Senate
Session 2020/2021
2 speeches
December 2, 2020
Official Hansard Report - Senate
Download PDF transcriptSession Summary
Simplified for YouThis was a brief Senate session focused mainly on administrative matters and presenting annual reports. Senators discussed moving to virtual meetings due to COVID-19 recommendations from the health ministry. Senator Darrell answered questions from the previous week about Bermuda College scholarship programs, revealing that 70 students are in the College Promise program with an 88% retention rate. The session concluded with condolences for recently deceased community members and a lengthy reflection on the 2016 airport deal protests.
Key Topics
COVID-19 safety protocols for Senate meetings and shift to virtual formatAnnual reports from Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority, Airport Authority, and Parole BoardQuestions about Bermuda College scholarships and student enrollmentVarious customs duty and tax amendmentsRemembrance of December 2, 2016 airport protest anniversary
Bills & Motions
Six public bills received first reading: Insurance Amendment Act, Digital Asset Business Amendment Act, Land Valuation and Tax Act, Health Professionals Act, St. George's Club Act, and Bermuda National Parks Amendment Act
Various customs tariff and duty amendment notices were presented for information
No bills were debated or voted on during this session
Notable Moments
The President reminded Senators about proper debate conduct following incidents from the previous week, noting that Senator Darrell had apologized for inappropriate comments
Senator Darrell gave an emotional speech reflecting on the 4th anniversary of the December 2016 protests against the airport deal, connecting it to current economic struggles
Multiple Senators offered condolences for community members who had recently passed away, including former MP Leonard Gibbons
Debate Transcript
2 speeches from 2 speakers
An Hon. Member An Hon. Member
Good point, yes . I see that. The President: Thank you for that. Yes. Thank you. [ Inaudible in terjection] Sen. Robin Tucker: [At] 10:02 am, the very first se ntence. The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker. Sen. Michelle Simmons: Madam President, I move that the Minutes of Wednesday, 25th …
Good point, yes . I see that.
The President: Thank you for that. Yes. Thank you.
[
Inaudible in terjection]
Sen. Robin Tucker: [At] 10:02 am, the very first se ntence.
The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker. Sen. Michelle Simmons: Madam President, I move
that the Minutes of Wednesday, 25th of November
2020, with those two adjustments , be confirmed.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection. The Minutes are confirmed with
that adjus tment.
[
Minutes of 25 November 2020 confirmed.]
The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Simmons.
Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you.
MESSAGES
The Clerk: There are no messages, Madam Pres ident.
The President: Thank you, Mr. Somner.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
The President: There are none.
We will move on to Announcements, but before we do, Senators, I would just like to bring to your
attention a couple of items.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BY THE PRESIDENT
VIRTUAL SENATE MEETINGS
The President: One is that there was a memo from
the Minister, Minister Kim Wilson, with the recommen-dation that Members should no longer meet in person in the Chamber. Further, she is recommending that Members follow the rules implemented by Dr. Binns
for the civil serv ice, and that is , no more than 10 persons, hands washed and sanitised, physical distanc-ing should be maintained, masks to be worn for the duration of the meeting, and windows that could be opened [which] would increase ventilation, and the
room cleaned and disinfected between meetings.
As a result of this directive, we will be meeting
today here. And next week we will meet virtually.
36 2 December 2020 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate STANDING ORDER 49 —RULES OF DEBATE
The President: Additionally, Senators, in light of what
transpired last week on the motion to adjourn, I would
just like to reiterate a couple of points that were
shared with you during the orientation and the training
session that was given last week, Monday.
I would like to draw to your attention [Standing
Order 49] , the rules of debat e. I think you all have
copies of the information that was shared. It is out of
order to use offensive, insulting or disrespectful language about Members of the Senate or which tend to bring the Senate into disrepute.
I would also like to share that the P resident or
the Chair is responsible for maintaining order and decorum. The duty is to ensure that Members observe
the rules and that the dignity of the Senate is not
compromised. It is out of order to use offensive, insul ting or disrespectful language about Members of the
Senate or which tend to bring the Senate into disr epute.
I would just like to share with you that Senator
Darrell has apologised to me as a result of some of
the comments that were made last week. And I would
just encourage Senators to r emind themselves of the
Standing Orders.
I will now move on with our agenda, and that
is item number five, Announcements. The first announcement is the Audited Financial Statements of
the Office of the Information Commissioner for the
fiscal year ended the 31
st of March 2019.
Senator Arianna Hodgson . . . Oh, Senator
Darrell; I beg your pardon. Senator Darrell, you have
the floor.
Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President .
Good morning.
The President: Good morning.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OF EXPENSES OF THE OFFICE OF THE
INFORMATION COMMISSIONER FOR THE YEAR
ENDED THE 31ST OF MARCH 2019
Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President, I hereby pr esent for the information of the Senate the Audited F inancial Statements of Expenses of the Office of the
Information Commissioner for the year ended the 31st
of March 2019.
The President: Thank you.
The next [announcement] is the Bermuda Civil
Aviation Authority Annual Report . Senator Richar dson, you have the floor.
BERMUDA CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY’S
ANNUAL REPORT 2017/18, “BUILDING ON OUR
FOUNDATION”
BERMUDA AIRPORT AUTHORITY ANNUAL
REPORT 2019/20, “NAVIGATING CHALLENGES,
FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE”
PAROLE BOARD COMBINED REPORT
2017 TO 2019
Sen. Curtis Richardson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Madam President, I hereby present for the
information of the Senate the following reports: the
Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority Annual Report for the
fiscal year 2017/18, entitled “Building on Our Foundation”; the Bermuda Airport Authority Annual Report for the fiscal year 2019/20, entitled “Navigating Challenges, Focused on the Future”; and the Parole Board Combined Report 2017 to 2019, covering the activities
of the Parole Board over the period from the 20
th of
November 2017 to the 31st of Dec ember 2019.
Madam President, there are Statements for
these that will be held and read at the next sitting.
The President: Thank you, Senator Richardson.
We now move on to the announcement r egarding the BELCO North Power Station. That is Senator Arian na Hodgson.
You have the floor.
CUSTOMS DUTY (BELCO NORTH POWER ST ATION) REMISSION AMENDMENT ORDER 2020
CUSTOMS TARIFF (APPROVED BUSINESSES)
AMENDMENT (NO. 4) NOTICE 2020
CUSTOMS TARIFF (APPROVED BUSINESSES)
AMENDMENT (NO. 5) NOTICE 2020
CUSTOMS TARIFF (APPROVED BUSINESSES)
AMENDMENT (NO. 6) NOTICE 2020
CUSTOMS TARIFF (APPROVED ORGANI SATIONS)
AMENDMENT (NO. 2) NOTICE 2020
PUBLIC TREASURY (ADMINISTRATION AND
PAYMENTS) (SUPPLEMENTAL UNEMPLOYMENT
BENEFIT) REGULATIONS 2020
PUBLIC TREASURY (ADMINISTRATION AND
PAYMENTS) ( TEMPORARY UNEMPLOYMENT
BENEFIT) AMENDMENT (NO. 3) REGULATIONS
2020
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I hereby
present for the information of Senate the following subsidiary items:
Bermuda Senate • the Customs Duty (BELCO North Power S tation) Remission Amendment Order 2020 as
made by the Minister of Finance under the provisions of section 2 of the Customs Duty
(Special Remission) Act 1951;
• the Customs Tariff (Approved Businesses)
Amendment (No. 4) Notice 2020 ;
• the Customs Tariff (Approved Businesses)
Amendment (No. 5) Notice 2020 ; and
• the Customs Tariff (Approved Businesses)
Amendment (No. 6) Notice 2020 .
Each is made by the Minister of Finance under the
provisions of Customs Procedure Code 4229 of the
Fifth Schedule to the Cust oms Tariff Act 1970. [Continuing are the following:]
• the Customs Tariff (Approved Organi sations)
Amendment (No. 2) Notice 2020 as made by
the Minister of Finance under the provisions of Customs Procedure Code 4140 of the Fifth
Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act 1970;
• the Public Treasury (Administration and Pa yments) (Supplemental Unemployment Benefit)
Regulations 2020 as made by the Minister of
Finance under the provisions of section 33 of
the Public Treasury (Administration and Pa yments) Act 1969;
• the Public Treasury (Administration and Pa yments) ( Temporary Unemployment Benefit)
Amendment (No. 3) Regulations 2020 as
made by the M inister of Finance under the
provisions of section 33 of the Public Treasury (Administration and Payments) Act 1969.
E-copies of these items can be accessed on
Senators’ tablets and on the parliament website.
The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson. (Why do I want to change your name?)
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: No worries .
The President: I do apologise.
NOTICES OF MOTION
The President: There are none.
PETITIONS
The President: There are none.
STATEMENTS
The President: There are none.
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
The President: There are none.
FIRST READING
OF PUBLIC BILLS
INSURANCE AMENDMENT (NO. 2) ACT 2020
DIGITAL ASSET BUSINESS
AMENDMENT ACT 2020
LAND VALUATION AND TAX (SPECIAL
PROVISIONS AND POSTPONEMENT OF
PREPARATION OF DRAFT VALUATION
LIST) ACT 2020
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS (MISCELLANEOUS
AMENDMENTS) ACT 2020
ST. GEORGE’S CLUB ACT 2020
BERMUDA NATIONAL PARKS
AMENDMENT ACT 2020
The President: Senators, the following Public Bills
have been received from the Honourable House of
Assembly and are now read for the first time. Their
titles are, respectively,
• the Insurance Amendment (No. 2) Act 2020;
• the Digital Asset Business Amendment Act
2020 ;
• the Land Valuation and Tax (Special Prov isions and Postponement of Preparation of
Draft Valuation List) Act 2020;
• the Health Professionals (Miscellaneous
Amendments) Act 2020;
• the St. George’s Club Act 2020; and
• the Bermuda National Parks Amendment Act
2020.
FIRST READING
OF PRIVATE BILLS
The President: There are none.
QUESTION PERIOD
The President: My understanding is that there were
questions which were raised last week that Senator
Darrell, you have responses to those questions. You
have the floor.
QUESTION 1: BERMUDA COLLEGE 2019/20
ANNUAL REPORT
[Senator Marcus Jones’ Parliamentary Question of 25
November 2020, recommitted. ]
Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President.
I believe the first question was asked by Senator Smith last week , and it was, How many students
received scholarships this year? While this question is
38 2 December 2020 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate a little difficult to answer, I will answer it in two parts or
three parts.
So the first part: There are a total of 70 Co llege Promise students at the Bermuda College this
year, 47 of wh om are new College Promise students .
This represent s an 80 per c ent increase over the last
year, while 23 out of 26 students in the initial cohort
have returned for a second year, representing an
88 per cent retention rate. Now, that is [for] scholarships. The Bermuda College actually makes a distin ction between scholarships and financial aid.
So I will answer the second [part] with fina ncial aid in mind. This semester 71 students received
financial assistance from the tuition grant, which comprised 44 students in the academic divisions and 27
students in the PACE. To date 871 awards have been
granted to Bermuda College students since this ann ual grant was put in place in 2017. [Additionally,] 104 students were awarded financial assistance by the
Bermuda College Foundation. So I know the question
was a general one about scholarships. But as you can
see, it is broken down over many different types of
financial assistance.
[The second part of that] Question asked:
How many students who received scholarships actual-ly graduated? I am a little bi t unclear on the question,
but I will answer it like this with this caveat: I was not
sure if the question is per taining to College Promise
students or all students who received government f inancial assistance. But here is the answer: If you are
talking or asking about the College Promise, or scholarship students, then there will not be any graduates at this time , as the programme started in the fall of
2019 and is only in its second year. The first cohort
would be eligible for graduation in May of 2021. If you
are referencing all students who received government
assistance, this information is not currently available.
QUESTION 2: BERMUDA COLLEGE 2019/20
ANNUAL REPORT
[Senator Ben Smith’s Parliamentary Question of 25
November 2020, r ecommitted. ]
Sen. Owe n Darrell: And number three, What is the
percentage of public school students who graduated
from high school and are enrolled in the Bermuda Co llege? Of the Bermuda College enrolments , 90 per
cent are from the Bermuda Public School System as
of August 2020.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell, for the
response.
Senator Smith, you have the floor.
Sen. Ben Smith: Yes, Madam President. I just want
to clarify. My question actually asked w hat percentage
of students from public school graduated with the r e-quirements to get into the Bermuda College, because
the purpose of giving this opportunity is that we are
trying to give better opportunities for our students.
What I am trying to figure out is how many of the st udents wh o are attending public school are leaving with
the ability to actually take this opportunity .
Thank you.
Sen. Owen Darrell: I will get that answer.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell and Senator Smith.
Does anybody else have questions or r espons es to what has been —
Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes, Madam President.
The President: Senator Jones, you have the floor.
Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes. Thank you, Madam Pres ident. Good morning to my colleagues.
I just wanted to say thank you to the Junior
Minister for providing us with that information, simply
because I believe the public would surely like to know.
And I am very happy to see that 23 of the 26 returned
in the second year. I am very much encouraged by
those numbers. A nd this is information that we on this
side of the aisle would like to continuously be made
available to the public because I believe it is information that is worth disseminating.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
Does any other Senator have a response or
question?
No?
Then thank you, Senator Darrell, for providing
the information that was asked [for] last week.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
The President: Moving along, there are no Orders of
the Day today.
MOTIONS
The Pr esident: There are none.
CONGRATULATORY AND/OR
OBITUARY SPEECHES
The President: Would any Senator care to speak on
this?
Senator Tucker, you have the floor.
Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
On behalf of the . . . well, first I would like to
start with condolences. So on behalf of the Opposition
Bermuda Senate Senate Team, I would like to express condolences to
all families and friends of those who have recently lost
loved ones. Specifically, I would like to extend condolences to A cting Commissioner of Corrections, Ms.
Keeva -Mae Joell -Benjamin, on the recent passing of
her mother, Ms. Beverley Anita Joell, who some may remember from her time working at the Salvation A rmy Thrift Shop in Hamilton. I extend heartfelt condolences to Ms. Joell -Benjamin and her entire family.
I would also like to provide two points of congratulations. One, to Ms. Remy Richardson on becoming the first Filipino and the first female to be pr omoted to supervisor at the Royal Hamilton Amateur
Dinghy Club, where Ms. Richardson has worked for
almost 30 years. Some may also remember Ms. Ric hardson from Wahoo’s Bistro & Patio in St. George’s,
where she has worked for a number of years with her
Bermudian husband Lee Richardson.
And finally, I would like to extend congratul ations to the MarketPlace for putting on a great mobile Christmas parade, ensuring that those of us who e njoy the annual event could do so safely. I had the
pleasure of being roadside with my gr anddaughters,
who are five and one. And the excitement on their
faces and those of the other children nearby as the
vehicles and Santa passed was priceless. Well done
to MarketPlace and everyone who had a hand in or-ganising and participating in such a great event !
Thank you for giving us a little joy and semblance of normalcy as we navigate through the challenges of
COVID -19.
Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Robin Tucker.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator Michelle Simmons, you h ave the
floor.
Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I would like to offer or ask that the Senate offer condolences to the family of the late Honourable
Leonard Ormand Gibbons. Leonard was the husband of Sally, a former colleague of mine, and father of S usan Gray and Geoffrey, who is now deceased unfor-tunately. Leonard ran Leonard O. Gibbons Real E state Ltd. for more than 35 years. He was, as many of
you will recall, an elected Member of Parliament, ha ving first represented Smith’s North in F ebruary 1989
and eventually rising to at least two Cabinet positions
that I remember, first as Minister of Community Affairs
and then later as Minister of Works and Engineering, in which position he handled some significant go vernment projects.
But above all, Leonard was a proud family
man and was committed to serving his church, the Anglican Church of Bermuda. And I particularly recall
his serving for, it must be 35– 40 years on the Bus iness Committee of the Church Society. He was a faithful worshiper at H oly Trinity Church. And I also
want to extend my condolences to his church family.
In addition, I would like condolences to be
sent to the family of the late Charles Samuel “Boo” Brown, especially to his wife of many, many years, Mrs. Millicent Brown; all of his children; all of his
grandchildren and great -grans. Mr. Brown was a
friend of my parents, and when I was growing up and attending the Berkeley Institute, he was one of those
wonderful bus drivers who would convey us to school
and pick us up at the end of the day, take us home.
He interacted with us always with a warm greeting,
always with a smile, always with encouraging words.
He was known, and he stood out because he always
was immaculately dressed, whether he was in his bus
driver’s uniform or indeed out and about socialising.
I attended school with some of his children,
and I would just like to let them know we are thinking
of them and remembering them in prayer.
Madam President, thank you for listening.
The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Simmons.
I am sure that the Senate body would like to
be associated with the comments that you have made
about the Honourable Leonard Gibbons, who had
such an illustrious career. And I would say that about
all the comments that have been made for thos e who
have passed.
Thank you.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator Darrell, you have the floor.
Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, I would like the Senate to
send condolences to the family of the late Ms. Sherlyn
Eleanor Jones, nee Warner. Ms. Jones was laid to
rest this past Saturday at her church, where she was
a devoted member of the New Testament Heritage Worship Centre. Ms. Jones, and I knew her and many
of my classmates at Harrington Sound Primary
School —she was actually Ms. Burgess at the time.
Ms. Jones was a long- serving teacher at Harrington
Sound Primary School. And she went quietly about
her duties for many years at Harrington Sound, and
she was one of the most respected educators ever to
grace the buil ding. And she served under many other
education giants, principals such as Ms. Aurelia Burch
and Dr. Charlotte Ming.
As I said, she was a devoted member of the
New Testament Heritage Worship Centre, and she would have celebrated her 80
th birthday this Chr istmas
Day. Unfortunately, she also lost her husband, a PLP
stalwart, Mr. Donald Jones, earlier this year, as well
as her brother, who was another long- serving member
and PLP supporter. She is survived by her sons Ervin
and her son Shannon, whom many would know from
his football career on the Bermuda National Team and
40 2 December 2020 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate Devonshire Colts; grandsons San- tse and Thierry;
and granddaughters Sanaa and Elliyah.
I would also like to point out, as I did not call
her by name, but Mrs. Jones was also one of those
volunteers whom I thanked last week, as she made many calls during my campaign back in September.
Madam President, I would also like the Se nate to send condolences to [the family of] Mr. Jerry Lynn Simons, the husband of Ms. Deborah Simons
and father of D r. Dana Selassie, Amber, Regis and
Ryan Simons. Mr. Simons was Dr. Selassie’s father,
and Dr. Selassie is a personal friend of mine, and she
also was a former colleague of mine more recently.
Also, his brothers and sisters —and I would just like to
point out three in particular, Ms. Francine Simons,
who was a long- serving member and executive me mber of the Progressive Labour Party; his sister, Ms.
Elaine Butterfield, who is married to my cousin; and
his other sister, Ms. Deborah Leverock, who is also a
forme r colleague of mine.
And finally, with the probably 20 seconds I
have left, I would like to send congratulations, on a
happier note. Some of you may have seen that one of
my colleagues who sits in another place, Minister J ason Hayward, completed his promi se that he made
back in July, it was a birthday promise, that he would donate significant money to three of the childhood community clubs [operating] when he was growing up.
And those three are Social Club, North Village and Dandy Town. And I just want to congratulate him in
this time where there are a lot who are struggling, that
he was able to find some of his extra, personal funds
to give to worthy community clubs. Thank you, Mad-am President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell. And I
would think that all Senators in this body would join
you in your condolences , and particularly those congratulations. So thank you, Senator Darrell.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
No. Then we will move on to the adjournment.
Dr. Peets. Minister Peets and Government
Leader in the Senate, you have the floor.
ADJOURNMENT
The President: Thank you for that. Yes. Thank you.
[
Inaudible in terjection]
Sen. Robin Tucker: [At] 10:02 am, the very first se ntence.
The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker. Sen. Michelle Simmons: Madam President, I move
that the Minutes of Wednesday, 25th of November
2020, with those two adjustments , be confirmed.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection. The Minutes are confirmed with
that adjus tment.
[
Minutes of 25 November 2020 confirmed.]
The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Simmons.
Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you.
MESSAGES
The Clerk: There are no messages, Madam Pres ident.
The President: Thank you, Mr. Somner.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
The President: There are none.
We will move on to Announcements, but before we do, Senators, I would just like to bring to your
attention a couple of items.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BY THE PRESIDENT
VIRTUAL SENATE MEETINGS
The President: One is that there was a memo from
the Minister, Minister Kim Wilson, with the recommen-dation that Members should no longer meet in person in the Chamber. Further, she is recommending that Members follow the rules implemented by Dr. Binns
for the civil serv ice, and that is , no more than 10 persons, hands washed and sanitised, physical distanc-ing should be maintained, masks to be worn for the duration of the meeting, and windows that could be opened [which] would increase ventilation, and the
room cleaned and disinfected between meetings.
As a result of this directive, we will be meeting
today here. And next week we will meet virtually.
36 2 December 2020 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate STANDING ORDER 49 —RULES OF DEBATE
The President: Additionally, Senators, in light of what
transpired last week on the motion to adjourn, I would
just like to reiterate a couple of points that were
shared with you during the orientation and the training
session that was given last week, Monday.
I would like to draw to your attention [Standing
Order 49] , the rules of debat e. I think you all have
copies of the information that was shared. It is out of
order to use offensive, insulting or disrespectful language about Members of the Senate or which tend to bring the Senate into disrepute.
I would also like to share that the P resident or
the Chair is responsible for maintaining order and decorum. The duty is to ensure that Members observe
the rules and that the dignity of the Senate is not
compromised. It is out of order to use offensive, insul ting or disrespectful language about Members of the
Senate or which tend to bring the Senate into disr epute.
I would just like to share with you that Senator
Darrell has apologised to me as a result of some of
the comments that were made last week. And I would
just encourage Senators to r emind themselves of the
Standing Orders.
I will now move on with our agenda, and that
is item number five, Announcements. The first announcement is the Audited Financial Statements of
the Office of the Information Commissioner for the
fiscal year ended the 31
st of March 2019.
Senator Arianna Hodgson . . . Oh, Senator
Darrell; I beg your pardon. Senator Darrell, you have
the floor.
Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President .
Good morning.
The President: Good morning.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OF EXPENSES OF THE OFFICE OF THE
INFORMATION COMMISSIONER FOR THE YEAR
ENDED THE 31ST OF MARCH 2019
Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President, I hereby pr esent for the information of the Senate the Audited F inancial Statements of Expenses of the Office of the
Information Commissioner for the year ended the 31st
of March 2019.
The President: Thank you.
The next [announcement] is the Bermuda Civil
Aviation Authority Annual Report . Senator Richar dson, you have the floor.
BERMUDA CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY’S
ANNUAL REPORT 2017/18, “BUILDING ON OUR
FOUNDATION”
BERMUDA AIRPORT AUTHORITY ANNUAL
REPORT 2019/20, “NAVIGATING CHALLENGES,
FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE”
PAROLE BOARD COMBINED REPORT
2017 TO 2019
Sen. Curtis Richardson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Madam President, I hereby present for the
information of the Senate the following reports: the
Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority Annual Report for the
fiscal year 2017/18, entitled “Building on Our Foundation”; the Bermuda Airport Authority Annual Report for the fiscal year 2019/20, entitled “Navigating Challenges, Focused on the Future”; and the Parole Board Combined Report 2017 to 2019, covering the activities
of the Parole Board over the period from the 20
th of
November 2017 to the 31st of Dec ember 2019.
Madam President, there are Statements for
these that will be held and read at the next sitting.
The President: Thank you, Senator Richardson.
We now move on to the announcement r egarding the BELCO North Power Station. That is Senator Arian na Hodgson.
You have the floor.
CUSTOMS DUTY (BELCO NORTH POWER ST ATION) REMISSION AMENDMENT ORDER 2020
CUSTOMS TARIFF (APPROVED BUSINESSES)
AMENDMENT (NO. 4) NOTICE 2020
CUSTOMS TARIFF (APPROVED BUSINESSES)
AMENDMENT (NO. 5) NOTICE 2020
CUSTOMS TARIFF (APPROVED BUSINESSES)
AMENDMENT (NO. 6) NOTICE 2020
CUSTOMS TARIFF (APPROVED ORGANI SATIONS)
AMENDMENT (NO. 2) NOTICE 2020
PUBLIC TREASURY (ADMINISTRATION AND
PAYMENTS) (SUPPLEMENTAL UNEMPLOYMENT
BENEFIT) REGULATIONS 2020
PUBLIC TREASURY (ADMINISTRATION AND
PAYMENTS) ( TEMPORARY UNEMPLOYMENT
BENEFIT) AMENDMENT (NO. 3) REGULATIONS
2020
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I hereby
present for the information of Senate the following subsidiary items:
Bermuda Senate • the Customs Duty (BELCO North Power S tation) Remission Amendment Order 2020 as
made by the Minister of Finance under the provisions of section 2 of the Customs Duty
(Special Remission) Act 1951;
• the Customs Tariff (Approved Businesses)
Amendment (No. 4) Notice 2020 ;
• the Customs Tariff (Approved Businesses)
Amendment (No. 5) Notice 2020 ; and
• the Customs Tariff (Approved Businesses)
Amendment (No. 6) Notice 2020 .
Each is made by the Minister of Finance under the
provisions of Customs Procedure Code 4229 of the
Fifth Schedule to the Cust oms Tariff Act 1970. [Continuing are the following:]
• the Customs Tariff (Approved Organi sations)
Amendment (No. 2) Notice 2020 as made by
the Minister of Finance under the provisions of Customs Procedure Code 4140 of the Fifth
Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act 1970;
• the Public Treasury (Administration and Pa yments) (Supplemental Unemployment Benefit)
Regulations 2020 as made by the Minister of
Finance under the provisions of section 33 of
the Public Treasury (Administration and Pa yments) Act 1969;
• the Public Treasury (Administration and Pa yments) ( Temporary Unemployment Benefit)
Amendment (No. 3) Regulations 2020 as
made by the M inister of Finance under the
provisions of section 33 of the Public Treasury (Administration and Payments) Act 1969.
E-copies of these items can be accessed on
Senators’ tablets and on the parliament website.
The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson. (Why do I want to change your name?)
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: No worries .
The President: I do apologise.
NOTICES OF MOTION
The President: There are none.
PETITIONS
The President: There are none.
STATEMENTS
The President: There are none.
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
The President: There are none.
FIRST READING
OF PUBLIC BILLS
INSURANCE AMENDMENT (NO. 2) ACT 2020
DIGITAL ASSET BUSINESS
AMENDMENT ACT 2020
LAND VALUATION AND TAX (SPECIAL
PROVISIONS AND POSTPONEMENT OF
PREPARATION OF DRAFT VALUATION
LIST) ACT 2020
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS (MISCELLANEOUS
AMENDMENTS) ACT 2020
ST. GEORGE’S CLUB ACT 2020
BERMUDA NATIONAL PARKS
AMENDMENT ACT 2020
The President: Senators, the following Public Bills
have been received from the Honourable House of
Assembly and are now read for the first time. Their
titles are, respectively,
• the Insurance Amendment (No. 2) Act 2020;
• the Digital Asset Business Amendment Act
2020 ;
• the Land Valuation and Tax (Special Prov isions and Postponement of Preparation of
Draft Valuation List) Act 2020;
• the Health Professionals (Miscellaneous
Amendments) Act 2020;
• the St. George’s Club Act 2020; and
• the Bermuda National Parks Amendment Act
2020.
FIRST READING
OF PRIVATE BILLS
The President: There are none.
QUESTION PERIOD
The President: My understanding is that there were
questions which were raised last week that Senator
Darrell, you have responses to those questions. You
have the floor.
QUESTION 1: BERMUDA COLLEGE 2019/20
ANNUAL REPORT
[Senator Marcus Jones’ Parliamentary Question of 25
November 2020, recommitted. ]
Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President.
I believe the first question was asked by Senator Smith last week , and it was, How many students
received scholarships this year? While this question is
38 2 December 2020 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate a little difficult to answer, I will answer it in two parts or
three parts.
So the first part: There are a total of 70 Co llege Promise students at the Bermuda College this
year, 47 of wh om are new College Promise students .
This represent s an 80 per c ent increase over the last
year, while 23 out of 26 students in the initial cohort
have returned for a second year, representing an
88 per cent retention rate. Now, that is [for] scholarships. The Bermuda College actually makes a distin ction between scholarships and financial aid.
So I will answer the second [part] with fina ncial aid in mind. This semester 71 students received
financial assistance from the tuition grant, which comprised 44 students in the academic divisions and 27
students in the PACE. To date 871 awards have been
granted to Bermuda College students since this ann ual grant was put in place in 2017. [Additionally,] 104 students were awarded financial assistance by the
Bermuda College Foundation. So I know the question
was a general one about scholarships. But as you can
see, it is broken down over many different types of
financial assistance.
[The second part of that] Question asked:
How many students who received scholarships actual-ly graduated? I am a little bi t unclear on the question,
but I will answer it like this with this caveat: I was not
sure if the question is per taining to College Promise
students or all students who received government f inancial assistance. But here is the answer: If you are
talking or asking about the College Promise, or scholarship students, then there will not be any graduates at this time , as the programme started in the fall of
2019 and is only in its second year. The first cohort
would be eligible for graduation in May of 2021. If you
are referencing all students who received government
assistance, this information is not currently available.
QUESTION 2: BERMUDA COLLEGE 2019/20
ANNUAL REPORT
[Senator Ben Smith’s Parliamentary Question of 25
November 2020, r ecommitted. ]
Sen. Owe n Darrell: And number three, What is the
percentage of public school students who graduated
from high school and are enrolled in the Bermuda Co llege? Of the Bermuda College enrolments , 90 per
cent are from the Bermuda Public School System as
of August 2020.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell, for the
response.
Senator Smith, you have the floor.
Sen. Ben Smith: Yes, Madam President. I just want
to clarify. My question actually asked w hat percentage
of students from public school graduated with the r e-quirements to get into the Bermuda College, because
the purpose of giving this opportunity is that we are
trying to give better opportunities for our students.
What I am trying to figure out is how many of the st udents wh o are attending public school are leaving with
the ability to actually take this opportunity .
Thank you.
Sen. Owen Darrell: I will get that answer.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell and Senator Smith.
Does anybody else have questions or r espons es to what has been —
Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes, Madam President.
The President: Senator Jones, you have the floor.
Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes. Thank you, Madam Pres ident. Good morning to my colleagues.
I just wanted to say thank you to the Junior
Minister for providing us with that information, simply
because I believe the public would surely like to know.
And I am very happy to see that 23 of the 26 returned
in the second year. I am very much encouraged by
those numbers. A nd this is information that we on this
side of the aisle would like to continuously be made
available to the public because I believe it is information that is worth disseminating.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
Does any other Senator have a response or
question?
No?
Then thank you, Senator Darrell, for providing
the information that was asked [for] last week.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
The President: Moving along, there are no Orders of
the Day today.
MOTIONS
The Pr esident: There are none.
CONGRATULATORY AND/OR
OBITUARY SPEECHES
The President: Would any Senator care to speak on
this?
Senator Tucker, you have the floor.
Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
On behalf of the . . . well, first I would like to
start with condolences. So on behalf of the Opposition
Bermuda Senate Senate Team, I would like to express condolences to
all families and friends of those who have recently lost
loved ones. Specifically, I would like to extend condolences to A cting Commissioner of Corrections, Ms.
Keeva -Mae Joell -Benjamin, on the recent passing of
her mother, Ms. Beverley Anita Joell, who some may remember from her time working at the Salvation A rmy Thrift Shop in Hamilton. I extend heartfelt condolences to Ms. Joell -Benjamin and her entire family.
I would also like to provide two points of congratulations. One, to Ms. Remy Richardson on becoming the first Filipino and the first female to be pr omoted to supervisor at the Royal Hamilton Amateur
Dinghy Club, where Ms. Richardson has worked for
almost 30 years. Some may also remember Ms. Ric hardson from Wahoo’s Bistro & Patio in St. George’s,
where she has worked for a number of years with her
Bermudian husband Lee Richardson.
And finally, I would like to extend congratul ations to the MarketPlace for putting on a great mobile Christmas parade, ensuring that those of us who e njoy the annual event could do so safely. I had the
pleasure of being roadside with my gr anddaughters,
who are five and one. And the excitement on their
faces and those of the other children nearby as the
vehicles and Santa passed was priceless. Well done
to MarketPlace and everyone who had a hand in or-ganising and participating in such a great event !
Thank you for giving us a little joy and semblance of normalcy as we navigate through the challenges of
COVID -19.
Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Robin Tucker.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator Michelle Simmons, you h ave the
floor.
Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I would like to offer or ask that the Senate offer condolences to the family of the late Honourable
Leonard Ormand Gibbons. Leonard was the husband of Sally, a former colleague of mine, and father of S usan Gray and Geoffrey, who is now deceased unfor-tunately. Leonard ran Leonard O. Gibbons Real E state Ltd. for more than 35 years. He was, as many of
you will recall, an elected Member of Parliament, ha ving first represented Smith’s North in F ebruary 1989
and eventually rising to at least two Cabinet positions
that I remember, first as Minister of Community Affairs
and then later as Minister of Works and Engineering, in which position he handled some significant go vernment projects.
But above all, Leonard was a proud family
man and was committed to serving his church, the Anglican Church of Bermuda. And I particularly recall
his serving for, it must be 35– 40 years on the Bus iness Committee of the Church Society. He was a faithful worshiper at H oly Trinity Church. And I also
want to extend my condolences to his church family.
In addition, I would like condolences to be
sent to the family of the late Charles Samuel “Boo” Brown, especially to his wife of many, many years, Mrs. Millicent Brown; all of his children; all of his
grandchildren and great -grans. Mr. Brown was a
friend of my parents, and when I was growing up and attending the Berkeley Institute, he was one of those
wonderful bus drivers who would convey us to school
and pick us up at the end of the day, take us home.
He interacted with us always with a warm greeting,
always with a smile, always with encouraging words.
He was known, and he stood out because he always
was immaculately dressed, whether he was in his bus
driver’s uniform or indeed out and about socialising.
I attended school with some of his children,
and I would just like to let them know we are thinking
of them and remembering them in prayer.
Madam President, thank you for listening.
The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Simmons.
I am sure that the Senate body would like to
be associated with the comments that you have made
about the Honourable Leonard Gibbons, who had
such an illustrious career. And I would say that about
all the comments that have been made for thos e who
have passed.
Thank you.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator Darrell, you have the floor.
Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, I would like the Senate to
send condolences to the family of the late Ms. Sherlyn
Eleanor Jones, nee Warner. Ms. Jones was laid to
rest this past Saturday at her church, where she was
a devoted member of the New Testament Heritage Worship Centre. Ms. Jones, and I knew her and many
of my classmates at Harrington Sound Primary
School —she was actually Ms. Burgess at the time.
Ms. Jones was a long- serving teacher at Harrington
Sound Primary School. And she went quietly about
her duties for many years at Harrington Sound, and
she was one of the most respected educators ever to
grace the buil ding. And she served under many other
education giants, principals such as Ms. Aurelia Burch
and Dr. Charlotte Ming.
As I said, she was a devoted member of the
New Testament Heritage Worship Centre, and she would have celebrated her 80
th birthday this Chr istmas
Day. Unfortunately, she also lost her husband, a PLP
stalwart, Mr. Donald Jones, earlier this year, as well
as her brother, who was another long- serving member
and PLP supporter. She is survived by her sons Ervin
and her son Shannon, whom many would know from
his football career on the Bermuda National Team and
40 2 December 2020 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate Devonshire Colts; grandsons San- tse and Thierry;
and granddaughters Sanaa and Elliyah.
I would also like to point out, as I did not call
her by name, but Mrs. Jones was also one of those
volunteers whom I thanked last week, as she made many calls during my campaign back in September.
Madam President, I would also like the Se nate to send condolences to [the family of] Mr. Jerry Lynn Simons, the husband of Ms. Deborah Simons
and father of D r. Dana Selassie, Amber, Regis and
Ryan Simons. Mr. Simons was Dr. Selassie’s father,
and Dr. Selassie is a personal friend of mine, and she
also was a former colleague of mine more recently.
Also, his brothers and sisters —and I would just like to
point out three in particular, Ms. Francine Simons,
who was a long- serving member and executive me mber of the Progressive Labour Party; his sister, Ms.
Elaine Butterfield, who is married to my cousin; and
his other sister, Ms. Deborah Leverock, who is also a
forme r colleague of mine.
And finally, with the probably 20 seconds I
have left, I would like to send congratulations, on a
happier note. Some of you may have seen that one of
my colleagues who sits in another place, Minister J ason Hayward, completed his promi se that he made
back in July, it was a birthday promise, that he would donate significant money to three of the childhood community clubs [operating] when he was growing up.
And those three are Social Club, North Village and Dandy Town. And I just want to congratulate him in
this time where there are a lot who are struggling, that
he was able to find some of his extra, personal funds
to give to worthy community clubs. Thank you, Mad-am President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell. And I
would think that all Senators in this body would join
you in your condolences , and particularly those congratulations. So thank you, Senator Darrell.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
No. Then we will move on to the adjournment.
Dr. Peets. Minister Peets and Government
Leader in the Senate, you have the floor.
ADJOURNMENT
Sen. the Hon. Dr. Ernest Peets
Thank you, Madam President. Given the conclusion of our activities for today, I recommend that we adjourn until next week, Wednesday. The President: Thank you, Minister Peets. Would any Senator care to speak on the motion to adjourn ? Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President. The President: Senator Darrell, you have …
Thank you, Madam
President. Given the conclusion of our activities for
today, I recommend that we adjourn until next week,
Wednesday.
The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
Would any Senator care to speak on the motion to adjourn ?
Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President.
The President: Senator Darrell, you have the floor.
ANNIVERSARY OF THE
2 DECEMBER 2016 PROTEST
Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam Presi dent.
Madam President, I am not going to speak
from notes today. But I am going to speak from my
heart. Every Tuesday evening . . . well, last week
Tuesday and this week Tuesday I got a call from our
Senate Leader, the Honourable Senator Ernest Peets,
Minister of Youth , Culture and Sport s. And he gathers
the team together, and he says, Well, let’s just go over what we’re going to discuss in tomorrow’s sitting. And
at the end we ask each other, Well, who is going to
speak on the motion to adjourn? or What S tatements
do you have?
And I said, Well, I don’t think I’ll say anything.
And we finished up our meeting, we said our goo dbyes, and we went our separate ways.
I then looked at my phone, Madam President,
and I had a message from a very good friend of mine.
He said, Where are you?
And I said, Well, I’m just wrapping up a meeting. It is 9:00 pm. I left the office late. I haven’t eaten.
But I’ll come and meet with you.
So I drove to the place where my friend was,
Madam President. And I sat on his couch. And, you
know, the first question that my friend asked was,
Hey, how are you?
And I said, Well, how are you? And we both
actually gave the same answer , Madam President .
We said, It’s been a rough day ; it’s been a rough couple of weeks , and a rough couple of months. Overall,
we came to the conclusion that things right now are
pretty rough for everyone.
And I sat there and the sit -off that was supposed to last maybe five minutes turned into an hour
and a half. And we just kind of talked about different
things and, you know, kind of tried to come up with
some sort of plan as to how we could make things a
little less rough for ourselves.
I got home and, you know, prepared for t oday,
still, Madam President, with no intention of speaking
on this motion to adjourn. And I woke up this morning
to a few images on my cell phone. One image was of
a PLP Member , a long- serving PLP Member, who is
68 years old ( I hope she does not mind my s aying her
age). And she was sitting on a sidewalk, and her
hands were over her eyes, and her eyes were full of
tears. I said, Hmm. That’s an iconic image. I’ve seen it
before.
The second image was an image of two individuals who at the time were just Members of the Pr ogressive Labour Party who now sit in another place.
And the look of anger on their faces was real.
The other image was an image of the thenyoung pre- 40 Opposition Leader, now Premier of the
country. And there was another image of members of
the Bermuda Police Service, using what some know
as pepper spray, aiming it directly in the faces of b yBermuda Senate standers (I will call them). And the caption below said,
December 2nd, exactly four years ago today.
I sent a message to my Senate colleagues,
and I apologised . I said, I know I said I would not say
anything today. But I woke up after seeing these i mages, after having the discussion with my mate, and I
was sad.
Some will say, Well, that was four years ago.
Some of the events that have transpired since then you should be happy about. I mean, the Government
of the day, who clearly were not listening at the time,
they would have, you know, lost an election some
months later. They would have lost another election
three years after that. So, you know, Let’s get over it.
You won that battle.
And I kept thinking, and I said, Well, you
know, there’s a time that says you should forgive and
forget. And those images, Madam President, will not
allow anyone to forget. I am not sure how much forgiveness could be given at this time, but you definitely
cannot forget. And this brings me back to the late hour
that I left my office and the couch conversation that I was having with my friend. And i t brings us to a place
where there are many people in this country who are
struggling. And you may say, Well, how does one
connect with the other?
I see emails all day which talk about anxiety
levels, people threatening to harm their lives, take their liv es because they cannot deal with the levels of
stress, you know, people taking shots and digs at pu blic officers because they cannot get maybe the financial assistance response that they need in a timely
manner, people who are threatened with court pr oceedings by their landlords because they are just not understanding that this pandemic that we are [living] in has caused them to lose their job and they cannot
pay their rents.
And you may say, Madam President, Well,
how is any of that connected? I go to the grocery
store, and I stand there, and the lady says, Oh, you’re
that PLP guy.
I said, Hi. My name is Owen Darrell.
She says, Well, tell me. Why does the Government have a hiring freeze? And I have to explain to
her that it is a temporary measure so that t he Minister
of Finance could take a look at the country’s finances
and figure out where we can cut, where we can hire
people so that we can use the money that we have
wisely and take care of people.
And I go back to December 2
nd, [2016] and
that whole pr otest was about an airport deal that the
Progressive Labour Party in Opposition were protes ting at the time. We had looked through it, we had
looked through the numbers, and we just could not
see how it was going to work. And dare I say that four
years lat er they are about to have a ceremony to open
this new airport. And there will probably be bells and
whistles and ooh’s and ah’s. But in quarter two of
2020, Madam President, this Government had to pay the owners of that airport —which is not the Gover nment —about $5 million. And in quarter three this
Government had to pay the owners of that airport $15 million. Simple math, you add that up, those two quarters, $20 million.
And it makes me sad, Madam President, that
some may want us to forget what happened on December 2
nd, 2016 . But when you see the emails, the
calls, people stopping you in the grocery store, the
look on people’s faces of, I don’t know how I’m going
to survive next week, next month, into next year, it
hurts, Madam President. It really, really does hurt.
And believe it or not, we can throw out numbers and
we can take shots at individual ’s pay packets and
whether they are working hard or not working hard.
But someti mes, or dare I say most of the time, the
struggle that is going around in Bermuda hits a lot
closer to home than you may think.
So, Madam President, I just wanted to take
this time during the motion to adjourn to remember
December 2nd, 2016. I want to give thanks once again
to those individuals, many of whom were not elected
officials, who on December [2nd] decided to stand up
for something that they may not have known would
cost them $20 million in 2020, but they could see that
it was not a good deal.
So, Madam President, as we reflect on four
years ago, 2016, I just want to tell ever yone in Bermuda to hang in there. And I can tell you without a
shadow of a doubt that this Government, the Progres-sive Labour Party Government, is doing all they can to
make the days and the weeks that are coming less
rough.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?
No?
Then, Senators, the Senate stands adjourned
till next week, Wednesday.
Thank you.
[At 10:40 am, the Senate stood adjourned until
10:00 am, Wednesday, 9 December 2020]
42 2 December 2020 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate
[This page intentionally left blank.]
President. Given the conclusion of our activities for
today, I recommend that we adjourn until next week,
Wednesday.
The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
Would any Senator care to speak on the motion to adjourn ?
Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President.
The President: Senator Darrell, you have the floor.
ANNIVERSARY OF THE
2 DECEMBER 2016 PROTEST
Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam Presi dent.
Madam President, I am not going to speak
from notes today. But I am going to speak from my
heart. Every Tuesday evening . . . well, last week
Tuesday and this week Tuesday I got a call from our
Senate Leader, the Honourable Senator Ernest Peets,
Minister of Youth , Culture and Sport s. And he gathers
the team together, and he says, Well, let’s just go over what we’re going to discuss in tomorrow’s sitting. And
at the end we ask each other, Well, who is going to
speak on the motion to adjourn? or What S tatements
do you have?
And I said, Well, I don’t think I’ll say anything.
And we finished up our meeting, we said our goo dbyes, and we went our separate ways.
I then looked at my phone, Madam President,
and I had a message from a very good friend of mine.
He said, Where are you?
And I said, Well, I’m just wrapping up a meeting. It is 9:00 pm. I left the office late. I haven’t eaten.
But I’ll come and meet with you.
So I drove to the place where my friend was,
Madam President. And I sat on his couch. And, you
know, the first question that my friend asked was,
Hey, how are you?
And I said, Well, how are you? And we both
actually gave the same answer , Madam President .
We said, It’s been a rough day ; it’s been a rough couple of weeks , and a rough couple of months. Overall,
we came to the conclusion that things right now are
pretty rough for everyone.
And I sat there and the sit -off that was supposed to last maybe five minutes turned into an hour
and a half. And we just kind of talked about different
things and, you know, kind of tried to come up with
some sort of plan as to how we could make things a
little less rough for ourselves.
I got home and, you know, prepared for t oday,
still, Madam President, with no intention of speaking
on this motion to adjourn. And I woke up this morning
to a few images on my cell phone. One image was of
a PLP Member , a long- serving PLP Member, who is
68 years old ( I hope she does not mind my s aying her
age). And she was sitting on a sidewalk, and her
hands were over her eyes, and her eyes were full of
tears. I said, Hmm. That’s an iconic image. I’ve seen it
before.
The second image was an image of two individuals who at the time were just Members of the Pr ogressive Labour Party who now sit in another place.
And the look of anger on their faces was real.
The other image was an image of the thenyoung pre- 40 Opposition Leader, now Premier of the
country. And there was another image of members of
the Bermuda Police Service, using what some know
as pepper spray, aiming it directly in the faces of b yBermuda Senate standers (I will call them). And the caption below said,
December 2nd, exactly four years ago today.
I sent a message to my Senate colleagues,
and I apologised . I said, I know I said I would not say
anything today. But I woke up after seeing these i mages, after having the discussion with my mate, and I
was sad.
Some will say, Well, that was four years ago.
Some of the events that have transpired since then you should be happy about. I mean, the Government
of the day, who clearly were not listening at the time,
they would have, you know, lost an election some
months later. They would have lost another election
three years after that. So, you know, Let’s get over it.
You won that battle.
And I kept thinking, and I said, Well, you
know, there’s a time that says you should forgive and
forget. And those images, Madam President, will not
allow anyone to forget. I am not sure how much forgiveness could be given at this time, but you definitely
cannot forget. And this brings me back to the late hour
that I left my office and the couch conversation that I was having with my friend. And i t brings us to a place
where there are many people in this country who are
struggling. And you may say, Well, how does one
connect with the other?
I see emails all day which talk about anxiety
levels, people threatening to harm their lives, take their liv es because they cannot deal with the levels of
stress, you know, people taking shots and digs at pu blic officers because they cannot get maybe the financial assistance response that they need in a timely
manner, people who are threatened with court pr oceedings by their landlords because they are just not understanding that this pandemic that we are [living] in has caused them to lose their job and they cannot
pay their rents.
And you may say, Madam President, Well,
how is any of that connected? I go to the grocery
store, and I stand there, and the lady says, Oh, you’re
that PLP guy.
I said, Hi. My name is Owen Darrell.
She says, Well, tell me. Why does the Government have a hiring freeze? And I have to explain to
her that it is a temporary measure so that t he Minister
of Finance could take a look at the country’s finances
and figure out where we can cut, where we can hire
people so that we can use the money that we have
wisely and take care of people.
And I go back to December 2
nd, [2016] and
that whole pr otest was about an airport deal that the
Progressive Labour Party in Opposition were protes ting at the time. We had looked through it, we had
looked through the numbers, and we just could not
see how it was going to work. And dare I say that four
years lat er they are about to have a ceremony to open
this new airport. And there will probably be bells and
whistles and ooh’s and ah’s. But in quarter two of
2020, Madam President, this Government had to pay the owners of that airport —which is not the Gover nment —about $5 million. And in quarter three this
Government had to pay the owners of that airport $15 million. Simple math, you add that up, those two quarters, $20 million.
And it makes me sad, Madam President, that
some may want us to forget what happened on December 2
nd, 2016 . But when you see the emails, the
calls, people stopping you in the grocery store, the
look on people’s faces of, I don’t know how I’m going
to survive next week, next month, into next year, it
hurts, Madam President. It really, really does hurt.
And believe it or not, we can throw out numbers and
we can take shots at individual ’s pay packets and
whether they are working hard or not working hard.
But someti mes, or dare I say most of the time, the
struggle that is going around in Bermuda hits a lot
closer to home than you may think.
So, Madam President, I just wanted to take
this time during the motion to adjourn to remember
December 2nd, 2016. I want to give thanks once again
to those individuals, many of whom were not elected
officials, who on December [2nd] decided to stand up
for something that they may not have known would
cost them $20 million in 2020, but they could see that
it was not a good deal.
So, Madam President, as we reflect on four
years ago, 2016, I just want to tell ever yone in Bermuda to hang in there. And I can tell you without a
shadow of a doubt that this Government, the Progres-sive Labour Party Government, is doing all they can to
make the days and the weeks that are coming less
rough.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?
No?
Then, Senators, the Senate stands adjourned
till next week, Wednesday.
Thank you.
[At 10:40 am, the Senate stood adjourned until
10:00 am, Wednesday, 9 December 2020]
42 2 December 2020 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate
[This page intentionally left blank.]
Hansard Transcript
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