This was a brief Senate sitting focused mainly on presenting government reports and member speeches rather than debating legislation. Nine public bills were read for the first time but will be discussed at the next meeting. The most significant discussions occurred during adjournment speeches, where senators debated the effectiveness of the recent health care reform consultations and responded to ongoing media coverage about the Department of Child and Family Services.
Health care reform consultation period and public feedbackDepartment of Child and Family Services investigations and concernsVarious government financial reports and authority annual reportsCredit union name change billPositive experiences in Bermuda's hospitality sector
Bills & Motions
B.I.U. Members Credit Union Co-Op Society (Change of Name) Amendment Act 2019 - committee report presented, first reading completed
Nine public bills received first reading, including acts related to pensions, children's services, monetary authority, and economic substance - all deferred to next sitting
Senate adjourned until December 18, 2019
Notable Moments
Senator Robinson criticized the health care reform consultation as "unsatisfactory," saying most Bermudians remain "uninformed, unassured or in direct opposition" to the reform plan
Senator Kempe called for an independent investigation into the Department of Child and Family Services following recent allegations and media coverage
Attorney General Simmons strongly defended the Department of Child and Family Services, challenging citizens to step up and help rather than just criticize, saying "it is not what you say; it is what you do"
Debate Transcript
1 speech from 1 speaker
Madam President .
The PresidentGood morning. POSITIVE IMPACT OF HOSPITALITY SECTOR Sen. Anthony Richardson: I want to do something a little bit different, I suppose. And that is to reflect on what I think was an old tradition for Bermuda when many of us, when we went to un iversity, we would come back …
Good morning. POSITIVE IMPACT OF HOSPITALITY SECTOR Sen. Anthony Richardson: I want to do something a little bit different, I suppose. And that is to reflect on what I think was an old tradition for Bermuda when many of us, when we went to un iversity, we would come back during the summertime and work. And where did we work? In the hospitality sector, whether it be as busboys or waiters or whatever in the dining room, or basically in the hospitality sector. And recently there have been many comments about where Bermuda is or where Bermuda is not. And I just want to reflect on the fact that I had the opportunity to participate in a fairly large- scale celebration from an organisational point of view, and to commend and comment that Bermuda is in good stead in the hospitality sector. And what I mean by that is, based on what we were doing, we had to . . . i t was at one of the major hotels. And we had to set up and then break down
Bermuda Senate and do all kinds of things. And I was very impressed because at one stage we were there until about, beyond 1:30 in the morning. And the hotel staff were there assisting in a very, very positive spirit. And then we had to go back the next morning at 8:30. And some of the same staff were there, again in a positive spirit. S o the dining room captain was there, for example. The maître d’ was there. Some of the maint enance staff were there. And I was very positively i mpressed by the fact that we may sometimes from a distance complain , unnecessarily almost, based upon what I had seen. Like everybody was there to do what had to be done. We also had to engage in Bermuda’s transport system. What I mean by that is minibuses. Because part of the event required us to move a substantial number of people. And we were able to get two buses. They arrived on time. The drivers themselves were very positive, very pleasant. There were some persons who needed extra attention because they were wheelchair -bound. And the buses that we ordered were not wheelchair accessible. But the driver got off . . . it was just an overall positive experience. And then there were some others who had come from overseas. They left. They also commented on how positive the experience had been. And some of them are now intending to come again, a nd when they come back this time to bring many more people with them. And so my comment is more just to say that sometimes we get caught up in all the negativity. And for us to sometimes press pause and look at the pos itive and constructive things that are taking place. B ecause in many instances it is the positive and constructive com ments that cause others to be positive and constructive. And then you start a different trend as opposed to the negativity that we sometimes find ourselves engaged in. So it was really, really pleasant for me, to r eflect on my own training and exposure in the hotels. And it gives you a good opportunity to interact with visitors. And you talk to them and just explain our things to them. And it just gives a very, very good ex-perience when you are able to speak to our visitors and give them a more authentic v iewpoint on how Bermuda is. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Richardson. Would any other Senator care to speak? Senator Kathy Lynn Simmons, Attorney Ge neral and Government Leader in the Senate, you have the floor.
DEPARTMEN T OF CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you, Madam President. Senator Kempe is absolutely correct. We have had a long week of adverse reporting about the Department of Child and Family Services. It has been interesting. It has been disturbing. It has focused on the negative aspects of child protection. It has painted a narrative that is false and unworthy , that the D epartment of Child and Family Services is not fit for purpose. But I would like to think that it also has led to all of us who read the daily being concerned, so con-cerned . . . I do not regard this as a bad thing. I think it is great. I think it is great. And my expectation would be that my phone would be ringing off the hook, that people would be so concerned t hat they would be li ning up to meet with me and determine, How can I assist? Because our problems are not going to be solved by legislation, Madam President . That is part of it. I have the utmost confidence in the director and his staff to continue to act in the most professional way that they can in protecting our children. There was an investigation, and the result of that investigation may not be as some people wanted. But trust and believe that the civil service framework that determines such matters has been effectively i mplemented. So I wait, Madam President, for the barrage of concerned citizens to show up or to telephone me at Global House on the fourth floor. Because we all know that next door is a child who is being abused. We all know about the systemic abuse and incest in families in Bermuda. We all know that we have no resources to service a certain demographic of children in this country whose needs are so severe that we have to par tner with overseas agencies to ensure that their interests ar e paramount and that they receive the assi stance that they deserve. We all know that. And so I give kudos to the Royal Gazette, because I expect . . . I expect that these so- called concerned citizens are not just enjoying the stories of misfortune. And we do that. We do that. We sit and we watch other people’s misfortunes, and we do nothing. And I have said in this Chamber before that it is not what you say; it is what you do. So, Madam President, I am waiting for us as a country to give more of ourselves to assist. We do not need your money. We need you to give of yourself and to call and say, Is there a child whom I can foster? Is there a child whom I can mentor? Is there someone whom I can assist? And those young men who told their stories, I would like to think that they were overwhelmed by support. Are you okay? Do you have a job? What can I do to help you? And if that has happened, and if my phone rings next week, and if people’s consciences are pricked while they are having dinner , and they are okay, then they are okay , and if they have that conversation over wine in certain quarters in this country, and they say, Guys, we have to do better, then guess what? Hand on heart I would say that the Ro yal G azette has succeeded. 730 16 December 2019 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate But if that does not happen . . . and a part of me knows that it will not happen, because it has not happened today. It has not happened today. Then we all have failed. But rest assured that any person who goes to the Royal Gaz ette with their woes or to the Opposition with their woes , as scandalous, salac ious, heart breaking as they may be, if they turn up on the doorstep of the Department of Child and Family Services tomorrow with their families, they will be assis ted. Because that is what those hard- working professionals do. And they will not be called by the Royal G azette’s reporters who are calling all of our institutions in Utah who service our children. They will not be di scouraged. The facilities will not be discouraged. B ecause that is what we do. That is what they do. And that is what they will continue to do. So we all need to look at ourselves and d etermine what part we are going to play. If there are processes and procedures that need to be reformed, that is my job. But the reality is, Madam President, we have a 1998 Children Act. And I am ashamed to say on behalf of parliamentarians that not much has been done. Not much has been done! So while we fuss about airports and hotels and the state of our finances, our children are crying out for assistance. And so, to those who intend to make this a political football, it is not going to happen. To those who are distressed that I am not in the media conjuring those reports, that is not going to happen. We have a story to te ll. And that story reflects our ethos that it is not what you say; it is what you do. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Kathy Lynn Si mmons, Madam Attorney General and Government Leader in the Senate. And with that, Senators, the Senate stands adjourned until Wednesday of this week, which is December the 18 th. Thank you.
[At 10:31 am, the Senate stood adjourned until 10:00 am, Wednesday, 18 December 2019.]