of the process of governance, Mr. Speaker. And as I see it, when it comes to the history of, certainly our recent history with the position of F inance Minister, in 2017 we had a Finance Minister, and his name of was David Burt. And we now again have a Finance Mi nister by the name of David Burt, the Honourable Premier. And even before Curtis Dic kinson there was no great consternation of him in that position. And as I can see it, the Premier, despite his weighty responsibility, which I am sure he will take time to address sometime in the future, can pick up the mantle and carry it on again until such time as he can make some changes. And he will carry on with the business and give his attention to the fiscal bus iness of the country. He has done it before and he will do it again to the best of his ability that he has avail able to him and to the best interests of this country. And, frankly, I would just like to give him and Mr. Dickinson the credit for debunking the myth of the financial competency of both the UBP and the OBA that left us with Morgan’s Point, an airport deal that we continue to have a burden with paying, and other things that this Government had to deal with when we came in. They both, jointly as Finance Minister and Premier, have steered the ship copin g through a certain spanner in the works of our t rajectory of which we, as others have already addressed, are looking to deal with through a number of initiatives, Mr. Speaker. And guess what? I am now going to deal with that. And I commend my colleague, t he Honourable Jason Hayward, for how he addressed some of those issues. And frankly, the hypocrisy that he [exposed], with the crocodile tears of the Opposition in their attention to the issue around the Finance Minister. . . I can only call it that, Mr. S peaker, crocodile tears. That is all I saw. 406 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly But, Mr. Speaker, I will move on because this Government is moving forward as we must. And we are moving forward because we are strong and resil ient. We are strong and resilient because we were put here to do a j ob by the people of Bermuda. And we are on a path of modernisation, of innovation, to transform this country. We had a number of wonderful speeches gi ven today by Ministers that focused on things like mod-ernisation of the immigration system, to digitise i t. Minister Hayward is giving attention to immigration to ensure that things like closed categories are properly attended to so that the interests of Bermudian workers are protected in this very trying labour environment. Because this Government, as well r epresented by the work of Minister Hayward and everybody in this PLP Government, understands that business as usual cannot be maintained, Mr. Speaker. Minister Scott talked about electric buses t oday. And guess what? I am overjoyed by his a nnouncement. An d I look forward to some sort of invit ation from Minister Scott to ride on one of his electric buses once they are ready to be ridden on. I look forward to the confirmation of what those electric buses are going to bring to our public transportation system , and the savings. For those who think we are a spendthrift Government, the Minister outlined the enormous savings the investment in those buses is going to give to our country in the long term. We are about innovation, Mr. Speaker, and we are about innovation because, guess what, the economy that we need in the future is not just what we have now. We have to bring new things to the econ omy, like the FinTech, like additional investment in di fferent sectors, like energy. We need to push the r ecovery for tour ism with new product, with new exper iences. That is the work that is going on right now. And the work on the Fairmont Southampton Princess will continue— not because the Finance Minister is gone but because our team is focused on making sure it happens, our whole team of 30. The Economic Recovery Plan which Minister Hayward referred to, that work is ongoing. It is going on every day. The Ministers of this Government are dealing with the issues of the Economic Recovery Plan every day, and we will talk more about that in the public eye. But it is important to know, Mr. Speaker, we have not taken our eye off of what is important as a Government. Minister Tinee [Furbert] said it very well earlier, that we are a Government that is concerned about the people’s needs. That is why we made available a huge amount of resources to take care of people when they were out of work during the pandemic (which has been talked about), the $70- plus million of which we are still spending. About the i nvestment we made in our response to COVID -19 from a public health standpoint so that we kept the amount of fatalities as little [as possible]. Because As I r emember it, the models were saying 700 people could die. One death is one death too many. But we inves ted in keeping our people safe. And we will continue to do that, Mr. Speaker. But we as a country must understand that no matter how we feel, and no matter what is facing us, we must believe in ourselves. We must believe in our country. At the same time, the world is not going to wait for us, so we must take charge of our situation. This Government is putting forth a programme that is doing just that. We have to get out there and show that we are positive about our Bermuda and the future that we face. It is going to be challenging, like it is challenging for the whole planet, Mr. Speaker. But we must work together, whether it be the Bermuda Development Agency, with the BTA, with overseas partners, with ABIC, ABIR, with the Bermuda Industr ial Union. All of these entities have a role to play in shaping the recovery that is to come. It needs innovation, it needs investment, it needs opportunity. It needs us creating jobs; it needs us getting people back to work. That is what we need to focus on and not showing crocodile tears on issues that we think we can take political advantage of. That is what we need to do, Mr. Speaker. And we all need to support our Premier in his efforts. He will make changes that are necessary to [re- compute] the direction of the ship as changes are needed. I h ave full confidence that is something the Premier has given his attention to. But he also has to help deliver a budget, Mr. Speaker. And he has got to do some ot her things —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister, you have less than a minute. You are on your last minute. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you very much. —that are needed to keep us in the direction that we need to be in and the momentum that this Government . . . when Curtis Dickinson was the …
Minister, you have less than a minute. You are on your last minute. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you very much. —that are needed to keep us in the direction that we need to be in and the momentum that this Government . . . when Curtis Dickinson was the F inance Minister, and whoever else will be in that pos ition, and other positions in Cabinet and in our party going forward. We are a Government committed to taking and making the right decisions in every aspect of governance of this country. But the ship does not stop because of a change that may come, or a challenge that comes. It must continue, Mr. Speaker, and it will. I am confident in that. I am confident in the future of my country. And I will do everything to ensure that every Member of this community knows that myself and all my 30 colleagues have that level of confidence. And we are committed to this country and its future. Thank you, very much, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Deputy Premier. Would any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Hon. E. David Burt: I would love to, Mr. Speaker. Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Mr. Premier.
Mr. Scott SimmonsMr. Speaker, I will speak before the Premier, if he doesn’t mind.
Mr. Scott SimmonsYes, if the Premier will allow me to go. I am happy if the Premier wishes to go. He can finish up. Hon. E. David Burt: I will yield.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou have your 20 minutes. SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Mr. Scott SimmonsThank you, very much, Mr. Premier. Mr. Speaker, I have listened to honourable colleagues this evening. I have had the opportunity of absorbing and certainly of listening to everything that was said. And I think that we have covered, as far as this Government is concerned, the issues. But, Mr. …
Thank you, very much, Mr. Premier. Mr. Speaker, I have listened to honourable colleagues this evening. I have had the opportunity of absorbing and certainly of listening to everything that was said. And I think that we have covered, as far as this Government is concerned, the issues. But, Mr. Speaker, there are a number of things that have been left out and I think I will move to address those few matters before the night is out. Mr. Speaker, I would first of all like to take this opportunity to thank . . . some colleagues have done so already, but I certainly want to add my voice to thanking the Honourable Financ e Minister for the d irection that he took as it relates to finance in wanting in the first place to join our Government and helping to improve the finances of this country and assisting the Progressive Labour Party in doing it the way that we felt it shoul d be done so that we could signify to the people of Bermuda that we are capable of managing the finances in this country. Mr. Speaker, there has been a pandemic and we have seen the effects of the pandemic on this country. It has been tough. And Minister Dickinson came in at a time . . . and this Government has had to preside over a very difficult period in this country’s history. It has not been easy for any of us. Every si ngle one in our country, our fellow Bermudians, have been tired by what has taken place throughout the country, the pandemic, and the world has been tired. But this Government has been challenged with seeing to the affairs of this country, and the Honourable Mi nister of Finance assisted us in at least doing that part of the heavy lifting. So I want to thank him for the time that he put in, for the tireless hours that he put into the Ministry, for the guidance that he provided his colleagues in caucus and the guidance that he provided the Ministry and the guidance that he provided the Cab inet. So he is to be thanked today. He is an honourable colleague and we appreciate the job that he did, and will no doubt continue to do should he so desire. As said, he will remain in Parliament. But, Mr. Speaker, the one thing that has also to be said is that in the community there has been much criticism. As chairman of caucus, I have been particularly hit with the calls that the backbench have not said anything, that the backbench has not spoken out against . . . if there were anything that the Government is doing wrong, and that the backbench has allowed the Government to do things wrong. I believe that the Honourable Member, I could say the Honour-able Member of this House, Mr. Famous, touched on it. I do believe the Deputy Speaker has spoken on this before. And he stated that the backbench has been vociferous in outlining to our Government, our front bench, how we feel about the Bills that come before this House, and the business that comes before this House. And I have to say that sometimes there have been those on the front bench and those on the backbench, because the front bench can give as good as the backbench. But in this exchange we have found policies that have been . . . and I often say that just as the country is governed by democracy, we operate as a democracy in caucus. And as a result of that the majority rules. We realise that once we come before the public, or once we come into the House, we are a united front. And so even though there are differences of opinion in caucus, what comes before this House is as a Government, as a party, and that is how progressive and that is how productive governments work. It is not without opposition. So, I take deference to the Opposition leader, and I do believe that Members of the Opposition, who are joining the public in crying out. And I think the public is valid in saying, Where is the Backbench? But we have been present. We have chosen to not verbally express our dissati sfaction because there’s a proper place for doing it. The leader of the party has made it clear on numerous occasions that if you wish to have your voice really heard then, either join a branch and become a me mber of the party, or come to the Alaska Hall and get membership and be with us every Monday night on any given week and you’ ll be able to express [you rself]. And we’ve made it clear that policies that come from this Government come from that forum. So, I just wanted to reassure the people of Bermuda, my fellow Bermudians, that we are vociferous in making sure that our Government understands. The difference of it is the thing . . . something that we are finding that does take place, when you have a Government that feels as though they have information or that they are at a position where they more or less make a decision based on what they hear. I’ve heard comments this week and comments the prev ious week that the Government is listening and that we are listening. And we’ve seen this exchange in cau-cus. 408 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly As everyone in the public knows, the discussions in caucus are private. You will see, on the floor of the House, members of the Backbench supporting the Government. You will very rarely see publicly . . . it doesn’t mean that the Backbench does not have a voice. It means that they wish to voice their opinions in the confines of caucus; express their dissatisfaction and look for significant changes. There have been times that the Government, as I said the backbench . . . I’m sorry, the front bench have made changes and they have not. Whether that’s right or wrong, it’s democracy. I f the majority of caucus believes this is the route that we should take, democracy says that’s the route that we should take. If the majority of Bermudians say they wish this party, then those are the things that we do. We live in a s ophisticated society. We are a sophisticated —or supposed to be a sophisticated—democracy. That’s how this plays out. The question then is, Mr. Speaker, that if there is sufficient opposition . . . if there’s sufficient dissatisfaction with any given issue, the question is then whether or not that is answered in the appropr iate fashion with proper hearing, proper listening and then with consideration given to what is being said. And I do believe attention has arisen when the Go vernment or when the Progressive Labour Party or when it is Government as a whole—front bench and backbench—decide to go a certain direction. That creates a bit of a divide. If I can make any recommendation, if I can, Mr Speaker, to my honourable colleagues in this House, and to my honourable colleagues in caucus — one and the same—I would like to recommend that we listen more. The people of Bermuda have made it clear that on certain issues they're not impressed. It will be practically impossible throughout Bermuda for us to be able to satisfy everything that everybody would want. What I hope happens going forward — because I do believe we have arrived there —where they are concerned, [is that] we are prepared to listen. Mr. Speaker, I’ll just return to one point. And that is that it’s one thing to listen; it’s another thing to do. But if one does not go the direction of the recommendation, then one must say why. We must let the public know, these are the reasons why . And share. And share. So, we can do better at what we’re doing. Because I don’t believe that mem bers of the Progressive Labour Party and members of the caucus and Members of Parliament . . . I don’t think that we come in here and are not looking out for the best interest of the country. All of us have a sincere interest in moving the country forward. Therefore, we must come to some common ground. We must come to a common understanding. If we do not do that, then we will lose the connection with the people. And we must be seen to at least understand— listen to and understand— what is being said to us. Governments have changed in the past. I’m one to say, Mr. Speaker, and I believe you are one, and I believe there are others throughout our Parli ament and throughout our parties —all political pa rties—who really want to do the best for Bermuda, who want to s ee Bermuda prosper. When a Finance Mini ster leaves, that’s a concern. When another Minister finishes up and goes, it’s a concern, when there are things that are happening throughout government administration that seem to be off -centre to what the focus needs to be. The Premier continuously outlines what is in our platform. That platform is vital. It’s the playbook. It’s the playbook on what we need to do, how we ex ecute our agenda and move forward for the people of Bermuda. And, ironically, at the last election that’s what the electorate signed up for. They said: We read the platform. We’ve seen it. This is what you are doing. We’re going to vote, and in the majority. No matter what percentage that majority turned out to be, it was enough to form a Government. And we’ve formed a Government. And we are governing. And I do believe on this side of the House there has been a recognition that we have not done everything right. We have not been completely right in everything. But what we are trying to achieve is that we are trying to find common ground and trying to learn from the mistakes that we have made. But I do believe the successes of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party far outnumber the challenges that we have seen policy -wise. I would recommend, and I’l l repeat it again, that we reconnect with our constituencies throughout Bermuda, that we listen to what they are telling us and that we act. There has been an enormous amount of give by the public —by us, the public —[regarding] the government’s regulations. There has been a lot of give and take. But there’s been an enormous amount of give from our fellow Bermudians in saying, We will accept the lockdowns. We will accept that we have to be vaccinated. We will accept —in the majority, if not all, the majority . . . because there are those who, u nfortunately, decide that they’re not going to live by that. And as a result . . . there’s been a result. But Mr. Speaker, we have ended up with a Government who has led. And after so much pr ogress, the people of Bermuda are questioning us. I’m asking the people of Bermuda to reinvest in understanding us as a Government, understanding . . . and we have to articulate what it is that we want to do for the people of Bermuda. It will start next week. And we must continuously articulate what we are doing for the people of Bermuda. But we must also be honest and tell them when things are not going to be so rosy, and things are not going to be so wonderful, and enlist them in doing what we do. We’re good at doing it on the party level. We must increase that connection. And that connection is increased, Mr Speaker, by demonstratBermuda House of Assembly ing that we listen to what our electorate is saying to us. We are about, I believe, 40 per cent I would think (Mr. Speaker, you can correct me) into this second term from 2020. And, Mr. Speaker, already there is unrest. We need to settle that. Get individuals ref ocused in what we are doing. I believe that Alex Scott was . . . I apologise, the former Premier, the Honourable Alex Scott, was not off -centre when he said that there is sufficient ta lent in the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party. That, of course, is challenged by those in our community who feel as though there’s a distinct possibility that we may not necessarily be able to satisfy all of the wants and needs, all of the requirements of the people of Bermuda. But no political party can; we’ve seen that. And the public have answered by voting them out, and by voting us out. And when the public are not happy, they’re not happy. I believe that there is s ufficient talent in the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party for us to be able to settle down and to settle in, to put the right people in place and to get this Government moving to where it needs to be. I have every confidence in that. I didn’t join the Progr essive Labour Party . . . I didn’t get i nvolved in politics or get involved in the service of the people of Bermuda for us to fail at what we do. There’s enough talent —young and established talent—throughout our party to be able to balance out, to own the exuberance and settle down and do the things that we need to do. And I do believe, in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, that we need to focus. We really do need to focus on doing what’s right for the people of Bermuda, to focus in on the job at hand. As a manager in our hospitality industry, I’m continuously speaking to our young people and trying to encourage them, [saying] Whenever you come to work . . . I recognise that we have ever ything else that we need to do, but I encourage them to focus in on the work that has to be done. Yes, your phone is going to go off. Yes, there’s things that you want to do. And our young people today walk around with their phones. But try to focus in. In a Government application we must, as a Government, focus again on the people of Bermuda because there’s a feeling that we’re distracted, that we’re interested in everything else but what we need to be focusing in on. I believe we need to say tonight, that we are prepared to focus in on the issues of the people of Bermuda. Refocus in on where we need to be, but also, Mr. Speaker, the overriding theme is to listen with understanding and to assist the people of Bermuda going forward. Your Backbench will continue. This party will, its 30 members in the House . . . there may be only 12 members of Cabinet, there are sufficient members on the Backbench to make that happen, to provide the pressure on the front bench and get the things done. And we need to continue that —continue the pres-sure—as the people of Bermuda pressure us. As MPs, we need to pressure our Government, to pressure the front bench and also implore that information be shared so that we are able to properly represent the people of Bermuda and to do it in the right fashion. I’m pleased with what we have done as a Government thus far. I recognise that it has not been easy; this pandemic has killed us. I will finish where I started. But we’ve gotten through the pandemic. Now we must emerge together. We must find the common thread today. We must develop tourism. We must move this c ountry along. We must work with intern ational visitors. We absolutely have to provide the education for our young people that they need. But we also must generate the buzz in this country that makes individuals come and bring their foreign currency in ever y way. We have to work for the people of Bermuda. That’s what they expect. They are doing a lot of heavy lifting. We are doing a lot of heavy lifting. So, we must all pull together. I’m looking forward to this year. I’m looking forward to us moving away . . . bringing the numbers of arrivals up, bringing the numbers of our air arrivals up, and [arrivals] coming to our seaports. And also encouraging those who are qualified and who are able to assist Bermuda going forward. I’m not sure how much more time I have, Mr Speaker.
Mr. Scott SimmonsThank you, sir. But I would like to say this. Your Bermuda Progressive Labour Party continues to be focused in on the things that we need to do to benefit Bermuda. You’re beginning to lose confidence in us. Don’t lose confidence. But we as a party must pull together. And …
Thank you, sir. But I would like to say this. Your Bermuda Progressive Labour Party continues to be focused in on the things that we need to do to benefit Bermuda. You’re beginning to lose confidence in us. Don’t lose confidence. But we as a party must pull together. And we must settle down and get to working for the people of Bermuda so that their trust can be verified. Your time is important. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Government Whip. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I will yield.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOh, it is someone else. Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Yes, Mr. Speaker. If I may.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMadam Attorney General Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve had a long night and a lot of speakers —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes, yes. 410 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: —and I’m just going to weigh in for a few minutes with regard to some things that are on my mind. As I listened to the Op position, …
Yes, yes.
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Bermuda House of Assembly SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: —and I’m just going to weigh in for a few minutes with regard to some things that are on my mind. As I listened to the Op position, the only characterisation that I can come up with in regard to what I am hearing tonight is the politics of desperation. B ecause, Mr. Speaker, you cannot sit in this House year after year, month after month, and pretend — pretend—that the Government has done nothing. You cannot sit here and pretend and advance a mistruth that we aren’t capable of governing this country. The Progressive Labour Party ranks include accountants, lawyers, educators, health professionals, businesspeople, former trade uni onists, IT specialists. In other words, Mr. Speaker, we are a cross section of Bermuda, the people whom we represent. And the one characteristic that will always be the PLP’s is that of resilience. So, the events of the recent week that seem to have peopl e in this contrived tailspin . . . they’re not resonating with me. I appreciate my former colleague. I wish him well. But guess what? When you sit around this table on a Tuesday, the rule that we all signed on for is that if we don’t support the party of t he Gover nment —and I’m not talking about former Minister Dic kinson; I’m speaking generally —you take a hike to the Backbench. And collective responsibility demands that we all stand together behind the party of the Gover nment. So what I’m hearing tonight is a mass of rhetoric coming from all quarters, quite frankly, in some instances, about what the Government has not done and what the Government needs to do. So let me be clear. We’re not the money, money, money, money, money party, okay? We are a party tha t focuses on the people, financial stability, and accountability. And all of those wonderful buzz words —and that’s not my domain—are crucial. But guess what? We have always put the people first. And there’s no one . . . and I’ll be frank, Mr. Speaker, I’m looking around and wondering, who on earth are these people talking about? Because in the Ministry where I sit, we work. And we work for the people. During my tenure, Mr. Speaker, I’ve made sure that we have tutelage. I’ve made sure that we fund the advancement of our young people. We’ve had seven pupils leave my chambers who are all employed in the private sector, the public sector, and one who even is a successful entrepreneur of Dove & Butterfly. Success, Mr. Speaker! During my tenure, we enacted the f irst Child Safeguarding legislation to establish our first Child Safeguarding Committee, committed to protecting the rights of child victims of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in this country. We amended the law to ensure that there is enhanced monitoring of sex offenders. And as the Attorney General, to my own . . . or at my own risk I have given the first public notifications in this country with regard to the release of sex offenders in order to protect our community. We have not been sleeping. To those who say we haven’t heard when our young Black men complained about bias in the jury selection process, we fixed it in this very House—how soon we forget —so that there was no bias in jury tr ials. We made sure that we had the right mechanism to keep our laws under constant review and establish our Law Reform Commission. We have three attor-neys general at the helm. We have not been sleeping. Under my tenure, Mr. Speaker, I established the first panel of Litigation Guardians so that our chi ldren have representation in court and that their voices are heard and their interests are protected during court proceedings. And that was against a backdrop of huge opposition and criticism with regard to the D irector of Child and Family Services, who is still there working on behalf of our communities and our families and our children. Resilience, Mr. Speaker! That’s what we represent . We revamp our legislation. We listen. We hear. We have our feelers on the ground. And we respond in this very House. And you all support it; but yet you sit here and pretend that we’ve done nothing. How soon we forget. How soon we forget. You have seen our Premier sponsoring countless grants to our community clubs and our sports clubs and organisations to ensure that they can enjoy some prosperity and that our young people can r emain engaged. And the list goes on, Mr. Speaker. And in the upcoming month we will bring mortgage legisl ations.
Hon. Member: Yes!
[Desk thumping] Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: We will deal with living wage. And th ese are not aspirations —
Hon. Member: Yes! Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: The work has already been undertaken. But make no mistake about it. The very same people you the Opposition criticise in this House and in the public domain—aided by your partners the Royal Gazette —our civil servants. When we are all gone, they are the engine on the grind that keeps this country going. The Minister of Finance did not work alone. He has a whole team of civil servants who are excellent and capable. He has consultants who h ave been brought in to specialise and to assist with the more complex matters. We have a Government that works for the people. And so, I ask myself, What is all of this about? And the one face that keeps ping, ping, pinging in my
Bermuda House of Assembly mind is that of the Honourable Premier. So, is that our game, to get rid of the Premier? Why? See, in the recesses of my mind I have it fi gured out somewhat. Is it that we win elections; we have landslide victories? But guess what, Mr Speak-er? Even if the Honourable Premier is so mehow r emoved, even if the Honourable Premier decides that it’s time to go home, we have in our midst leaders. Because the one thing about our people is that we are resilient. And to the Opposition, sort out your comm unication, because some of you didn’t get the same memo. I must confess that I got kind of confused. And as my colleague said earlier, in one breath you’re extolling the virtues of the Minister of Finance. In the other breath you’re tearing him down. But guess what? This ship continues to sail , and will always sail; and will always work for our people. We have withstood criticism, the hatred from all quarters, attempts to bring us down by any number of mechanisms. And we’re still here. I don’t embrace the rhetoric that we’re not working. I don ’t embrace the rhetoric that we’re not capable. Because that’s absolutely not true. So, let’s stop having that conversation. And I will be honest. As the Minister respons ible for constitutional reform, I had a moment a few minutes ago where I decided that, You know what? The Westminster system needs to go. Because, Mr Speaker, it brings out the worst —
Hon Member: Mm-hmm
Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: —in our Members of Parliament. We had matters on the Order Paper earlier. And I can count on one hand the Members who spoke. And that was the people’s business. But yet we’re going to spend how many hours fussing and fighting and fretting over the resignation of the Mini ster, thinking that it’s going to score somebody political points. I invite colleagues —and I appreciate those of you who did weigh in in your small way —to get busy and do the people’s work. Because guess what? Your efforts to destroy and to maim will be in vain. I don’t need to remind persons of our history. I don’t need to remind persons that notwi thstanding that we come from single- parent families, notwithstanding that our ancestors were in the fields . . . And that’s my mantra right there. Whenever I feel that it all needs to end, what picks me up is the mental image that I carry with me of my fem ale ancestors in a field picking cotton with a baby strapped to their backs. And guess what? I stand up straighter. I continue on. Because we’re all here for a purpose. And so, to all of our naysayers and to all of our enemies, you knock down one, there are five behind them. You knock down 5, there are 20 behind [those] 5. The PLP is not going anywhere. We are resilient. We are strong. We are committed to our people. And we will continue the journey of our service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
[Desk thumping]
The Sp eaker: Thank you, Madam Attorney General. Any other Member before I call on the Premier? Premier, you have your twenty minutes.
SUDDEN RESIGNATION OF FINANCE MINISTER
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to certainly thank the Attorney General for reminding us of the fact that this Government listens, works and executes, Mr. Speaker. And the work of the Members of the Cabinet, the work of the Members of the caucus who chair the most important boards in this country and work to advance the Government’s agenda in their own way speaks for itself, Mr. Speaker. And I must hail the efforts of all of those who serve. B ecause it is not easy. It is not easy to put yourself up for public service. And it is not easy to take the bullets and arro ws as they come. But here’s the truth, Mr. Speaker. As persons have said, we have witnessed political theatre tonight. All six members of the Opposition had their talking points and were here to try to throw slings and arrows at this Government. But guess what, Mr. Speaker? They found themselves in disarray. Minister Hayward, the Minister of Labour, pointed it out. MP Richardson, MP from constituency 7, pointed it out. The leader, the Attorney General, pointed it out. And it’s so funny, Mr. Speaker, becaus e it is so transparent the naked polit ical posturing that was taking place. And I get it. I understand. It’s fun. You know, you sit around. You’re like, Y es, you know, come to the House, I’m not going to worry about the Bills. We’re not going to bring for ward our legislation that we tabled a few weeks ago. So much fanfare: We’re not going to debate that. We’re not going to do that. We’re going to focus on trying to throw mud on the motion to adjourn. Who is that helping, Mr. Speaker? Who is that helping? Let me just give you an example. Last year, just like the Minister of Labour did, if you’ll allow me to quote from the Reply to the Budget, the Honourable Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Minister of Finance said this, and I quote “Mr. Speaker, the Minist er of Finance has failed to deliver either one of these objectives in any kind of robust and detailed fashion. I nstead, he has merely listed off a number of issues facing the country without any specific plan as to how to meet those challenges. There is vi rtually no analysis or context, other than COVID -19, of government’s f inancial performance.” End of quote. 412 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly And today, Mr. Speaker, he throws bouquets and flowers at the Member for constituency 21, after, in political theatre last year, he wanted to savage a budget that the rating agencies commended. Mr. Speaker, political theatre. And as persons mentioned, Mr. Speaker, you know, they have their little meetings over there at Nonna’s Kitchen right around there. Good for them for keeping up with their friends and families plan. I’m not going to hate. And what do we see? Part of the Nonna’s Kitchen Cabinet going off script. So, while they heap praise today, their candidate Vic Ball, the mouthpiece of the combined Opposition, is blasting the former Minister of Finance. They can’t even be on the same page, Mr. Speaker. And there’s only six of them. But guess what, Mr. Speaker? We’re not going to worry about that. Because political theatre will not deliver for the people of this country, Mr. Speaker. It will not . The team of the Progressive Labour Party is focused on delivering for the people of Bermuda. We will not be deterred, as I said, Mr. Speaker, whether we serve at this Cabinet table, whether we chair boards in our community, or whether or not we are on the doorstep in our constituencies helping our people. And though the Members of the Opposition are paid to criticise, the Government is paid to deliver. And that is exactly what we will continue to do. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that this is not somet hing that the Members on this side need to be reminded of, as it is something that Ministers and MPs and Members in the other place are committed to do day in and day out. And if there are Members of this Honourable House who sit on the other side of the aisle who are unable to focus on the issues of the day—the issues that matter to the people of this country—I will just remind them of some of the things of which we’ve done over the last few weeks, Mr. Speaker. Let’s talk about the Coronavirus —moving b eyond the pandemic, releasing of restrictions, changing our border policies, reducing fees, making things eas-ier and better for our tourism industry and our local businesses, Mr. Speaker. That’s what we are doing, Mr. Speaker. We’re delivering on our agenda for housing, Mr. Speaker. We are delivering on that agenda. Last week, I visited Harmony Hall to view the progress of affordable housing being constructed to support Bermudian families and Bermuda’s seniors, Mr. Speaker. And we will visit more sites around the Island in the coming weeks. Because, Mr. Speaker, this Gover nment lives by its platform, executes its platform, and its budgets fund the promises of which we have laid out, Mr. Speaker. And that is what we will continue to do. Just this week, Mr. Speaker, here at the Cab inet Office, I was joined by the Honourable Minister of Transport. Ten new electric buses arrived on the I sland with twenty more soon to come. We heard the Minister of Transport give a ministerial statement earlier today speaking about how these buses are better for our environment, better for our public, better for visitors, and will save taxpayers’ money. You know what the former Government did, Mr. Speaker? They didn’t buy new buses. They didn’t invest in public services. But this Go vernment —through its budgets — funded these improvements because it is the right thing to do, and it is keeping the promises that we made to the elector ate, Mr. Speaker. We said that we were going to install solar on government buildings, including solar at the Fort Lang ton bus station to power these buses, Mr. Speaker. And we are delivering on those promises. And guess what, Mr. Speaker? That means that Ber-mudians are working. Bermudians are being trained. We are delivering on the promises. And that, Mr. Speaker, is the work of a Government. We heard the Minister of Education today outline the progress of which is being made in our schools. And I want to pay homage, Mr. Speaker, to our teachers and our workers and also to the Minister of Education for his t ireless and devoted efforts. He, like me, has children in the public education system, Mr. Speaker, and we are committed to ensuring that they have the best environment in which to learn, Mr. Speaker. That is what this Government is focused on. We heard earlier today the Minister of Health speak about the health strategy, a road map to deliver the pledge to deliver universal single- payer healthcare in Bermuda. I hear some people talking about the PLP’s strayed from its roots [ Slams hand on desk] No, we hav en’t, Mr. Speaker. Because what was in our platform way back when (Mr. Speaker, back when you were, you know, a young MP for the PLP) . . . single - payer healthcare, Mr. Speaker; that’s what we will deliver. So, we’re not going to be deterred, Mr. Speaker. We listen. We listened and produced the platform that came from our members of caucus that came from our members of the party and the central committee, one that is focused on rebuilding Bermuda with Bermudians at heart. And no amount of fire from the com bined Opposition, Mr. Speaker, is going to deter us from that mission. None, Mr. Speaker. Yes, our economy is challenged, like many economies around the world after the pandemic. But next week, Mr. Speaker, when we deliver the Pr ogressive Labour Party’s [ budget], we will see that there is progress that is being made, Mr. Speaker. All the doomsday persons and naysayers will recognise that there is light at the end of this tunnel, Mr. Speaker, that we are repairing public finances despite the bad hand that w e were dealt by the former Gover nment, Mr. Speaker. And when we talk about delivering for our youth, next week we will roll out the National Youth
Bermuda House of Assembly Policy working group. And as the Minister of Labour said earlier today, we are going to be delivering on the Youth Employment Strategy, which is a part of our Economic Recovery Plan, making sure that we capture and deliver for the youth of this country, Mr. Speaker. That is what this Government is focused on. And so, while the Opposition would really wish for us to be deterred and distracted, [and] try to mire us in silly scandal, that’s not what we’re focused on, Mr. Speaker. People ask me, how do you do this ? And what about all these things they’re saying about you? Mr. Speaker, I don’t read it. I wake up. I c ome to work. I go home, spend time with my family. They go to bed. And I go back to work. That is what the Mini sters of this Government do. And that is what the members of this caucus do. We are working to deliver for the people of Bermuda. And so, Mr. Speaker, I’m not going to spend too much time on some of the noise that came here from the Opposition earlier today. But here’s what I can say, Mr. Speaker: If the extent of the plan that you have for the future of the country is to try to find another $100 million to spend on a boat race, then that tells you all you need to know about the vision that the other side has, Mr. Speaker. If the only thing you can boast about is spen ding $100 million for a boat race, but forget about gross errors, the [INAUDIBLE] with pathways for status, gi ving away an airport with a no- bid contract [and] a 16 per cent guaranteed rate of interest —which many people in this world would love to have, and this I sland would love to have. But no, Mr. Speaker, your mom’s tax dollars, yo ur family’s tax dollars are going to pay off that bad deal, Mr. Speaker. And the Oppos ition has the temerity to talk about budgets? They want to talk about the former Minister of Finance, the hot potato that we had to handle at Mor-gan’s Point, a project t hat was in default while the former Government was up there filming election ad-vertisements, Mr. Speaker. Really? And then they want to talk about budgets? Come on! Come better than that, Mr. Speaker. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. They are the party of the past, and we— with our progressive plans for the future—are the party of the future. And when we’re talking about talking out of both sides of our mouths, I hear a bunch of hullabaloo about tourism, Mr. Speaker. But guess what? Here’s what ’s funny: The former Premier was talking about tourism while his own SAGE Commission said there should not be a Minister of Tourism, and it should all be handled by the BTA. So, which one is it? We have a capable Board of the Bermuda Tourism Authority led by the Honourable Member for constituency 14, a capable leadership team, a capable staff, and a national tourism plan that represents the tourism policy for this Government. And guess what, Mr. Speaker? The Opposition was consulted in the construction of that plan. This is about execution, Mr. Speaker. So, you want to talk a little bit about tourism, Mr. Speaker? Let me say this: The Opposition does not support the reopening of the Fairmont Southampton Princess Hotel and the 700 jobs of which it will creat e, Mr. Speaker. And they criticise the former Minister of Finance’s approach to Government’s support for hotel develo pment because we read it inside of last year’s budget speech, Mr. Speaker . . . Budget Reply . And guess what, Mr. Speaker? They will critic ise my approach as well. They are paid to criticise, Mr. Speaker. We are paid to deliver. And that is precisely what we will do, Mr. Speaker. And we will not stop at Fairmont Southampton. It is that simple, Mr. Speaker. So, the noise may happen, but we w ill be guided by what promises we made to the people of this country. We are focused on delivering, and next week, Friday, Mr. Speaker, we will be here to deliver the Progressive Labour Party Government’s budgets—not Curtis Dickinson ’s budget, not David Burt’s budget, the Progressive Labour Party Government’s budget, which funds our priorities, Mr. Speaker; which delivers relief to people who need relief, Mr. Speaker, and that ensures that we can continue to provide and invest in our people, to transform education, to deliver on our promises for healthcare, to introduce new i ndustries, to train our people, to invest our people, Mr. Speaker. That’s it. And with all the noise that the O pposition can make today . . . guess what, Mr. Speaker? Two weeks from now, they will need to reply to a PLP budget that funds those priorities, Mr. Speaker. We know the history. We know the story, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to investing in our people, making sure that the people of this country have the investments to build their skills to reenter the job markets and to make a living . . . that’s what we do, Mr. Speaker. The former party, the former Government, the Opposition . . . they cut scholarships. This Government increased scholarships. Mr. Speaker, the former Government cut health care. This Government funds healthcare. The former Government got debt downgrades, Mr. Speaker, and this Government got debt upgrades. That’s the difference. And our record on financial management, while I was the Minister of Finance for 16 months, when the MP for constituency 21 was the Minister of Finance for 39 months, and now that I’ve returned, speaks for itself, Mr. Speaker. Because while we hear the noise locally, independent observers with no axe to grind, no desire to see political nois e for their own selfish purposes, speak independently and recognise the progress that we have made under incredibly diff icult circumstances, Mr. Speaker, thanks to no help from the other side who left us with a whole lot of debt—the airport guarantee and Morgan’s Point guarantee. But we’ve persevered through that because we must, because if we don’t, the people whom we serve 414 18 February 2022 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly will not get what they need. So, Mr. Speaker, as I close, we will not be distracted. MP Dickinson, I thank you for your service. I know how hard you work, and I know the incredible strain that this job places on an individual and on their family. Thank you for your service. Next week, Mr. Speaker, when we are back here we will deliver the Progressive Labour Party Government’s budget. T hat budget, Mr. Speaker, will set the path for relief in this country and also for i nvestment in our future. And I am proud to be able to deliver it on behalf of the 30 members . . . sorry, the 29 members of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party caucus. Wit h that, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to seeing you next week. Good night.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Mr. Premier. Thank you to each Member that has partic ipated today. I trust that everyone will get a restful weekend, and we’ll see you back here next Friday morning at ten o’clock for the reading of the budget for this coming [ fiscal ] year. Have a …
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Thank you to each Member that has partic ipated today. I trust that everyone will get a restful weekend, and we’ll see you back here next Friday morning at ten o’clock for the reading of the budget for this coming [ fiscal ] year. Have a good weekend, Members. The House now stands adjourned.
[At 9:45 pm, the House stood adjourned until 10:00 am, Friday, 25 February 2022.]