Hansard — May 10, 2019 — Bermuda Parliament

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning, Members. Welcome back. I trust everyone had a good recess. [Gavel] CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES [Minutes of 1 8 and 22 March 2019]

The Speaker The Speaker Members, the Minutes of March 18th and March 22nd have been circulated. Are there any omissions or corrections? No omissions, no corrections. The Minutes are confirmed as printed. [Minutes of 1 8 and 22 March 2019 confirmed] MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR

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

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, there are three this morning. MOMENT OF SILENCE [In memory of Mr. Lloyd James , former MP ]

The Speaker The Speaker First, I am going to ask all Members to join me in standing to give a moment of silence to one of our former Members, the honourable Lloyd James, who was laid to rest while we were absent from this place. I think it is only due that we recognise …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Members. The second announcement is that of Members who are absent. And you will note on the Order Paper that we have received notice that the Honour able Member Gordon- Pamplin and the Honourable Member Ben Smith will be absent. We have Mr. Pearman included on that, but …

The Speaker The Speaker The third announcement this morning is a reminder to Members who attended the Parli amentary Strengthening Seminar , that all M embers who attended are required to sign a consent form, meaning as you know, the CPA [Commonwealth Parliamentary Association] likes to take photographs to put in their regular publications …

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

The Speaker The Speaker We have, I believe, four Ministers today who have papers and communications for the House. The first is in the name of the Premier. Premier. 1476 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly LABOUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE (LAC), SUB -COMMITTEE: REVIEWING THE RETIREMENT AGE 2018 REPORT Hon. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Premier. The [next] papers or co mmunications this morning are in the name of the Minister of Finance. I believe he has six negative resolutions he would like to do. Minister, you can do them all together. Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. ECONOMIC SUBSTANCE AMENDMENT REGULATIONS 2019 ECONOMIC SUBSTANCE AMENDMENT (NO. 2) REGULATIONS 2019 COMPANIES AND LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP TRANSITIONAL PERIOD EXTENSION) ORDER 2019 PARTNERSHIP, EXEMPTED PARTNERSHIPS AND LIMITED P ARTNERSHIP (BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP) (TRANSITIONAL PERIOD EXTENSION) ORDER 2019 CUSTOMS TARIFF (APPROVED BUSINESSES) NOTICE 2019 CUSTOMS TARIFF (APPROVED ORGANISATIONS) …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. The next paper/communication this morning is in the name of the Minister of Health. Minister Wilson, you have the floor. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good m orning. BERMUDA HOSPITALS BOARD ANNUAL REPORT 2014 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I would be honoured to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Bermuda Hosp itals Board Annual Report 2014 .

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. The next Minister who has papers and communications this morning is Minister De Silva, who actually has some 25 negative resolutions. Minister, please do them all together. Hon. Zane. J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Thank you. MERCHANT SHIPPING REGULATIONS 2019 [Various] MARINE BOARD CONTROL OVER MARITIME TRAFFIC (NO. 2) NOTICE 2019 Hon. Zane. J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the following: • Merchant Shipping (Anti -Fouling …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. That brings us to an end of the Papers and Communications. The Deputy Clerk : Did he do the Marine Boards?

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, he did all 25. He did the Marine Boards, yes. PETITIONS

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS AND JUNIOR MINISTERS

The Speaker The Speaker I think we have seven this morning. And the firs t is in the name of the Premier. Premier, would you like to put your Stat ement? Copies are being circulated now, yes?

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes, sir. Hon. E. David Burt: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. REVIEWING THE RETIREMENT AGE— A REPORT OF T HE LABOUR ADVISORY (LAC) SUBCOMMITTEE Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, there is a growing tendency to use statistics around our declining birth rate and what is referred to as the “greying of our population” in support of arguments that mitigate …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Premier. I believe the next Statement is in the name of the Minister of Finance. Minister. Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson : Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Are copies being circulated? [Crosstalk ] 1478 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly The Speaker: You have them? Okay. Yes. EUROPEAN UNION TAX LISTING Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to provide additional background information regar ding the actions which Bermuda has …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. The next Statement on the Order Paper this morning is in the name of the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier. STREAMLINING PLANNING PROCESSES Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank y ou, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform this Ho nourable House about new initiatives the Department …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. The next Minister who has a Statement on the Order Paper this morning is Minister Caines. Minister, would you like to put your Stat ement? Hon. Wayne Caines: If it pleases you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Continue. 1480 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly WESTGATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WORK TO RULE UPDATE Hon. Wayne Caines: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to provide this Honourable House with an update on the Department of Corrections. I would like to say from …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. The next Minister on the Order Paper this morning i s the Minister of Health. Minister Wilson, would you like to put your Statement? Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. BERMUDA HOSPITALS BOARD ANNUAL REPORT 2014 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members , I am very pleased to be tabling in this Ho nourable House today the 2014 Annual Report for the Bermuda Hospitals Board . This marks what is expected to be a process …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. The next Minister who has a Statement this morning is Minister Foggo. Minister. ROLE OF THE LABOUR RELATIONS SECTION 1482 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning to you, to the House, and …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member Foggo. The next Minister, the final Statement this morning is that of the Minister of Transport. Minister De Silva. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane. J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Go ahead. PUBLIC BUS SERVICE Hon. Zane. J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker, the Depar tment of Public Transportation [DPT] implemented a new 50- bus schedule on the 18 th of March 2019 to provide a reduced public bus service that could be reliably met with the available …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. That brings us to a conclusion of the Stat ements for this morning. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. PREMIER’S QUESTION TIME [Standing Order 17(1 1)(i)]

The Speaker The Speaker Premier’s Question Time, yes. Members, just as a reminder, under Premier’s Questions, the Leader of the Opposition may ask three questions. Any other Member may ask one question only. And only Members asking the question may be afforded two supplemental questions. Again, the time period for this is 30 minutes. …

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. QUESTION 1: MOU WITH PERSEID Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: And to the House and vis itors. The first question I have for the Honourable Premier is . . . there was a lot of excitement around a particular company, Perseid, which won awards away for interesting technology that …

Mr. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt premier Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in regard to the question from the Opposition Leader, I believe the Opposition Lea der is asking about the Government’s EID [electronic identification] project, which has been spoken about on numerous occasions. Last year, almost about a year ago, I believe, at the Consensus …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Opposition Leader, would you like to put a supplementary or a new question? Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, certainly. No, no, no, no. A supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Okay. SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: I appreciate some of the updates. I just want to be sure so I understand cor-rectly. The MOU then still is in pl ace. We are still continuing with Perseid. And I guess the question then would be, Is the commitment still [there] …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Opposition Leader. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that the Opposition Leader may be talking about two different particular issues. There is the joint venture between Trunomi and Shyft, and then there is the MOU itself with Shyft. And so, there …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Premier. Supplementary? Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, yes.

The Speaker The Speaker Second supplementary. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: I appreciate that. And I just want to say, in asking this question, that I think it is a great idea, this whol e process. And I am hoping that, as we move forward . . . the Premier mentioned that within the year. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Opposition Leader, you are done with the supplementaries for your first question. Would you like to put your second question? Hon. L. Craig Cannon ier: I did three already?

The Speaker The Speaker There are two supplementaries. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Two? Oh, that is right. It is two. I was trying to cheat you and get three.

The Speaker The Speaker No problem. [Laughter] QUESTION 2: WESTGATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WORK TO RULE UPDATE Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes. I would like to move on. We had a Statement given to us concerning the negotiations and issues with the prisons. What I wanted to find out . . …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will just state that [off] the top of my head, I do not know the exact status of the negotiations with the police officers. I will seek to get with the Minister, the Opposition …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? Yes, your first supplementary. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, Mr. Speaker. Taking that into consideration, we know that it has been a major concern with both departments, cor-rectional services and the police department. I would hope that we can get an update, and, in addition, understand …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I agree with the sentiments expressed by the Opposition Leader. Clearly, this is a challenge that the former Gover nment had as, according to this Government, one of the major sticking points with both the prison officers and the police was …

The Speaker The Speaker Opposition Leader, do you have a second supplementary? Hon. L . Craig Cannonier: No, that’s it.

The Speaker The Speaker Do you want to go to your third question? 1486 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly QUESTION 3: MINISTERS AND/OR JUNIOR MINISTERS AS PAID CONSULTANTS Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We look forward to an update concerning the m atter that …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I will try to get answers off of the top of the head. Outside of regular service on government boards, I do not believe so. The only thing would possibly be the Efficiency Committee, which I believe was shared by the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, supplementary, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: I thank the Premier for being willing to take that in hand. Could the Premier could also let us know for what Ministries those were for and approximately what the amounts were for those contracts that may have been meted out? Thank you, Mr. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that there were any particular contracts which were stated. I believe, under section 61(4) the Bermuda Constit ution allows all Ministers to appoint boards and commi ttees to advise particular Ministers. I know the Efficiency Committee did …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Your second supplementary? Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker You are fine? Okay. That brings us to a close of the questions from the Opposition Leader. The next Member who has questions is MP Jeanne Atherden. Honourable Member, would you like to put your question? QUESTION 1: FINTECH DEVELOPMENT FUND Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. …

The Speaker The Speaker I was pausing because I was going to see if I would make them into two separate [ques-tions,] but being that you want to take them as one, go ahead. Hon. E. David Burt: There have been no deposits to the FinTech Development Fund. And when there are deposits to …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I thought I had a suppl ementary. But —

The Speaker The Speaker You used it twice. See, you used up both of your questions. [Laughter] SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: But, but I am going to make sure that this is clear. The other part of the Act envisioned that the Government could put some monies into the FinTech Development Fund. I …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Another supplementary? You have two supplementaries. Would you like to use your sec ond? Or we can move on. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I am going to use my last one.

The Speaker The Speaker Use your last supplementary, yes? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: And I am doing this for clarity. Because the reason . . . when the fund was set up, it was envisioned that monies would be paid out for technical education for individuals and for sporting organisations. And I am just …

The Speaker The Speaker Mr. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I think that the Honourable Member has answered her own question. [Laughter and inaudible interjections]

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Members, Members! Thank you. The next Member, Premier, who has questions for you is the Honourable Member, MP Dunkley. MP, would you like to put your questions? [Crosstalk ] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, good morning to you and to honourable colleagues. Question to …

The Speaker The Speaker Members! QUESTION 1: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES/ CONSULTANTS AND ADVISERS —A REVISED CONSTRUCT, UPDATE Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Honourable Premier, on the 11 th of March, you delivered a Ministerial Stat ement to this House entitled Professional Services/Consultants and Advisers —A Revised Co nstruct. [Gavel] [Inaudible interjections]

The Speaker The Speaker Continue on. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: In it, you stated that you would surely invite Cabinet to appr ove amendments to relevant legislation to formalise Ministerial private of-fices. You also stated that you had invited the Policy and Strategy Section within the Cabinet Office to conduct a jurisdictional review of …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, [I am] happy to u pdate the Honourable House on these two items. As has been stated by the Honourable former Premier’s question, what was promis ed in the speech has been done. Reviews have been carried out, not only for a proposed …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? No supplementaries. The next Member, Premier, who has a question for you is the Honourable Member, Mr. Simons. Honourable Member Simons, would you like to put your question? QUESTION 1: CLOSURES/MERGERS OF BERMUD A’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during the 2018/19 Budget D ebate press briefing, the Premier promised that there would be no closures or mergers of Bermuda’s public schools. And he went on to say that this i s not som ething that we are looking to do right now. …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, the first thing I can say is I do not fully recall saying that. But if the Ho nourable Member says that, I will take him at his word. What I can say, however, is that this Gover nment was elected with a …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Ooh !

The Speaker The Speaker Members! Hon. E. David Burt: —as opposed to . . . as opposed to doing cosmetic work. [Desk thumping]

The Speaker The Speaker Member, would you like to put your supplementary?

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Yes. I have one question and two supplementaries , right?

The Speaker The Speaker One question, two supplementaries, correct. This is your first supplementary.

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Okay. Well, I will keep going.

The Speaker The Speaker This is your first supplementary now. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Okay. M y first supplementary: What was the source of the document that the Premier was referring to?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier, would you like to [answer] the question? Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, there are a number. But the source of the reports . . . I have i t here in front of me. [I will be] happy to table it for the Honourable Member’s attention. It was …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank yo u. Second supplementary?

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Second supplementary. During last year’s comments, the Premier also said, “ 1[What] we are looking [at] right now” is ensuring that “we improve the outcomes of the public ed ucation system.” Can the Premier give us an update as to when he can expect for the public and the House …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I do not know the exact timi ng of that. But I will ask the Minister of Ed ucation to speak to the Shadow Minister to provide him that particular update on the timing of the release of those particular figures.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. That brings you to a close of questions from that Honourable Member. Premier, you have another Honourable Member who has questions for you this morning. And it is the Honourable Member Pearman. Honourable Member, would you like to put your question?

Mr. Scott Pearman Good morning, Mr. Speaker. The Sp eaker: Good morning. Good morning. QUESTION 1: DEPARTMENT OF CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES INVESTIGATION RESULTS

Mr. Scott Pearman Honourable Premier, as you know, there is an ongoing investigation into the D epartment of Child and Family Services being cond ucted by the Department of Internal Audit. Can the Prem-ier show the House and the people of Bermuda when that investigation is likely to be concluded and a report …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you.

Mr. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt premier Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that there is an ongoing investigation. I believe that this investigation has concluded. That is to the best of my knowledge. But I am happy to check. But it is my understanding that this investigation has been conclu ded.

Mr. Scott Pearman Supplem entary.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Honourable Member, you have a supplementary, yes. 1 Royal Gazette , 20 February 2018 Bermuda House of Assembly SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. Scott Pearman Honourable Premier, given the importance of this matter to the public and to Berm uda, will that be a report that you yourself will be con-sidering?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I am going to try and go back from memory on internal audit reports. But I do not think that internal audit reports actually go to Ministers. The Department of Internal Audit and the Internal A udit Act, I think, specifically restricts the …

The Speaker The Speaker Your second supplementary?

Mr. Scott Pearman Second supplementary.

Mr. Scott Pearman Given the importance of this r eport, is the Honourable Premier prepared to consider whether to make it public?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I do not actually believe that this is allowable under law. However, I am happy to discuss the matter. And possibly, it might be something that a parliamentary committee may be able to request.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. That actually brings us to a cl ose of questions from the Opposition. I do believe that we have some questions from Government Members. (There are actually eight minutes and 25 seconds left. So, we have got some time there.) The first is from the Deputy Speaker. Deputy …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Honourable Deputy Speaker for his question. The Ministry of Education has been reviewing the outline of this current system. As I had said in r esponses to questions from the Opposition earlier, this is something …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I know many of my constituency voted for the PLP based on this pledge. When I go knocking on doors, what can I tell my constituency is the timeline to deliver this election promise?

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I think that I am on public record saying this, and I will say that, ideally, the next school year, which is 2019/20, will be the last school year under our system, under the current system. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. No supplementary? The next Member, the Government Whip.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott It has been asked.

The Speaker The Speaker Been asked? Okay. MP Tyrrell, would you still like to put your question? QUESTION 1: MEASURES TO MAKE GOVERNMENT MORE EFFICIENT

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Good morning, Mr. Speaker, yes. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, can the Honourable Premier please inform this Honourable House what measures are being taken to make this Government more eff icient?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Honourable Member for his question because, oftentimes, we hear lots of partic ular is sues about misinformation. And there is one thing that I want to certainly bring to the fore, because I think that …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Premier. Supplementary? [Inaudible interjection]

The Speaker The Speaker Ah! Ah! You cannot add supplementaries. Supplementary?

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Mr. Speaker, I think we should be sharing more . . . [Crosstalk ]

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Mr. Speaker?

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members! Members!

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Mr. Speaker, I think we should be sharing more of the good work that this Gover nment is doing. Will the Honourable Premier look to be tabling any reports of the Efficiency Committee in the House?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I thank the Ho nourable Member for his question. What I will ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office to do is review that r eport, as it did go into a number of sensitive topics. And we want to make sure that …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Mr. Tyrrell, you used up your questions. The next Member who has a question f or the Premier is Honourable Member Famous. Honourable Member Famous, would you like to put your question? Bermuda House of Assembly QUESTION 1: BERMUDA COLLEGE MOBILE APPLICATION APPS, UPDATE

Mr. Christopher Famous Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 2017, the Progress ive Labour Party election platform stated the Government would (and I quote) “2Collaborate with Bermuda College to promote mobile application development skills by ha ving students design, maintain and enhance mobile apps that make government better and mor e efficient.” …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, to the Honourable Member. The Honourable Member will, or the public should, know that we have delivered on that particular election promise. I was proud to announce a few weeks ago that we have launched the Bermuda Go vernment’s …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Is there a supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Christopher Famous Yes. Could the Honourable Premier tell us exactly how many times has the app been downloaded? B ecause that would be a true measure of its success thus far. The Speake r: Thank you. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I will say is …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. 2 Bernews , 25 April 2019 No more supplementaries from that Member. There are 12 seconds left. I was going to call on Ms. Furbert. Ms. Furbert, would you like to use your . . . well, eight seconds now? Or we can move on to the other …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Move on.

The Speaker The Speaker It looks like time is going to run out on you before you get —

Mrs. Tinee Furbert Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Timer beeps]

The Speaker The Speaker I think the time has run out. [Laughter]

Mrs. Tinee Furbert Thank you, Mr. Speaker. QUESTION PE RIOD

The Speaker The Speaker We are now going to move on to the questions from today’s Statements. And the first Statement was in the name of the Premier. And, Premier, you actually have a question from a Member. We call on the Honourable Member Simons. Honourable Member, would you like to put your question?

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons For the Premier?

The Speaker The Speaker For the Premier.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member He forgot.

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons I did forget.

The Speaker The Speaker Well, would you like for us to move on? [Crosstalk and laughter ]

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. You came back the second time. All right. We will move on, Premier. The next Statement is that of the Minister of Finance. And, Minister, you have two Members who would like to put questions to you. The first one is from the Member Pearman. Would you like to …

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Minister, you spoke in your Statement about the forthcoming legislative framework of changes for the collective invest ment funds. As per previous, are 1492 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly you prepared to give an undertaking that you will consult with …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. C urtis L. Dickinson: The responsibility for the legislation and regulations around collective inves tment funds rests with the BMA [Bermuda Monetary Authority]. As per their standard practice of consult ation and drafting, I suspect that they will follow the norm, and consult and provide drafts …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Okay. We will move on. Mr. Simons, you have a question for the Mi nister of Finance? QUESTION 1: EUROPEAN UNION TAX LISTING

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons The Minister’s Statement indicated . . . Mr. Speaker, I should add that when Bermuda is removed from Annex I, we will be placed on Annex II of the EU list. Can the Minister confirm that, by going on Annex II, we will be going on the greylist and not …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: Annex II is the greylist.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary, yes. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Yes. Can the Minister give a roadmap as to what we need to do to get onto the whitelist?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: I have been informed that the resolution of the issues surrounding collective i nvestment funds will be the issue that takes us from grey to white.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? Supplementary?

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Thanks. And what type of timeline will we have in place to have this brought to completion?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: We are anticipating getting appropriate guidance from the European Commission in June or July of this year , with an expectation that we will have our submissions made by the end of the year.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. No more questions? Good. We move on to the next Statement. And the next Statement is in the name of the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier, you hav e a question from the Honourable Member Simons (again). Honourable Member Simons, would you like to put your question? QUESTION 1: …

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Okay. In regard to the streamlining of the planning process, how wi ll this streamlining process impact the Development Appl ication Board?

The Speaker The Speaker Deputy Premier. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the things that one of the streamlinings will do is it will avoid certain types of applications that will no longer have to go to the board and will be administratively approved as long as they meet certain …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Yes. So, will we be bringing amendments to the Planning Act [Development and Planning Act 1974] and Planning Regulations to facilitate this change in responsibility and function?

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Deputy? Hon. Walter H. Roban: It was outlined in my Stat ement, Mr. Speaker. Section 5A of the Planning Act already allows for this procedure.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Any further questions? No further questions. Bermuda House of Assembly Deputy, those were the only questions for you. We now move on to the fourth Statement, and that was in the name of the Minister of National Sec urity. Minister, you have a few Members who would like …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: I will take your guidance, Mr. Speaker. I do think that there is a security plan. I do not believe it wise to discuss the security plan in open, in earnest. There is a plan that deals with the repor ting elements of it. There is …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. You are okay? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Well, I guess what I wanted to point out . . . we did talk about getting something put in place and getting equipment here. Is there any timeline that you have given these guys to get that equipment …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? You are fine? Minister, the next question would be from the Honourable Member Dunkley. Honourable Member, would you like to put your question? QUESTION 1: WESTGATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WORK TO RULE UPDATE Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Honourable Minister: On page 5 …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, I would have to come back to that. And give me two seconds. I need to look in the Budget Book. And I can get that and come back.

The Speaker The Speaker The Minister is indicating that he will have to retrieve that figure for you. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary?

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary, yes. SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Carrying on from that, on page 5 and page 6, it says [that] the terms of reference have been agreed on both sides, and they are now with the Attorney General’s Chambers for signoff. Once they are signed off, the matter will go …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: That is an administrative pr ocess. I have spoken to the Attorney General. That is to happen imminently, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Supplementary, sir.

The Speaker The Speaker Second supplementary. Yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, carrying on with that page, page 6, the Honourable Minister says that “Prison Officers Asso ciation’s members continue to work to rule. This means that corrections officers will not work overtime, programmes and classes are restricted, and visits are restricted.” So, …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, it means just that. There is a regular schedule. Prisoners are allowed to leave their cells. Prior to this, the agreement, the temporary agreement coming into place, prisoners were under lockdown. Since the agreement has come into place, prisoners are no longer on lockdown. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary or new question? Actually, it would have to be a new question. You used your two supplementaries, yes? QUESTION 2: WESTGATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WORK TO RULE UPDATE Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, sir. I was going to say that. Yes, Mr. Speaker. Next question: On page 3, …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, we believe that the commissioner will not return. We believe that this commissioner is acting. She has all of the responsibil ities. She has full access to the budget. She has f ull dominion over the staff. We believe that it is simply an …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? We will take a supplementary from the Deputy Opposition Leader. SUPPLEMENTARY

Ms. Leah K. Scott Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister, in his Stat ement on page 3, the recruiting process for 22 correc-tions officers started in March. Have you identified anybody to be hired from that date to this date, please?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, as we know, there is a period in place where people have the opportunity to put in requests. So, there is a position. When you do a recruiting process, the dates for recruitment are from the 22 nd of March until the specific date. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary or new question? Hon. Michael H. Dunkle y: Supplementary, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Continue. SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, on the top of page 2, the Honourable Minister says that most r ecently there was an impasse between the Department of Corrections senior management and the Prison Officers Association. Exactly what was this impasse over? And how many officers called in …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Approximately 36 officers called in sick. The impasse centred around security concerns . I went through each one of the security concerns in the Statement. They centred around con-cerns around the physical plant. I went through each one of the elements that was considered in the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Second supplementary or new question? Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Second supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. Y es. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, carrying on, on page 2, the Honourable Minister says the Bermuda Police Service was used to transport inmates to and from court and to medical visits. Then it goes on to say, “The impasse reached fever pitch . . . …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, dealing with the Prison Officers Association, things became . . . both sides became very concerned, because they were at a dea dlock. They could not come to an agreement. And then cooler heads prevailed. They were indeed able to get around the table …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. New question, your third question? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Third question, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. QUESTION 3: WESTGATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WORK TO RULE UPDATE Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: On the bottom of page 2, the Honourable Minister says, “the Westgate Correctional Facility had limited hot water supply.” When did this start, and what areas was it limited to?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, hot water is hot water, is it not? When you have a facility that is go verned by two hot water heaters . . . the hot water heaters at the Westgate Correctional Facility were not working. This was something that was not budgeted …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. First supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I note the answers, but it did not say when it started and in what areas, Mr. Speaker. The supplementary question.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Put your question. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: At any time, Mr. Speaker, was the facility without hot water?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. [Crosstalk] Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, I apologise. Mr. Speaker, can I have the question repeated, please? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker. Most certainly. At any time was the Westgate Correctional Facility without hot water? Hon. Wayne Caines: I would have to confirm that, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Would you like to put a second supplementary? Okay. Supplementary? Yes. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Considering that the Mini ster brought up having to go out to procurement and the like, does he have an idea of the cost of some of this remediation work that they …

The Speaker The Speaker For the hot water heater? Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: No . . . well, you mentioned that it had to go out to procurement. I am asking, with all of the remediation that he has spoken to here, and 1496 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you for the clarification on the question and on the response. If you can get one of your other Members to ask, because you have used up all of your questions (I allowed you to clarify ). [Crosstalk ]

The Speaker The Speaker You do have one supplementary, yes. Yes, yes, you do. Correct. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I saved that. It is like the last phone call you get to make, you know. It is a supplementary. [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker It is your second supplementary, your final one. Yes. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: My last supplementary question, yes. Mr. Speaker, the Prison Act defines certain responsibilities that the Minister can take. And I would suggest that under the Act the Minister does have r esponsibility for some running of …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: That is a matter for the Public Service Commission and not the Minister.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Did you have a supplementary to your . . . no. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: I think he misunderstood my question. I would cl arify the question. Can I clarify the question? Yes. What I said was, since he mentioned that he had to go to procurement involving the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, I would have to aggregate the cost of each one of those things. Hon. L. Craig Ca nnonier: Yes, of course. Hon. Wayne Caines: I would aggregate the cost. And at the earliest opportunity, I will come back with an aggregated cost …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Moving on, Minister, you also have questions from the Honourable Opposition Whip. Would you like to still . . .? Okay. And the Honourable Member sitting next to you, would you like to put yours? Honourable Member Atherden? QUESTION 1: WESTGAT E CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WORK TO RULE UPDATE …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Wayn e Caines: Mr. Speaker, I cannot speak to the attrition levels. But what I can tell this Honourable House is that currently there are 186 corrections offi cers—186 corrections officers. Let us do some numbers here. We have, as of this morning, 166 people incarcerated …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary or second question? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Could the Minister indicate to us what has been the retirement ratio? Because, obviously, on the one side it is recruitment, the other side is retirement. Could he indicate to us what has been the retirement ratio over the last couple of years?

The Speaker The Speaker I think he made some reference. Go ahead. Continue. Hon. Wayne Caine s: Mr. Speaker, we would have to get the retirement ratio. This is the first I have ever heard of a retirement ratio, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne Caines: If the learned Member could explain what she …

The Speaker The Speaker Clarify it for us, please. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: And perhaps it will make it very simple. If you say that 20 people are retiring that year, and you have 186, well, you are going to end up having a retirement ratio of 12 [per cent] or 13 per cent. …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member From wh en? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Over the last few years. Hon. Wayne Caines: I cannot, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: The last three years will be sufficient. Hon. Wayne Caines: I cannot speak to those numbers, Mr. Speaker . That is something that I can …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member What? Nine months?

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker This is your second supplementary. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Second supplementary. Mr. Speaker, the Minister indicated, in t erms of he told us how many prisoners were there, and he told us how many prison officers were there. But if the Minister would indicate that . . . my understanding …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member What?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. 1498 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, I seek your indulgence. I am actually not clear with the questions. I was not clear on the question, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Member, could you clarify your question a bit for the sake of the Minister so that he can respond to it? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: My question was, based on the numbers of prisoners whom we have had over the last, say, three years, the number of prison offi cers …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, did you . . . [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, could you translate the question, please? [Laughter and i naudible interjections]

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, I suggest that you just clarify it if you can, and answer that you will try to get information for her at a later point. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, I do not know what I am getting information for. I do not understand the question fundamentally. And I …

The Speaker The Speaker Well, Member, for the sake of clarity, I will allow you to get to your feet again if you want to clarify one last time. Would you allow your colleague to put a supplementary and clarify it? SUPPLEMENTARY

Ms. Leah K. Scott I am going to try to clarify it. Over t he past three years, what was the number of prison officers employed in 2016, 2017, 2018? And what was the number of prisoners in 2016, 2017, 2018? So, it was the ratio per. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne Caines: Thank you, …

The Speaker The Speaker Now, do you have a second question? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Second question.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, your second question. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Second question.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. QUESTION 2: WESTGATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WORK TO RULE UPDATE Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: On the next page there is an indication of a lot of upgrading that was taking place. And there is an indication that the telephone system was recently upgraded. Could the Minister indicate whether there are …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. Wayne Caines: Nobody uses analogue.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Just to clarify then. So, there are no different systems that need to have seamless communication there? Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, all communication systems have to talk to each other. Sometimes if communication systems . . . the officers have duress systems that …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Any further ? No further questions? Okay. Minister, that brings a close to the questions for you. We have one further Statement that has questions, and that is for the Minister of Transport. Minister, you have a question from . . . [Crosstalk ]

The Speaker The Speaker You h ad a question for . . . yes, I did overlook you. I had you down for Transport, too. But you are still doing your transport one, right?

Ms. Leah K. Scott Yes, sir.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Minister Caines, the Deputy O pposition Leader has a question for you, as well. QUESTION 1: WESTGATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WORK TO RULE UPDATE

Ms. Leah K. Scott Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, my son is incarcerated. And a couple of months ago, one of the inmates attacked his roommate and bit his ear s off, wrapped them around his neck in a necklace and went to chow hall. And I am telling …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, therein lies some of the challenges, the teams. A number of the prison officers have challenges in dealing with them. And, Mr. Speaker, I will not go too far off. That is a challenge that we are having in our country, dealing with mentally …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, I just had some answers to a few of the questions. I seek your leave,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Well, there are still other questions that need to be put in relationship to other matters. Supplementary on this? Yes. SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: The Minister made reference to the plan that was being put together. If the Minister would reflect that there was a plan that was put …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: That plan is a plan in progress. We have one particular person who has been sent overseas for treatment. We do full assessments. And based upon the need, if the requisite need is there we do send people abroad for treatment overseas.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? Supplementary? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Yes.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay, we have got nine seconds, seven seconds. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Supplementary. Nine seconds?

The Speaker The Speaker Two seconds left now. [Timer beeps]

The Speaker The Speaker That is it. That brings us to a close of the Question Period for today. And we now move on. 1500 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report B ermuda House of Ass embly CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECHES

The Speaker The Speaker Would any Member like to speak to this matter? I recognise that the Honourable Member Brown is on his feet. Honourable Member.

Mr. Walton Brown Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good m orning, c olleagues.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning.

Mr. Walton Brown I would like to as k this Honourable House to send condolenc es to the families of three individuals. The first is Ms. [Joan] Alsace Trott, from Somerset, whom you will know, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Yes.

Mr. Walton Brown She lived a full life, and she is sadly missed by her children, including Cookie Brown, Steven and Dennis Brown and Joan [sic] Brown. So, I would like to ask the House to send condolences.

The Speaker The Speaker It is Judy.

Mr. Walton Brown J udy.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Include everyone.

Mr. Walton Brown I include the entire House on this. Secondly, it is also sad to announce the pas sing of her daughter, Ms. Deborah Brown, who served over 30 years in the Bermuda Police Service. And she is also sadly missed. Finally, Mr. Speaker, Ms. Jean Holder, my aunt as well, who …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member . . . I recognise the Honourable Member, Minister De Silva. Minister. Hon. Zane. J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like the House to send congratulations to a young man, Mr. Zeeko Johnstone. He is …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Zane. J. S. De Silva: And being the family that they are, I remember when she turned 100 and they preferred not to have any fanfare whatsoever. And they would like that tradition to continue. But I did get permission from the family to at least acknowledge. And …

The Speaker The Speaker We recognise the Leader of the Opposition. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had the opportunity to celebrate, with the Premier and with the Governor, to celebrate Christ Church of God, Christ Church, Church of Scotland in Bermuda, their 300th anniversary in Bermuda. And so, we had …

The Speaker The Speaker I recognise the Mi nister of Education. You have the floor. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will speak very quickly. Mr. Speaker, could the House send its condolences to the family of Leroy Simmons, a well -known musician, who passed away (and would …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Member Richards. Mr. Sylvan D. Richards, Jr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer condolences to the family of June Audrey Gwendolyn Swan, more fondly known as “Granny Swan” by my family. She was actually the mother -in-law …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. I recognise the Honourable Member Commi ssiong. Honourable Member Commissiong, you have the floor.

Mr. Rolfe Commissiong Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is great to be back in your Chamber. Mr. Speaker, they say that the good that men do is often interred with them upon burial, in their graves, their bones. Well, certainly, that does not a pply to Mr. Lloyd James. And it was fitting …

The Speaker The Speaker You were on a good wicket, you know. You were on a good wicket. [Laughter]

Mr. Rolfe Commissio ng But again, I mean, that man . . . can you imagine when we were like four, five or six years old, and to look up at that man?

Mr. Rolfe Commissiong And then to witness the damage he would do with that bat. I actually loved Mr. James . And again, I knew him personally.

The Speaker The Speaker We will not forget those eras. That is for sure.

Mr. Rolfe Commissiong We will not forget that era, and we will not forget Mr. James. He has cemented his reputation as a true legend on so many domains of Bermuda. Last, Mr. Speaker, before I go, before I sit down, I just want to also acknowledge a constituent, Ms. Sybil Perinchief, Ms. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I now recognise the Honourable Deputy Speaker. Deputy Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speak er. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the remarks concerning Lloyd James, who will be fondly remembered by the Somerset fans. [Laughter] Hon. Derrick V. …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: A wonderful lady from Heritage Bay, and she had five children —Fred, De lwin, Robin and LeeAnne. Also, Mr. Speaker, I would like this House to send condolences to the family of Ms. Dorothea Horton, the mother of Bobby Horton, …

The Speaker The Speaker The whole House. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: I associate the whole House with those condolences. Also, to the family of Ms. “Pinky” (Phillips) Dixon, a cousin of mine, mother of Gary Phillips. I would like for this House to send . . . associate the House with the condolences …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Now I recognise the Deputy Opposition Leader. Honourable Member, you have the floor.

Ms. Leah K. Scott Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer congratul ations to all of our young athletes who participated in the CARIFTA games and represented Bermuda very well. And they brought substantial medals home. So, I would like to congratulate all of those athletes. And I would also …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Premier. Honourable Premier, you have the floor. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before I begin with my remarks, I would just like to be associated with the condolences to the family of Ms. Giovanna Watson; the …

The Speaker The Speaker Youth Parliament Member. Hon. E. David Burt: And a Youth Parliament Member, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. I recognise the Honourable Member, Mr. S imons, here. He jumped up pretty quickly that time. Honourable Member.

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to associate myself with the comments made in regard to the CARIFTA Games and Mrs. Horton, Dorothea Horton. I would like to also as1504 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly sociate myself with the comments made in regards …

The Speaker The Speaker Well, well . . .

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons I would also like to send co ngratulatory remarks to Union Square Productions and the Child Development Programme. They hosted the Early Childhood Symposium, back in March, Mr. Speaker. The theme was Laying a strong foundation. Teachin g the whole child. They had over 100 people there, and it was …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. I recognise the Honourable Member, Ms. Furbert. Honourable Member Furbert, you have the floor.

Mrs. Tinee Furbert Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to send condol ences to the family of a matriarch of Hamilton Parish, Hilary Richardson. I would like to associate Hamilton Parish MPs and an yone else who knew Aunt Hilary, who was the aunt of Laverne Richardson and Marva Bridgewater. She did …

Mrs. Tinee Furbert Okay. Yes. She is a known truck driver, yes. And they actually had a really nice pr ocession where they drove her coffin out to Southside. And so, it was a really, really good sentiment to Ms. Beverley H older. I would also like to send condolences out to the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank y ou, Honourable Member. I now recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 36. Honourable Member, you have the floor. Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is only because you are at constituency 35 that you recognised me, as neighbours. [Laughter] Hon. Michael J. Scott: I am …

The Speaker The Speaker Well, it was a choice between you and a St. George’s Member. How is that? Hon. Michael J. Scott: Oh, there you go. There you go. [Laughter] Hon. Michael J. Scott: So, Mr. Speaker, I want to be associated with all of the warm expressions of condolences for the many …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I now recognise the Honourable Member, the Opposition Whip. Honourable Member, you have the floor.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to get up and send condolences to the family of Clairann Moore. She was a resident at Summerhaven.

Ms. Susan E. Jac kson And she was one of the first members, residents, to live at Summerhaven. I want to associate my colleague, Leah Scott. And I am going to associate the entire House, because there are many hands that have risen today. Clairann Moore was one of the fi rst residents at Summerhaven. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I now recognise the Honourable Member, Ms. Foggo. Ms. Foggo, you have the floor. That was a difficult choice. There was another Somerset Member who rose. You almost lost out that time. [Laughter] Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. We now recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 32, I believe it is. Yes. Mr. Si mmons.

Mr. Scott Simmons Good morning, Mr. Speaker, and thank you. 1506 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly Mr. Speaker, allow me to express my deepest condolences to the family of Ms. Dorothea Horton, who certainly . . . so, I associate myself, having been already associated to this …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. We now recognise the Honourable Member, Ms. Atherden. You have the floor. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like the House to send condolences to the family of the late Rene Senegas, who was the husband of Pamela. When the Member was …

The Speaker The Speaker A golfer, yes. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Because when Lloyd stopped playing cricket, Lloyd started to play golf. And we started to go on a couple of trips together with — you know, the men go, and the women come along. And I realised that we got to . . …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. We recognise the Honourable Member, Mr. Tyrrell. Honourable Member, Mr. Tyrrell.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, all. Mr. Speaker, congratulations have already been sent to the CARIFTA team, in general. But I would certainly like to ask for congratulations to be sent to a particular athlete, Nathan Armstrong, who, whilst he was at CARIFTA, was on the podium twice in …

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Yes, 1,600 and 3,200. No, they are 1,500 in CARIFTA. In New Jersey, it was 1,600.

The Speaker The Speaker It is US calculation.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Thank you, sir. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to say t hat when we last recessed, I had the opportunity to attend the Kappa Classic. Let me say that I am particularly mentioning it because the Kappas have actually taken over an event that was, I think, run by …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I now recognise the Honourable Member, Mr. Swan. Honourable Member Swan.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr . Speaker, I would like a letter of congrat ulations sent to St. George’s Mayor, Sir George Dowling, III. And I wish him very well. I associate the Honourable Member, MP Ming, and Minister Foggo, with those comments, and anybody else who would like to …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Member, MP Ming.

Mrs. Renee Ming Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker and listening audience.

Mrs. Renee Ming First of all, I would like to be ass ociated with the comments for the Horton family, the Beek family, the Simmons family, and the James fam ily. And I would just like to add my o wn comments for the family of June Swan. I know that my colleague …

Mrs. Renee M ing And we look forward to working with him over the next few years. But on that note, Mr. Speaker, I would also like to say thank you to the outgoing mayor, Quinell Francis, for her four years of service and some of the things that she did and she brought …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. I was there.

Mrs. Renee Ming The annual Walk to Calvary. And I would also like to close, Mr. Speaker, on just a happy birthday greeting to everybody’s favourite Nana, happy 80 th birthday, and that would be my Nana, Doroth y Peniston. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak on condolences or congratulations? Mr. Famous, are you up for that?

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Mr. Famous.

Mr. Christopher Famous Again, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to give some condolences to some members from Devonshire. Ms. Jeanette Moniz, Ms. Noelette Fra y, Mr. Carlton James and Ms. R unette Hill -Brand. I would also like to thank and congratulate the staff of the House of Assembly for the …

Mr. Ch ristopher Famous Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. And with that, I believe . . . well! Minister, you almost lost out that time.

Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Burch Mr. Speaker, I am not in any capacity to be jumping up and d own today.

The Speaker The Speaker All right. I noticed you did not have your little wheel with you today, your scooter.

Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Burch No, no. It is parked outside in my parking spot. Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: All right. [Laughter]

Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Bur ch Mr. Speaker, I will not be long. I would like to be associated with the condolences to the family of Lloyd James and Leroy Si mmons. I think in the case of Lloyd James, before he started putting licks on us at Cup Match, he was quite a distinguished teacher.

Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Burch And so, in spite of the fact that he was a St. George’s player, I do not think he discriminated against those of us who supported Somerset in the classroom. [Inaudible interjection]

Lt. Col. Hon. Da vid A. Burch Biggest in the world, we heard. Talk about exaggeration. We will have the same exaggeration at Cup Match this year, I guess, when the cup stays, goes back to Somerset.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Yes.

Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Burch Mr. Speaker, I woul d also like to be somewhat associated with the congratulations to Zeeko Johnstone. He has been in Canada, along with a colleague of his, Jamar Dill, on secondment since January. And I have been sending smoke signals to the both of them that I do not …

The Speaker The Speaker Directly. Yes.

Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Burch And so, I sent that message again this week, having gotten news on Berne ws that he was doing well. But I am quite pleased that both of them are excelling in this exper ience and will come back to Bermuda with more experience and will be certainly well positioned …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. I recognise the Honourable Member Dunkley. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too would like to be associated with many of the condolences and congratulations offered here this afternoon. Obviously, to former Speaker Horton on the passing of the matriarch from the West …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: And it simply was not score and runs and doing what he had to do. It was punishing the bowling. I have not seen the likes of that until very recently, until Mr. Cup Match punished the bowling quite often, of the East Enders, which …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Yes, yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I would like to be assoc iated with the condolences to the Swan family on June Swan’s passing; to the Moniz family. And Cole S imons would like to be associated. Ms. Moniz from down in the Devonshire/Smith’s borderline area, she would always …

The Speaker The Speaker The whole House. Yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: —and the whole House,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: On a more positive side, congratulations to Mayor Dowling on winning the election. And thank you to Quinell Francis for stepping forward. Congratulations to Bermuda and our Gold Cup team, our CARIFTA team, to the Kappa Classic. All of these events show that Bermudians compete …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. The Honourable Member Weeks, would you like to make your contribution?

Mr. Michael A. Weeks Yes, M r. Speaker. Good morning to you.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you.

Mr. Michael A. Weeks I would like to start my r emarks off on a sad note in associating the remarks for Brother Leroy Simmons. Like the Honourable Minister of Sports said, Leroy and a few of us went to school together. But I was one of a group with Leroy that went to …

Mr. Michael A. Weeks And there is a vigil going on right now, as we are here in the House, at City Hall, to remember all of those who have died on our roads over the years. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to be associated with the remarks for the Teen Services award. …

Mr. Michael A. Weeks Yes. And I would like to ass ociate the Premier with that. But as I take my seat, Mr. Speaker, I have saved my as sociation for the remarks of the Kappa Classic for last. [Laughter ]

Mr. Michael A. Weeks Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate the Premier and the rest of the Alphas in the House. [Laughter]

Mr. Michael A. Weeks Other than Cup Match, Mr. Speaker, the Kappa Classic is the biggest sporting event in Bermuda, you know. And some may argue that it is bigger than even the County games. But we have 1,200 to 1,300 youngsters every year, you know, and we are looking to expand, Mr. Speaker, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I believe that that brings us to a close of condolences and congratulations. MATTERS OF PRIVILEGE

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS

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

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. Bermuda House of Assembly INTRODUCTION OF BILLS The S peaker: I believe we have one Government Bill to be introduced. Minister of Health. GOVERNMENT BILLS FIRST READING HEALTH INSURANCE AMENDMENT ACT 2019 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following Bill for its first …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. NOTICES OF MOTIONS REVISIONS TO MANDATORY PUBLIC SERVICE RETIREMENT AGE

The Speaker The Speaker We have a motion in the name of the Honourable Premier.

Mr. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt premier Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I propose to move the following motion at the next day of meeting: WHEREAS the Government undertook in the 2018 Speech from the Throne to “revise the mandat ory retirement age to take account of a longer lifespan, the necessity …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Premier. That takes us to the Orders of the Day. ORDERS OF THE DAY

The Speaker The Speaker I understand that all of the Orders of the Day are being carried over. So, Mr. Premier. ADJOURNMENT Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn until Friday, May 17th.

The Speaker The Speaker Are there any objections? Would an yone like to speak to that? I recognise the Honourable Minister . . . Member Weeks. You have the floor.

Mr. Michael A. Weeks Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am Honourable former Minister Weeks.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. BERMUDA’S HOMELESS

Mr. Michael A. Weeks Mr. Speaker, on a serious note, I rise to my feet this afternoon feeling compelled to address an issue that is deeply concerning to most of us. Before the House rose in March, Mr. Speaker, a homeless man had passed away who, from what I was made to understand, suffered …

Mr. Michael A. Weeks He was an accomplished tennis player —

The Speaker The Speaker Tennis player.

Mr. Michael A. Weeks —and polo, Mr. Speaker. 1512 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly But I say that to say, because like the rest of us, Mr. Furbert also had his dreams and goals and aspirations in this life. Mr. Speaker, in the daily recently someone did a …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Hear, hear!

Mr. Michael A. Weeks Homelessness must be eradicated in this country, Mr. Speaker . Let us do this and address this here once and for all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker . [Desk thumping]

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member . Does any other Honourable Member . . . we recognise the Honourable Member Dunkley. Honourable Member , you have the floor. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker , I am sure all Members of this Honourable House listened intently and …

The Speaker The Speaker Members , Members. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: —the laundry and the kitchen— [Inaudible interjection]

The Speaker The Speaker Members. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: —and you know I hear Honourable Member s say . . . you know, they are catcalling. That is because— [Gavel] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: —the button is red and the red button is being pushed and we are hitting points. It is unacceptable that …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes, of course. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: So I ask the Honourable Minister, with all of his good intent to get these things done, now we need to have some good solutions as we move forward because any other fac ility—any ot her facility —would have …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: —the ongoing saga, the red flags that are still raised in regard to Arbitrade. Mr. Speaker , we know that Arbitrade became public with many unanswered questions . . . I think it was about a year ago. And those questions have continued to …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: It was about a year ago when the Honourable Premier —yes, the Honourable Premier —tweeted about a meeting with Arbitrade. Shortly after that, I think it was in July, Arbitrade held a press conference in which they threw out commi tments —or you could …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members, one conversation, and it flows this way. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker , the second concern, and what is very interesting and I view as somewhat concerning, is that this company has been granted a licence to own Bermudian land, and at this point has no licence. …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member You don’t know that. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I think my daughters probably could have done that when they were in their graphic and arts classes in high school years ago, Mr. Speaker . But we have a civil servant put in the difficul t position of calling the company, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member . I recognise the Minister of National Security. Minister, you have the floor. PARLIAMENTARY STRENGTHENING SEMINAR Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker , I had the occasion last week to attend the Parliamentary Strengthening Seminar that was put on by the CPA [Com monwealth Parliamentary Association]. [Inaudible …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Wayne Caines: The key [points] that we have all personally and professionally decided [to follow], as a result of those meetings, is to make sure that we have the correct interaction, to make sure that we stay professional, to make sure that we use social media and that …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Yes. WESTGATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WORK TO RULE UPDATE Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker , when we talk about the Department of Corrections, everything that we as a parliamentary group have to do is not to i nflame a situation that has t he potential to affect the lives of incarcerated …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Hear, hear! Hon. Wayne Caines: I would say, lik e every other relationship, there are problems and there are chal-lenges. The problems and challenges have been highlighted. Both sides said that they want to work to fix those problems. They sat around the table and they said, You have said …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Yes, yes! [Inaudible interjection s] Hon. Wayne Caines: Yes, yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker I will take your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: The Honourable Member is totally misleading the H ouse. Hon. Wayne Caines: I am not misleading this House! Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I was not the Minister — Hon. Wayne Caines: Retract it! Retract it! …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, Minister, Minister, Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Take it back!

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: The Minister said “a year ago.” I would ask him to calm down and get his facts correct. I was not the Minister one year ago, two years ago or three years ago. [Inaudible interjections ] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Minister, I relinquished the ministerial …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. Wayne Caines: First of all . . . first of all, there is not a lockdown. Second of all, even if he was not the Minister, he was the Premier of this country, and he had dominion over every aspect of t he running of this country.

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members That is right! Hon. Wayne Caines: Has he forgotten his respons ibility? The absolute gall! [Inaudible interjections ]

The Speaker The Speaker Talk to me, just talk to me. [Inaudible interjections ]

The Speaker The Speaker Talk to me. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker , under — [Inaudible interjections and general uproar ] [Gavel] Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker Members! Hon. Wayne Caines: —under the OBA Government it was highlighted—

The Speaker The Speaker Calm down. Hon. Wa yne Caines: —that there was a problem with the boiler. They purchased an electric boiler when they were given instruction not to purchase an electric boiler, under the leadership of Michael Dunkley. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker , the Honourable Mem ber is once again …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Ooh! Ooh! [General uproar] Hon. Wayne Caines: Oh, now . . . now we see that — Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker — [General uproar]

The Speaker The Speaker You made your point. You made your point. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Wayne Caines: Now we see that — Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker You made your point. — Hon. Wayne Caines: Now we see that — [General uproar] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: No, no, I am not — [Gavel]

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members! Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: No, Mr. Speaker — [General uproar]

The Speaker The Speaker Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! Stay in your seat! Stay in your seat. Hon. Michael H . Dunkley: No, Mr. Speaker , because this—

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Don’t blame the civil servants! [Gavel] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: No, Mr. Speaker , this hig hlights a concern. No Government Minister is allowed to go in — Hon. Wayne Caines: Who approves the fundi ng, Mr. Speaker ? Who approves the funding, Mr. Speaker ? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: …

The Speaker The Speaker I did not take a lunch because I thought we would be able to go through— [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker I thought we would be able to go through without the need for a lunch. But, Members, it is looking like your stomachs are getting a little rowdy, but you are not going to exercise it in here. If you cannot sit in here and [act] as you should, the …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker , this is the doubl espeak and hypocrisy that plagues that particular Member of this House. This was a major purchase of over the amount that must go to Cabinet and must be discussed, and that Member knows that. Mr. Speaker , the problem …

The Speaker The Speaker Talk to the Chair. Hon. Wayne Caines: [Inmates] that have been convicted of significant criminal offences go through that programme. They are given tutoring, they are given mental health treatment, they are given BARC [ Bermuda Assessment and Referral Centre] assessment, they work hand- in-hand with the Corrections staff. Over …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Wayne Caines: And he has the audacity now to challenge a Government that . . . every move [this Government is] making is to balance this country, to bring it back on track, after a hundred million dollars was spent lavishly on a boat race! When all of …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member But we are a bunch of Mickey Mouse, that is what he said.

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members. Hon. Wayne Caines: He goes back —

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Mickey Mouse.

The Speaker The Speaker Member! Hon. Wayne Caines: He goes back . . . he goes back . . . the Honourable Member retreats to his very comfortable position of knocking FinTech. It is a clear case of an ideology that, number one, he does not understand technology . . . does not understand …

The Speaker The Speaker Speak to the Chair. Hon. Wayne Caines: And what distributed ledger technology is. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yeah, right. Hon. Wayne Caines: He has no idea of what it means. Mr. Speaker , we have taken an industry that was nascent, that was in its genesis. The building blocks are …

The Speaker The Speaker Members. Hon. Wayne Caines: —the very reality is that he speaks as if it is the Government that is responsible for regulating companies that come into Bermuda.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member You are bragging about them. Hon. Wayne Caines: That is the responsibility of the Bermuda Monetary Authority. So if the Bermuda Monetary Authority says that a company is not in the right order, they have not filled out the proper paperwork, and it should not come to Bermuda, have they …

The Speaker The Speaker Speak to me, speak to me. Hon. Wayne Caines: We have had the opportunity to create a fund that upon the successful licensing the companies would put the money into a fund that was set aside. Could we see how long the process would take? The money has been . …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members, Members. Speak this way. POINT OF ORDER Hon. Michael H . Dunkley: Point of order, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Member is, once again, about the third time, misleading the House. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mister . . . Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker Now, now, now, wait, wait, wait— Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker , I have —

The Speaker The Speaker Wait, wait, wait, wait. Both of you sit down, okay? Both of you sit down. Everybody sit down. Wait for me to acknowledge you first when you come up, all right? If you want to make a point of order, I am going to accept your point of order. That …

The Speaker The Speaker Have a seat, let me . . . Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker , this is at least the third time I have risen.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: But on that specific point, Mr. Speaker , the Honourable Minister says that “every time” we criticise the Government’s actions. We do not criticise every time. We criticise wh en it is appr opriate with the facts.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Now, I am asking you both to tone it down a bit so it does not get out of hand . . . do not get out of hand. 1522 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly [Inaudible interjection]

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Simons, you can repeat that. You can repeat it.

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons If not go home.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker , I started off on the line of the Parliamentary Strengthening Seminar. I believe that we have a responsibility to paint an acc urate p icture of what is going on in Bermuda with FinTech and with reference to, in these sets …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member . No other Honourable Member ? The Honourable Opposition Leader, you have the floor. PARLIAMENTARY STRENGTHENING SEMINAR Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker . I want to thank you for the seminar . . . and your team. I appreciated the fact that . …

The Speaker The Speaker Let the Member talk, the Member is on his feet . . . the Member is on his feet. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: There we go.

The Speaker The Speaker The Member is on his feet. Hon. L. Craig Canno nier: And that just goes completely into the issue that we are having in this House. I was there the second day. I know that his car was there, but I certainly did not see him in the morning on …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh, oh! Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: —so that we can ensure that our people can catch the bus, Mr. Speaker . So if he can just concentrate on that part. It has been 17 years trying to get to a schedule, Mr. Speaker , and we finally got there. We …

The Speaker The Speaker All right, Members, Members. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: So the Honourable Member, again, needs to stick to the issue of the Ministry that he is in and fix it. That is all we want because Mr. and Mrs. Bermuda who are catching the bus were very much concerned. In fact, …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member It happens all the time. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: It happens all the time. And so in this Honourable House, Mr. Speaker , we had the opportunity to have that session, but yet here we are. Honourable Member s cannot even slow down to listen. Slow down to even maybe …

Mr. Scott Simmons That is not a correct statement. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: That is a correct stat ement. It is a statistic that has been in place for years. [Gavel ] Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: So what you need to do is go check your statistics. [Gavel] Hon. Zane J. S. De …

The Speaker The Speaker Speak — Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: You have no reference for it at all. [Gavel]

The Speaker The Speaker Mem ber, just direct your conversation this way. Do not turn and talk to anybody else, just speak to me, okay? Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, it has no reference at all.

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, the Honourable Member is misleading the House, Mr. Speaker , and I am going to help him out — Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Sure, help me out. 1524 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Chamber of Commerce. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: —Cham ber of Commerce. And he put the statistics into the paper based on the information that he had been given. And I will read it to you, Mr. Speaker . It says, “ 4Statistically, every work permit hol der—or wealthy non- Bermudian …

Mr. Scott Simmons Point of order, Mr. Speaker , point of order, point of order.

The Speaker The Speaker Your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Mr. Scott Simmons Yes, Mr. Speaker , the Honour able Opposition Leader is misleading the House. Mr. Speaker , as it relates to his point on whether or not every single foreigner . . . every single work permit holder, irrespective of what he read just now, it is quite obvious to us …

The Speaker The Speaker Just talk to me and you will be safe. Direct your comments here. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: This is wherein lies the challeng e with getting the economy where it needs to be. Because we have some who have thoughts and ideas about where they think it should be, some …

The Speaker The Speaker Deputy? POINT OF ORDER Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Mr. Speaker , I certai nly agree with what Scott Simmons said, because if you bring in a dishwasher, tell me how m any jobs — Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Point of order, Mr. Speaker. Point of order, Mr. Speaker .

The Speaker The Speaker Well, well, let him make his point of order. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: How can he do a point of order on what he is saying? I have not even said an ything yet.

The Speaker The Speaker No, no, he was making a point of order on the comment of work permits providing jobs. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: No, no, he just referred to the Honourable Member and what he said, not what I said. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Mr. Speaker — Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: …

The Speaker The Speaker Your comment is in regard to his comments on work permits. You have to aim your comment there. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: That is an erroneous statement because not every work permit holder cr eates “X” amount of jobs for Bermudians. A dishwasher does not create any jobs for …

Mr. Rolfe Commissiong Point of order, Mr. Speaker . Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Unbelievable!

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members ! [Inaudible interjections ] Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: If you would let me finish what I have got to say, then you will hear it.

The Speaker The Speaker Members! Members, we can let the Member finish his statement and then you can make your own statement, you know. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Exactly!

The Speaker The Speaker Make your comment real brief. POINT OF ORDER

Mr. Rolfe Commissiong Mr. Speaker , I just want to say that Best -in-Class research in the case suggests migration at the higher levels —professional and ot herwise—can bring demonstrable benefit to a country. But they are perfectly right. At the lower occupational levels, if I can use that term, low -skilled foreign …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Member. Mr. Rolfe Commissiong: That is research, global research.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Member. Member, continue. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Mr. Speaker , therein lies the challenge and therein lies why the economy is tanking. Therein lies why we have gone almost a full year of retail sales declining, confidence declining, and we are continuing to struggle— POINT OF ORDER

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Point of order, Mr. Speaker . The Honourable Member just said this is why the PLP Government’s economy is tanking and we just released GDP increases — Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Point of order. I did not say “PLP.” [Inaudible interjection]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott You said “their” economy is tanking, which would be a reference to the PLP Go vernment’s administration.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Your point is made.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott The point is we just released GDP growth numbers, which means that the economy is actually growing, not tanking.

The Speaker The Speaker Continue on.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Your speec h is tanking. [Laughter] Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker . We certainly agree with the Honourable Member , if we listen to the rhetoric that is going on, that this speech is tanking. I cannot even get two sentences out because, obviously, they …

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. We will take your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you . This Honourable Member is misleading the House. And I will give him the benefit of the doubt and perhaps it is inadvertent ly. The Government did raise the sugar …

The Speaker The Speaker Continue, Member. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: I appreciate that. And that is why they took it down from their post, because I do not think the perception by the public was because of that. Can you find that poster now? They took it down. And they took it down for …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: And the Honourable Member who . . . the Honourable Member gets up in this House talking about a sugar tax . . . had they listened to the people, they did not want this sugar tax of 75 per cent. Some Hon. Member …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Who are “they”? Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Seventy -five per cent. Yes, and let us talk about who “they” are. Mr. Speaker , they have the honour of having 25 seats in this House where the people of Bermuda voted unanimously in favour of them. But yet to this date— …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Point of order, Mr. Speaker . The Honourable Member is talking about it is the PLP Government’s fault for the tourism numbers, but the tourism numbers are going down because ai rline fares are going up because there are taxes that have been increased on the per person ticket because …

The Speaker The Speaker All right. Thank you. Continue on. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: You know what? I am so glad that the OBA exists, because every time som ething goes wrong, or on every issue that this Gover nment has to deal with . . . every single issue that they have to …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member You didn’t fix it. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, we did not fix it, but you did not fix it. You did not address it in the first place. So, tit [for] tat, go back and forth. You are Government now, you have the answers to the issues that are …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Amen! Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: What jobs have you created? And every time we ask the Premier . . . Please, listen bye, tell us what is going on. The 80 companies, you must be able to tell us a little something about those numbers . We get nothing back. …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Thank God. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, thank God. You guys are killing this economy.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member . Hon. L. Craig Can nonier: If you don’t do something, it is going to crash on your head.

The Speaker The Speaker We recognise the Minister for Transport. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker . [Inaudible interjections ]

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members, Members! Me mbers! 1528 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly [Inaudible interjections] [Gavel]

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Thank you. [Inaudible interjections] [Gavel]

The Speaker The Speaker Quiet down. [Inaudible interjections ]

The Speaker The Speaker Member, Member, do you want to cool down a little bit? You can take a walk. You can take a walk and cool down. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Oh! He is letting you know. [Inaudible interjections ]

The Speaker The Speaker Just cool down. You have had your part. Let somebody else — Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Do not send him home, Mr. Speaker , please do not send him home.

The Speaker The Speaker Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! I do not need any help! [Inaudible interjections]

The Speaker The Speaker Take your seat. No, no, no. Look, I am on my feet . . . I am on my feet. That means, if I get up again, we are going to be going home ear ly. I have been up twice this time; I do not intend to get up …

The Speaker The Speaker Everybody unders tand? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, sir.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Do not let me rise a third time. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I better talk real quick. [Laughter and inaudible interjections ] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker , it is interes ting because the Opposition Leader started off his speech talking about the sessions …

The Speaker The Speaker Just, just speak to the Chair. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Point of order, Mr. Speaker. Point of order, Mr. Speaker .

The Speaker The Speaker Just speak to the Chair. That is all, just speak to the Chair. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: The Honourable Member cannot speak about that, I did not lose my . . . Point of order, Mr. Speaker .

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Ah, ah! Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: The Honourable Member is misleading the House. He is still standing, Mr. Speaker , he did not go to the session.

The Speaker The Speaker Take your seat. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I did not hear him acknowledge your point of order.

The Speaker The Speaker Ah, ah, ah, ah! POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: The Honourable Member is misleading the House. I certainly did not lose my cool . . . I got a little —

The Speaker The Speaker Oh, okay. You made your point. You made your point. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: I certainly got excited. If I lose my cool, believe me, they will know.

The Speaker The Speaker You made your point. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: They will know.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, continue. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Well, Mr. Speaker , you know what? I will let everybody draw their own conclusions about who was out of control and who was not. But that is that Honourable Member ’s Jekyll and Hyde personality —

The Speaker The Speaker Well, well, well, Minister. Minister, let us not . . . let us not go that level. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Okay.

The Speaker The Speaker Let us not go that level. Let us keep it on the facts. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Okay. All right. Here we go, Mr. Speaker , here we go. [Inaudible interjections] An Hon. Memb er: Take your time. JOB CREATION AND THE ECONOMY Hon. …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Yes! Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And [he] has the audacity to say, What jobs have you cr eated? And then they want to knock us when we have 80 companies —over 80 companies —that have registered since we have been in Government. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Point of …

The Speaker The Speaker Take your seat. I will take your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: We did not knock the 80 companies that have registered here. We were e ncouraged by that. What we said was, we wanted to know, how many jobs have they have created? …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker , before the Honourable Member takes my valuable time, can you ask him to please listen? I did not . . . I did not —

The Speaker The Speaker Just speak to the Chair, speak to the Chair. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I did not say anything about them “knocking.” I said we have had 80 companies . . . 80 companies. Now, when they said “don’t knock” I heard them just now — POINT OF ORDER …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, I am sure you can straighten that out a little. Just get your points across. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Well, I tell you what, Mr. Speaker , let us back up a little bit. We heard several Members, led by the Ho nourable Member Dunkley, we have …

The Speaker The Speaker You could not resist it, could you? Go ahead. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: The Honourable Member is misleading the House. The point that was being made was how does this Government allow a company which is not licensed to register to do business buy a company …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member A building. 1530 10 May 2019 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Ass embly Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: A building, sorry. That is not due diligence. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker , before they do these things, that is what the Bermuda Monetary Authority does. They talk …

The Speaker The Speaker Continue on. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker , I will just r epeat what I said. Let us see what the colour make- up was, the amount of money that was spent, and the colour of the people that made the most money. That is what I …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Hang on, hang on. I have not recognised you. What is your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: The Honourable Member is misleading the House, Mr. Deputy Speaker . This Honourable Member has said several times over and over and over that he would guarantee …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker That is, that is . . . take your seat, take your seat. Minister. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Deputy Speaker , that Honourable Member went to that session last week and something happened with the water he was drinking. But look, Mr. Deputy Speaker , let me …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker What is your point of order? Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: The Honourable Member is misleading the House. He is saying how I do not get it. Can you explain why I do not get it? Explain that.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker That is not a point of order. That is not a point . . . Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Well, Mr. [Deputy ] Spea ker, if the Honourable Member would just keep his seat for a bit he might get the answer, okay? And it is obv ious …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Correct! Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: It was more important to have a boat race. And you know what? The Honourable Member, the Opposition Leader, Mr. Cannonier, said about four times in his little speech this economy is tanking. You see, Mr. Deputy Speaker , I see the same …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Hey, hey, now, now, now, we are not going to have this here, you know. We are not going to have this here. Now, if you want to go home early you can. Thank you. Continue, Minister. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Mr. …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker What is your point of order, Honourable Member ? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: The Honourable Member is misleading the House. I never said such a thing . . . to do away with the sugar tax at all or did not ever reference to the fact …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Continue, Minister, you have 13 seconds. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thirteen. I will leave it a t that, Mr. Deputy Speaker . All I am going to say . . . let me finish on this note, Mr. Deputy Speaker , all right? The sugar tax should be …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. The Chair recognises the Honourable Salvan [sic] Richards. Mr. Richards, you have the floor. BISHOP SPENCER FACILITY Mr. Sylvan D. Richards, Jr.: I like the way you said my name—Salv an Richards —that is real Bermudian. Mr. Deputy Speaker , I am not going to take …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. Any further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Mr. Christopher Famous. CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG BLACK MEN

Mr. Christopher Famous Good af ternoon, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Good afternoon colleagues and good afternoon Bermuda. I am going to carry on in the vein slightly from MP Weeks and MP —not Salvan, but Sylvan — Richards. I am not going to talk about homelessness. I am going to talk about young …

Mr. Christopher Famous Let me go o n, Mr. Speaker. Again, I want to thank you, Premier, and I want to thank, not just the Minister of Workforce Development, but the Minister of Education who put things in train. Most importantly, I want to thank the people at Wor kforce Development for putti …

Mr. Christopher Famous I’m late but I am going to start. Mr. Speaker , just this morning I got a WhatsApp from a gentleman who said, Brother, I’m considering leaving the Island. So I said, Why ? [He said,] I can’t make it here with continuing expenses. Every time I look, the expenses …

Mr. Christopher Famous Not just a little 5 per cent, not a little 10 per cent, expotentially [sic] . . . that is not the right word, but it is going up.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Exponent ially.

Mr. Christopher Famous And, again, what do they do? They send out a letter and say it is the Gover nment’s fault. But we hear nothing from certain people in the OBA. Now, I understand there are some of those who care about Bermudians, but why aren’ t the same 1536 10 May …

Mr. Christopher Famous Why are they not raising their voice about that? [Inaudible interjections ]

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Well, well! Not a word about that!

Mr. Christopher Famous Now, I am going to say this: There is a certain Member here who has declared that they have interest in insurance companies. I ain’t calling no names. [Laughter]

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Protect the guilty.

Mr. Christopher Fam ous My point, Mr. Speaker , if you care about Bermudians, if you are a shareholder, speak up! Do not make it look like it is just the PLP fighting against Bermudians. You are sitting there being silent, collectively, while we are here fighting to lower thi ngs for Bermudians.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member They won’t do that! Another Hon. Member: Keep those dividends coming! Some Hon. Member s: Yes, yes! [Inaudible interjections ]

Mr. Christopher Famous Mr. Speaker , my point is this . . . anybody want to point of order me so I can sit down? Mr. Speaker , may I continue? Here is the thing, Mr. Speaker , every day . . . last week I spoke about social media. Social media is …

Mr. Christopher Famous No, but it is relevant at the moment. In Bermuda the saying is, Price increases are coming, Price increases are coming. So I am saying this to every Minister in here: Continue to educate the people about what we are trying to do to lower the prices for Bermudians. Do …

Mr. Christopher Famous It is not capitalism; it is something else. I do not want to say what the word is, it is greed —unadulterated greed. When you can tell me that on an island like St. Kitts, I could spend $4 for a gigabyte, and here in Bermuda I have got to …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member . I recognise the Honourable Member Commi ssiong. Honourable Member , you have the floor. SIR JOHN SWAN’S REACTIONARY RACIST COMMENT S

Mr. Rolfe Commissiong Thank you, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker , earlier we had the Leader of the Opposition come out with the old canard from the 1980s or 1990s, the comments or analysis from John White about the fact that all things with respect to i mmigration into Bermuda, migration into Bermuda …

Mr. Rolfe Commissi ong But it does not end there. Let us fast forward now to a few weeks ago. Sir John Swan, again, their go- to person, was on . . . was it ZBM News again? This time being interviewed by T oni Waterman (and I have been on her show actually) …

The Speaker The Speaker Mr. Premier, I recognise you. Hon. E. David B urt: Mr. Speaker , I am not going to be too long this afternoon —

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you very much. BIASED MEDIA Hon. E. David Burt: —as I think that a few of us are hungry. I know that you are, and you had a snickers bar Sylvan and that has been talked about? [Inaudible interjections]

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Diet soda. Hon. E. David Burt: The diet soda? That is what you need? I had a diet Coke, so I am all right. And Mr. Speaker , we have heard a lot of sound and fury today. A lot of sound and fury coming from Members who have no …

The Speaker The Speaker Your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, the Honourable Member , the Premier, is misleading the House. He started off by essentially saying that I was misleading the House, [but] I have not said anythin g today other than facts that I have in …

The Speaker The Speaker Let us try and keep all comments factual. Hon. E. David Burt: Oh, Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker Premier, if you got something you want to be factual about, be factual about it, but support it with the facts. Hon. E. David Burt: I am absolutely happy to keep things factual, Mr. Speaker . And here is what I will say, Mr. Speaker , because when I say …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Wow! Hon. E. David Burt: Eight -zero. I want to make sure you got that. So Mr. Speaker , when we talk about making health insurance more fair, what do we get from the Opposition? Opposition —simple. They talk about costs of living inside of the country. That is what …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member What is number four? Hon. E. David Burt: Now, Mr. Speaker —

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member You said four. Hon. E. David Burt: Three options, but thank you. But here is the thing, Mr. Speaker , and this is what is important, because when we talk about transformational change, making sure that systems are fair, making sure that money is going to be put to work, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member s. We stand and we will return next week Friday, the 17th of May at 10:00 am. Have yourselves a good week. Remember some of the topics of how we should conduct our-selves and I look forward to seeing that exercised here in these Chambers. Have …

The Speaker The Speaker One thing for all our female Members, I should be wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day on behalf of the House. Happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy your Mother’s Day. [At 3:19 pm, the Hous e stood adjourned until 10:00 am, F riday, 17 May 2 019.] 1542 10 May 2019 Official …

May 10, 2019

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