The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning, Members. PRAYERS [Prayers read by Mrs. Shernette Wolffe, Clerk ] CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES [Minutes of 1 1 May 2018]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, the Minutes of the 11th of May have been circulated. Are there any omissions or corrections? No omissions, no amendments , no corrections; the Minutes are approved as printed. [Minutes of 1 1 May 2018 confirmed] MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE SPEAKER OR MEMBER PRESIDING APOLOGIES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerLet me first announce that we have been informed of absences today. The Honourable Premier is off the Island on business for the Gover nment , still. The Honourable Minister Simmons is off the Island, as well. And Honourable Member Renee Ming is off the Island. Both of those Members …
Let me first announce that we have been informed of absences today. The Honourable Premier is off the Island on business for the Gover nment , still. The Honourable Minister Simmons is off the Island, as well. And Honourable Member Renee Ming is off the Island. Both of those Members are attending graduations for family members. And we also received notice that the Honourable Member Leah Scott is ill today and will be absent from the House. Those are noted on your announcements.
HANDICAP PARKING
The SpeakerThe SpeakerBut I would also like to add, and it has been said before from this Chair, that as la wmakers, we need to respect the laws that we have put in place, particularly on these grounds. And one of those is in reference to the parking lot outside here, where …
But I would also like to add, and it has been said before from this Chair, that as la wmakers, we need to respect the laws that we have put in place, particularly on these grounds. And one of those is in reference to the parking lot outside here, where we have reserved parking for [the] handicapped. It is being abused too often, and it has been brought to our attention. And I am letting you know now that I have instructed the Sergeant -at-Arms to take the necessary steps when people are parked in those spots , because the public has brought it to our attention too many times now. All Members , respect the fact that where there is handicapped parking, those parking spots are for the handicapped. We want to set standards for ever yone, and we should start at our own facility. Thank you.
MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. PAP ERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS TO THE HOUSE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are n one. STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS AND JUNIOR MINISTERS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe have three Statements on the O rder Paper this morning. The first is in the name of the Honourable Member Weeks. Honourable Minister. HERITAGE MONTH AND BERMUDA DAY 2018 Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Yes, good morning, Mr. Speaker; good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, it gives me tremendous pleasure to …
We have three Statements on the O rder Paper this morning. The first is in the name of the Honourable Member Weeks. Honourable Minister.
HERITAGE MONTH AND BERMUDA DAY 2018
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Yes, good morning, Mr. Speaker; good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, it gives me tremendous pleasure to share with this Honourable House and the people of Bermuda information about some of our exciting Heritage Month events and activities. The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, supported by very keen and committed me mbers of the Heritage Advisory Committee, has chosen as the theme this year What We Share, a theme that invites us to embrace our heritage and our common ties, while a t the same time celebrating our diversity. Mr. Speaker, the theme What We Share is appropriate because it highlights so many different 2072 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly areas such as our foods, our maritime heritage, our architectural influences, our music, our traditions, our ceremonies, our ethnicities , and our sports. As we reflect on this concept, we are able to easily realise that there is so much more that binds us together as a community than that which separates us. Mr. Speaker, during the month of May the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, t ogether with several cultural industry and community partners, has organised a number of events to cel ebrate our cultural heritage. It is most fitting that our theme for Heritage Month and Bermuda Day draws attention to aspects of our shared cultural heritage. By acknowledging and reminding ourselves of what we share, we strengthen our community bonds, increase our love for our country and her people, and raise our feelings of pride and esteem. It also serves to remind us not only of what we have achieved, but what we can do. Past, shared, successful experiences help to provide the momentum to propel us forward to achieve even more as a people with an agreed- upon common goal. As a young Bermudian educator, Dr. Shay -Coy Bridgewater once said, “Our seasons in life flavo ur our journey . . .” And as a country , what we have shared has enriched this Island nation’s pr ogress. Mr. Speaker, t his year, as in previous years, there is an array of events that have already taken place. We began our Heritage celebrations with a Seniors’ Craft Show , which featured participating seniors from many of the clubs around the Island , as well as those who are not members of any particular club. Most of the items displayed in this exhibition were handcrafted, using a variety of materials such as wool, cloth, pottery , and yarn. Our seniors spend months preparing for this annual exhibition. Mr. Speaker, I was so impressed with the craftsmanship that had been put into the items on exhibit; and I enjoyed interact ing and engaging with the seniors as they showed me such beautifully made handbags, quilts, hats , and crocheted slippers. I even tried on a pair, Mr. Speaker , and even bought som ething for my lovely wife and my mother . Mr. Speaker, one of our cultural industry par tners, the Bermuda National Gallery, is delighted to share the theme of their Biennial Exhibition, What We Share , with us at Community and Cultural Affairs. This year’s Biennial Exhibition opened on May 11 th, and the exhibition will remain up unti l December 31st. We i nvite the public to go and visit this exhibition in the Bermuda National Gallery at City Hall , which features many of our own resident local visual artists. Mr. Speaker, on May 17th, the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs or ganised a present ation by Melodye Micere Van Putten on Global African Inventions , held at the Bermuda National Library. As the title suggests , this presentation highlighted many of the amazing achievements of persons of African descent —including inventions and innovations. Mr. Speaker, on May 19th, the Be rmudian Heartbeats event , organis ed by the Folklife Officer of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs , in collaboration with an other cultural industry partner, the Bermuda National Trust, will fe ature a guided boat tour of Hamilton Harbour , with speakers , Dr. Tho mas James, Linda Abend, and Margie Lloyd. Mr. Speaker, other cultural events occurring in May throughout the month may include the following: A. Bermudian Literature classes with author Dr. Angela Barry. These classes are taking place every Tuesday in May from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Bermuda National Library . B. Wild Edible Herbal Walks in lovely places such as Coopers Island and Spittal Pond, led by Doreen Williams James. A Wild Edible Herbal Tas ters event is scheduled for 2:00 pm on May 20th at the World Heritage Centre in St. George’s. A Spittal Pond Walk takes place at 2:00 pm on May 27th. C. Performances in the Guitar Festival are scheduled for 7:30 pm at the Bermuda School of Music . D. A Piano Fest ival is scheduled for May 28 th. E. A hat -making demonstration by Ronnie Ch ameau on May 31st. F. A Premier Nightclub Experience on May 26th. G. A cultural f ilm night on May 29th. There will be many other interesting and engaging activities. The entire Heritage Month listing of events can be found on the department’s website, www.communityandculture.bm , or on flyers available at the department’s offices in the Dame Lois B rowneEvans Building. Mr. Speaker, in an effort to further engage our youth, this year , for the first time , the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, with the support of the Minis try of Education, its principals, teachers , and students, launched the first Annual Heritage Month Essay Writing Contest. Prizes will be awarded for es-says for the following categories: Best for Bermuda Pride ; Most Entertaining ; and Most Authentic Voice. Mr. Speaker, t he department worked this year to more strategically depict how Heritage Month and Bermuda Day touch the lives of all of us. The department therefore partnered with CITV to produce 14 vignettes featuring young and not -so-young people from all walks of life , talking about what they love about Bermuda Day. These vignettes will be aired on CITV, interspersed throughout their programming, which presently includes two segments talking about Bermuda Day. Mr. Speaker, i n closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of our cultural industry partners who continually work collaboratively with the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs to make Heritage Month and Bermuda
Bermuda House of Assembly Day so successful. I am most grateful for all of the participants, the members of the Heritage Advisory Committ ee, the Royal Bermuda Regiment, the Bermuda Police Service, the Department of Corrections , and the Corporation of Hamilton. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, what would a parade be if we did not have our people lining the streets of Hamilton cheering on their favourit e groups or we lcoming the beautiful pageantry of floats ? Thank you to the people of Bermuda for making this holiday so sp ecial. We encourage members of the public to share their favourite holiday moments on social media by using hashtags #BermudaDay and #BermudaCulture . We also invite the public to follow the Department on Facebook, Twitter , and Instagram at @BermudaCulture , to see highlights of the event. Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not extend my sincerest heartfelt gratitude to the staff at the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs for all of the meticulous work that they put in to organis e the Heritage Month activities and the Bermuda Day P arade. In particular , I would especially like to acknowledge Carlita Lodge, Cultural Affairs Pr ogramme Manager , who has worked with passion, enthusiasm , and gusto, and was ably supported by Clyde -A-Mae Tucker, Programme and Event Coordinator. Finally , Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to wish all Bermuda residents an enjoyable, safe Bermuda Da y holiday as we share this time- honoured special day! Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. The next Statement we have this morning is in the name of the Honourable Minister Caines. Honourable Minister, you have the floor. CONSENSUS 2018 Hon. Wayne Caines: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with the Honourable House about the Bermuda delegation’s recent …
Thank you, Minister. The next Statement we have this morning is in the name of the Honourable Minister Caines. Honourable Minister, you have the floor.
CONSENSUS 2018
Hon. Wayne Caines: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with the Honourable House about the Bermuda delegation’s recent experi ence at the Consensus 2018 Conference . The event was the lead event during Blockchain Week in New York City , which concluded on M ay 16, 2018. Mr. Speaker, now enjoying its fourth renewal, Consensus is the premier learning, networking, and innovation event for blockchain in North America. With this year’s attendance topping 8,500, from a mere 400 at its launch in 2015, its explosive growth year -overyear mirrors the expansion of the unstoppable bloc kchain phenomenon. Attendees hailed from over 70 countries around the world and represented a broad diversity of the digital technology spectrum —from dig ital assets and exchanges to hardware manufacturers , network and infrastructure specialists , developers, investors, lawyers, regulators , and governmental re presentatives. The conference took place in the heart of New York City’s midtown district and occupied four floors of meeting space, speaking halls , and multiple exhibitor showrooms. The multi -day agenda a ddressed tech innovations, industry regulatory concerns, choosing the right legal team, as well as ap-proaches to encourage diversity and inclusion in the sector. Mr. Speaker, I would lik e to recogni se the ste llar work provided by the Bermuda Business Develop-ment Agency in organis ing Bermuda’s attendance, led by Mr. Sean Moran. They signed on as an event sponsor and negotiated direct marketing opportunities for the conference delegates , and a Bermuda suite which served as an invaluable hub for the 20- strong Bermuda delegation, attracting hun dreds of highgrowth start -ups, investors, and block chain thought - leaders over the three- day conference period. Mr. Speaker, t he Bermuda contingent , led by the Premier and Minister of Finance, the Honourable E. David Burt, and supported by the Ministry of N ational Security, included representatives from the Bermuda Monetary Authority, the Bermuda Business Development Agency , and associated industries. Law firms , including CD&P [Conyers Dill & Pearman] , Trott & Duncan, Appleby, Smith- Bean, Walkers and Chancery Legal were invaluable assets to the delegation and were deluged with prospects over the three days. Mr. Speaker, Bermuda has connected the dots. W e have linked government leadership, regul atory a nd legislative strength, public -private sector partnersh ips with innovation, efficiency , and transformative thinking. Mr. Speaker, based upon the feedback and outcomes from Consensus 2018, we can confidently stake our claim as the jurisdictional home and future of FinTech. Mr. Speaker, o ur Premier, the Hon E. David Burt, addressed a full auditorium of conference del egates on day one of the conference and was met with an enthusiastic reception. His energetic presentation served as the introduction for a mid- day panel on re gulation , highlighting the Island’s quick progress to b ecome a global hub for F inTech enterprises and innovation—this through groundbreaking legislation that will govern the regulation of dig ital asset service pr oviders. Mr. Speaker, t he panel that followed included Representative David Schweikart of the US House of Representatives and Eva Kaili of the European Parliament. The discussion centred on the balanc ing act required of legislators and governments as we seek to balance protection of markets and national security with the nurturing of this unique emerging technology. The H onourable Premier outlined the I sland’s co mmitment to innovation, welcoming quality players in the blockchain space and warned any bad actors that Bermuda would certainly be the wrong choice of juri sdiction, as our regulatory regime was built for entities with integrity and a commitment to compliance. 2074 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, blockchain technologies are being touted as the “ Interne t 3.0” by the tech [ cogn oscenti ]. The year 2018 marks a greater visibility of this technology , even by those not a part of the blockchain insider circles. The volume of blockchain media coverage has exploded. Indeed, coverage of Consensus 2018 extended bey ond the trade outlets into mai nstream media. What is more, Mr. Speaker, Bermuda as a FinTech jurisdiction captured the attention of many of the top- tier outlets. Forbes , BBC Online, New York Times , Bloomberg, and Nasdaq Radio joined trade publications CoinDesk and BitCoin Magazine in covering [the Bermuda FinTech story ]. Our Premier addressed a full auditorium of attendees before a mid- day panel on regulation, highlighting the Island’s quick progress to become a global hub for FinTech enterprises, innovatio n, through groundbreaking legislation. Mr. Speaker, while this new technology looks to become a major generator of revenue for our economy, I was heartened by the number of blockchain start-ups targeting positive social impact. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, I met Dr. Jane Thomason, an Australian blockchain social impact ambassador, who shared real-life experiences on how these technologies can change lives and impact communities for the better. I learned of communities in the South Pacific Islands that are benefitt ing today by using blockchain techno logy to create tuna traceability to combat illegal tuna [fishing] , tracking the fish from bait to plate. Tech Innovator, ConsenSys (not be confused with the conference name, Mr. Speaker) , was a key partner in developing this technology, along with the World Wildlife Fund. We are delighted to announce that, as a result of our outreach, ConsenSys has solidified the Bermuda connection and have chosen to host a summit in Bermuda next month. Mr. Speaker, can I read that agai n?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Read it again. Hon. Wayne Caines: ConsenSys, the leading entity in this space, were delighted to announce that as a result of their outreach they have solidified the Ber-muda connection and will host a global summit in Bermuda next month. [Desk thumping]
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberHear , hear! Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, our team met a young duo whose start -up, Flying Carpet, employs [AI]-powered drones with blockchain technologies to improve the lives and yields of coconut farmers in P apua New Guinea. The technology can help set prices, prevent theft , and predict …
Hear , hear!
Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, our team met a young duo whose start -up, Flying Carpet, employs [AI]-powered drones with blockchain technologies to improve the lives and yields of coconut farmers in P apua New Guinea. The technology can help set prices, prevent theft , and predict yield. Mr. Speaker, we are encouraged by this side of the blockchain [“coin”] , and we have come away with the understanding that this technology has transformative powers beyond simple economics. With our initial legislation and innovation- friendly environment, Bermuda is on target and set to be the nexus, and I envision our Island being home to technologies that may be used positively to change the world and our future. Mr. Speaker, the conference boasted over 250 speakers, panellists and presenters , as well as an array of key figures in the blockchain space who came to network, negotiate and explore what was on offer and up for discussion at the event. Our contingent met with a number of bloc kchain leaders during the s ummit , including Don Tapscott. He was a keynote speaker , author and Director of the Blockchain Research Institute in Canada. Tapscott is a leading authority on the impact of technology on business and society. He remarked that the Go vernment of Bermuda—up to the Premier himself —is showing remarkable leadership in the blockchain space. He also praised Bermuda for its work to create an environment that will enable innovation and entr epreneurship, while protecting the interests of investors and consumers. Tapscott is keen to collaborate more closely with Bermuda in the future. Joseph Lubin, the co- founder of Ethereum and the founder of blockchain giant ConsenSys, joined us, Mr. Speaker, in the B ermuda networking suite. He commended the Island for our work in understanding the cryptocurrency space, the blockchain space, and for the pace at which we have been able to develop qual ity legislation and [address ] the complexities of this emerging technology. Joseph Weinberg, the founder of Shyft and Paycase, who, Mr. Speaker, committed $10 million to Bermuda as part of an MOU with the Bermuda Go vernment . . . he lauded the Island for its prudent, yet well-paced approach to building a legislative environment well -suited to the blockchain technologies. Mr. Speaker, the delegation demonstrated our extraordinary ability to multitask, and, notwithstanding the dense agenda for the Consensus conference and meeting schedules, our team readily accepted the invita tion to the Manhattan office of global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright . The law firm is ranked among the top five global law firms in the world, with more than 4,000 lawyers and 7,000 employees around the world. The Honourable Premier addressed an audience of over 100 lawyers from practice groups [from] across all sectors , and additional offices connected via videoconference from Toronto, London, Munich, South Africa, Netherlands, Frankfurt, and the Middle East. We discussed the Island’s economy and our proven approach to business and regulatory robus tness, as well as our recent innovations in the digital assets space. Representatives from the Bermuda law
Bermuda House of Assembly firms, the Bermuda Monetary Authority , and the Bermuda Business Development Agency were also pr esent and also participated. Mr. Speaker, we were delighted to be able to announce a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bermuda Government and Shyft, a global bloc kchain- based network offering data protection for go vernments, industry, and consumers. Under the agreement, Shyft will commit $10 million to create jobs, to help re- skill the labour force, and to invest in businesses, education, and infrastructure for our I sland. The collaboration extended to Bermuda’s private sector tech start -ups, with Shyft announcing on the same day that they will partner with local [technology] firm, Trunomi. The Premier declared that the Gover nment of Bermuda has decided to lead the way and build interoperability into legislation, the essence of the approach to the regulatory fr ameworks with exportability in mind. I wish to thank the Bermuda Business Development Agency, and all of our other industry stak eholders who attended, for their support and for their dedicated work for the Island during the conference, as well as their follow -up and their valuable contacts that were made. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. The next Statement is in the name of the Honourable Minister of Education. Honourable Mini ster, you have the floor. ROOM ATTE NDANT TRAINING PROGRAMME INITIATIVE Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to …
Thank you, Minister. The next Statement is in the name of the Honourable Minister of Education. Honourable Mini ster, you have the floor.
ROOM ATTE NDANT TRAINING PROGRAMME INITIATIVE
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to provide this Honourable House with an update on the hospitality training programme for room attendants
that the Department of Workforce Development has been instrumental in driving during the past few months. Let m e first start by providing some bac kground for my honourable colleagues as it relates to how the room attendant training programme initiative originated. Mr. Speaker, my Cabinet colleagues, the Honourable Jamahl Simmons, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, and the Honourable M ichael Weeks, Minister of Social Development and Sport, and I were approached a few months ago by industry partners, who shared their need for professionally trained and certified Guest Room Attendants for the current touri sm season. Mr. Speaker, this presented an opportunity for the birth of a public -private partnership in response to industry needs that will (1) meet the demands of the workforce; (2) identify an avenue for persons on f i-nancial assistance to re- enter the workforce; and (3) train and certify unemployed Bermudians for future employment in local hotels. Simply put, it was a winwin opportunity. For this reason, I, along with my Cabinet colleagues, in our response committed to this joint initiative. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Workforce Development has worked cross -ministry and with various industry stakeholders to bring this well -timed opportunity for Bermudians to fruition. Key industry par tners include the Bermuda Hospitality Institute, the Fairmont Southampton, the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, and the Department of Financial Assi stance. Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda Hospitality Institute was instrumental in identifying an experienced facilit ator and the training curriculum through the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. The Depar tment of Financial Assistance ensured that their u nemployed able- bodied clients were referred to partic ipate in the training programme. This training will sup-port them in returning to the workforce and making a valua ble contribution to Bermuda’s hospitality industry. The Career Development and Training teams at the Department of Workforce Development recrui ted participants, administered skills assessments, vetted candidates, and sponsored the training. Additio nally, assistance was provided to candidates in the areas of r ésumé writing and interviewing skills. Mr. Speaker, in concert with the planning by the Workforce Development Department teams, the Fairmont Southampton and the Hamilton Princess & Beach [Club] provided the facilities for classroom i nstruction and guided the practical training component, pairing trainees with current housekeeping emplo yees, who modelled the Fairmont Southampton work standard. The work performance of each trainee was evaluated accordingly. The training was held for a two- week period, inclusive of one week of classroom instruction and one week of a practical hands -on component. At the conclusion of the training, each participant completed an exam that measured their knowledge and understanding of the expected standards to become a room attendant of excellence. Mr. Speaker, the Guest Room Attendant Pr ogramme is designed to teach about the fundamentals and theory of quality housekeeping service. Partic ipants gained knowledge on standard operating pr ocedures for guest room attendants, or housekeepers; guest relations and how to properly make a bed and clean a bathroom; and the Guest Room Attendant’s role, which extends beyond just cleaning to warmly greeting guests and serving them to ensure that they have a memorable visit to the property. The trainees who successfully completed the programme received a broad- based certificate from the American Hotel and Lodging Association as a Certified Guestroom A t2076 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly tendant. This represents a professional qualification that indicates the highest standards of competence as a hospitality professional. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure this morning to inform my honourable colleagues that, to date, a total of three cohorts have participated in this joint training initiative. The Fairmont Southampton hosted and trained Cohorts 1 and 2, which commenced on February 19 th and March 19th, respectiv ely. The Hamilton Princess Beach Club hosted and trained a third cohort that commenced on April 16th and concluded on April 27th. I will now share a further breakdown of each cohort: Cohort 1 had 18 participants. Nine of them came from Financial Assistance, and we had a pass rate of 89 per cent, or 16 of the 18. Cohort 2 had 21 participants, 10 from Financial Assistance, and a pass rate of 100 per cent. Cohort 3 had 14 participants, 6 from Financial Assistance, and a pass rate of 86 per cent. There were a total of 53 participants, and 25 of them were from Financial Assistance. A total of 53 persons participated in the training programme and sat the exams, which are sent overseas to the American Hotel and Lodging Educ ational Institute for scoring. It should be noted that the participants who did not pass the exam are eligible to re-sit. We certainly will be encouraging t hem to remain committed so that they too can obtain their credential. Mr. Speaker, on April 19 th, there were 37 trainees from Cohorts 1 and 2 recognised for earning their Certified Guestroom Attendant credentials, at a special presentation held at the Fa irmont Southam pton. Each was awarded a certificate, and a pin to wear proudly, from the American Hotel and Lodging Educ ational Institute. Nine trainees were hired from the first cohort by the Fairmont Southampton. Those persons from Cohort 2 are presently in the recruitment phase, with four preliminary hires for the Fairmont Southampton and one with The Reefs hotel. A total of seven trainees were hired, from the third cohort, with the Hamilton Princess Beach Club. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Workforce Development continues to assist participants and are sourcing opportunities with other local hotels. Furthermore, there are plans to work with the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation to explore the possibility of entrepreneurship for the Certified Room Attendants —for example, with Airbnb. Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me remind the House and the general community that this Gover nment is committed to diversifying training and connecting work programme initiatives to jobs so that Bermudians are employed in all sectors of the wor kforce. I would like to take this time now to thank the teams from the Department of Workforce Develo pment, the Department of Financial Assistance, the Bermuda Hospitality Institute, the Fairmont Southam pton, and the Hamilton Pr incess & Beach Club proper-ties for their roles played in making this public -private industry initiative a success. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. No further Statements. We will move on to the next Order on the paper. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. QUESTION PERIOD
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are no written questions. We have one Member who has indicated that he has a question for the Minister on his Statement this morning. That is for the Minister of Education. Minister of Education, you have a question from the Honourable Member from constituency 8. Honourable Member Simons, would …
There are no written questions. We have one Member who has indicated that he has a question for the Minister on his Statement this morning. That is for the Minister of Education. Minister of Education, you have a question from the Honourable Member from constituency 8. Honourable Member Simons, would you like to put your question?
QUESTION 1: ROOM ATTENDANT TRAINING PROGRAMME INITIATIVE
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsThank you, Mr. Speaker. First, I would like to state that I am fully su pportive of this programme. So, my question to the Mi nister is, Are there any other hotels involved in this type of training programme? And if they are not, what is being done to get …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, on page 4 of the Statement, and I repeat, “The Department of Workforce Development continues to assist partic ipants and are sourcing opportunities at other local hotels.” At this current time, Ha milton Princess and Fairmont Southampton are the two that came …
Minister.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, on page 4 of the Statement, and I repeat, “The Department of Workforce Development continues to assist partic ipants and are sourcing opportunities at other local hotels.” At this current time, Ha milton Princess and Fairmont Southampton are the two that came on board to assist with the training. But we are looking at the other hotels, as well. And the Statement does say that there was one other who was placed at The Reefs hotel.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Supplementary or further question?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue on. QUESTION 2: ROOM ATTENDANT TRAINING PROGRAMME INITIATIVE
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsHas the Ministry considered extending the programme t o cover front -desk serBermuda House of Assembly vices, concierge services, and food and beverage services?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Member. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, the Statement states on page 4 that “this Government is committed to div ersifying training and connecting work programme initiatives to jobs so that Bermudians are employed in all sectors of the workforce.” So I think …
Thank you, Member. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, the Statement states on page 4 that “this Government is committed to div ersifying training and connecting work programme initiatives to jobs so that Bermudians are employed in all sectors of the workforce.” So I think that answers the question, that we are looking across the board to initiate pr ogrammes.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank yo u, Minister. Further question? Supplementary? Supplementary. We will take a supplementary from the Honourable Leader of the Opposition. Ho nourable Member, you have the floor. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise us whether any of the participants of the …
Thank yo u, Minister. Further question? Supplementary? Supplementary. We will take a supplementary from the Honourable Leader of the Opposition. Ho nourable Member, you have the floor.
SUPPLEMENTARY
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise us whether any of the participants of the three cohorts were persons who had been previously employed in the industry —what I would call the seasonally laid- off workers?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I cannot a nswer that question. The programme was advertised, and we collected people —as we said, people from . . . it was geared towards the able- bodied people on F inancial Assistance initially, and we allowed other pe …
Thank you. Minister.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I cannot a nswer that question. The programme was advertised, and we collected people —as we said, people from . . . it was geared towards the able- bodied people on F inancial Assistance initially, and we allowed other pe ople to submit. So, whether they were employed in the industry or not, I cannot answer that question.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, summer st udents are often employed by hotels. But this pr ogramme is specifically geared to able- bodied persons who are out work and looking for permanent emplo yment.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. I think the Honourable Member from constit uency 23 indicated that she would like to put a question. Yes. QUESTION 1: ROOM ATTENDANT TRAINING PROGRAMME INITIATIVE
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Minister could just respond. He indicated that other hotels are actually going to be participating . . . and very supportive. We are very supportive of this, but there is a particular hotel whose balance of employment of Bermudians versus …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Minister could just respond. He indicated that other hotels are actually going to be participating . . . and very supportive. We are very supportive of this, but there is a particular hotel whose balance of employment of Bermudians versus non- Bermudians has been specifically targeted with r espect to Immigration permits. And I am wondering whether the department has overtly reached out to such hotels to ensure that their balance of emplo yment will continue to be achieved to make sure that our Bermudians are able to be employed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I do not quite understand the question. But the Department of Wor kforce Development is consistently reviewing the work permits stats to see where these training programmes can be put in place. A nd this particular programme is a programme …
Thank you. Minister.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I do not quite understand the question. But the Department of Wor kforce Development is consistently reviewing the work permits stats to see where these training programmes can be put in place. A nd this particular programme is a programme that was brought into fruition by the hotels approaching and saying, We have trouble finding qualified persons. We want to hire Bermudians. Is there any way that we can assist? So in terms of, I guess, answering that question, we will always continuously listen to industry and get their feedback on what it is they need and provide the training programmes to ensure that we are provi ding them with people who can fit the needs of their businesses.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Supplementary? Supplementary, anybody? No supplementaries. That brings us to a close of the Question Period. We can move on. CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECHES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister, you look like you stayed on your feet [after] answering the questions. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: No, no.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAll right. We recognise the Honourable Minister of Education. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to associate the entire House with these standing congratulations to the 142 2078 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly graduates of the Bermuda College …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, when dwel ling deeper into the numbers, I want to remind colleagues of the grant that was issued to the Bermuda College that enabled over 200 students to attend. And some of those students were products of this graduation, as well. [Desk …
Okay.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, when dwel ling deeper into the numbers, I want to remind colleagues of the grant that was issued to the Bermuda College that enabled over 200 students to attend. And some of those students were products of this graduation, as well. [Desk thumping]
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: These were students who would not have been able to graduate this year wit hout this necessary funding. Mr. Speaker, I also want to congratulate the 22 dual -enrolment students from our public schools who passed across the stage yesterday. Mr. Speaker, also of note, I want the listening public, as well as our colleagues, to note that almost 50 per cent of the graduates yesterday were males.
[Desk thumping]
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersYes! Yes! Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: The last thing I want to note about that, Mr. Speaker, is that Ms. Azhanae Oliver graduated with distinction with two degrees. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Two degrees —an Assoc iate of Art and an Associate of Nursing.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAha! Good. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: So we can be very proud of her. Mr. Speaker, moving on, I also want t o thank the Elliot Primary [School] for hosting their spring con-cert last Saturday. It was a wonderful event that featured all sorts of performances by the students. …
Aha! Good.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: So we can be very proud of her. Mr. Speaker, moving on, I also want t o thank the Elliot Primary [School] for hosting their spring con-cert last Saturday. It was a wonderful event that featured all sorts of performances by the students. You had everything from violin to miming to singing to Afr ican drums. It was a wonderful c oncert that I did ha ppen to attend. Mr. Speaker, I also wish to congratulate Elliot Primary. And this again puts to light some of the things that we are doing within our public school sy stem. The music programme at Elliot School is run by Mr. Shine Hayward. They achieved three passes in their grade 1 Music Theory that were announced t oday. And this is something that, when we look at our public schools, we talk about some of the things that are going on. But we do not talk about some of the positive things t hat are going on. Mr. Speaker, out of those three passes were Janika Allen, Jaden Alex and, not to toot my own horn, but Layla Rabain, who happens to be the youngest student ever to sit grade 1 exam and pass, at the age of eight and in Primary 4. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Any other Member? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 8. You have the floor.
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the comments just made by the Education Minister. I, too, was at the graduation. I want to commend all of the graduates for their performance and achiev ements. Obviously, the Minister may have been looking at my notes. …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the comments just made by the Education Minister. I, too, was at the graduation. I want to commend all of the graduates for their performance and achiev ements. Obviously, the Minister may have been looking at my notes. This Azhanae Oliver, who got two degrees, a degree in Nursing and she got merit, and she got the degree in Sociology. I spoke to her grandmother this morning, and she said that she was also working, at 23 years old —doing two degrees and working. So, one lecturer said to her, Listen, young lady. You are missing too many classes because you are skipping off before the classes are finished and going to do nursing. She said, Am I getting A’s in your Sociology, Professor? He said, Yes. And so, she said, Well, what’s the problem? I have to do nursi ng because nursing is harder.
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsThe other persons who I would like to recognise are the number of mature st udents. Evidently, a 70- year-old mother made a bet with her children and said, I’ll bet you I can get my degree starting from scratch, quicker and cheaper than you. And she did.
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsSo I would like to also commend her. The other issue is Zita Pitt. She spoke on b ehalf of the graduates, and she told us of her very em otional journey. She never gave up. And she showed the lesson of the butterfly. Again, I say to her, congratulations. …
So I would like to also commend her. The other issue is Zita Pitt. She spoke on b ehalf of the graduates, and she told us of her very em otional journey. She never gave up. And she showed the lesson of the butterfly. Again, I say to her, congratulations. I know Bermuda will be in good hands
Bermuda House of Assembly when it comes to nursing, because we have some world -class graduates, world- class students. And they deserve all of the support from the community that they [receive]. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Minister Caines. Minister Caines. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, I rise to give condolences to the family of Mr. Zameer “Ronnie” Baksh. He was 51 years old, Mr. Speaker.
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersAssociate. Associate. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne Caines: A phenomenal man, Mr. Speaker. He was a purveyor of men’s fine haber-dashery for a number of years. Some Hon. Member s: Yes, yes! Hon. Wayne Caines: Ronnie’s store was a lot like the barbershop—a place where you can go, where you can …
Associate. Associate.
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne Caines: A phenomenal man, Mr. Speaker. He was a purveyor of men’s fine haber-dashery for a number of years. Some Hon. Member s: Yes, yes! Hon. Wayne Caines: Ronnie’s store was a lot like the barbershop—a place where you can go, where you can talk . Ronnie made everyone feel like their best friend. He was a man of this community. He came to Bermuda with his mom, Patsy, at a very young age, from Trinidad. He immediately became totally i mmersed in our country. He went to the Berkeley Inst itute. He has two lovely daughters whom he has left to mourn, Dacotah and Raven, beautiful young ladies, Mr. Speaker. You have heard from every walk of life this week, from the man downtown to the man from Back o’ Town —everyone telling a story, but not only of how they got a nice press or a gansey from Ronnie, but how they had a beautiful conversation, about how they had a loving word, how they had a kind gesture. And that just speaks to the man Ronnie was. I was heading to my daughter’s graduation last week, and I w ent to his shop and I forgot my wallet. I wanted to buy a shirt. And he said, Listen, bring me the money when you come back for the shirt. And it was so interesting that, when I received the word that Ronnie passed, I actually had on the very shirt that he gave me. And obviously, I will go by the store today to make sure that I remit payment for that shirt. But it just speaks to the measure of the man that he was in our community, just a loving and a kind man. I have spoken to so many men today who are just so sad, you know, a number of his friends from all around Bermuda who are just so besotted with grief as a result of a 51- year-old brother -in-arms. Mr. Speaker, I would like for you to send, on our behalf, of the party and everyone in the House, kind condolenc-es to Mr. Zameer “Ronnie” Baksh on the occasion of his untimely passing.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. I recognise the Honourable Leader of the O pposition. Honourable Member, 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 Mary Patricia, and as we called her, “Patsy,” Phillips. Lots …
Thank you, Minister. I recognise the Honourable Leader of the O pposition. Honourable Member, 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 Mary Patricia, and as we called her, “Patsy,” Phillips. Lots of people know about Patsy from the point of view of the National Trust because—
[Inaudible interjection]
Hon. Jean ne J. Atherden: All of us. Because that was something that I would say that Patsy did more in what I call her later life. Because when I first met Pat-sy, Patsy was at the hospital. And she was doing so much with the Pink Ladies, and she was very much involved in helping them get organised. But Patsy was one of those individuals who, whatever she took on, you knew that she was going to deal with it and make sure that it was a success. I remember when it was the silver anniversary, that Patsy organised somet hing for the National Trust and made sure that everybody got out and recognised what was important. So, I know that, on top of that, she had her equestrian interests. So, she was one of those individuals who . . . Pardon?
[Inaudible interjection]
Hon. J eanne J. Atherden: Yes. But what I am saying is that she was one of those individuals who liked to do lots of things. And it is very important for us to at least recognise her. She got an MBE for things that she did. But she truly was interested in the com munity. Before I sit down, Mr. Speaker, I would like also to have . . . I do not know whether we want to say congratulations, but at least just give recognition to those members of the Works and Engineering staff who are out on Harbour Road, cleaning up al l of that . . . I do not want to say foliage and all sorts of other . . . and I say it today because when I was driving into Hamilton, I just realised that it was so much easier to go along Harbour Road and not worry about whether I was crossing the line. But also, there were some tourists there who could actually just look and see the beautiful Bermuda because now they did not have anything blocking their view. So, there are more and more things —
[Inaudible interjection] Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Sorry. There are obviously more and more areas. 2080 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly But I wanted to recognise the crew who was there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Deputy Premier. Honourable Member, you have the floor. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise on a sad note, to ask the House to note the passing of Mrs. Edwena Smith, wife of Peter Smith, former teacher, …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes, yes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: I had t he honour of having her as a teacher at the Robert Crawford [School], in English, when I was a student. So, I knew her well. Her association, of course, for perhaps many in this House, was as a teacher, and also …
Yes, yes.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: I had t he honour of having her as a teacher at the Robert Crawford [School], in English, when I was a student. So, I knew her well. Her association, of course, for perhaps many in this House, was as a teacher, and also for myself. But b ecause of her husband’s obv ious involvement with the founding of the PLP, she would be a part of our family.
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersYes. Yes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: And so, I would like to rise and ensure that the proper note of her passing is gi ven. And, I am sure, perhaps the whole H ouse would prefer to be a part of and noted in that. On a more positive note, …
Yes. Yes.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: And so, I would like to rise and ensure that the proper note of her passing is gi ven. And, I am sure, perhaps the whole H ouse would prefer to be a part of and noted in that. On a more positive note, I would certainly like to be associated with the comments made by the Honourable Minister of Education about the Bermuda College graduation yesterday. Other than the other ident ifications that have been made by members to certain significant graduates, I would like to send out, particularly . . . yes, impressed with the dual - enrolment students, but also with the fact that the m ajority of the culinary arts students were young men, as well.
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersThat is right. Yes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Which I think is a great thing. So, we seem to be developing, and the fact that men can cook should not be a surprise. But, in addition, these are, potentially, executive chefs and ot her young men who will have prosperous …
That is right. Yes.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Which I think is a great thing. So, we seem to be developing, and the fact that men can cook should not be a surprise. But, in addition, these are, potentially, executive chefs and ot her young men who will have prosperous careers in the hospitality and restaurant and service industry in Bermuda. So, I was excited to see so many young men graduating from that particular programme. So, hats -off to the parents, the staff, and teachers all , at the Bermuda College, who assisted all of those students with realising their dreams. And, as the Honourable Member who sits in constituency 8 noted this morning, Mr. Speaker, people often go di fferent routes to getting where they have to go. And Ms. P itt outlined her story, a story of someone who started, fell down, but got back up. So, we should be encouraging as many people who desire to take such steps as to advance their education that it is okay to fall. It is okay to have a failure here or there. It does not mean that you cannot realise your dreams. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Deputy Premier. We recognise the Honourable Minister Weeks. Honourable Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off my r emarks by asking to be associated with the college graduation. I, too, was there. And …
Thank you, Honourable Deputy Premier. We recognise the Honourable Minister Weeks. Honourable Minister, you have the floor.
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off my r emarks by asking to be associated with the college graduation. I, too, was there. And it is always a proud moment to see our youngsters walking across, and not-so-young people walking across t he stage, having successfully completed their educational pursuits. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to give remarks for Aranxta King on her recent appointment as a member of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association [NACAC]. I n this role, Ms. King will have the opportunity to assist in policy formation, be a voice for athletes, amongst other r esponsibilities. Ms. King competed in many major at hletic competitions including the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Pan- American Games, CAC [Central American and Caribbean] Games and CARIFTA [Caribbean Free Trade Association] Games. I would also like to congratulate, Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda National Athletic Association. They put on an event last Friday out at the National Sports Centre, which provided an opportunity for our athletes to compete with international athletes from places such as the USA, Nigeria, and Guyana. Mr. Speaker, before I take my seat, I would like to be associated with the obituary remarks for Mrs. Edwena Smith. I was one of the lucky ones to call her a teacher. She taught me Latin, and she was our librarian up at the Berkeley Institute. Also, Mr. Speaker, she was a member of the church that I was raised in, St. Paul’s, so she was a good friend of my mum. So, Mrs. Smith is going to be dearly missed. And I look forward to attending her funeral. Mr. Speaker, also I would like to say that, [as] the Minister with responsibility for the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, I would like to extend my condolences t o the Director , Ms. Helen Whalen, and her husband, Pastor Joe Whalen, on the passing of his mother on Wednesday evening. So, I would like for the House to send those certain remarks that I have just presented. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank yo u, Minister. I was looking for a little Latin in your remarks that time. I thought you were going to show a little of what you learnt in Mrs. Smith’s class, you know. Bermuda House of Assembly But I will now recognise the Honourable Mr. Tyrrell, Honourable Member.
Mr. Neville S. TyrrellThank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, firstly, let me also associate m yself with the graduation at the Bermuda College yes-terday. And, similar to the story that was given over there with the mother, I am sure there were several other stories just like that. And …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, firstly, let me also associate m yself with the graduation at the Bermuda College yes-terday. And, similar to the story that was given over there with the mother, I am sure there were several other stories just like that. And I have one personal one, where my godchild, Natasha Hurst, who grad uated yesterday, had started, many years ago, stopped, got pushed again, started . . . and I am so happy that yesterday she actually got the opp ortunity to walk across that stage. So, I would certainly like congratulations to be sent. Also, Mr. Speaker, on a sad note, I want to ask the House to send a letter of condolences to the family of the late Earlston James Leroy Hewey, commonly known in hi s younger days as Peaknuckles , certainly also for his association with the Gombeys. The Heweys are neighbours of mine, and constit uents, as well (because we live in the same constituen-cy). They were certainly a very loving, loving couple. And I am sure he is certainly going to be missed by Hilary, his wife, and the rest of the family. So I would ask that a letter of [condolences] be sent, Mr. Speak-er. Thank you very much.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Member, Mr. Richards. You have the floor. Mr. Sylvan D. Richards, Jr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the condolences offered to the family of Mr. Zameer “Ronnie” Baksh, a well -known entrepreneur in Hamilton, …
Thank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Member, Mr. Richards. You have the floor. Mr. Sylvan D. Richards, Jr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the condolences offered to the family of Mr. Zameer “Ronnie” Baksh, a well -known entrepreneur in Hamilton, [with his] haberdashery. He was a really, really good guy, always had a very sweet, lovely personality. And it is interesting, because I was in his shop a couple of weeks ago and bought a shirt that I actually wore to Jamaica. And one thing I liked about Ronnie, whenever I walked in his store, he automat ically knew what I liked. He would take me to som ething that was unique, that was my style. And that is kind of hard to find when shopping in Bermuda. I also would like to be associated with the condolences to Mrs. Edwena Smi th, and I just found out about it today. I am still in a bit of a shock. I met Mrs. Smith 13 years ago when my wife first came to Bermuda and did not speak any English. And I need-ed to find someone who could teach her English and found out Mrs. Edwena Smit h taught English as a second language. And within six months, my wife was speaking fluent English. And she was a lovely lady, a member of St. Paul’s Church. And, yes, she will be greatly, greatly missed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. I recognise the Honourable Minister Foggo. Honourable Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Firstly, I would like to be associated with the congratulatory remarks for all of the graduates from the Bermuda College. But I want to point out what …
Thank you. I recognise the Honourable Minister Foggo. Honourable Minister, you have the floor.
Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Firstly, I would like to be associated with the congratulatory remarks for all of the graduates from the Bermuda College. But I want to point out what a parent had said. Given the vast number of students who have graduated, she said that this marks the fact that our young people in Bermuda are doing positive and great things. And I just want to make a ditto comment to that . Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also want to be associated with the condolences for our former Latin teacher, Mrs. Edwena Smith.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSpeak some Latin, now. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: And she definitely taught me. I was able to get my Latin GCE [General Certificate of Education] in the fourth year, ahead of many of the fifth-year students at the time. Mrs. Smith gave up every weekend, every holiday, and she and …
Speak some Latin, now.
Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: And she definitely taught me. I was able to get my Latin GCE [General Certificate of Education] in the fourth year, ahead of many of the fifth-year students at the time. Mrs. Smith gave up every weekend, every holiday, and she and I would be there studying through all of the Latin books. And she just was a teac her par excellence. She was a phenomenal teacher. She made herself available in so many ways. I could then, as an adult, call her my friend. I would go by her house, have dinner, have tea — especially tea— and, in fact, at a few of her birthdays, special bi rthdays, I was there as one of her guests. And I will say that each time I ended up being the youngest person sitting at the table. But a very smart lady, who gave sage advice, was very in tune with the politics of the day, and someone who will be greatly missed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Minister. I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 26. Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in tandem with these sad r emarks on the passing of this gre at oak of education, Mrs. Edwena Smith, I rise, too. And I am glad that …
Thank you, Honourable Minister. I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 26. Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in tandem with these sad r emarks on the passing of this gre at oak of education, Mrs. Edwena Smith, I rise, too. And I am glad that the Acting Premier has asked the House to mark this event. Edwena Smith was a wonderful teacher. And I adopt all of the remarks. I was even chatting with Madam Clerk of the House, who remembers Mrs. Smith’s work in the library, where Madam Clerk was also a student, who helped, like the Minister helped, Mrs. Edwena Smith in that context. Fascinating lady, Mrs. Smith. These teachers, Mr. Speaker, come from a brand of magisters who articulated well. Mrs. Smith’s articulation, and there are many of that brand of Berkeley teachers who just taught us —Frances Burch 2082 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly I recall —they just spoke so well. And they did it so that they would mentor the boys and girls who came under them to speak well. So, Edwena Smith would come, and like the Minister, Edwena Smith was my senior. I got to know her as an adult, too, and she permitted me . . . we were friends. I referred to her as Edwena in the days when I could not do so as a student at the Berkeley. Here is what she would do (Mr. Speaker. You asked for some example of Latin) —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Michael J. Scott: —when she entered the class, Salvete, discipuli et discipulae —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere you go. Hon. Michael J. Scott: —Omne sadatae et tak ae tae.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood. Hon. Michael J. Scott: I do not remember all of the translation of that! [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAt least one of her students was paying attention. Good, good, Mr. Scott. Hon. Michael J. Scott: I do not know what it means! [Laughter and inaudible interjections ] Hon. Michael J. Scott: This Minister is going to have to help me. But if it sounds impressive, as Mrs. Gor-don-Pamplin …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere you go. Good. Hon. Michael J. Scott: And Go d rest her soul. I know that many are toiling into the night preparing for her home- going service, many of her colleagues. And I would like to ask the House to send condolences to the family of Mr. Cour …
There you go. Good.
Hon. Michael J. Scott: And Go d rest her soul. I know that many are toiling into the night preparing for her home- going service, many of her colleagues. And I would like to ask the House to send condolences to the family of Mr. Cour tney Ainsworth Miller , a Jamaican national, who, I le arned, tragically passed in Jamaica. And he worked at the Fairmont Princess in Southampton. I got to know him as a consequence of his working there. I was shocked and saddened and crushed to learn of his passing. I ask that the House send condolences to hi s family. And, finally, Mr. Speaker, I do not know whether you are aware of this, but Kenneth Rudolph Fox Sr., Foxy, has passed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Yes. Hon. Michael J. Scott: And I ask that the House send condolences to his family and to his children. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. We recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 10. Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning. Mr. Speaker, I would like to step on your toes a little bit and just welcome my mother to the …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYour mother! Ah! Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Nice to see my mother here. I guess she is watching me closely.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, I hope you will be on good behaviour, then. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I have no choice, because I have my mother and you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere you go. All right. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: So I had better be on sparkling behaviour.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood, good. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, I rise on two very positive notes today, to congratulate Flora Duffy on being named the Athlete of the Month for April by the United States Sports Academy, the female winner. She was in good company when being named the female athlete …
Good, good.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, I rise on two very positive notes today, to congratulate Flora Duffy on being named the Athlete of the Month for April by the United States Sports Academy, the female winner. She was in good company when being named the female athlete who was recognised, with LeBron James, who was the male athlete. We all know Ms. Duffy’s excellent work in the past couple of years, but not only in being named as the star of the month in April; she continues to fly the flag for Bermuda ever ywhere that she goes, right across the globe. And so, congratulations, and you continue to soar to higher heights. Mr. Speaker, in saying higher heights, I would like to recognise a colleague of ours, a colleague who sits right in front of me, the H onourable Pat GordonPamplin, who is featured on the cover of Accounting and Business magazine for the month of March, Mr. Speaker.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMm-hmm. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Pat is featured on a magazine that is put out by the Assoc iation of Chartered Certified Accountants, and I understand they have over 200,000 members and about 400,000 students in 180 countries that are part of this magazine. The [magazine] …
Mm-hmm.
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Pat is featured on a magazine that is put out by the Assoc iation of Chartered Certified Accountants, and I understand they have over 200,000 members and about 400,000 students in 180 countries that are part of this magazine. The [magazine] is actually printed in seven different versions. And you will note, Mr. Speaker, that our honourable colleague chose the red colours to wear, not the blue colours she has, so I guess the Somerset colours.
[Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerCup Match is coming. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Cup Match is coming.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere you go. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, if you read through it ––and I will table the magazine here for colleagues to read–– but if you read through it, when you look at the article, the summation of it is, “ Rebel with a cause.” Now, I know …
There you go.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, if you read through it ––and I will table the magazine here for colleagues to read–– but if you read through it, when you look at the article, the summation of it is, “ Rebel with a cause.” Now, I know the honourable colleague has moved on. But when she first started out, she certainly was a rebel with a cause. And there is a quote in there from our honourable colleague which says, “I’ve a lways been fair. I’ve always been honest and I’ve a lways operated with integrity.” And I think that sums up what our colleague has stood for all of her life. She is recognised by the magazine, not only for her over 45 years in the accountancy world, but her close to 25 or 30 years in politics, as well. And, too often, Mr. Speaker, we do not take the time to recognise our own. But for a lady such as Pat, whom I have known for 30 years now, who is a very qualified and capable accountant, has been masterful as a politician in representing people, but also as a single mother, I want to take thi s opportunity to recognise her, thank her, and know that her work has always been for the benefit of the community. And it is nice to see that she has been recognised by a publ ication such as this. And, Mr. Speaker, before your beeper goes — [Timer beeps]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNope! Nope! Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: —I would like to recognise Ayo Johnson, who wrote the article for the magazine, a local journalist who deserves the credit.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAll right. Save that for next week. I recognise the Honourable Mi nister Burch. [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAh! Did you want to continue speaking?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNo, no. You are on your feet.
Lt. Col. Hon. David A. BurchMr. Speaker , good morning. I would like to be associated with the congra tulations to the graduates from the Bermuda College yesterday. And I particularly want to single out a member of staff of the Ministry of Public Works, Jana Marie Darrell , who got an Associate’s degree in …
Mr. Speaker , good morning. I would like to be associated with the congra tulations to the graduates from the Bermuda College yesterday. And I particularly want to single out a member of staff of the Ministry of Public Works, Jana Marie Darrell , who got an Associate’s degree in Bus iness Administration as a dual enrolment student, joint with Mount St. Vincent University, as well as an em-ployee of the Ministry of Public Works. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to extend congratulations to T. N. Tatem Middle School, which held a gospel concert last week Saturday. I was unable to attend, but I understand that it was an outstanding occasion. It was a fundraiser for the school and som ething that I was able to financially support, even though I was unable to attend. Mr. Speaker , finally, I would ask that we acknowledge condolences to the family of Annis Laura Isabelle Bean, who passed in her 100 th year. She was the most senior constituent in my district, Mr. Speaker. And a marvellous woman—it was demonstrated yesterday at her home -going service by the participation of many of her grandchildren, who are equally as talented. And, everybody, universally, talked about what a quiet, but powerful, matriarch she was in Warwick —in Southampton, originally. As a youngster, I knew her because she and her husband and family lived in Riviera Estate. But she was also the mother -in-law of a first cousin of mine, Quinton Bean, and so in later years, she went to live with him and his wife in Cedar Hill, and that is why she got the opportunity to b e able to vote for me in the last two elections in [constituency] 27. So I would ask that condolences be sent to her family on the passing of this tremendous matriarch of Warwick Parish. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Does any other Member . . . We recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 4. Honourable Member Furbert.
Mrs. Tinee FurbertMr. Speaker, I would also like to be as sociated with the comments regarding the Bermuda Invitational [Permit] Meet that occurred in Ber2084 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly muda, where we had the opportunity to witness some para- athletes, including our very own Jessica Lewis, …
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to be as sociated with the comments regarding the Bermuda Invitational [Permit] Meet that occurred in Ber2084 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly muda, where we had the opportunity to witness some para- athletes, including our very own Jessica Lewis, who participated in that particular press meet. And it i s awesome to have the inclusion and the involvement of para- athletes in activities and programmes such as this so that our community is quite aware that para - athletes can perform just as well as anyone else. So, I want to send congratulations to organisers of the Bermuda Invitational [Permit] Meet. And I also want to send congratulations to MAWI [Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute] New Dimensions area of learning disabilities. They had their annual Heritage Day celebrations last evening. Usually, they have a parade. I do not know if anyone has had the opportunity to attend. But this year it was on a smaller scale; they had it in the actual courtyard of New Dimensions. I would just like to congratulate all of the organisers who put on this event. It was a very festive event in pre- celebration of our Bermuda Heri tage Day. Again, an opportunity for the community to come together and be around and celebrate persons with disabilities who also are contributory members of our society. So, also I would just like to send a big congrats out to them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Member Swan, from constituency [2]. Honourable Member Swan, you have the floor.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the congratulations offered to the students of Bermuda College graduating class, and also send congratulations to three students who have Anderson connections, as do I —Jari Ming, Dwaynisha Pearman, and Maxanne Caines II, who all graduated from …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the congratulations offered to the students of Bermuda College graduating class, and also send congratulations to three students who have Anderson connections, as do I —Jari Ming, Dwaynisha Pearman, and Maxanne Caines II, who all graduated from different universities: Jari from Kean University; Dwaynisha from New England Institute of Technology and Nur sing; and Maxanne from Oakwood College with a BA in History and Politics, of which she has had some experience in the recent general election. I would like to be associated with the [cond olences] sent out to former librarian and Latin teacher at the Berkeley Institute, Mrs. Smith; and also to the family of Ms. Mary Patricia “Patsy” Phillips’ family on her pass ing. She did a lot of work with the National Trust, and I know her family, the Gibbons family and her friends are very sad about her passing. Also, I would like a letter of condolences sent to the family of Gloria Ismay Joell, from Warwick, of the Lottimore family, who passed away on Friday. Her son, Mario, I had a chance to be with him on Friday, when unexpectedly . . . he was very saddened. And finally, I want to recognise a very fine article written in the Royal Gazette by Ms. Jessie Moniz Hardy, “ Determined mother who cleans school to cover tuition” at Bermuda Institute. That was the most inspiring article. I would encourage every family member and aspiring family member to read that art icle of humbleness, commitment, and how a real family can work together. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 21. Honourable Member Commissiong, you have the floor.
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongThank you, Mr. Speaker. So much that has been said today rev olves around our schools and the achievement of those within; the contributions of those such as Mrs. Smith, who contributed so much to the education of gener ations of Bermudians. Mr. Speaker, I would like to continue along …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So much that has been said today rev olves around our schools and the achievement of those within; the contributions of those such as Mrs. Smith, who contributed so much to the education of gener ations of Bermudians. Mr. Speaker, I would like to continue along that trend, if I may, and commend the faculty and st udents of Sandys Middle School, who, in honour of the 50 th anniversary of Bermuda’s first general election under universal adult suffrage, had a marvellous tri bute to those stalwarts of the school who played such a seminal role in thos e developments, particularly un iversal adult suffrage. I am talking of Dr. Eustace Cann of course; and another former headmaster, Mr. Mansfield Brock. I always remember the way Freddie Wade would tell me about the role that people like Dr. E ustace Cann; W . L. Tucker; and, of course, Dr. Gordon played in that post -World War II period in leading the charge to democratise Bermuda, to ensure that black Bermudians were going to be treated as equal subjects in this country. And we owe them all a great debt. Once again, hats -off to the students at Sandys Secondary Middle School.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. I now recognise the Honourable Member De Silva. Honourable Member, you have the floor. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the condolences to the family of Annis Bean, who was laid to rest …
Thank you, Honourable Member. I now recognise the Honourable Member De Silva. Honourable Member, you have the floor. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the condolences to the family of Annis Bean, who was laid to rest yesterday. And, as you know, Colonel Burch had stated very eloquently some of her history and past, and some of the things that she used to participate in. And in particular, to her daughter, Anita, and son- in-law, Quinton, who are also strong party affiliates, as was their mother -in-law and mother. Mr. Speaker, also following on from some of the congratulations with regard to Bermuda College yesterday, when I was the Health Minister back in the day, there was a young lady —and I say young lady, but she is probably around my age, Mr. Speaker — who . . . she is a lady who —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre you implying that you are old? Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I am a little older than some people.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. I just wanted clarification. But continue on. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I am getting up there like you, Mr. Speaker.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberOoh. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I do not know if I am going to catch you. But I am getting up there. But this lady I am talking about is none other than Paulette Richardson, who will not be over - pleased that I am announcing it in …
Ooh.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I do not know if I am going to catch you. But I am getting up there. But this lady I am talking about is none other than Paulette Richardson, who will not be over - pleased that I am announcing it in the House because she tends to be a very private lady and is one of those who does not look for, you know, a lot of praise. But she is the mother of three children, and she attained her Associate’s degree in Business with full merits, Mr. Speaker, and I would like this House to acknowledge the accomplishments of that particular young lady. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Member GordonPamplin, from constituency 23.
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have sat here almost with lead in my shoes, finding it very difficult to stand as I li stened to the announcement by the Deputy Premier of the passing of Edwena Smith. One can truly say that, in reflecting on one’s bringing- up, …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have sat here almost with lead in my shoes, finding it very difficult to stand as I li stened to the announcement by the Deputy Premier of the passing of Edwena Smith. One can truly say that, in reflecting on one’s bringing- up, there are certain people who played a key and important ro le. Edwena Smith was one of those, for me. She was one who saved me from myself. As a fourth- year student at the Berkeley Institute when I was ejected from a class because my mouth was too big —
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersNo! No! What?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNot you! No, no, no . . . [Laughter and inaudible interjections ]
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberI do not believe it!
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNo, not you! Members, Members, Members. Members!
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberShe is misleading the House, Mr. Speaker! [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue on, Member. Continue on. Continue on.
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mrs. Smith, on my behalf, begged Mr. Erskine Simmons to please re- enrol me, reinstate me in the class in order for me to continue my studies in biology. I have to say, in retrospect, I saw nothing wrong with the comment that Mr. Simmons took …
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinHowever, it was his right so to do. But, you know, beyond amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant, which is the one t hing that stuck, in the conjugation, the love that was shown by Edwena Smith to all of her students . . . we were all very special …
However, it was his right so to do. But, you know, beyond amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant, which is the one t hing that stuck, in the conjugation, the love that was shown by Edwena Smith to all of her students . . . we were all very special to her. And, obviously, as the years went on we attended church together. And she was, i ndeed, a friend. So, to hear this mor ning of her passing was indeed . . . it was just a shock for me. I would also like to thank my honourable co lleague, the Honourable Member from constituency 10, for highlighting the article by the Accounting and Business magazine, because I believe that t here are times when people who make certain achiev ements and are recognised by their professional instit utions, we take it very . . . you know, we take it on the chin as though, we know . . . we know we have done well, but we do not expect accolades as a r esult. But this magazine actually chose Ayo Johnson, a local reporter, to write the article. And they chose also a local photographer to do the photography. And I think it is important to recognise that there are international organisations that have their eye on our little piece of the rock and are able to recognise that there are some great things that are coming out of our little Bermuda. So, Mr. Speaker, I would just like to thank my honourable colleague for mentioning that. And obv iously, personally, i t was indeed an honour and a priv ilege to have been featured in this magazine. And I certainly hope that, you know, it is one . . . I mean, to be chosen from among almost a quarter -of-a-million members and 400,000- some students, to be highlighted in this w ay is a seminal honour, and I am pa rticularly, particularly proud of that. And I am so appr eciative of the Honourable Member for making mention of it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. [No microphone.]
Ms. Susan E. Jackso nThank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning. I just want to be associated with the condolences to the family of Patricia Patsy Phillips. She was certainly one who made her mark in the community. 2086 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly She has quite an extended …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning. I just want to be associated with the condolences to the family of Patricia Patsy Phillips. She was certainly one who made her mark in the community. 2086 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly She has quite an extended and accomplished family who remains, and I certainly send out my deepest sympathy and condolences to the family for someone who has really made her mark in Bermuda and a pos itive contribution. Thank you.
Mr. Christopher FamousGood morning, Mr. Speaker; good morning, colleagues; and good mor ning, Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, unlike most of my fellow Berk eleyites in here, I was not taught by Mrs. Edwena Smith in Berkeley, because she left the year I started. Ho wever, I served with Mrs. Edwena Smith on the …
Good morning, Mr. Speaker; good morning, colleagues; and good mor ning, Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, unlike most of my fellow Berk eleyites in here, I was not taught by Mrs. Edwena Smith in Berkeley, because she left the year I started. Ho wever, I served with Mrs. Edwena Smith on the Berk eley Educational Society for the last three years. And she was a wealth of history about not only Berkeley, but about Bermuda. I will speak about her later on. I also want to congratulate the 140- plus graduates of Bermuda College, and I want to thank the Bermuda College for allowing me to be their guest speaker yesterday. I did not get any points of order.
[Desk thumping]
Mr. Christopher FamousI want to thank my co lleagues who were there to support us. And I mostly want to say to all of those who find t hemselves having to retool: Please look at Bermuda College as an option for retooling because, as we know, you could have a job for …
I want to thank my co lleagues who were there to support us. And I mostly want to say to all of those who find t hemselves having to retool: Please look at Bermuda College as an option for retooling because, as we know, you could have a job for 10– 20 years and one day you are made redundant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does an y other Honourable Member wish to speak? No other Honourable Members? Let me just add my word of congratulations to the Honourable Member who was featured in the i nternational magazine. I think any Member in this House who gets recognised that way needs …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Does an y other Honourable Member wish to speak? No other Honourable Members? Let me just add my word of congratulations to the Honourable Member who was featured in the i nternational magazine. I think any Member in this House who gets recognised that way needs to be acknowledged. Best to you, Honourable Member. Now we can move on to the next Order.
MATTERS OF PRIVILEGE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. NOTICE OF MOTIONS FOR THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE ON MAT TERS OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS GOVERNMENT BILLS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. The Clerk: There are Government Bills. [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI am sorry. [Laughter] The Clerk: There are two G overnment Bills.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are two Government Bills. I a lmost overlooked you Ministers that time. The Minister of Health, you have the first one down. I will recognise you. FIRST READINGS MENTAL HEALTH AMENDMENT ACT 2018 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following Bill …
There are two Government Bills. I a lmost overlooked you Ministers that time. The Minister of Health, you have the first one down. I will recognise you.
FIRST READINGS
MENTAL HEALTH AMENDMENT ACT 2018 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following Bill for its first reading so that it may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting, namely, the Mental Health Amendment Act 2018.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. And the next is in the name of the Honourable Minister Simmons, who is off -Island. Deputy Premier, are you going to introduce it? VACATION RENTALS ACT 2018 Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of Honourable Minister Simmons, the Minister of Economic Development …
Thank you, Minister. And the next is in the name of the Honourable Minister Simmons, who is off -Island. Deputy Premier, are you going to introduce it?
VACATION RENTALS ACT 2018
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of Honourable Minister Simmons, the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, I am introducing the following Bill for its first reading so that it may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: Vacation Rentals Act 2018.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister, Deputy Premier. OPPOSITION BILLS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BILLS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. Bermuda House of Assembly NOTICES OF MOTIONS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. ORDERS OF THE DAY
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThat now brings us to the Orders of the Day, and there are two matters on the Order Paper that will be done today. The first is the second reading of the Ev idence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018; and the Minister of Health will be leading this. Minister. Hon. …
That now brings us to the Orders of the Day, and there are two matters on the Order Paper that will be done today. The first is the second reading of the Ev idence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018; and the Minister of Health will be leading this. Minister.
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill ent itled the Evidence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018 be now read the second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue, Minister. BILL SECOND READING EVIDENCE (AUDIO VISUAL LINK) ACT 2018 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present to this Honourable House t he Bill entitled the Evidence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018. The Bill was drafted with the benefit of incorporating provisions from several jurisdictions. …
Continue, Minister.
BILL
SECOND READING
EVIDENCE (AUDIO VISUAL LINK) ACT 2018
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present to this Honourable House t he Bill entitled the Evidence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018. The Bill was drafted with the benefit of incorporating provisions from several jurisdictions. It would thereby allow wi tnesses to give evidence in any judicial proceedings in the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court or the Magi strate’s Court for which the presiding judicial officer gives direction to do so. This will improve the admi nistration of justice in Bermuda by reducing costs, modernising court processes, and encouraging better case management. Mr. Speaker, vulnerable witnesses, including children, stand to benefit from measures in this Bill to protect them whilst participating in due judicial pr ocess. This will, undoubtedly, also enhance the admi nistration of justice. This initiative, in part, s tems from concerns that were communicated by the Chief Justice about not having these measures in place. [Pause]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you for assisting him, Minister. There you go. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, there is a relatively new term inology called “ cyberjustice, ” and that is used to capture the incorporation of technology into the justice system, either through offering court services electronically or by …
Thank you for assisting him, Minister. There you go. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, there is a relatively new term inology called “ cyberjustice, ” and that is used to capture the incorporation of technology into the justice system, either through offering court services electronically or by the use of electronics in the courtroom. The overarching goals of these means are to increase access to justice as to enhancing efficiency, decreasing the burden on the court system, and reducing costs. Online sources inform us that there are se veral electronic courtrooms within various jurisdictions that have integrated information and communication technologies such as audio conferencing, holographic evidence, presentation technology or other communication technologies. Additionally, there are various systems, or applications, meant to aid in the conduct of proceedings, as well as the presentation of ev idence. Mr. Speaker, at present, to one degree or another, audio visual link in particular and cyberjustice generally are being utilised by the legal systems of several reputable jurisdictions worldwide. Some not able ones are the Euro pean Union, Australia, the Uni ted States of America, and Canada. Australia is r enowned for being the first jurisdiction that have used a fully electronic courtroom for hearing of high- profile criminal cases. There are many such courtrooms in the United States, as well, and audio/video conferencing is routinely used and utilised in the United Kin gdom and New Zealand courtrooms. Canada’s Cyberjustice Laboratory, which is on the premises of the University of Montreal, is that jurisdiction’s prototype judicial facility, which is foreshadowing an increasingly high-tech judicial future. Mr. Speaker, it is worth noting that here in Bermuda, cyberjustice is in its embryonic stage ad-ministratively, technologically, and legislatively. Our small size, remote location and extensive links with other jurisdictions predisposes us to benefit most from administering live witness testimony from overseas. This begins with providing the legislative framework. However, aside from the provisions under section 70 of the Criminal J ustice and Procedure Act 2015 pertaining to remand proceedings, there is currently no legislation dealing particularly with facilitating live audio visual links in judicial proceedings. Mr. Speaker, it is also worth noting that our courts are currently us ing the Internet software appl ication, Skype, as well as 20- megabyte connection to provide videoconference connections during certain judicial proceedings. This connection is currently only available in the commercial courts, Supreme Court Number 4, the Family Court courtrooms, and the D ivorce Chamber in the Dame Lois Browne- Evans Building. Our courts also utilise a point -to-point connection between the Westgate Correctional Facility, Courtroom Number 1 in Sessions House, and Cour troom Number 3 at 113 Frenc h Street. The ability to connect to 113 French Street, which is Courtroom 3; Sessions House, which is Courtroom Number 1; and the Vulnerable Witness Facility via Skype was promised to the courts by the Information and Digital Technologies Department last year. And this has not yet materialised, and the reli a2088 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly bility of some existing connections is not guaranteed. The Ministry is keen to ensure that this hurdle is overcome in the near future. With that, Mr. Speaker, the aim of this new legislation is to prov ide clear authority, along with the flexibility and judicial discretion necessary to use readily available technology for audio visual linking pr oceedings. These provisions provide the necessary framework for such measures to be in accordance with the laws of evidence. Further, the new legislation will allow for audio visual -linked equipment change or upgrades, as technology and the government’s fiscal budget permits. Mr. Speaker, evidence introduced by audio visual link, where made feasible by this legisl ation, will now allow overseas witnesses to deliver live testimony without needing to travel to Bermuda. This would avoid the substantial cost of travel and accommodations and, just as importantly, [the unease] and anxi ety. Evidence given by audio visual l ink would also allow young people and vulnerable witnesses intimidated by the court process the ability to deliver their best testimony from a remote location, such as within the witness protection facility. Mr. Speaker, the Bill will require the courts to first make an order permitting audio visual link utilis ation in particular proceedings. The courts will have wide latitude to assess the availability and sustainabi lity of audio visual -linked technology on a case- bycase basis. The legislation also gives judges and magistrates the option to use the technology, but will not force their doing so if they deem it inappropriate. Similar UK legislation provides for the use of audio visual links in cases involving vulnerable witnesses, including children and complainants in sexual cases. It is the intent of the new Bill to incorporate the best practices that have arisen as a result of the implementation of the aforementioned legislation. The net r esult, Mr. Speaker, is that our administration of justice will be enhanced by these measures. Vulnerable wi tnesses will be protected and empowered. Witness testimony will more likely be free of intimidation, and the costs will be minimised. The time for availing the courts of valuable evidence will be reduced, and Bermuda’s judicial system will join other jurisdictions ut ilising this technology. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Minister. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member Moniz. Honourable Member Moniz, you have the floor. Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We support this legislation today, Mr. Speaker. This is clearly something which has been in the process …
Thank you, Honourable Minister. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member Moniz. Honourable Member Moniz, you have the floor.
Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We support this legislation today, Mr. Speaker. This is clearly something which has been in the process of being examined for many years. I think in the early 2000s, a room was set up at the Department of Public Prosecutions in the DPP’s Office for vulner-able witnesses to give evidence. However, the legisl ation was never completed, and it never came into force. So, the room has been sitting there waiting for a way of being used. When I was AG [Attorney General], the diff iculty that arose was that the courts were complaining that they did not have enough speed in terms of data bandwidth in order to have these visual links. And they were saying that it was going to cost them mi llions u pon millions in order to get the technology in order to have people give evidence electronically. So, that was the problem. The court was the blockage there. Amusingly enough, the Chief Justice himself charged off in a different direction and was pummelling court participants to use Skype, which was used successfully on some occasions. Now, there is obviously a major difference between an audio visual link from the DPP’s Office for a vulnerable witness . . . now, the object of that when you are talking abo ut a criminal case, you are talking about a vulnerable witness. They do not want to be, obviously, intimidated in a courtroom setting with the judge, the jury, the public, the press and, possibly, the perpetrator of the crime against them and be very i ntimidated. So, the idea is that you have this room from which they can give evidence, and they can have someone there of comfort to them. And it is in a co ntrolled environment. Now, the difficulty with giving remote testim ony from different countries is, of course, you have a witness on Skype, but you actually do not know if there is someone else in the room that may be prompting them to give a certain answer, or giving them certain information and, say, giving testimony. You do not have control over that space. So, there is a risk attached in having remote testimony where there is no control. I do not know how to solve that problem. You know, there is no one of authority who can say, Look. The witness gave their own testimony. They were not being prompted by anyone else. And it was an appropriate environment. So, that is one of the challenges that is faced by remote testimony. We have that problem of remote testimony. We have the problem of funding at the courts. Obv iously, in addition, this Act requires that rules must be made. Of course, no rules have yet been made. So, until we see the shape of those rules, which will pr esumably be drawn from a template in another jurisdi ction that already has this sort of connection . . . So, Mr. Speaker, those are my main concerns with respect to this piece of legislation. Otherwise, we support it. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDoes any other Member wish to speak to this item? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 36. Honourable Member Scott, you have the floor . Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just a few effusive and welcoming remarks for this initiative …
Does any other Member wish to speak to this item? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 36. Honourable Member Scott, you have the floor .
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just a few effusive and welcoming remarks for this initiative being piloted by my co lleague, Minister Wilson, and in support of Madam A ttorney General and the counsel who have prepared this Bill. I think the most stimulating element about this brief’s announcement to the House today is the poten-tial for cost. But before I address that, Mr. Speaker, can I say that this Bill and this initiative are somewhat historic in the sense that we need to take advantage of the history -making move that we are deploying by the use of technology, by letting AVL (audio visual links), Mr. Speaker, be caught up in the churn that is happening with cybersecurity in our country, cyber generally in our country, block chain most recently, and the capacity to trace by the breadcrumbs of ev idence of miscreant behaviour that we know is coming in our world, as we develop blockchain usage and technology usage for the movement of either contracts or coins or tokens engaged or linked to our contractual affairs, our banking affairs, and just our ordinary, general affairs. Our world, historically, is poised to be e ngaged in integration of the use of the Internet and the use of technology in waves of trends that we have never seen before and that will be significant and sub-stantial. AVL, audio visual linkage, and its ability to protect the vulnerable, to actually encourage witnes ses coming forward who might feel the glare and/or the risk of harm for themselves by being present in a physical setting, these are great, great moves. They are predictable moves in a world that is now suppor ted by information technology [IT]. And so, I commend Madam Attorney General and the piloting Minister of this Bill for their bringing it today. It b ecomes part of a panoply of developing IT in our world, specifically and generally. And we ought to be proud of the fact that we are making this step. I take note of Minister Wilson’s note in her brief that funding and resources have been lacking in some areas. I remember the speech that was made by the Honourable Chief Justice about a number of gaps that need to be put in place by way of resourcing the administration of justice in our country. He is right. I urge and welcome the incumbent Chief Justice, Mr. Hargun, to take note of these factors, these features, these needs for resourcing as we get ourselves pos itioned to be a modern Bermuda. So, before I take my seat, as a practitioner attending PACE [police and criminal evidence] interviews, and to address the Shadow Attorney General, Mr. Moniz’s, concerns, I do not think that they are concerns of any magnitude. Certification of the phys ical space must be very possible, a pan by the camera of the room, some types of protocols going in place that verify th at this audio visual linkage is certified by the presence of no prompting witnesses or making sure that it never takes place in people’s private dwel lings, but in a controlled environment. So that can be managed out of existence as a risk. As I was saying , though, attending PACE i nterviews, one of the first things that is said —and it is a bit of a certification —“Present in the room ” is doc umented. Present in the room Sergeant Smith; present in the room the interviewee and/or the attorney. And that is it. A nd the cameras are broad enough in their span to ensure that the integrity of the space and physical space is maintained throughout the taking of the evidence or, in the case now of the item before us, the giving of the audio visual link. So, I think my m ost important emphasis will be that we get on. We get on modernising, and we get on . . . and I know that my Government will continue to recognise the value of resourcing this space, not only this space, but all of the broader space of the admi nistration o f justice, both its infrastructure, broadly speaking, so that we get justice, so that we get fai rness and so that we get the administration of justice upholding the principal, overriding objective of propor-tionality, the overriding objective of fairness to people who come into the system, either civil or criminal justice in our country, and can have a reasonable assurance that they are being treated fairly. Thanks very much.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? No other Honourable Member. Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I could just pause and acknowledge the presence of the Honourable Attorney General, Ms. Kathy Lynn Simmons, who is pr esent, as …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank colleagues for their bipartisan support of this. I think, as the brief indicated previously, this is certainly a very important measure, not only towards the administration of justice but, in particular, to be able to …
Yes. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank colleagues for their bipartisan support of this. I think, as the brief indicated previously, this is certainly a very important measure, not only towards the administration of justice but, in particular, to be able to support those vulnerable witnesses, particularly children witnesses, as well. So, having the legisl ative framework to allow and facilitate that particular process is the first step. We have also heard about how the cost - savings are, obviously, going to be tremendous at a time when pennies are being pinched. And, in addition to that, as my honourable colleague from constituen-cy 36, who sits in this area, indicated, the whole issue concerning the use of Skype, which, as the Honour a2090 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly ble and Learned Shadow Attorney General raised, could raise certain concerns. But there are safeguards that have been applied in other jurisdictions to ensure that, again, the administration of justice is par amount and at the forefront of the proceedings. There was another issue that was raised with respect to the rules. And rather than get in . . . I have just provided a quick overview because we will be going into—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerInto Committee, yes. Hon. K im N. Wilson: —a clause- by-clause analysis.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerClause- by-clause. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: But you will see that it is a matter for the Chief Justice, actually, upon consultation with his judges and the other members of the Judic iary, to effect the r ules if he so pleases. It does say may, and I am sure …
Clause- by-clause.
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: But you will see that it is a matter for the Chief Justice, actually, upon consultation with his judges and the other members of the Judic iary, to effect the r ules if he so pleases. It does say may, and I am sure that the incoming new Chief Justice will take seriously and adhere to this legislation and consider all points that come within his remit. In that regard, Mr. Speaker, again I thank colleagues for thei r support, and I would move that this Bill be now committed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections to that? Deputy. House in Committee at 11:46 am [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL EVIDENCE (AUDIO VISUAL LINK) ACT 2018
The ChairmanChairmanHonourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole [House] for further consider ation of the Bill entitled Evidence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018 . Minister, proceed. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this Bill seeks to facilitate the taking of evidence by the use …
Honourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole [House] for further consider ation of the Bill entitled Evidence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018 . Minister, proceed.
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this Bill seeks to facilitate the taking of evidence by the use of an audio visual link in court proceedings to make a consequential amendment to the Evidence Act 1905 and to make a related amendment to section 70 of the Criminal Jurisdiction and Procedures Act 2015. Oh. Mr. [Chairman], I would like to move that . . .
[Pause]
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, Mr. Chairman, I would like to move clauses 1 through 19.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clauses 1 through 19 be approved. Are there any objections to moving that? There appear to be none. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. [Chairman]. Mr. Chairman, clause 1 pr ovides the title of the Bill. Clause 2 provides for the interpretation of terms …
It has been moved that clauses 1 through 19 be approved. Are there any objections to moving that? There appear to be none. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. [Chairman]. Mr. Chairman, clause 1 pr ovides the title of the Bill. Clause 2 provides for the interpretation of terms used in the Bill. Clause 3 provides the application of the Act. Clause 4 sets out the process for the direction of a party or a witness to give evidence by audio vis ual link . Clause 5 allows for the use of audio visual link in a proceeding on the application of any part or on the judicial officer’s own motion where the judicial officer considers the criteria. Clause 6 sets out criteria, in addition to the criteria in clause 5, that a judicial officer must consider in criminal proceedings. Clause 7 provides that a judicial officer may rescind a direction to allow the use of an audio visual link in any proceedings. Clause 8 provides the direction a judicial officer may give during a proceeding tried with a jury. Clause 9 provides the place of hearing of a proceeding. Clause 10 states that a party or a witness, whether inside or outside of Bermuda, who appears by the use of an audio visual link, is regarded as being present at the place of hearing. Clause 11 sets out what a judicial officer is able to do should there be a failure when using an audio visual link. Clause 12 provides the ways a document can be put to or tendered to the court by a witness giving evidence by audio visual link. Clause 13 provides the relationship to other enactments. Clause 14 provides for the powers of a judicial officer presiding in a proceeding which uses an audio visual link. Clause 15 provides that the Chief Justice, after consultation wit h the Senior Magistrate, the D irector of Public Prosecutions, the Bar Council and such other persons as the Chief Justice so chooses, may make rules for the practice and procedure to be followed in both criminal and civil proceedings with respect to using an audio visual link. Clause 16 provides the consequential amendment to the Evidence Act 1905 by inserting Part IVA (ways of giving evidence). Clause 7 provides a related amendment to section 70 of the Criminal Jurisdiction and Procedure Act 2015 to make the video conference appearance by a person while on remand discretionary rather than mandatory. Clause 18 is the transitional provision.
Bermuda House of Assembly And clause 19 provides the commencement of the Bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanAny further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Trevor Moniz. Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I said, we are generally supportive of this. Obviously, this will be quite a complex matter. There is a very broad range of a number of situat ions, both …
Any further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Trevor Moniz.
Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I said, we are generally supportive of this. Obviously, this will be quite a complex matter. There is a very broad range of a number of situat ions, both in criminal and in civil cases, and there is an incredible range of circumstances in which one might have this sort of testimony. My own view is that it will be required at some point in time for the Chief Justice to make rules. I know it is pe rmissive there. But I presume that rules will need to be made in the fullness of time. With respect to problems facing this, you know, the major problems are going to come in the criminal field, where people will challenge it on a co nstitutional basis if they did not receive a fair trial. So, it will be interesting to see how it works out. I am sure there will be some kinks. But otherwise, we are supportive and look forward to the rules being promulgated by the Chief Justice. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanAny further speakers? Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman . . .
The ChairmanMm-hmm. Do you want to move the— Hon. Kim N. Wilson: The preamble. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I would move that clauses 1 through 19 be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanAny objections to clauses 1 through 19 being approved? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 1 through 19 passed.] Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the preamble be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanAny objections to the preamble being approved? There appear to be none; continue. Approved, I’m sorry. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the Bill be reported to the House as pri nted. The Chairman: Is there any objection to that motion? The Bill will be …
Any objections to the preamble being approved? There appear to be none; continue. Approved, I’m sorry. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the Bill be reported to the House as pri nted. The Chairman: Is there any objection to that motion? The Bill will be reported to the House as printed. [Motion carried: The Evidence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018 was considered by a Committee of the whole House and passed without amendment.]
Hous e resumed at 11:58 am [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
EVIDENCE (AUDIO VISUAL LINK) ACT 2018
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, are there any objections to the Bill entitled the Evidence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018 being reported to the House as printed? No objections; so moved. We will now move on to the second Order on the Orders of the Day. Order No. 2 is the second reading of …
Members, are there any objections to the Bill entitled the Evidence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018 being reported to the House as printed? No objections; so moved. We will now move on to the second Order on the Orders of the Day. Order No. 2 is the second reading of the Interpretation Amendment Act 2018, in the name of the Minister of Government Reform. Honour able Minister.
Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill entitled the Interpretation Amendment Act 2018 be now read the second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue on, Minister. BILL SECOND READING INTERPRETATION AMENDME NT ACT 2018 Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you. Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members, I rise today to speak on the Bill, the Interpretation Amendment Act 2018. This Bill seeks to amend the Interpr etation Act 1951 in relation to the gazetting …
Continue on, Minister.
BILL
SECOND READING
INTERPRETATION AMENDME NT ACT 2018 Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you. Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members, I rise today to speak on the Bill, the Interpretation Amendment Act 2018. This Bill seeks to amend the Interpr etation Act 1951 in relation to the gazetting of statutory instruments and other government notices, and the commencement of Acts, and to make consequential amendments and repeals. Mr. Speaker, there are approximately 95 statutory instruments that define the official Gazette as a newspaper. However, Honourable Members will know that the newspaper is no longer the primary or only source of information. Communication channels have evolved over time, Mr. Speaker. Therefore, in an ongoing effort to ensure that information reaches the public as intended, the Ministry for the Cabinet Office with responsibility for Government Reform proposes to transition the official Gazette from the daily new spaper to a dedicated electronic platform. The official 2092 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Gazette will reside on a website or series of sites on the government -owned portal. Mr. Speaker, the benefits include increased efficiency, reduced cost, and convenient access to information for all segments of the community. To this end, it is accepted that not every household has ready access to the technology required to access a we bsite. Therefore, some government notices, particularly those that are time sensitive or require wider distrib ution because they are intended to cause the public to take a particular course of action, may, in addition, continue to be published for inf ormation in traditional and/or social media. Mr. Speaker, there are three types of gover nment notices published in the daily newspaper. These include official government notices, Bermuda regul ations, and legal notices. The distinction between the types of notices is determined by the requirements of the relevant legislative provisions. Such notices are processed and prepared by various government departments before being placed in the newspaper as paid media. Mr. Speaker, the Government has engaged in a consultation process to understand better how pe ople use the notices and to determine which notices should continue to be published in other media for the time being. A non- exhaustive list of 32 different noti ces has been published for the public’s consider ation. Simultaneously, information is also being gathered on the kinds of features stakeholders require the site to have in order to maximise its value. Mr. Speaker, the digitisation of the notices and automation of processes will greatly enhance o peratio ns and relieve the public service of an admini strative burden. The government spends approximately $319,000 on publishing Gazette notices each year, with the Registry General Department recouping approximately $133,000 by way of application fees. The administrative processing times and associated costs have been difficult to quantify, but the current process maps that include significant manual components, which have been produced as part of the exercise in preparing for this transition, hearken to a costly labour-intensive bygone era. Mr. Speaker, as the Government takes the necessary steps to increase efficiency and to be a digital leader, the public can expect more and more innovative digital tools. As a part of this exercise, Mr. Speaker, we have taken the opportunity to consolidate into the Interpretation Act and update the important, but somewhat obscure, provisions of the Acts of the Legislature and Government Notices (Publication and Commencements) Acts 1827- 1944, which relate to the publication of notices and the date of commenc ement of statutes. The Bill also clarifies that delegation notices made under section 27 of the Interpretation Act are not subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. Mr. Speaker, thank you, and I just want to say as a general comment, that as a Government we promise to try and enhance efficiency and reduce burdens on the public purse. And this Bill helps to meet that agenda. But what I really would like to do now is invite other Members to speak on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member Dunkley. Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Honourable Minister for the brief on this Interpretation Amendment Act 2018. The Oppos ition supports …
Thank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member Dunkley. Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Honourable Minister for the brief on this Interpretation Amendment Act 2018. The Oppos ition supports this Act. The Government will not get any pushback from us on this. I am sure the Minister is relieved at that. This is one small step that we look for in r egard to government reform. I think most people look at the paper on a regular basis and look at the notices. Some people have their thing, the first thing they do in the morning, they go to the back page and look at the sports section, or they go to the middle pages and look to see who might have gone to their great r eward. A lot of people look to the government notices. And it makes sense that we try to broaden the horizon that we can capture on the publication of government notices. The Honourable Minister gave an overview of the costs involved to the taxpayer in running this sy stem and gave an overview of the amount of gover nment notices. And on this side, we are thankful for that overview. And I think the people of Bermuda get a better understanding just at the breadth of the info rmation that has to be put out there. Mr. Speaker, when I was the Premier, I was aware of some of the challenges that we face and the need to try to streamline and to make it more efficient. So, we certainly support this small, but important, piece of l egislation as we go forward. By broadening this scope, Mr. Speaker, I do think that it allows for the access to information to be pushed further out into the community. And one of the things that I think is important to remember is that we all seek inform ation in different corridors. And so, I think this Act today allows us to make sure that we can capture the minds of as many people as possible and step forward into the new world, so to speak, and not just use the paper. Also, Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to remember that at times we will need some quick publication of official government notices. And in days gone by when you only had the official Gazette, it did take some time to make it happen. And so, this is a step that I think is welcome in t he community. It is a step that has been ongoing for some time. And I want
Bermuda House of Assembly to thank the Honourable Minister and the support staff who have worked on this to make it happen. Just generally speaking, Mr. Speaker, before we allow other people to speak and before we go into Committee, I do want to put the marker down that this side certainly supports government reform. There are many areas that are open to making government more efficient, more accessible. And I look forward to the Honourable Minister bringing some more Minist erial Statements to this House, and also some reform initiatives as we go forward because there is much that can be done. Our world changes so fast. I think that we, as the Government of Bermuda, need to keep up with that to make sure that our civil service is at the forefront of technology.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMm-hmm. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: So, there is much more that can be done, and I know the Minister is dedicated to that and has a small team that works with her. And the Government can be assured that if it is done in the appropriate way, we will provide …
Mm-hmm. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: So, there is much more that can be done, and I know the Minister is dedicated to that and has a small team that works with her. And the Government can be assured that if it is done in the appropriate way, we will provide the support on this side, and constructive criticism when necessary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member Commi ssiong. You have the floor.
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one way in which one knows that you are getting somewhat old in the Bermudian community is whether you are still reading the hard-copy paper. And I find myself now, I am going . . . just went 61 years old. And many of …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one way in which one knows that you are getting somewhat old in the Bermudian community is whether you are still reading the hard-copy paper. And I find myself now, I am going . . . just went 61 years old. And many of the younger members of our community do not read the hard- copy paper. So, this is a timely example of this Government’s commitment to modernisation and bringing about greater efficienci es, as has been described by the Minister and the Shadow Minister on the other side of the aisle there. Consistent with this Government’s approach to the issues of modernisation and bringing greater efficiency to government and the provision of gover nmental services, we talked a few weeks ago about the growing utilisation of new technologies such as bloc kchain, with respect to our Land Registry, and this is going to continue and will translate into significant cost savings. I think that the Minister talked about a net [savings], maybe just under a quarter -million dollars in government expenditures, as a consequence of this effort. So, I commend the move here. And I know that this system of modernisation and reform is going to continue, as this Government is committed to bringing about substantive changes in the way we have been doing business for the last half a century. This is but one example of it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? We recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 11. Honourable Member Famous, you have the floor.
Mr. Christopher FamousYes. Good morning again, Mr. Speaker. In regard to this Bill, it is not often we hear the OBA agreeing with us. Maybe it is because som ebody’s mom is here. But thank you very much. [Laughter] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, point of order.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order. POINT OF ORDER Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: If that w as an attempt at humour, that was pretty weak; he should try again. [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, my only comment is maybe we should have your mothers come more often for all of you to behave yourselves. [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerBut continue on, Mem ber. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: They would leave quick, too.
Mr. Christopher FamousAnyway, Mr. Speaker, I had prepared a speech in case there were objections, but that is not to be.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWell, give it anyway.
Mr. Christopher FamousI will s ave it for later on, mate. Anyway, indeed, this Bill and this function is going to save the Government money, which is one of our mandates, to have a balanced budget by the year 2020. More importantly, Mr. Speaker, many people have stopped reading the Royal Gazette. …
I will s ave it for later on, mate. Anyway, indeed, this Bill and this function is going to save the Government money, which is one of our mandates, to have a balanced budget by the year 2020. More importantly, Mr. Speaker, many people have stopped reading the Royal Gazette. They do not read it online. 2094 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly [Inaudible interjections and laughter ]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI do believe you are speaking to the Speaker. So, just continue this way.
Mr. Christopher FamousMr. Speaker, I have learned to respect people’s mothers. So I am not go-ing to say much right now.
Mr. Christopher FamousBut anyway, many people have stopped reading the Royal Gazette. [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Christopher FamousHere we go again. Mrs. Dunkley, [will] you speak to your son, please? [Laughter]
Mr. Christopher FamousMany people have stopped reading the Royal Gazette for various re asons. Some because it costs too much money, some because they think it is very biased towards a certain segment of society. But an yway, Mr. Speaker, what happens is, when they do not buy the Royal Gazette, sometimes …
Many people have stopped reading the Royal Gazette for various re asons. Some because it costs too much money, some because they think it is very biased towards a certain segment of society. But an yway, Mr. Speaker, what happens is, when they do not buy the Royal Gazette, sometimes they miss the important notices that go in the official Gazette . So, in moving to a government portal that is non- biased, non- aligned to either party, these important not ices can go out. What is also interesting, I read in the [paper] when [notice] was put out two weeks ago, was a cer-tain blogger who asked, Will this be given to a private company and [will] the private company get any rev enue? Well, the answer is, categor ically, no, Mr. Speaker. This is going on the government portal. It does not cost the taxpayer any more money; it is actually going to save money. So, I commend the Minister and our Ministry for this important reform. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, H onourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? No other Honourable Member. Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that the Bill be committed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Deputy. House in Committee at 12:07 p m [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL INTERPRETATION AMENDMENT ACT 2018
The ChairmanChairmanHonourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole [House] for further consider ation of the Bill entitled Interpretation Amendment Act 2018. Minister, continue. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Mr. [Chairman], I would like to move clauses 1 through to 8.
The ChairmanChairmanAny objections to moving clauses 1 through 8? No objections. Continue, Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you, Mr. [Chairman]. Clause 1 provides a citation for the Bill. Clause 2 amends section 7 of the principal Act. This clause deletes — The Chairm an: How many clauses again? Hon. Lovitta …
The ChairmanChairmanOkay. Thank you. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: This clause deletes the definition of “the Gazette” and replaces it with a reference to a new [section] 7A. Clause 3 inserts new section 7A, new meaning of “the Gazette.” This clause replaces the defin ition of “the Gazette” that was in section …
Okay. Thank you.
Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: This clause deletes the definition of “the Gazette” and replaces it with a reference to a new [section] 7A. Clause 3 inserts new section 7A, new meaning of “the Gazette.” This clause replaces the defin ition of “the Gazette” that was in section 7 of the pri ncipal Act. Paragraph (a) is unchanged. Paragraph (b) allows for publication otherwise than in the newspaper as cu rrently prescribed—that is, print or electronic publication. The revised definition also allows for different types of publication for statutory instruments and other government notices. It is anticipated that statutory i nstruments (Bermuda regulations) w ill be published on the website, www.bermudalaws.bm , maintained by the Attorney General’s Chambers under the Computerization and Revision of Laws Act 1989, and that other government notices will be published on an eGazette on the government portal, www.gov.bm . All notices will be accessible via a single gateway to be known as the official Gazette . Subsection (1) also provides that references in any e nactment to the Gazette being a newspaper shall be read as including other types of publication appointed under this section. Subsections (2) and (3) restate and update section 2 of the Acts of the Legislature and Gover nment Notices (Publication and Commencement) Acts 1827 –1944 to allow for all government notices to be published in the Gazette , even if the statutory r eBermuda House of Assembly quirement is to publish in a newspaper, more than one newspaper, or the Gazette and a newspaper. There are approximately 95 references to “newspaper” in Bermuda legislation. Clause 4, Mr. [Chairman], inserts new section 12A [which is] to do with the commencement date. Subsection (1) restates and updates section 1 of the Acts of the Legislature and Government Notices (Pu blication and Commencem ent) Acts 1827 –1944. Subsection (2) provides that where an Act contains prov ision for it to be brought into operation on a date appointed by a commencement notice, different dates may be appointed for different provisions of the Act. Mr. [Chairman], this i s a clarifying amendment.
The ChairmanChairmanMm-hmm. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Clause 5 amends section 27. It is about parliamentary scrutiny. This clause inserts a new subsection (3), which clarifies that delegation notices are not subject to parliamentary scr utiny under the Statutory Instruments Act 1977. Clause 6, which is the making of conseque ntial amendments, …
Mm-hmm. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Clause 5 amends section 27. It is about parliamentary scrutiny. This clause inserts a new subsection (3), which clarifies that delegation notices are not subject to parliamentary scr utiny under the Statutory Instruments Act 1977. Clause 6, which is the making of conseque ntial amendments, states “The Minister responsible for justice may, by regulations subject to the negative resolution procedure, make such amendments as are necessary in any enactment as a result of the amended definition of ‘Gazette ’ . . .” Clause 7 repeals the Acts of the Legislature and Government Notices (Publication and Commencement) Acts 1827– 1944. And these Acts, 1827 to 1944, are superseded by the new section 7A(2) and (3), inserted by [clause] 3, and by new section 12A(1) inserted by [clause] 4. And clause 8, which deals with commenc ement, provides for the commencement. Mr. [Chairman], it is anticipated that new electronic publication or publications will be appointed as the official Gazette prior to the end of the third quarter to coincide with the availability of the new platform — just information. Thank you.
The ChairmanChairmanAny further speakers? There appear to be none, Minister, continue. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Mr. [Chairman], I would like to move that the preamble be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanNo, do the clauses first. Clauses. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: I would like to move that all clauses, 1 through 8, be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clauses 1 through 8 be approved. Are there any objections? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 1 through 8 passed] Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Mr. [Chairman], I move that the preamble be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the preamble be approved. Are there any objections? There appear to be none. Approved. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: And, Mr. [Chairman], I move that the Bill be reported to the House as printed.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Bill be reported to the House as printed. Are there any objections to that motion? No objections. Approved. The Bill will be reported to the House as printed. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you. [Motion carried: The Interpretation Amendment Act 2018 was considered by …
It has been moved that the Bill be reported to the House as printed. Are there any objections to that motion? No objections. Approved. The Bill will be reported to the House as printed. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you. [Motion carried: The Interpretation Amendment Act 2018 was considered by a Committee of the whole House and passed without amendment.]
House resumed at 12:1 3 pm
[Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
INTERPRETATION AMENDMENT ACT 2018
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, are there any objections to reporting the Bi ll, Interpretation Amendment Act 2018 to the House? No objections; so reported, so moved. That now brings us to the end of the Orders for today. Ministers, would you like to do your third readings? SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 21 Hon. …
Members, are there any objections to reporting the Bi ll, Interpretation Amendment Act 2018 to the House? No objections; so reported, so moved. That now brings us to the end of the Orders for today. Ministers, would you like to do your third readings?
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 21
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I move that Standing Order 21 be suspended to enable me to move that the Bill entitled the Evidence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018 be now read the third time by its title only.
[Motion carried: Standing Order 21 suspended.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinu e. BILL THIRD READING 2096 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly EVIDENCE (AUDIO VISUAL LINK) ACT 2018 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: I move that the Bill be now passed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAny objections? No objections; so passed. The Bill is now passed. [Motion carried: The Evidence (Audio Visual Link) Act 2018 was read a third time and passed.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister Foggo. SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 21 Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that Standing Order 21 be suspended to enable me to move that the Bill ent itled Interpretation Amendment Act 2018 be now read the third time by its title only.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAny objections? No objections. Continue. [Motion carried: Standing Order 21 suspended.] BILL THIRD READING INTERPRETATION AMENDMENT ACT 2018 Hon. Lovitta F. Fo ggo: I move that the Bill do now pass.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe Bill has now passed. [Motion carried: The Interpretation Amendment Act 2018 was read a third time and passed]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDeputy. ADJOURNMENT Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, with your gui dance, as well, I move that the House will be [resuming] for a special sitting on the 22nd.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: It will sit again for business on the 1 st of June.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerCorrect. Hon. Walter H. Roban: So, there I move, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. Does any Member wish to speak to that? I recognise the Honourable Government Whip. Honourable LEGALITY OF QUARRY OPERATIONS IN CONSTITUENCY 24 —MEDIA REPORTING IMBALANCE
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottThank you, Mr. Speaker. I went to church this Sunday, Mr. Speaker. And also during my weekly devotion, there came a verse that really resonated with me. And it was because the devotion was between myself and the De puty Speaker. And he knows this verse very well, Mr. Speaker, …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I went to church this Sunday, Mr. Speaker. And also during my weekly devotion, there came a verse that really resonated with me. And it was because the devotion was between myself and the De puty Speaker. And he knows this verse very well, Mr. Speaker, John 14:6. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And that is John 14:6, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, in my devotion, what I was starting to realise, unfortunately, is that in today’s s ociety some can say there is no such thing as truth anymore; there is only perception, because one’s perception dictates their truth. And so, therefore, I now have grave concerns, especially with what has ha ppened over the past week, which I am about to tell you, Mr. Speaker. I have grave concerns about those who set out to manipulate our perceptions, which then means that they are manipulating, indirectly or direc tly, our truth. So, who would have that power, or who would have that ability, Mr. Speaker? The people who have that ability . . . or actually, it is a person. Most people think it is an organisation. I have realised that it is actually a person who has the ability to manipulate our perception. And that person works for ZBM, Mr. Speaker. And, more specifically, that person’s name— because, you know, Mr. Speaker, I will put a name out—is Tony McWilliam. For those people who do not know who Tony McWilliam is, he is the gentleman who is responsible for determining what makes it on the ZBM evening newscast. So, Mr. Speaker, with there being approx imately 33,000 homes in this country, and with ZBM being a licensed entity, which means that they are a private company providing a public service— which is why you can get ZBM for free in your homes —that means that one person has the ability t o dictate or manipulate or be able to get us to have a certain perception of our environment, our country, our people. And what brings this up, Mr. Speaker? Last week, I spoke about Gilbert Lopes and the quarrying operation—an illegal quarrying operation in my co nstituency that had retroactive planning. And after that speech, Mr. Speaker, Gary Moreno came to me and did an interview [with me]. And then, remember, I mentioned that it is not a neighbourhood watch; it is a
Bermuda House of Assembly constituency watch. I was then floode d with phone calls that there was a news reporter canvassing the area trying to get as many different points of view about this situation as possible. Therefore, my constituents were waiting at seven o’clock on Friday to see what was coming out. What did t he reporter find, Mr. Speaker? And what did that MP say about it? As you might know (might not know), it did not air. So my constituents called me, and said, MP, what happened? It didn’t air. I said, Let’s just wait until Monday. Maybe they are trying to get hold of Mr. Lopes so that, you know . . . were not able to get hold of him. But it is amazing, Mr. Speaker, that the Royal Gazette, who we just mentioned in a previous debate, was able to get hold of Mr. Lopes to get a statement. Mr. Lopes said that i t was an attack on him because he is successful. I am going to digress for a brief minute. Mr. Lopes would not be successful without the PLP, because it was not until after the Loughlands project that he started becoming a household name. And it was under the PLP that Grand Atlantic was built, and that was also under the PLP, which gave him experience which made him successful. So, why would a PLP MP attack somebody that they helped make successful? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerTake your point of order. POINT OF ORDER Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: I think he is stretching the facts a little bit. Gilbert Lopes has been well known in this community for years. In fact, he built a house for me in the 1990s. At that time his reputation was …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint taken. Continue on, Member.
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottBut I am going to move on, because, as I said, I digress. Therefore, what I did, Mr. Speaker, is I called ZBM on Tuesday, after seeing that it did not run on a Monday, and in its place . . . they ran the same sports segment that they …
But I am going to move on, because, as I said, I digress. Therefore, what I did, Mr. Speaker, is I called ZBM on Tuesday, after seeing that it did not run on a Monday, and in its place . . . they ran the same sports segment that they ran on Friday, on Monday. And then they also ran, in the place where they could have put that segment, they ran [a segment] about who was baking the cake for the royal wedding. So that means that there is something going on. Somebody’s dec ision-making is off, Mr. Speaker. So I called ZBM. I spoke to Tony McWilliam, who said that they had to be balanced. They had not heard from Mr. Lopes. Therefore, they could not run it because it did not have balance. Sounded plausible, but I had to double- check. So I called the Media Council and spoke to a Mr. Don Burgess in the Media Council. And I asked the question . . . the way the conversation started, I said, What are the prerequi-sites for something being newsworthy? I have to go on record as saying that Mr. McWilliam, Tony McWilliam, could not answer that question when I asked him. And when I asked Don Burgess, he said it depends on the medium. He said that Royal Gazette [could] find something more newsworthy than ZBM, or ZBM [could] have other prerequisites. Understood. But they went to talk about balance. So, the Media Council talked about balance. Tony McWilliam talked about balance. And I said, You know what? Let me just wait for them to get hold of Gilbert Lopes to provide that balance. But, Mr. Speaker, only a couple of hours after that conversation I watched the news, and they had an art icle. Tony McWilliam decided to allow the news broadcast to run an article, or a se gment, about a leaked document from the Ministry of Education. They ran about the leaked document from the Ministry of Education and, to my surprise, I wai ted— waited with bated breath—to see what my Mini ster was going to say about this.
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersYes! Yes.
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottAnd the newscaster said, We reached out to the Ministry of Education and have yet to have a response by news time. So there is a leaked d ocument from the Mini stry of Education, all the negatives about what it could have said and all of the challenges that …
And the newscaster said, We reached out to the Ministry of Education and have yet to have a response by news time. So there is a leaked d ocument from the Mini stry of Education, all the negatives about what it could have said and all of the challenges that it raised. But there was no response, no representation from the Minister or the Ministry. So, guess what happened, Mr. Speaker? I made a call again to ZBM the following day. I spoke to
Mr. Tony McWilliam.
An Hon. Member Mr. Tony McWilliam.
An Hon. MemberWhat did he say?
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottAnd he said, Well . . . and then I asked him . . . I asked Mr. McWilliam, I said, Mr. McWilliam, you talked about balance yester day when I spoke to you. And then you ran an article, a segment, a couple hours of later that had no …
And he said, Well . . . and then I asked him . . . I asked Mr. McWilliam, I said, Mr. McWilliam, you talked about balance yester day when I spoke to you. And then you ran an article, a segment, a couple hours of later that had no balance. So, how do you explain that? And he said, Well, Mr. Lopes has not gotten back to us. And I said, But, the Minister never got back to you. Did you even call the Minister? He said, Well, we haven’t actually reached out to Mr. Lopes. 2098 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly I said, Mr. McWilliam, why don’t you just go downstairs to his brother, David Lopes, and ask him where he is? He said, Oh, that’s a good idea. We didn’t think of that. [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Deputy Speaker, in the Chair]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottMr. Speaker, oh, Mr. Deputy Speaker (my Bible study partner), you know what? I do not understand how you talk about having balance . . . you talk about wanting balance, but yet, when, you know . . . and the Bible talks about those that were found wanting and …
Mr. Speaker, oh, Mr. Deputy Speaker (my Bible study partner), you know what? I do not understand how you talk about having balance . . . you talk about wanting balance, but yet, when, you know . . . and the Bible talks about those that were found wanting and they were left in the balance. That is what is happening now. So my question now is . . . I now question how balanced, how fair, is the ZBM news? Right, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker?
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottBecause . . . And, you know, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I have to publicly apologise. I only apologise when I do something that I think is somewhat wrong. But the person who answered the phone when I c alled on the Wednesday was Mr. Gary Moreno. And he got the …
Because . . . And, you know, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I have to publicly apologise. I only apologise when I do something that I think is somewhat wrong. But the person who answered the phone when I c alled on the Wednesday was Mr. Gary Moreno. And he got the full . . . he got the whole nine yards of the frustration of those members from constituency 24 that was channelled through myself. [Laughter]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottI am telling you, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. I see Mr. Moreno here. So I had to apologise for that. But the principle remains the same, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. Right is right, and wrong is wrong, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. So, the fact is that if there is no such thing as …
I am telling you, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. I see Mr. Moreno here. So I had to apologise for that. But the principle remains the same, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. Right is right, and wrong is wrong, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. So, the fact is that if there is no such thing as truth now, there is only perception. And one man can tell us or can, directly or indirectly, affect how we per-ceive our world, how we perceive our community. Is what we see what is really going on? Is Tony McWilliam protecting Gilbert Lopes? Is he? I am asking a question. Is he protecting Gi lbert Lopes? Because he could have run that story. Right? Why could he not? Why can he run a story that is negative towards the Government of the day, but not run a story that some could say is negative towards one individual? Does it h ave anything to do with the fact that his brother works for the company? Does it have anything to do with the fact that David Lopes works for Bermuda Broadcasting Company, and that Gilbert Lopes is a relative, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker? So where is that balanc e? Because, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I have a friend of mine who is doing a degree in communications. And there is such a thing called the canons of journalism. There are seven canons of journalism, right? And balance is one of them! Being fair and balanced i s one of them. Therefore, now it seems as though ZBM, Tony McWilliam, either does not know what he is doing, or he knows what he is doing and is purposely not providing balance. Now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I have heard, when we were Opposition, and it was at the time the People’s Campaign seemingly agreed with what the O pposition was saying at the time, and Members in the then- Government, now -Opposition, were saying that this was a combined Opposition. Does this mean that ZBM makes up a part of the now -combined Oppos ition? Because ZBM has always, always, always . . . I spoke to one of the oldest people I know, my father —
[Laughter]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottI spoke to my father, and my father has told me that ZBM has always protected, has always sided with the establishment. Now we have to ask ourselves, what or who is the establishment?
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottSo my question, using this past week as an example, Mr. Speaker, where the Government was put in a negative light without allo wing them to have their side heard, but then an indivi dual who could have been seen in a negative light was not . . . we …
So my question, using this past week as an example, Mr. Speaker, where the Government was put in a negative light without allo wing them to have their side heard, but then an indivi dual who could have been seen in a negative light was not . . . we have a separate media source (and they are being represented by Mr. Jonathan Bell), the Ro yal Gazette, [that] decided to run it. And that media source was able to get hold of Mr. Lopes. So how is it that they could get hold of Mr. Lopes on the Friday — because they both heard the same speech that I gave on Friday at the same time at the same place (right?) —but yet, the Royal Gazette was able to get hold of him, and ZBM could not. And ZBM has a fam ily member who works for them. Mr. Deputy Speaker, do you want to know how many people call me to get hold of my father?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberHow many?
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottDo you want to know how many people call me to get hold of my mother? So, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, if that goes for just me as an ordinary individual, right . . . and, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, you have so many cousins. I know people are cal ling you …
Do you want to know how many people call me to get hold of my mother? So, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, if that goes for just me as an ordinary individual, right . . . and, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, you have so many cousins. I know people are cal ling you all the time. I will bet you your phon e is ringing right now for somebody to get hold of your cousin.
[Laughter]
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. W. Lawrence Scott: Right? But the thing is, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, we have the Government being put in a negative light while somebody else is, seemingly, being protected. We have gang stories that have been running (right?), which I do not know . . . and I would defer to the Mi nister of National Security to give me a point of order to say that he was given an opportunity to provide the Government side to ZBM this week. I do not know.
[Inaudible interjection]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottNo? Thank you. So, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, where is that balance? Where is that canon of journalism? And the canons of journalism are like . . . As I said, I start off with the Bible, which is my foundation, which is, I will say, our foundation, Mr. Deputy Speaker, …
No? Thank you. So, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, where is that balance? Where is that canon of journalism? And the canons of journalism are like . . . As I said, I start off with the Bible, which is my foundation, which is, I will say, our foundation, Mr. Deputy Speaker, yours and mine, even though the wise men left the east to come to the west during A ugust wearing red and blue. They did not mention that. But, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, the canons of journalism are the journalistic, or that industry’s Bible. But yet, Mr. Tony McWilliam does not know the basic verse. He can cite it, balance. But he does not practice it. What would we call somebody who says that you should do one thing and then does not do wh at they say that others should do?
[Inaudible interjection and laughter ]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottWhat would you call som ebody who says, This is what you should do, but I’m not going to do it. Do as I say, not as I do, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker? On the street, some people might say that this would be the definition of a hypocrite. So, does …
What would you call som ebody who says, This is what you should do, but I’m not going to do it. Do as I say, not as I do, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker? On the street, some people might say that this would be the definition of a hypocrite. So, does that mean that the person . . . and keep in mind, it goes back to one person. How we perceive what is going on in this country is not dependent on what the 36 of us decide; i t is not the debate that goes on between the 36 of us who represent the majority of this country. What people perceive as going on in their country is determined by one person —Mr. Tony McWilliam! And he has shown himself to be wanting. He has shown himself not to be balanced. He has shown himself to want to protect certain interests. And I cannot tell you what those interests are. The only person who can tell you what those interests are is Tony McWilliam himself. And now, mind you, I bet he has the perfec t opportunity. He can take all 30 minutes of his ZBM evening news to determine what happens there, play 10 minutes of the news and then you put the weather on. Everybody knows once the weather comes on, you can go and find something else to do. So anything that is put after the weather is somewhat not i mportant, right? Well, sports, we all know what is going to happen— PHC wins. That is it. You know? But the thing is, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that this is just too . . . it is too important, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. I think that this is just as important as what was hap-pening in my constituency last week. Balanced journalism, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, right? Fair represent ation, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker ? When do we get that? I remember there was a time when we were asking t o have investigative journalists —journalists who would ask the tough questions to get the right answers —and we ended up with a show called “ Let’s Talk.” I was a part of that, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I was on “Let’s Talk.” And it allowed people to see who I really am, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. It allowed people to see that I am somebody outside of Alex Scott’s son, because it was unfiltered. People can say that, You know what? He was by himself. He w as on his own. And Mr. Gary Moreno was asking the tough questions. He asked me about Berkeley Institute and the building of Berkeley Institute. And I gave him a response. Right? Right? And, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I am trying to figure out how . . . how did a show like “Let’s Talk” get, let us say, cancelled? Who makes that decision? Because I know any . . . I do not want to say I know, but I believe that any Bermudian would have ensured that this show stayed on the air. So, we have to ask ourselves, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is McWilliam a Bermudian last name? I know Williams.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberAnd Mack. [Laughter]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottI know Scott. I know Smith. Right? And, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, when it comes to being a news director, I am now going to say . . . and I have spoken to him. And I do not want to go by an ybody’s accent, right? But I do not …
I know Scott. I know Smith. Right? And, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, when it comes to being a news director, I am now going to say . . . and I have spoken to him. And I do not want to go by an ybody’s accent, right? But I do not believe that Mr. McWilliam is Bermudian. So does he have Bermuda’s best interests at heart? And I am finding out that, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, you know what? My question is, and maybe because he is here in the Gallery, why . . . Wow.
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottOkay. I was just getting warm. I am sorry, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. [Inaudible interjections ]
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerAny further speakers? The Chair recognises Member Ro lfe Commi ssion. [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] 2100 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BERMUDA CONSTITUTION ORDER
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongMr. Speaker, in light of the pending events surrounding the decision to democr atise Bermuda, both with respect to the Constitution that was adopted and implemented in the 1968 election and the acceptance of the principle, prior to that, of universal adult suffrage, I was of the opinion, bearing in …
Mr. Speaker, in light of the pending events surrounding the decision to democr atise Bermuda, both with respect to the Constitution that was adopted and implemented in the 1968 election and the acceptance of the principle, prior to that, of universal adult suffrage, I was of the opinion, bearing in my mind that my pay grade is not high enough, and I will not be abl e to speak on Tuesday, that I would offer some words today of those two monumental events which shaped modern Bermuda. The comments by my colleague who just took his seat, from [constituency] 24, are interesting. He talked about the current editor, perhaps one of two or three at the Bermuda Broadcasting Company, Mr. Tony McWilliam. I remember, when Mr. Tony McWilliam came to Bermuda along with two or three other British journalists at the Bermuda Sun, a similar trend was taking place at the Royal Gazette, under Mr. Bill Zuill, of course, where you had . . . and I do not think I am exaggerating, but, by Bermuda’s standards, a flood of white Anglo- Saxon British journalists into the country. So it was happening at the Royal Gazette; it was happening at the Ber muda Sun. Twenty years later, they are still here and in significant positions to be able to craft the news, and thus our perception of Bermuda in its various forms, whether it is in the political domain, the social, or the cultural. Do not get me wrong. These people are pr ofessionals, for the most part, notwithstanding the, I think, legitimate criticism of my colleague. But my i ssue has always been that if you cannot find a Berm udian, and in this case cannot find a black Bermudian, to ensure this inclusi on and/or diversity and that you have a business, in this case a journalistic enterprise that reflects the Bermuda we know, which looks like Bermuda, that is able to transmit to Bermuda the Bermuda we know, and if you have to go overseas, then if you are going to bring back five journalists, you want to ensure that at least three of them are black journalists, because you are in a country where 70 per cent of the country, 60 per cent are black Bermudians. What is wrong with that? I do not think there is an ything wrong with that. But, certainly, that is not the Bermuda we have lived in. And so, despite the professionalism, many of them probably have never lived in, either growing up in a country or in a part of the countries they come from that had black maj orities . . . most of them would never have lived or worked with persons of colour back in the UK, for the most part. And I say this because we have a long, tortured history that is charac-terised by racial stratification and racial division in this country . And do not think I have gone astray from my opening comments about the momentous occasion, developments that occurred over 50 years ago. It is all the same thing, because those momentous events ushered in a new Bermuda. But, 50 years later, we will still see persons of African descent playing marginal and subordinate roles in various areas of Ber-mudian society, notwithstanding the progress that has been made. When I talk about the industry of journalism, as we know it, we still see the same failure in terms of inclusion of African Bermudians, their presence within these industries in a way that is going to reflect the Bermuda that we know and live in 50 years later. So it shows us that there is still work to be done, by this generation and those who are behind us, to realise the promise that our forefathers fought and sacrificed for. That still has not been fully realised. So let us not be complacent here. I spoke earlier of the role of Dr. Eustace Cann, W. L. Tucker, and the role, of course, of Dr. E. F. Gordon in shaping the immediate post -World War II era Bermuda that we have today. And they, to use a common metaphor, then passed that baton on to the people in the Pr ogressive Group who actually brought down those walls, like Jericho, of racial segregation and the expression in the public life of Bermuda of the worst forms of racism, which disadvantaged black Bermudians, while at the same time privileging and advantaging white Bermudians in the society. Heaven forbid that I should use those terms, even today. Lord! I can see the bloggers now and the commentators in the same Royal Gazette gearing up with their poisoned pens to attack me. How dare I use the words black and white? Mr. Speaker, a noted historian from my generation, Walton Brown, Jr., published a book called Bermuda and the Struggle for Reform: Race, Politics and Ideology, 1944– 1998, chronicling again that post - World War II period. And if I may, Mr. Speaker, can I just try to share some of this with those Members here and those valued listeners in Radio Land?
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongIt says here, written again by our colleague, “In July 1958, a select parliamentary committee, chaired by a black politician, Wesley Tucker” (another one who must be mentioned), “set out to address the whole question of expanding the franchise during the course of the committee’s deli berations. Bermuda saw the …
It says here, written again by our colleague, “In July 1958, a select parliamentary committee, chaired by a black politician, Wesley Tucker” (another one who must be mentioned), “set out to address the whole question of expanding the franchise during the course of the committee’s deli berations. Bermuda saw the rapid success of the anti - segregation boycott. A victory, which more than an ything else seared in the minds of Bermuda’s ruling elite a r evitalised movement from below. It should also be noted that this committee was only established because of the concerted effort of black politicians for an extension of a franchise. For the most part white politicians or parliamentarians were resolutely o pposed to it. Black politicians were convinced they could persuade their white counterparts of the moral necessit y of change.”
Bermuda House of Assembly I continue, Mr. Speaker: “When this group of MCPs presented their interim report before the House on the 29th of April 1960, the black middle class had secured no concessions. Once again, they were proved ineffective as a vehicle for initiating social r eform.” And, Mr. Speaker, it was clear that even up until the 1960s and 1970s, or should I say in the 1950 period under discussion here in this part of our colleague’s book, even though black Bermudians formed a majority of the population, whites still formed a m ajority of the electorate, as of 1960, by way of the property vote. And so, black Bermudians were thoroughly disenfranchised. So if one came up to this House in 1960, two- thirds of the Members would have been white, at best, with a small handful of black parliamentarians. I said 1960; I did not say 1935. This is the legacy that we are still struggling with. And I want to just s ay we have one of those younger generations. I talk about that baton being passed to a younger generation comprising Uncle Roosevelt Brown, who sat in these Chambers, who was one of the leaders to fight for universal adult suffrage. We have Mr. Arthur Hodgson, a former MP here, in the Chambers today.
[Desk thumping]
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongAnd he, as that younger generation, helped to move the country forward. Mr. Speaker, I was born in a Bermuda in 1959, where the nurses (who, I believe, were Canad ian) in the hospital for some reason thought that I was a white baby. That is right. They put me …
And he, as that younger generation, helped to move the country forward. Mr. Speaker, I was born in a Bermuda in 1959, where the nurses (who, I believe, were Canad ian) in the hospital for some reason thought that I was a white baby. That is right. They put me in the maternity ward where they kept the babies, a part of the area where they kept the babies . . . they put me in the white section, Mr. Speaker. For a brief tim e, I, too, was in Tucker’s Town . . . until the wife of a Bermudian doctor, who had also given birth, saw my mother admiring her newborn son, her firstborn. The white mother, the doctor’s wife, said to my mother, Oh, which one is your child? And my mother proudly —not knowing the trouble I would cause her many years later in life —said, Oh, that’s my son right there. My mother went back to sleep, went to continue her r ecovery. She came back perhaps an hour or two later . . . only to find her son was gone. Where’s my son? Her firstborn! Oh, don’t worry, Madam. He’s over here. They put me in the Middletown section, Mr. Speaker. And I have been there ever since—ever since! Now I represent them. But I was put in the Mi ddletown section. Mr. Speaker, I was the f irst black male to attend a white- dominated private school called Mount St. Agnes, after my mother and father and the Pr ogressive Group laid the groundwork for the total d esegregation of racial discrimination in this country. One of the first days, or one of my early days in school, coming there at age six years old, I found a loose- leaf paper turned over on my desk. And ever ybody was milling about at their desks getting ready to start the class, and the nuns were at the front of the class. I picked up that paper because I noticed that there was something scribbled on the other side, Mr. Swan.
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongAnd when I turned it over, it had a crude caricature of a black monkey, and underneath, crudely written was, M onkey, go home.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberThat was you.
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongThat is right. Fast forward. My granddaughter at a nursery school, probably 2009 or 2010, my granddaughter, suddenly, for some reason (it was hard to say) in the house, around my mother and her mother, I’m not black; I’m brown. Those two women in my family, they heard this and …
That is right. Fast forward. My granddaughter at a nursery school, probably 2009 or 2010, my granddaughter, suddenly, for some reason (it was hard to say) in the house, around my mother and her mother, I’m not black; I’m brown. Those two women in my family, they heard this and at first they just —Whatever. She’s watching TV. But then after about the third or fourth time, my daughter, her mother, said, It’s time to drill down on this. Where is she getting this from, at age five or six? Long story short, Mr. Speaker, my gran ddaughter had befriended two white girls, who were sisters, at this nursery school not too far from this l ocation. And they were playing one day. And those two white g irls, five or six years old, had the occasion (I do not know what was the catalyst) to say to my gran ddaughter, You know , Sahanna, our mama and daddy said we shouldn’t play with black children. But now, in order to square that circle, because, obviously , they are playing with this black girl whom they had befriended . . . and the way they did it, in their mind, in their own innocence, But you’re all right. Because you’re not black; you’re brown. Well, Mr. Speaker, this is not 1930! It is not even 1963 at Mount St. Agnes. This is 2009 or 2010. But what about another member of my family, a male, a great . . . went to one of the top schools in Canada, university. He happened to fall in love with a white Portuguese girl at Mount St. Agnes. But yet, the parents rejected him, and the mother had to be more racist than the father. From a prominent family who runs a grocery store, threatened to disown her if she continued with this dalliance. Threatened to disown her. Of course, when social pressure was placed upon them, no less by my call to “The Everest DeCosta Show” prior to the election, I said enough to probably put the fear of Jesus in them. Then we subsequently found out that it was fine now. He did not have to park his bike, drop her off at the foot of the lane. He could come up to the house now. But that is the Bermuda we still live in. 2102 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Let us not ignore Marisa Baron. Let us not ignore Monica Jones and the newspaper only about a year ago. So, let us stop the nonsense here. We have a serious problem. Mr. S peaker, despite all of those personal stories and anecdotes about the ongoing racism em anating from some of Bermuda’s white community, more than we care to admit, we need to focus on those structural issues that are at the heart of the r acial disparities t hat we talk about. Does anyone care that, as a member or as head of the Parole Board I have to preside over dealing with matters from a prison that has 98 per cent black males , or that 95 per cent of the clients of Sheelagh Cooper’s Coalition for the Prot ection of Children are African Bermudian, 197- something women who, between them, have 400- odd children? Look at the figures at Financial Assistance. There is no di fference. So we need to deal with those structural and systemic impediments that are still hobbling and di sadvantaging one sector of our community. I have always been of the view that if it makes you upset to hear the word “ black ” or “white ,” well, then you are going to keep being upset because I am not going to stop. If it makes you upset to hear me talk about racial disparity, well, then you are going to be upset, because I am not going to stop, because, Mr. Speaker, this is not just good for Bermuda. This is not just good for black Bermudians; this is good for ever yone, including white Bermudia ns, who we deal with on this issue . It should have been dealt with over 20, 30, 40 years ago! Mr. Speaker, how many minutes do I have left?
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongI just want to say this, getting back to the issue, m ore directly, about the advent of universal adult suffrage, its adoption and the const itutional changes that took place, that in many ways it just provided a challenge, particularly for Anglo- Saxon Bermuda. And it is clear that …
I just want to say this, getting back to the issue, m ore directly, about the advent of universal adult suffrage, its adoption and the const itutional changes that took place, that in many ways it just provided a challenge, particularly for Anglo- Saxon Bermuda. And it is clear that they engineered a sol ution t o that crisis to avoid Bermuda going in the way of many of the sister islands in the Caribbean— i.e., ha ving a black majority Government, quickly followed by independence. That it was engineered in such a way that they would navigate through this challenge to their hegemony or their dominance of Bermuda and come out the other side with the advent of universal adult suffrage that would allow them to maintain their privilege and their dominance in Bermudian society with the United Bermuda Party and its creation being a vehicle to maintain that dominance. It would take up until 1998 before you had a black majority Government in this country as a test imony of the success of Sir Henry Tucker and the ot hers in ensuring these outcomes. We now have to close the chapter on that. And if they are really inter-ested in moving together as one, then the pathway is clear.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Member. Would any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Minister of Education. Minister, you have the flo or. THE LOYAL GAZETTE Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I get to my feet this afternoon first to address a matter that was …
Thank you, Member. Would any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Minister of Education. Minister, you have the flo or.
THE LOYAL GAZETTE
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I get to my feet this afternoon first to address a matter that was brought to me by one of my constituents. Mr. Speaker, there was a movement on Loyal Hill by some of my constituents known as t he Loyal Gazette. Some of you who drive along North Shore heading east may see that there are some signs sometimes attached to the wall. And these signs have positive messages and sayings, sometimes congrat ulating things that have happened in Bermuda. And I say that for the listening public and the Members who reside within these Chambers to let them know that the Loyal Gazette has been around for just over a year. And it is a group of people who come together. And one of their mai nstays that they have always articulated is that they are apolitical. They do not want anything that they produce used for political purposes. And it is something that those of us who have taken the time to get to know the group and go to some of the things that they have put on understand, understand and respect from this particular group. Mr. Speaker, they have held several open- mic sessions at the Loyal Hill field. And the purpose of this is to educate the general public in the area, and those who come and visit on the Island, of different cultural things that are in the Island, different things that are going on among themselves. They also use it as a fundraiser to raise money to replace the playground equipment that is there at the field. You know, som etimes they have a little music playing, and they have these open- mic sessions. I have been invited on occasion to speak at the open- mic sessions as well, not as a politician, but be there to answer questions about . . . the last time I was there I was speaking about the historic nature of how integrated schools came to be in Bermuda. So, as a desire to respect their desire to r emain apolitical, Mr. Speaker, I have never in my time being there, and never have the colleagues whom I know who have been there, utilised any of their documentation or any of their photos in political speeches or in a political way as to promote anything that has to do with the Progressive Labour Party. Now, Mr. Speaker, this brings me back to how I started, in saying that I am sp eaking on behalf of my constituents. So, after that intro, colleagues should
Bermuda House of Assembly know and recognise how the people of the Loyal Hill take their Loyal Gazette. So you can imagine, Mr. Speaker, how surprised one of my constituents was when they came home earlier this week and found this flyer, this flyer from constituency Smith’s North, featuring a photo of the Honourable Michael Dunkley, JP, MP, utilising a photo from the Loyal Gazette to advertise to his constituents. And, to add insult to injury, the photo, at the bottom, states, Photo by Gaylhia LeMay, one of my constituents. That is the constituent who called me, highly upset. She did not provide this photo, so why is her name on there, saying, Photo provided by —by the Honourable Member?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberInteresting. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, now, Ms. LeMay is not upset ; she knows, she understands this game. She is not upset, and she did not ask me to come here and jump on the Member across the way. But, Mr. Speaker, seeing something like this s …
Interesting. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, now, Ms. LeMay is not upset ; she knows, she understands this game. She is not upset, and she did not ask me to come here and jump on the Member across the way. But, Mr. Speaker, seeing something like this s peaks to something that we all know up here. She wanted to know why this was used for a political purpose, and why her name was attached to it. That is what she would like. She would like a public apology. And the Loyal Gazette would like a public apology from that Member for utilising their information in this way, in this gross misuse —
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberAbuse. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: And abuse. (Thank you.) But, Mr. Speaker, this reminds us of som ething else. This reminds us of a politician who is so desperate to remain relevant in this country after leading his party to yet another loss in the polls. Because he talks …
Abuse.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: And abuse. (Thank you.) But, Mr. Speaker, this reminds us of som ething else. This reminds us of a politician who is so desperate to remain relevant in this country after leading his party to yet another loss in the polls. Because he talks about it in his manifesto, where he talks about the Progressive Labour Party having a convincing win and how much the OBA needs to keep t he two seats in the bye- election and the like. But what I do find interesting about this br ochure is that there is no OBA logo on it anywhere, Mr. Speaker . And the contact information has nothing to do with the OBA. As we all know, all of the members at OB A have OBA email addresses and OBA contact numbers. And it says if you want to reach them it has personal numbers. Of course, it has all the social m edia contacts on it as well. Another thing that stands out is a very touc hing tribute to Dr. Gibbons and r etiring from politics, a nice picture of the Member with Dr. Gibbons. But I do not see a picture of him with Mr. Baron thanking him for his service. But, Mr. Speaker, instead of just utilising what the Loyal Gazette has put out, why not come to some of the functions the Loyal Gazette has put on, understand what they are, donate to their causes, Mr. Speaker . I do believe that Mr. Dunkley owes Ms. LeMay an apology —and a very public one at that —in this egregious use to utilise their grassroots campaign to promote himself, Mr. Speaker . Again, this just shows a politician . . . it is just indicative of the One Bermuda Alliance as a whole. It just does not understand that they are not connecting with the community. Get out there, talk to the people—not just post pictures, not just go on Instagram, not just go on social media and post pictures ––talk to the people. You will understand what they are feeling, Mr. Speaker, versus putting up something like this and causing a disruption, an uproar in this neighbourhood. Because, of course, you know, once one person got it, so many other people got it and they just want to know what is going on there. But now, Mr. Speaker, I move on to my next topic and —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMm-hmm. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND TRAINING OF BER MUDIANS Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: —I want to talk about something that happened, a significant development that happened in the Department of Workforce Development this week. Mr. Speaker, as you know, we have been speaking quite a bit about the new tech …
Mm-hmm.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND TRAINING OF BER MUDIANS
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: —I want to talk about something that happened, a significant development that happened in the Department of Workforce Development this week. Mr. Speaker, as you know, we have been speaking quite a bit about the new tech nologies that are emerging. Minister Caines is speaking about a blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and all of these sorts of things. So, Mr. Speaker, in order to get our people prepared we had a company come down, Cognizant [Technology], one of the world’s leading professional services companies, to take a look at what it is we are doing, what is the space we want to move into and provide some insight on how we can get to that in terms of having the training centres and the expertise to make sure our people— not just those that are unemployed but those that are employed as well —have opportunities and the training needed in order for them to fit inside this space. Part of Cognizant coming down and speaking to us was to speak to employers, current employers that are out there, that should be moving towards this space. And we had some simple questions to ask them. Simple questions, like, What is it you need to see from the employee of the future in order for them to fit into your company? What is it that we need to be telling our students that they need to do in order to ensure that they come back to Bermuda with the skil lsets that can fit into your company? What is it that your current employees need to upgrade themselves in order to make themselves more va luable contributors to your company? Mr. Speaker, I honestly left that meeting depressed. Why did I leave that meeting depressed? Because of all the employers we had in there— and 2104 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly we had about 25 people in there —the feedback co ming back was not, This is wh at we want to see; this is what you can provide; these are the types of things that you can put in place to ensure that the people are ready . . . it was, oh, almost universally, every excuse in the book why they do not want to hire Bermudians or why they cannot hire Bermudians; why they should go and work somewhere for 10 years, 20 years. We had someone proudly proclaim, I did not come back to Bermuda for 20 years! Why can’t an ybody do that? Mr. Speaker, this is just craziness. And you know what? What really disturbed me about this was we had employers in there of a certain hue . . . and I get it. I get their understanding of wanting to hold on to that privilege that they have had an oppor-tunity to hold on to that they see slipping away with the things thi s Government is trying to do. What truly disappointed me was the people in that room who looked like me and were parroting exactly what these people were saying. [Inaudible interjections]
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberIncredible! Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: They shoul d know the diff iculties that people of colour have had on this Island getting to where it is they have gotten to. But all they want to do is maintain the status quo. I just could not understand. We are standing …
Incredible!
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: They shoul d know the diff iculties that people of colour have had on this Island getting to where it is they have gotten to. But all they want to do is maintain the status quo. I just could not understand. We are standing in front of them saying, Tell us what you want our people to do. And they could not answer that question except for, Well, tell them to go work overseas for 20 years .
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWow! [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Go tell them go work somewhere else before you come back here. Mr. Speaker, we have just seen a cohort of graduates from the Bermuda College, 140- plus, a lmost 50 per cent of that are male students. What are they looking …
Wow!
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Go tell them go work somewhere else before you come back here. Mr. Speaker, we have just seen a cohort of graduates from the Bermuda College, 140- plus, a lmost 50 per cent of that are male students. What are they looking at when they look at these companies in Bermuda? We sat in that room and I had a very heart - to-heart conversation with one of the employers and said, You are the problem that we have here because you are the ones that are telling our people that they will never be good enough no matter what they do. They will never be able to sit where you sit . That is what you are telling . . . and you know what? One of the things that really blew my mind was one of the companies stood up and talked about Ireland, talked about all these incentives that are in place, talked about an office they opened in Ireland because the government gave them tax incentives to open up an office in Ireland— gave them tax incentives if they hired Irish people. And I looked at him and said, Have you ever heard of the Economic Empowerment Zone? Because you are saying, Why aren’t those in Bermuda? I said, Have you heard of the Economic E mpowerment Zone ? He said, What is that?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerHmm. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I said, Have you heard of the fact that if a company produces a training plan, submits it to Workforce Development and gets approved, that employee is payroll tax free for the dur ation of the training? He was like, Stuff like that exists …
Hmm.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I said, Have you heard of the fact that if a company produces a training plan, submits it to Workforce Development and gets approved, that employee is payroll tax free for the dur ation of the training? He was like, Stuff like that exists in Bermuda? I cannot believe it . I said, Did you know that the Department of Workforce Development has a sponsorship training programme that if you have employees that want to upgrade their skills, they can come down here and apply for funding and we will give them $20,000 to go and get skill upgrades ? And he was like . . . So I said, Every single one of you (and there were 25) . . . how many of you have training pr ogrammes that are approved by the Government? Not one of them put up their hand. How many of you have utilised the training r esources at the Workforce Development? None of them put up their hand. How many of you have established offices in the Economic Empowerment Zone to take advantage of those tax credits? None of them could put up their hand. So we need to change our mind- set when it comes to our people in Bermuda. We cannot continue to sit back in our ivory towers and talk about our people need experience when you are not willing to give it. We cannot talk about we need . . . what we need is . . . senior executives, and you are not willing to train. We cannot sit back and talk about our people are not good enough and they are not doing enough when they are busting their tails only to be told that the door is closed before they even knock!
[Desk thumping]
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: We have opportunities within this Island, and this Government is creating opportunities w ithin this Island. But if the employers are not willing to work with us, we will work with those companies that are coming here and are giving their money and putting their money where their mouth is to employ Bermudians, while local companies are finding every excuse in the book to say you are not good enough. Do not come. Do not come because we are not going to hire you because we want that guy from Canada. We want that guy from the UK. We want that guy from Europe. We do not want you little guy from Back o’ Town —no matter how skilled you
Bermuda House of Assembly are, no matter how much greatness that you have within you. Our people need chances, Mr. Speaker . They need to be given the opportunity. We hear it all the time: It takes a village. But, Mr. Speaker, the village only works if the villagers are here in the village r ecruiting and not in Canada’s village, not in UK’s vi llage, and not in Europe’s village recruiting and helping them. We need them to help our people today. We need them to help our people in Bermuda. We need the companies of Bermuda to get on board this train that is moving forward, Mr. Speaker, because if they do not, we will help the people of Bermuda to create the businesses to hire Bermudians, and then they will become obsolete and we will not need them anym ore, Mr. Speaker . Thank you.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. I now recognise the Honourable Minister from . . . Minister Caines, you have the floor. INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION — OPPOSITION ’S QUESTIONS Hon. Wayne Caines: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker, I have two things I want to talk about, but …
Thank you, Minister. I now recognise the Honourable Minister from . . . Minister Caines, you have the floor.
INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION — OPPOSITION ’S QUESTIONS Hon. Wayne Caines: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker, I have two things I want to talk about, but the first one . . . last week I was traveling, Mr. Speaker, for my daughter’s graduation in Hunt sville, Alabama.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood place. Hon. Wayne Caines: And I had the privilege of listening via the Internet to the motion to adjourn. I listened to the Member from constituency 10, and I was disappointed.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberMortified. Hon. Wayne Caines: No, I was not mortified. [Laughter] Hon. Wayne Caines: I actually understand the role of the Opposition. And I understand the role that it plays within the Westminster system. So when we are bringing a new form of technology, I actually expect for the Opposition to …
Mortified.
Hon. Wayne Caines: No, I was not mortified. [Laughter]
Hon. Wayne Caines: I actually understand the role of the Opposition. And I understand the role that it plays within the Westminster system. So when we are bringing a new form of technology, I actually expect for the Opposition to voice legitimate concerns and bring up and chal lenge the Government on key points. And so, my initial response was visceral. But that was an em otional response. I reflected on the questions that were posed. I reflected on the challenges that were posed, and I was able to reconcile, by not being present and being devoid of the emotion of sitting in the room, the actual challenges that were being made. And this is the conclusion I came to: it is a healthy part of our democr acy. Yes. I was able to think about it and to rationalise it and come to a conclusion that this Government has a clear mandate. The mandate that we have is to be transformational and not transactional —to be transformational and not to be transactional. And so I understand the questions that are being posed around cryptocurrencies and t hat have been posed around exchanges. And I believe that the responsibility of the Government —and we will do so— is to work with the education campaign, not to focus on what we believe to be the personality or the persona of the messenger. When we look back at being at Consensus [2018] this week, I was able to have the conversation. And the conversation that Bermuda is having is not around cryptocurrency, it is around FinTech; the ability for Bermuda to bring blockchain- based businesses to Bermuda. And so I am sitting in the room and I am listening to Samsung and IBM and Google and Microsoft and Deloitte and KPMG —who, incidentally, KPMG are doing their global blockchain forum . . . guess where?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberHere! Hon. Wayne Caines: In Bermuda this week !
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne Caines: So, as a country, we have taken something and we have been at the vanguard. We have seen where we can now change the world through proper regulation, putting things in place. Remember , we have the Digital Asset Bus iness Act —all the …
Yes. [Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Wayne Caines: So, as a country, we have taken something and we have been at the vanguard. We have seen where we can now change the world through proper regulation, putting things in place. Remember , we have the Digital Asset Bus iness Act —all the words going about this will be the wild, Wild West of currencies. Who will protect pe ople’s investments? There is the Digital Asset Business Act. We will debate that on June 1 st. We have the opportunity before then to be in specific rooms together. So I hope on June 1st the Member of constituency 10, when we go through this line by line, precept upon precept, that at the appropriate time, at the appropr iate place we can have the value discourse. And, again, I would, from a position of maturation, understand the role that he is playing. But understand that blockchain technology is not waiting for Bermuda. They are not waiting for us to agree with it. We have had to be brave!
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes! Hon. Wayne Ca ines: We have had to do our r esearch. And I believe that Shyft signing the MOU this week and saying that they want to bring their identify platforms to Bermuda, that they want to work on KYC 2106 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda …
Yes!
Hon. Wayne Ca ines: We have had to do our r esearch. And I believe that Shyft signing the MOU this week and saying that they want to bring their identify platforms to Bermuda, that they want to work on KYC 2106 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly (Know your Customer) AML (Anti -Money Laundering) . . . they want to do that in Bermuda. There have been huge concerns about B inance being a Chinese company, being a company from the Orient. Well, where is HSBC from?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWhere was AIG started? Hon. Wayne Caines: Where was AIG started? The reality of it is we are now living in a soci ety where we have to do business with people from all around the world. The opportunity for us here is to continue to be leaders in this …
Where was AIG started? Hon. Wayne Caines: Where was AIG started? The reality of it is we are now living in a soci ety where we have to do business with people from all around the world. The opportunity for us here is to continue to be leaders in this space. We must make sure that we do our sums. The Bermuda Monetary Authority . . . they are a regulatory body. They are responsible to make sure that we keep out the bad actors. We have put ICO legislation in place. We debated it together. The ICO legislation has white papers. It has blue papers. It puts out specific things: Where are they raising money? Who is raising the money? What is the money being raised for? How would we protect the people? It has penal clauses with . . . the Digital Asset Business Act has periods of incarceration. All of these things are around. How will we police this ? It is like how we p olice everything else . . . through being diligent, through having the right laws in place and having the right teams in place. I think the Latin (because we have been hyped on Latin today) is res ipsa loquitur . And that simply means , the matter, or the thing, speaks for i tself. We are not going around looking for approval, looking for kudos, looking for hugs, from anyone. The work of the Government, the work of a politician, whether it be Opposition . . . and oft -times it is than kless work. It is thankless work, but we are committed, Diallo, to change. We are committed to changing lives. We are committed to working for the people of Bermuda in the absence of applause, in the presence of criticism, in the presence of self -aggrandisement. And we must stay as true to duty as the needle is to the pole. We must remain focused. We must keep our integrity intact. We must always remember that we represent the interest of all —of all —Bermuda.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberHear, hear! POLICE SERVICE STOP- AND -SEARCH PROC EDURES FOLLOWING RECENT GUN VIOLENCE Hon. Wayne Caines: I now talk about the shootings this week, Mr. Speaker . It is almost as if we live . . . the shots this week into a crowded nightclub. We all have our belief …
Hear, hear!
POLICE SERVICE STOP- AND -SEARCH PROC EDURES FOLLOWING RECENT GUN VIOLENCE
Hon. Wayne Caines: I now talk about the shootings this week, Mr. Speaker . It is almost as if we live . . . the shots this week into a crowded nightclub. We all have our belief in gang violence and how we stop it and how we manage it. But very few of us have tolerance for an yone shooting randomly into a nightclub. Let me say this from the start: I will work with this Government and with everyone to make sure that the necessary social elements to guide and govern and give people the opportunity to heal and to get their lives restructured . . . we will make sure that takes place. But we will not give safe harbinger to anyone shooting and causing mayhem in this country. The people in this country work night and day, day and night, to make the way of living in Bermuda. We have to have safe and sacred spaces that we can traverse. And if we do not realise that sometimes we are going to have to be unpopular . . . and today I will be unpopular. Today I will be unpopular. Those young men that did that do not represent who we are as a people. They do not represent the strength, the cul-ture, the honour of the people of Bermuda.
[Desk thumping]
Hon. Wayne Caines: I will not give them safe harbi nger to carry out any activity in this country. And as a people we must not allow our sons, our nephews and our god- sons, our boyfriends, our brothers, to keep weapons in our homes, to have illicit conversations in our presence. We must hold them to account. Again, I get this part about rehabilitation. But there is a part where I am a Minister of National Security for this country, and we will make sure that it is safe and we will make sure that it is secure. The Bermuda Police Service have something that is called a 315F stop. That is where, in areas that are prone to violence, the police can make stops and [check] people on their person or in their vehicle and look for firearms or other prohibited weapons. This is not done randomly. This is not done everywhere. These search and stops are done in areas that are prone to violence and at times when there is an i ncrease in violence. And my phone was ringing off the hook. And I understand the history of some of our people, and that people in Bermuda have been unf airly beset upon. I understand some of the negative experiences that many of us have had by the Bermuda Police Service. But let us be clear: this is a legitimate search and stop process that is a result of antisocial behaviour in this country. This weekend there will be a lot of activities in Bermuda, and next weekend there will be a lot of activities on hand in Bermuda, and it is our responsibility to make sure that this country is safe and that it is s ecure. And we believe that this is one of the ways tha t this will be done. The Bermuda Police Service had been tasked to increase patrols throughout the City of Hamilton and all the difficult places. What does that mean? We will see increased patrols. The police now have ex-panded overtime so that they can police and ratchet
Bermuda House of Assembly down the temperature as it relates to gun- related activities. Now, to Mr. and Mrs. Bermuda, we are not living in a police state, and I do believe that the vi olence is localised. So I do not want to give the misapprehension that this is an unsafe jurisdiction. As a matter of fact, the Bermuda Police Service made four arrests over the last 48 hours. And that is in direct connection with the young man who shot into that establishment at the weekend. In other words, the Bermuda Police Service —who are rightly equipped, rightly trained in this set of circumstances —have made key arrests in these circumstances. As a Government, we will now look at the si tuation. We continue to gauge the temperature. But we will make sure that a part of the gang vi olence reduction team’s mandate is to make sure that we are gi ving the necessary opportunities to be able to transition away from gang opportunities to create safe houses, to have opportunities for people to talk to mental health professionals, to activate and to keep Team Street Safe going into the community. So, do not miss the two prongs. We must deal with a firm fist with what is in front of us, and we will do so. We believe that we will ratchet this down. As a matter of fact, we have had a tepid temperature for the last six months. There has been a cessation of gun and gang- related activity in Bermuda. We realise that it is not an ending to it and we will work and march on a forbearance to fix it. I was reading a Facebook post yesterday. A gentleman by the name of Mr. Rayner (who tagged me in the post) was sharing how he believed it was lip service and this is a representation of what is transpi ring in our country and this is a Mt. Vesuvius approach and where it is bubbling. I reject that. I reject it . Mr. Rayner, it is time for all of us in all of our different areas in Bermuda to put our shoulder to the wheel, to get in our sports clubs, to get in our churc hes, to get in our community, our clubs, and to show that there is another example, there is a nother way. Seventy men graduated yesterday from the Bermuda College. Seven- zero! And this morning we have to focus on four that had guns when we had 70 young men graduate yesterday from the Bermuda College. This does not speak to the Bermuda Gover nment; this speaks to us as a society. And I understand the historic elements of it that the Member from [con-stituency] 21, Mr. Commissiong, spoke about. We now must hold each other accountable for this anti - social activity. And, no, we do not throw up our hands and say, Oh, Bermuda has gone to hell in a handbasket! This is our home and we must protect it. We must hold each other accountable. The Government must be held accountable to do our part and we shall do our part. Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 10. Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor. MEDIA REPORTING IMBALANCE Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker, I am going to spend very lit tle time talking about the criticism that honourable co lleagues on …
Thank you, Minister. I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 10. Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor.
MEDIA REPORTING IMBALANCE
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker, I am going to spend very lit tle time talking about the criticism that honourable co lleagues on the other side of the floor put towards the media other than to say, Mr. Speaker, that any Member of this House, or in another Chamber more often than they would want, would be upset at media cove rage, Mr. Speaker . And whether you want to come to the floor of this House of Assembly and talk about it or whether you want to contact them directly and make some bones about it . . . it is your choice of what you have to do. In my 20 years in pol itics, I have been certai nly very unhappy with some coverage. And the way I find to deal with it is just keep on it and let people know where you come from, Mr. Speaker . So I am not going to beat up the media. They have a hard job to do. They have a very difficult job to do, and som etimes when they think they provide balance, it is not the balance that you would expect. It might be the balance that they would expect, Mr. Speaker . But, reflect back on the media. They have a very difficult job to do for the simple fact that there is no money in media anymore. People can get their information from any place they want in Bermuda—on social media, the traditional media outlets. And so, the resources to put to media are very difficult. Look at the reporting that i s done in the daily newspaper now. It used to be that you would have reporters who would go out and investigate a story. But nowadays that is just not the case. The resources at the electronic m edia are also limited to some extent because people can get their media any way that they want. So I am not going to beat up the media. I am very disappointed with the media at times, but I choose to deal with it by speaking to them directly and trying to come to a better understanding.
THE LOYAL GAZETTE
Hon. Mich ael H. Dunkley: In regard to the Honour able Minister and his comments about the photograph . . . no member from his constituency or my constit uency has even remarked to me about that, and I will be happy to go around to Galylhia LeMay’s house and speak to her. I know exactly where she lives, Mr. Speaker, and I will be happy to have the conversation with her. But I, too, am proud of the work that the Loyal Gazette does and the sheets that they hang out on a regular basis. In fact, Mr. Speaker, every time they hang one out, I make sure that I give them credit for it 2108 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly and push it out there because they are positive messages for our community. Whether it is about Flora Duffy or anyone else that they have promoted, they are positive messages for our community. And, as a leader in this community, I will continue to support the good that happens in this community in spite of what some Members who sit on the other side might think about it.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND WORK ETHICS Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Now, Mr. Speaker, the Honourable M inister of Education also talked about employers who are not doing their part to provide opportunity and hope for Bermudians. That is concer ning, Mr. Speaker, and I want to address it just for a few brief moments here on the motion to adjourn because if that is the case— and with that approach —we have a serious problem that we have to deal with in Bermuda, Mr. Speaker . I would hope that the Honourable M inister would not only call them out in the House of Assem-bly, but make sure he w orks with them . . . to call them up, to improve the performance that they are making, because while the Honourable M inister did not name names (and I do not want the names of those employers), I know of countless employers who work very hard to try to pro vide opportunity and hope for Bermudians, Mr. Speaker . But I also know that we have a challenge in Bermuda with accountability and the work ethic. And this is a difficult subject for us to talk about because we live in a small society where we all know each ot her. In fact, Honourable Member s of this House call each other “cousin,” although we are nowhere near cousins for many, many different reasons. But we are so close to each other that it is hard to hold people accountable. And we have a challenge with account ability and the work ethic in Bermuda because it is so easy to make excuses and very few people hold us to account for what we do. Mr. Speaker, there are many Bermudians who are busting their tails every day going to work doing the best they can. A nd we applaud those. But there are too many amongst us that call in sick for frivolous reasons. And I am glad the Honourable Minister brought it up here today, because I am aware of somebody who called in sick . . . well, did not call in sick, showed up af ter [missing] three days of work. And when he was asked why he could not make it to work he said, My Wi-Fi did not work . His Wi- Fi did not work, Mr. Speaker . He has got a next -door neighbour. He could easily [ask], Can I use your phone? Can I call in sick? Just did not show up for three days. Now, what is an employer supposed to do in that case, Mr. Speaker ? If you want opportunity and hope, you also have to hold up your end of the bargain. And so, Mr. Speaker, when you see guys hanging out on the street, there is a challenge there that they have probably been dismissed from another job and somebody is not willing yet to give them another opportunity because they are not reading the vibe that if given the opportunity they will be able to say I have lived and learned from that. And that is a challenge we have as a community, because we have great skilled workers all through our community and we have some amongst us who have had some challenges. We need to get those people back in the work force— make them productive citizens. But people are not going to get a second o pportunity and chance unless there is accountability attached to it. And that means, as leaders in the community, we have to hold people to account in the right way. And it is not that old standar d of tough love where you just cut somebody off, Mr. Speaker . It is about showing them the way, working with them on the way, and making sure that they can deliver on those goods. Because if we are going to continue to be a leading jurisdiction for international business, for tourism . . . and, you know, Mr. Speaker, we have co lleagues in this honourable Chamber who work in i nternational business. And they know that when the premium periods come, you are working seven days a week. You cannot say you need Go od Friday off , because you have to write those premiums. If you do not write those premiums, you do not get the business and your company struggles. In the tourism industry, you cannot say, Boss, I only want to work Monday to Friday . You have to work night times, you have to work weekends. That is what accountability and work ethic is. And with a small job market you cannot pick, choose, and refuse the job that you want, Mr. Speaker . At some point you have to start somewhere and you have to work your way to it, you have to prove yourself and you have to be held accountable, Mr. Speaker . And so, when I hear comments about employers not doing their part of the job it really aggr avates me, because the system must work better than that or else we are going to continue to have people that are not going to get the opportunity and hope that they have, and we are not going to break down the barriers that we need to [in order] to give them that opportunity and hope. So, the Minister can be assured that on this side we will work with the Government to break down those barriers. And I speak from a pos ition of somebody who has employed thousands of people through the years —giving Bermudians oppo rtunity. I do not want to bring in somebody overseas to work unless I have to. But we understand, Mr. Speaker . It is 2018; this world, this economy that we live in waits for no one. If you snooze, you lose. And when we have international business that reaches across the world —and our international business supports over 500,000 jobs throughout the world by the
Bermuda House of Assembly work we do here. If that wheel does not go round and if that wheel squeaks, we have got a problem. Same thing in tourism. You get one or two bad reviews on TripAdvisor and all of a sudden Bermuda is not the place to be. And so there is opportunity and hope, but we all—Members of Parliament, leaders in this community—need to make sure that when the opportunity is provided that it is also delivered with, Mr. Speaker .
POLICE SERVICE STOP- AND -SEARCH PROC EDURES FOLLOWING RECENT GUN VIOLENCE
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Now, Mr. Speaker, the Honourable M inister spoke briefly about the most unfortunate gun shot that took place earlier this week not far from where we meet on a regular basis. And I want to support the Honourable Minist er for his enthusiasm and his commitment, his dedication to get on top of this problem. I sat in that chair at one point. And I realised, just like the Minister realises now, that there is no si lver bullet to fix every challenge. And the Minister has it right, that there has to be a strong fist of enforc ement, but there has to be a stronger community i nvolvement to fix the challenges that we have. And that is where we are lacking, Mr. Speaker . All the gover nment programmes in the world can make a good di fference, but they will not solve the problem. We will have lulls and we will have peaks where violence runs up again. And we have seen that, unfortunately, in recent days with the gunshot, with the incident outside of a club. We have seen social media videos going around about young men fighting in certain areas of the community. So we have seen it peak a little bit, Mr. Speaker . But until the community gets involved and gets back to that accountability message that I talked about, it is not going to matter . You know what is interesting about it, Mr. Speaker , is that you pick up your laptop or your cell phone and you get the latest video of a fight — anywhere in Bermuda. And it is interesting, Mr. Speaker . But does it help resolve the problem? Those men, or people, involved in those videos . . . that is someone’s child, someone’s cousin, someone’s neighbour, someone’s friend, someone’s employee, someone’s brother, someone’s sister. We know those people. Why do we not work to resolve those situations rather tha n just sending out a social media post with two people fighting? Mr. Speaker, our community is small. We can be our brother’s keeper if we really want to. But the most difficult conversation we always have to have in life is when we deliver bad news. I remember when I sat as the Minister of National Security. I remember going to people’s houses and having to try and comfort them after their young man was shot down in the street. It was the most difficult thing you could ever do, Mr. Speaker . And I made sur e that I went to every house and visited them because they needed support in those tough times. But it seems that in our community once the sensation, the bad sensation, the anger has subsided about those citizens, we move on to something else. That is not accountability. That is not accountability, Mr. Speaker . Four men, supposedly, were arrested over the recent activity that we had. That is not the resolution, Mr. Speaker . People know. People need to speak. If you know something, say something. If you see something, say something, Mr. Speaker , and you are not a prick . . . excuse the language, Mr. Speaker . We have got to get away from this mentality that, I ain’t saying nothing because he is my brah. Well, we keep that up, Mr. Speaker, and we are all going down together. That is right, Mr. Speaker . No man is an i sland. We are out here on an island by ourselves, but no man is an island. If we do not stand up and show that tough love and hold our colleagues accountable, we will perish. And if you do somethi ng wrong, you need to face justice. But you also need to have the opportunity to fix your ways, to get back on the right track. And that is the tough love that we do not like to do in Bermuda. That is someone else’s problem. Mr. Speaker, we just celebrated Mother’s Day. In a couple of weeks we will celebrate Father’s Day. Everyone was born into something and everyone was born into a family. It is time for families and friends to raise up and have faith and help heal our community and not just have fancy sp eeches by politicians up in this place on a Friday afternoon, Mr. Speaker . When we leave here, if you see something, say something. If you know something, say som ething, Mr. Speaker, because it is about the future of Bermuda. You are not being a prick. Yo u are not bringing someone down. You are actually raising them up, Mr. Speaker . Thank you very much.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 36. Honourable Member Scott, you have the floor. INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION — OPPOSITION ’S QUESTIONS Hon. Michael J. Scott: I thank you, Mr. Speaker , for recognising me. I …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 36. Honourable Member Scott, you have the floor.
INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION — OPPOSITION ’S QUESTIONS Hon. Michael J. Scott: I thank you, Mr. Speaker , for recognising me. I realise that, not reflecting entirely on last week or the last time I spoke in reaction to—and it was a reaction to the former Premier Michael Dunkley, the Honourable Member —ad hominem, upon the efforts of the blockchain and FinTech initiatives that are going on in the country. And the one thing that I did 2110 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly not advise the former Premi er was that his concerns would be addressed, his concerns about risk would be allayed by a simple reading of the Bill because the Bill speaks for itself. It is as the Minister said, speaking for itself, res ipsa loquitur , which I took such umbrage at the delivery in the House of this ad hominem of concern in the face of the news that followed so close on the heels of the Minister Caine’s and the Premier’s and the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism’s return from New York . . . the positive news. So, we must all, as I said then and I continue to say, continue to support this space. Pay attention to this space and be positive about it and stop the bunker mentality that we see going on in some orders where people like KPMG are secretly and quietly, y ou know, laying down initiatives whilst giving another st ory publicly. But this is Bermuda. This is the context of our country and the excellent message delivered by no less than the Minister of Education— it should come from no better a Minister —that was just delivered a half an hour ago, and needs to be reinforced. Our country’s platform of the private sector, which is supposed to sponge up the talent and skill of our native landed population, in some significant cases are performing and producing bad mar ks and bad report cards. And I am grateful to the Minister Rabain for highlighting it in this House. I hope it receives the publication and highlight that it does so that the convers ation starts. Like the conversation that the former Premier was just giving about his record as a private sector employee who employs Bermudians.
POLIC E SERVICE STOP- AND -SEARCH PROC EDURES FOLLOWING RECENT GUN VIOLENCE
Hon. Michael J. Scott: But, of course, the former Minister of National Security and former Premier employs man y black Bermudians and white Bermudians. He employs them in various capacities —as the drivers of his trucks, the deliverers of his products, drinks and milks, farm workers perhaps, vending machine fillers. I do not know intimately Member Dunkley’s’ busines s, I just know by virtue of the fact that it is Dunkley’s Dairy, that it is a big feature in our country and has been for years. It has to have, Honourable Member , employed many of our people. But I hope you are able to say one day in this House that you h ave black members on your board.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberOh -oh. Hon. Michael J. Scott: And as beneficial owners of your company. And to the members that the Minister of Education just finished shellacking that they make a better effort of putting black people on their boards. I have made this speech before in this House. This wretched country …
Oh -oh.
Hon. Michael J. Scott: And as beneficial owners of your company. And to the members that the Minister of Education just finished shellacking that they make a better effort of putting black people on their boards. I have made this speech before in this House. This wretched country of ours, this wretched, wretched development that we had of insanity where we will not get any better in our relationships that deal with gunshots into white establishment s on Front Street versus gunshots on Happy Valley Road and how the press treats it . . . how the press treats it and how the police treat it. And I will not stomp on the message of the Minister of National Security. He carries a heavy bur-den. He must speak as he has just spoken. But I, as a backbencher, must say that I expect that a gunshot fired and a bullet expelled somewhere is damage ev erywhere in this country. Therefore, when a bullet is fired on Front Street I expect the same kind of police operational reaction as when it is fired on Happy Va lley Road. Why do I say that? Because if you show di sparity of operational policing it sends a dispiriting message to all of us. So the message that you call for and the demands that you call for, for consent to govern, consent to police, is spent wantonly and uselessly because you will not get the consent unless you deli ver an even- handed operational policing all the time. And, so, I commend the police big for the hard job, the difficult job that they have to do. But in our country and certainly in this place, Mr. Speaker, we have the duty to engender, to encourage evenhandedness, proper proportionality in everything that we do. Whether it is in ensuring that the whole of the population becomes managers of capi tal. You see, if more black people are directors and beneficial owners and in charge of capital, then Honourable Member Mr. Dunkley, you will lose soon complaints about bad work ethics.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND WORK ETHICS
Hon. Michael J. Scott: I have heard Members of this House, probably on both sides of the divide, lament (and I am sick of it) that Bermudians have this work ethic and they turn up on Mondays and then Tuesdays you do not see them —in the hotel industry and the retail sector. Difficul t to employ them. The problem, simply, is that we are the consumers in this country, by and large —black people, consumers —and you depend on us, white capital owners, to continue to consume $1 billion worth annually all the time. And you confine us to this role. Open up! Break it up! Wake up everybody! Wake up! Get woke! It will not change as long as this disparity continues. And thank God for Mr. Stubbs, Dr. Stubbs’ son’s most recent analysis. It is heartening but con-cerning. I mean, that graph that sho ws where things were in 2008 for black salaries and white salaries, and white salaries . . . black salaries began to take the hit that the recession brought upon agricultural workers and just working class poor people, working people
Bermuda House of Assembly nonetheless. You saw t he dip. Whereas the white measure of salary ownership and earning continued to spiral unimpeded up through that period. So, black people’s energy in this country . . . black worker’s energy in this country struggled against, suffered with unemployment rates that went up, and the graph pi cture paints a thousand words. The graph shows it so graphically. There it is, literally dozens of families impacted in 2008, 2012 with this dip. It is struggling up now, again 2012, larg ely thanks to the kinds of efforts b y the Minister of N ational Security and the Premier and the Business D evelopment Minister —largely for those efforts. But God knows how many families that have unemployed men and women—and women; it is both sides —in their homes that fell apart during the do wnturn. And Mr. Stubbs’ graph shows it. These dia gnoses and these outcomes will continue to be beleaguering us, troubling us. They will continue to trouble us and we will continue to make these artless stat ements over and over again. I am calling, I am st anding here being as blunt as I can this afternoon to say it will stop when capital is generally shared, when directorships are generally shared, more broadly shared, across this country than they are now. More evenly. This is where we need to be and it th erefore makes the speech of the Honourable former Premier that he employs black Bermudians in his establishment, or any owner of capital in employing black people, it makes it a vacant, vacant and useless statement.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberTrite. Hon. Michael J. Scott: And makes it trite, the word I was struggling for. It makes it trite. And I say that in no way as to not recognise the actual fact of the employment by the Honourable Member . But please do not put it in the context …
Trite. Hon. Michael J. Scott: And makes it trite, the word I was struggling for. It makes it trite. And I say that in no way as to not recognise the actual fact of the employment by the Honourable Member . But please do not put it in the context of i mproving things when the improving mechanism has got to be clear. Better, more even distribution of ow nership of capital, participation in capital, in our country. So that . . . and I have heard that narrative from that the Minister of Education spoke of, Oh, better that you spend fi ve or six years . . . it is . . . they are ducking!
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberFalse narrative. Hon. Michael J. Scott: That is a false narrative. They are ducking the problem and they are thinking that we are going to continue to buy and eat this porridge. It is n onsense! And they revealed their guilt by not even b eing aware of the Economic …
False narrative.
Hon. Michael J. Scott: That is a false narrative. They are ducking the problem and they are thinking that we are going to continue to buy and eat this porridge. It is n onsense! And they revealed their guilt by not even b eing aware of the Economic Empowerment Zone tax incentives and opportunities. So, not only is it a false narrative, it is an insidious, downward spiralling narr ative. And it is so insincere; and it has no place in this society. I pray that we see the trends and waves coming in May —as we do of 2018—continue to gather force and momentum so that we really can say that there is no longer a need to stand in this House and talk about work ethic. Work ethic wi ll improve when the head of a household is a director and tells his child, his daughter, his little black boy or little black girl, This is how things work at both the management level of what I am directing as a director, this is how things work as a pers on who is controlling this entity, this is how things work . And you will soon see a massive improvement in our young black boys growing into young black adults, growing into young black cap-ital owners, because they will inherit their family’s bounty and the skill of their mothers and fathers. This is where we need to get to in Bermuda. This is where we need to get to. And it is past time—way past time in the 21 st century, in 2018—that we still continue to have these debates. I continue to both applaud and give urgent and fervent prayers for continued success of the magnificent consistent focused work of the Premier, the Minister of National Security, the Tourism and Economics Minister —all Ministers — because they do make these decisions collectively. I alway s say, of course, that we will not focus on making this side a one- geared Rolls Royce. We must also deal with all of the fronts that all of the Mi nisters seats occupy and have reference and reflect the needs of a population whether it is housing, whether i t is education and sports, whether it is job creation. Those things must continue, obviously.
AIRBNB OPPORTUNITIES
Hon. Michael J. Scott: May I end on this note? I have been talking to a colleague in this House, one of our women former Ministers, abou t the benefits of the Airbnb industry. So I take this oppor-tunity to say it is a good space to be in. It is a growth area. It is an area that I am glad that the Government has begun to also support with legislation, because one thing black people have in t his country are homes, bricks and mortar. We may be liquidity cha llenged, but for those of us who have homes and apartments, this is an opportunity that we should all be paying attention to and seeking to get more into. Tourists really do enjoy the experi ence of li ving with a washing machine in the house, a kitchen in the house, a microwave in the house, a supermarket to go to, come back home, cook their eggs and bacon for their children and behave like they are Bermudi-ans, as opposed to having it all serv ed up in a block of apartments within a large hotel. There is a place for the hotel, of course, but this cottage industry, as we used to call it, or now the Airbnb, is a pleasant space to be in and an opportunity for capital growth amongst our people —blac k and white people. But the issues I am speaking to are black —a deprived black, ignored black, neglected. We will get to our points of having a better country when there is equality there. 2112 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report B ermuda House of Assembly You know, on the national security front, that discharge of that bullet is all- concerning. I gather that, you know, it was only one bullet, and a bullet, as I understand it from my moving around the courts, is worth about $200. So, you know, they are not going to be coming gallanting down out of anybody’s weapon at these kinds of prices. What we need is public safety and public security efforts to reduce both the import ation of ammunition or the turning in of ammunition and weapons. The bullet is far more lethal than the gun because without the bullet you cannot wound or maim or kill. You would have to throw the gun if you have got no bullets in it. So, I wish to the Minister of National Security who carries this considerable responsibility and duty for our safety all the very best in managing us through continued prosperity. For prosperity, there is peace and managing us through this reduction of gun usage and the [discharging] of bullets. I know that he is up to the task and will do well. I thank you, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member . Does any ot her Honourable Member wish to speak? No other — Ah, I did not have the gavel in my hand quick enough! [ Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerBrother Famous, you have got the Speaker’s attention, so the floor is yours. UK ACTION ON BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
Mr. Christopher FamousMorning, Mr. Speaker — afternoon, Mr. Speaker —I was testing your reflexes for when that ball comes across the 60- yard line. Anyway, good afternoon, Mr. Speaker .
Mr. Christopher FamousGood afternoon co lleagues, and good afternoon to the listening public of Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, please allow me to read som ething from the Royal Gazette , today.
Mr. Christopher Famous“ Bermuda has a right to speak up and protect its world- leading brand in the face of larger countries and organisations pressuring smaller jurisdictions to accept their compliance regul ations. “Other offshore financial centres that are also regarded as world leaders in their respective fields have a similar right.” …
“ Bermuda has a right to speak up and protect its world- leading brand in the face of larger countries and organisations pressuring smaller jurisdictions to accept their compliance regul ations. “Other offshore financial centres that are also regarded as world leaders in their respective fields have a similar right.” This is from Mr. “Gilbert Morris, one of the world’s leading experts on financial centres, [as he] shared [his] views when he gave the keynote speech at the inaugural Bermuda Compliance Professionals Conference.” He went on to say, “four of the UK’s overseas territories, including Bermuda, the Cayman Islands , and the British Virgin Islands, can rightly claim the description ‘world leading’. ” He went on to say, “ Here we are, a constit utional democracy, where the fundamental rights of our constitution are founded in the European Declar ation—and constantly we are [being] asked to do things that are inconsistent” (key word “inconsistent”) “ with our constitutions. ” “This is where our intelligence and our ability to make analysis and make the case for these [items] becomes relevant.” He goes on to say, “i t is time for Bermuda to lead, to exercise its brand as a tool rather than [a] trophy, and it is time for Bermuda’s voice to be heard.” [ Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Deputy Speaker, in the Chair]
Mr. Christopher FamousMr. Deputy Speaker, next week, Tuesday, we will be in this House listening to various . . . I will say leaders, who will talk about the Constitution of 1968. Here we are, as Brother Rolfe said, 50 years later, now being told once again by somebody in England that, …
Mr. Deputy Speaker, next week, Tuesday, we will be in this House listening to various . . . I will say leaders, who will talk about the Constitution of 1968. Here we are, as Brother Rolfe said, 50 years later, now being told once again by somebody in England that, No, you are going to do it the way we want you to do it . All while they are not doing it themselves. All while they are planning on letting Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man do it the way they are doing it. So we keep circling the drain, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Why are we asking the same questions 50 years later? Are we that, I do not know, forgetful to not know what the real reason is behind all this? Mr. Deputy Speaker, next week, Thursday, in the British Virgin Islands, there is going to be a march, a protest. The people will be marching from the House of Assembly on to Government House. I wonder where they got that idea from. I am sayi ng, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, the people in the Virgin Islands . . . they generally do not protest. But over the years they have been looking at the I nternet and watching what we have been doing in Ber-muda. And they realised the only way to make Eng-land realise that we are not playing with them is to march on Government House. So maybe, just maybe, I might not be here next Thursday. I do not know Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, but I applaud their efforts. INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION— OPPOSITION'S QUESTIONS
Mr. Christopher FamousLet me move on, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker . A few weeks ago I pointed out that Bermuda House of Assembly some folks are always down on whatever the PLP is doing— built a new hotel, built a new [building] for the hospital for the people, got to complain. New …
Let me move on, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker . A few weeks ago I pointed out that
Bermuda House of Assembly some folks are always down on whatever the PLP is doing— built a new hotel, built a new [building] for the hospital for the people, got to complain. New fast ferries, got to complain. Built a dock up Dockyard, got to complain. Always got to complain. So it came as no surprise when, on May 15 th, I read this line, 1“Dunkley hits out at Government on blockchain [policy].” Hmm. But on the same day, different page , mind you, 2“Bermuda a big hit at Blockchain Week launch.” Hmm. Kind of not adding up. The Government of Bermuda— may I read something from the Royal Gazette?
Mr. Christopher Famous“‘The Government of Bermuda—all the way up to the Premier himself —’” (that would be the Honourable David Burt) “‘ is showing r emarkable leadership in the blockchain space, ’ said Don Tapscott, the keynote speaker, author, and executive director of the Blockchain Research Institute. ” I figured, being a …
“‘The Government of Bermuda—all the way up to the Premier himself —’” (that would be the Honourable David Burt) “‘ is showing r emarkable leadership in the blockchain space, ’ said Don Tapscott, the keynote speaker, author, and executive director of the Blockchain Research Institute. ” I figured, being a responsible journalist, let me look for a secondary source. So I googled “Blockchain Royal Gazette” and guess what I see—“Blockchain is set to revolutionise shipping” (April the 2nd). “Be rmuda Deeds Registry go on blockchain” (January 23rd). “Blockchain Insurance Group Incorporates” (May 26th). “Blockchain can be new economic pillar” (April the 8th). “Another blockchain agreement is signed.” What is my point, Mr. Deputy Speaker ? How is it that all the leaders of blockchain, even the Royal Gazette, are doing nothing but praising the efforts of this present Government’s efforts in blockchain . . . but, yet, always the critic? Somebody’s . . . just like on The Muppet Show , you got those old guys up there always the critic. Somebody’s always got to be the critic.
[Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Christopher FamousI am just saying, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker . So, moving on from blockchain, accountability. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND TRAINING OF BE RMUDIANS
Mr. Christopher FamousThe Honourable Member from constituency 10, this Learned Member, says ac-countability. He then goes on to say to basically (how can I say) revert back to his natural state and lam1 Royal Gazette , 15 May 2018 2 Ibid. baste the employees, lambaste the working- class people on this Island. …
The Honourable Member from constituency 10, this Learned Member, says ac-countability. He then goes on to say to basically (how can I say) revert back to his natural state and lam1 Royal Gazette , 15 May 2018 2 Ibid. baste the employees, lambaste the working- class people on this Island. I do not give anyone praise for saying, Hey, I hire a lot of black people. Well, that does not hold w ater. Plantation owners hired a lot of black people. They just never paid them. So when you start getting up and talking about, Oh employees cannot make time to work. Oh, employees, do not call in sick . I am wondering . . . who was holding the Honourable Member who used to sit two seats from me account able? Nobody, because he was not coming here; he was not calling in sick. What did we get? We got Members from this side jumping up, attacking me for pointing out their Member was not coming to Parliament. Who was holding them accountable? They were making excus-es for their own. The same way he is getting up, ma king excuses for empl oyers who do not want to employ Bermudians who are qualified. Oh, well, maybe, they have to look overseas because we are going to get people that are not going to call in sick . Mr. Deputy Speaker, I worked at one company for 25 years. When I started ther e it was 70 per cent Bermudian, 30 per cent non- Bermudians in my department. Over the years a concerted effort was made to hire Bermudians —in particular, black Bermudian males. I can proudly say, despite whatever people say about their rates, in my generat ion the department is 100 per cent Bermudian. Nobody calls . . . people call in sick if they are sick. So are you saying that, wow, maybe BELCO is the exception to the rule that they can hire Bermudians and train them? No. They made an effort. So, if an em ployer makes an effort to hire Bermudians and train them they can get near 100 per cent Bermudian rate, but they do not want to. What they want to do [is] make excuses so they can bring in non- Bermudians and pay them less.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberThat’s right.
Mr. Christopher FamousMr. Deputy Speaker , every day there is no doubt people on both sides of this aisle who are inundated with calls from Bermudians saying they need a job. You guys got in; I need a job . Do you know how helpless it feels when you are th e …
Mr. Christopher FamousBecause why? We do not control the businesses. We might control the Gover nment, but we do not control the businesses. So you know what? My last statement about this Honourable Member [is] if he knows something, say something. Tell us about Jetgate, you know about that. No. No comment. …
Because why? We do not control the businesses. We might control the Gover nment, but we do not control the businesses. So you know what? My last statement about this Honourable Member [is] if he knows something, say something. Tell us about Jetgate, you know about that. No. No comment. Mr. Deputy Speaker , if my memory serves me correctly, that Honourable Member was leading a l e2114 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly gal protest against having to say anything against “Pep pergate.” Why is that? Why is the one person who was the Minister of National Security (he has up and left) and the other Member launching a legal pr otest about speaking about it? If you know something, say something. So what are you saying, Honourable Member? Nothing. Let me move on, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker . A couple of weeks ago I pointed out that the Honourable Member , who everybody else was getting up and giving praises for, was in it for himself in a lot of things. People looked at me like, Oh, well, you know, the Honourable Member did this and he did that . . . Mr. Deputy Speaker , can I read something from the Royal Gazette please?
Mr. Christopher Famous3“Bermuda- based insurer Colonial Group International Ltd. is set to broaden its market presence in” (where?) “the Caribbean after it acquired a minority interest in Beacon Insurance Company Ltd. of Trinidad and Tobago.” That would be in the Caribbean, right?
Mr. Christopher Famous“The agreement will pr ovide Colonial with access to additional Eastern Cari bbean markets where Beacon is licensed to operate— Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Barbados, and St. Kitts & Nevis, expanding its presence to 12 jurisdictions across the Caribbean region and diversifying its risk profile.” …
“The agreement will pr ovide Colonial with access to additional Eastern Cari bbean markets where Beacon is licensed to operate— Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Barbados, and St. Kitts & Nevis, expanding its presence to 12 jurisdictions across the Caribbean region and diversifying its risk profile.” Whatever a company wants to do to expand their profit margin, that is fine. What we as black peo-ple need to understand is they ain’t giving us jobs and they a in’t trying to let us get into the business market. This Government that was elected on July 17 th . . . we are not here to just sit in these seats. We are here unapologetically to create business opportunities for our people —not just jobs, because jobs can come and jobs can go. We have to create business opportunities for our people and not listen to anybody on this side or out there telling us, Well, you know, you’re disrupting what’s been happening already. You’re going to hurt the competition. Yo, that i s what business is for. We have to —all of us . . . I am charging all of us—all 24, soon to be 25, 26 of us —to understand we are not here to just collect a paycheque every month or to have a nice pension. We have to set the foundation for the next generati on, just like those Members who we are going to laud on Tuesday, coming . . . set the foundation. We have to set the next generation. Politics is just step one. The real power in this country is economics. That one billion dollars that we
3 Royal Gazette , 16 May 2018 spend every year with white -owned companies has to stay in the black community —without apologies. I do not want to hear anything about, Well, you know, if we boycott this company he might have to let a black person go. Well, how much . . . black people are being fired any way. They are doing it anyway. We . . . it is our . . . we have to support each other. The last election we asked our people to su pport us, they did that. We have to create the narrative that when a black man or black woman opens a bus iness we have to support it economically. Do not give me that, Well, you know, it’s a little cheaper over there . . . no! Pay the actual money to keep that business alive.
Mr. Christopher FamousWe have to realise while we are playing checkers other people are playing chess. EDWENA SMITH
Mr. Christopher FamousI am going to move to my last point, Mr. Deputy Speaker . A few months ago I was given a message that I was to be summoned to the court of Ms. Edwena Smith. Many people spoke about Ms. Ed wena Smith in the capacity of their teacher and …
I am going to move to my last point, Mr. Deputy Speaker . A few months ago I was given a message that I was to be summoned to the court of Ms. Edwena Smith. Many people spoke about Ms. Ed wena Smith in the capacity of their teacher and so on and so forth. As I said, I spent the last few years with her on the Berkeley Educational Society. She was on a different house, but — [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Christopher FamousMr. Deputy Speaker , I went to see Ms. Edwena Smith, and it was probably the best two hours of my life on that morning. She sat there and she talked to me about her family ties from the Turks and Caicos — [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Christopher FamousYes, Turks and Caicos. That would be the Caribbean. She spoke to me about her time teaching students both Latin and English— mature students. One student who came to this country could not s peak any English. She helped them to speak English and pass not just her English exam, …
Yes, Turks and Caicos. That would be the Caribbean. She spoke to me about her time teaching students both Latin and English— mature students. One student who came to this country could not s peak any English. She helped them to speak English and pass not just her English exam, but her bar. Mr. Deputy Speaker , she spoke to me a Latin word, a luta continua, which means the struggle continues. She went to great lengths to explain some of the gui ding principles that her husband, the late Mr. Peter Smith, and others, put into the founding of the
Bermuda House of Assembly Progressive Labour Party. Principles such as (but not limited to) looking out for the small person; having a proactive agenda for Bermudians, and making sure all—key word, all—were welcome to join the PLP. I say that because a lot of these principles some of us forget sometimes and we need to remind ourselves that this party was founded for all.
UPCOMING BYE -ELECTION
Mr. Christopher FamousSo to bring me to my last point, Mr. Deputy Speaker , over the last two to three weeks we have been canvassing in constituencies 22 and 25 and, as you know, they are very . . . unlike in constituency 5, very mixed constituenc ies. And we are finding …
So to bring me to my last point, Mr. Deputy Speaker , over the last two to three weeks we have been canvassing in constituencies 22 and 25 and, as you know, they are very . . . unlike in constituency 5, very mixed constituenc ies. And we are finding these things that are c alled . . . these persons that label themselves as “swing voters” —one minute they vote PLP, the next minute they vote OBA, the next minute they just do not vote. And a lot of them want to know, Why should I vote PLP? Why should I give [the] PLP even more seats? And it is a valid question, because on paper, 26 seats, 10 seats, the PLP is still Government; 24:12 the PLP is still Government. So they left us with some questions. They want the PLP to be the Government and the Opposition because, obviously, this Oppos ition is just not. But more importantly, Mr. Deputy Speaker , they want the PLP to be open to all. The recent census showed us that there is this growing demographic called “mixed” —people with a white parent or a black parent, whatever combina-tion—pe ople who do not see themselves as black or white. And while they understand the struggle, they also understand the privilege. And we as a party have to transform ourselves [so] that we are able to be a ttractive to all without sacrificing those founding pri nciples. So I say this in conclusion, Mr. Deputy
SpeakerThe SpeakerWe get here every week and we have to defend the underclass. In seat 25 it is very much mi ddleclass dominated. They want to know the economy is on. They want to know, hey, their nest egg is going to be safe under a PLP Government. So we have …
We get here every week and we have to defend the underclass. In seat 25 it is very much mi ddleclass dominated. They want to know the economy is on. They want to know, hey, their nest egg is going to be safe under a PLP Government. So we have to continue to generate interest in investors in the country through blockchain, through tourism, through international business. But most of all we have to tell our people start your own business, because these people do not want to give you a job. They want to sit up and give you excuses. Well, you’ve got to pull your pants up. Well, you might be late. Stop listening to these people, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Thank you.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerAny further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Craig Cannonier. You have the floor. RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE SERVICE
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . In the vein of continuing on, as I have said in the past, of ensuring that I approach everyt hing that I say without a tainted perception, but attempt to give good information and also give good guidance, I first want to thank the …
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . In the vein of continuing on, as I have said in the past, of ensuring that I approach everyt hing that I say without a tainted perception, but attempt to give good information and also give good guidance, I first want to thank the Honourable Member from constit uency 14, the Honourable Caines, for addressing one of the issues that I brought up on t he motion to adjourn, that I felt that many of our young black males were being targeted unnecessarily. And the reason I brought it up was because I recognised that I am not void from that, and neither are my family members void from that. And having seen a situation take place I thought it prudent that I should speak up to it. And I know that other Honour able Member s in this House have spoken to the issue many times before and there was no need for me to repeat the same message. However, I want to thank the Honourable Member , also the Opposition Leader, for addressing the issue. In fact, the Honourable Member from constituency 14, his brother, Dwayne Caines . . . we had a lengthy discussion about how he was approaching it with the Police Service and the l ike. I felt very satisfied as [to how] they were approaching it. I am still not sure as to exactly how it will pan out for the broader Bermuda, recognising, as I listened to the Honourable Member from constituency 14, some of the other challenges that we d o have, and that you can be stopped and searched. And we recognise that in today’s world . . . well, more pointedly, Bermuda’s world, that these things will happen where we will be pulled aside and we can be searched. So I am satisfied and I just wanted t o publicly thank the Honourable Member Caines and the Honourable Opposition Leader for their addressing the matter. It did go right to the Commissioner. And I do believe that some conversations have been had, so I am happy for that. And I want to thank him for that involvement.
BERMUDA COLLEGE GRADUATES
Mr. L. Craig CannonierI want to also go to the graduation at the college yesterday. It was an . . . not an eye- opener, but I was blessed to see that . . . and I may have the statistics wrong or not entir ely correct, but was it 49 per cent …
I want to also go to the graduation at the college yesterday. It was an . . . not an eye- opener, but I was blessed to see that . . . and I may have the statistics wrong or not entir ely correct, but was it 49 per cent young males . . . was it 49 per cent? And I have been going to the graduations over and over and over, and to see that was quite exciting. There was a mix. You heard about seniors who were going to school and you also heard and saw those who were retooling themselves so that they can look for and find a job, having either been laid off or the skill set that they had no longer applied to today’s 2116 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly world. So it was quite exciting to see the number of males, particularly blac k males that were graduating. And the merits and the honours that they were graduating with say a whole lot about where we are as a people, and in particular that our black males are d oing well. Yes, we do have a challenge. We have a challenge with a selec t few of our males in this community who, as we have talked about already in this House, have decided to go a slightly different route. And I am glad to hear from the Honourable Minister of National Security say that he is seeking to do whate ver he can wit hin the means that he has to abate the situation to get us back to . . . and I hate using “back” but to get us to a point where we no longer have to look over our shoulder. It is concerning when a bullet —just one—is shot through a glass on Front Street, w hich will make me feel like I have got to look over my shoulder. And the funny thing about it was we were at the graduation dinner, we were having a graduation dinner . . . I will declare my interest. My son- in-law graduated. He has retooled himself. He no w has his bachelor’s degree and he is looking for a job. And we went to dinner to celebrate his accomplishment and a balloon popped while we were in the restaurant and, quite frankly, half the place ducked and looked around, which tells me that we are now becoming and are at a point whereby we are preoccupied with this here, and we have got to find a way to arrest it. And one of the ways that I believe that we arrest the situation, and we have heard about talk of us amongst blacks, us amongst blacks, must s tick t ogether, but also must work together to empower i ndustries that, if we cannot get the other side that we are talking about to assist, like get on some of the boards that we are saying that we have a challenge with, and it will be interesting as we move forward with blockchain and some of the opportunities that are afforded here, I am encouraging the Honourable Mini ster to ensure that on those boards there are black people. So we will be watching very closely. It is i mportant. You brought it up, so I w ant to see that we are including us on those boards. [Inaudible interjection]
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND WORK ETHICS
Mr. L. Craig CannonierOf course. They are listening, they know. They know. It is not a surprise in the OBA of this kind of conversat ion. Contrary to what some Members might think, these conversations are had all the time within the OBA. Okay? And some may say maybe that is why we …
Of course. They are listening, they know. They know. It is not a surprise in the OBA of this kind of conversat ion. Contrary to what some Members might think, these conversations are had all the time within the OBA. Okay? And some may say maybe that is why we are in the situation that we are in. But guess what? The conversation is being had. But my challenge is that [we] as blacks have not stuck together and empowered each other enough. So we heard from an Honourable Member , who is a different persuasion from mine, speak about his business. But I am a black business owner and had, at the time, over 100 employees. A nd that is why I complained about the budget, because I felt like it was not doing anything to empower me to continue to employ 100 per cent blacks. Now I am not going to get out there and shout and scream, but since you brought the subject up, I want to see support for black enterprises that hire black people. And you do not hear me getting up complaining about, you know, that so and so is sho wing up late and this and that and that kind of a thing. I do not, because I encourage my Members and my managers to involve themselves with the lives of our employees —everything from . . . if they cannot get a bike, we buy a bike for them so that they can get to work specifically on time. So there are Members out there who are doing things, there are. And yes, som etimes we have some bad apples. Yes, it happens. But that happens to be not just black people, but white people show up late too. Okay? And they find all kinds of excuses as to why they cannot show up to work. But I am not here to perceive people’s personal motives as to why they are late and that kind of a thing because I do not want to get into the perception thing because we all know that when we start assuming certain things what happens —it is called “u nintended consequences.” Which leads me to the Honour able Member from constituency 30 [sic] and I really appreciated what he had to say. I really appreciated what he had to say because—
An Hon. Member An Hon. Member—thirty is your Member, Ms. Leah Scott.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierLawrence Scott . . . I am talking about Scott. Bermuda House of Assembly An Hon. Member: Twenty -four.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierTwenty -four, my apologies, my apologies. [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierMy apologies. I wrote it down thinking I was writing down the right one. I was looking . . . should have been on the top one instead of on the bottom, okay, yes. [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierSure, sure, sure, sure, sure, sure. [Laughter] EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND TRAINING OF BERMUDIANS
Mr. L. Craig CannonierContinue on. Be careful what you pray for. We have seen you at seven, so things do turn around, okay? Things do turn around. But I appreciated what the Honourable Member had to say, and I do not want us to leave this House today and take . . . …
Continue on. Be careful what you pray for. We have seen you at seven, so things do turn around, okay? Things do turn around. But I appreciated what the Honourable Member had to say, and I do not want us to leave this House today and take . . . and I do not get from him, although if I just listened to his words I might perceive the fact that because you are foreign, you know, you might have a challenge with Bermudians or even black Bermudians. I do not think that was what he was attempting to say. But those who were listening might perceive that. But because I do know him, and I know that he would not go in that direction, I understand kind of where he was coming from and what he was trying to say in that the broadcasting member who is a foreigner may have an issue. Okay? And there could be a conspiracy of sorts. But I decided that I am not going down that road as I speak further in this House of Assembly on perceptions. Because if I were to go off of percept ions . . . quite frankly, I have seen the result of perceptions in this House in my short tenure in this House; I have seen what perceptions do to people. And I have seen on both sides how it has destroyed families. And I am not talking about white families, I am talking about black families that we have annihilated over perceptions, Mr. Deputy Speaker . So when does it stop? Does it stop when the OBA is Government? Does it stop when the PLP is Government? I am still seeing it. So when does it stop? And so we as blacks have got to stick toget her and come up with an industry that empowers us, create our own board . . . I cannot be a part of the old school boy . . . you know, international business. It is a tight club. In fact, when my wife was working for one of those industries we used to count on our hands . . . oh, they got, finally, on to using two hands where they had another black working within it. Now I am going back a little in time . . . going back a little, but that is a problem. So we have opportunity today, and what our young people are looking for from us today is to come up with industries that empower them. So I champion this whole FinTech push forward. I am looking for the results and I am hoping that it bears fruit that is going to bring about black empowerment . And I am saying it. Yes, I am with the OBA. I am saying it. So you can have whatever perception you want over who the OBA is and the members of the OBA. But I am a black man owning a black business with 100 per cent black employees look ing for empowerment . . . looking for empowerment. And I challenge anyone in this House to try and scar me as elitist. I am a common man, and I walk the streets every single day. You see me talking to everybody, from my cousin Pooky, as we talk about, to e ven the white man. The strange thing about it is, Mr. Deputy Speaker , that if a guy like me walks around (and some of the Honourable Member s can speak to it), if they have got a white friend it has got to be because of some wrong thing or something is going awry. So I am about black empowerment, but I am also not going to be prejudiced towards anyone. Some of the darkest people in this House of Assembly have got more white in their blood than I do. Yes! Do your history. Yes, and I appreciate the laughing because we are speaking truth here . . . truth. So we have got to find a way —do not miss the point —the point is that we as blacks need to stick together and empower one another to get what we need to get to the next stage . . . get to the next stage. So when I listened to the Honourable Member , if I was going off of perception, he said in this Honourable House that the PLP made somebody wealthy —the Member from . . . who is building up there at Sout hlands . . . you know, we kind of made him . . . that was kind of like the words that he was using . . . we e nriched him. I get that. I get that, but you cannot sit and say, Well, look, you know, I’m going to lay with a woman and she gets pregnant and then complain that she is pregnant. You have made him wealthy. So you know what wealthy people do? They exercise their power. They exercise it. You know what I am talking about. They exercise their power, whether it means they are talking to somebody that you cannot get to, or not. The Honourable Member said he is using the Bible as a basis, and so I gave him some advice just after he spoke. And that advice was this: The Bible tells us that if someone offends you to go directly to them . . . to go to that person if they offend you. And if they do not see or understand th e error which you are trying to bring up, then you bring it to the broader spectrum. 2118 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Now I do not like to quote the Bible without saying where it comes from —Matthew chapter 18. You all know I grew up in the Word, Matthew chapter 18 speaks specifically to this issue, and it does not exclude parliamentarians —all of us. So if you have got a challenge go to that Member, because if you do not, unintended consequences can happen and it goes down the road that you did not intend to go. And sometimes those uninten ded consequences look like conspiracy against you. I have lived it as a parliamen-tarian. So I know. I know. So we have got some work to do and I am here encouraging this Government to do all it can. I am telling you . . . I am well . . . I mean the talk ri ght now is FinTech. You know a lot of people say bloc kchain and it is starting to shift to FinTech because people still do not know that word “FinTech,” okay? But they get blockchain real easy. It is kind of an easy word to remember. So everyone is talking about this buzz. So I am encouraged. I have been looking forward to the fact that something may happen here, but I am also looking for something to happen that is going to create jobs right now. Because I do know that as the OBA Government that was one of the reasons why we entered into this America’s Cup and the ai rport and empowering Morgan’s Point to get cracking with these things. It was because it would create jobs immediately. So that is the next part that I am looking for.
[Inaudible interjection]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThat is what I am looking at, it did create jobs . . . it created jobs! I was the Minister of Works and I know that we had hundreds of people up at WEDCO working. Those jobs did not exist. They did not exist until we put things i …
That is what I am looking at, it did create jobs . . . it created jobs! I was the Minister of Works and I know that we had hundreds of people up at WEDCO working. Those jobs did not exist. They did not exist until we put things i n place so that these buildings could be renovated and the likes. And it created jobs that did not exist at that time. That was work. So, we can argue that point. But I know that it was work that did not exist before and we hired hundreds of people up ther e to get to work. And I am not even talking about in the actual little camp of America’s Cup, I am talking about on the WEDCO land where they were doing all the buildings and renovated the buildings. Yes, some America’s Cup people benefited. You know, the y were using some of the buildings. But I also know that there were some clubs as well who got brand new clubs. They were derelict and beat up, they did not have to pay for it to get [them] renovated, [they were] renovated. So if we have got to be fair, let us be fair. But my point is —to us —what are we doing? So I am appreciating what I am hearing in this House, but I am also going to hold you accountable because if you do create wealth amongst the white man—or Portuguese, whatever you want to call him —and then he decides to just do what he thinks he can do b e-cause he has got money, and then you get up in this House and say, Well, you know, we empowered him, monetarily, I mean—
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is your point of order, Member Scott? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottThe Member is misleading the House saying that we should . . . if somebody becomes successful —which is the word I used, not wealthy —that they should then flaunt the law, break the law, and abuse the policies in order to enrich themselves. That is not what we are …
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . I get what he i s saying. But I know that he knows me and I know that, just like I said to him when he made certain comments that I know that is not what he meant. But that is what it sounded …
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . I get what he i s saying. But I know that he knows me and I know that, just like I said to him when he made certain comments that I know that is not what he meant. But that is what it sounded like. I think he knows me well enough to know that this is not what I am saying. That is not what I am saying. But wealthy people will do things and they will exercise that wealth to get things that they want done. That is what I am saying. So I would appreciate the same courtesy, Honourable Member . So what I am getting back to is w e have work to do and it is going to take all of us to get to that work. And then I want to get to . . . just slightly, this whole issue of our young men that we are having a challenge with. The same day that the bullet was shot through Front Street it was the oddest thing because during the day I walked through the mall and I saw this young man, no older than maybe 18 or 19 . . . well, Bermudians look young, I must say. It must be the salt in the air that keeps us looking young. I am probably the only one that looks old around here.
[Inaudible interjection and laughter ]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierSo I saw this young man walking through the mall and it was a warm day and he has a scarf over his face. It was the oddest thing. Why in the world was he walking ar ound in the middle of the mall with a scarf over his face? …
So I saw this young man walking through the mall and it was a warm day and he has a scarf over his face. It was the oddest thing. Why in the world was he walking ar ound in the middle of the mall with a scarf over his face? And so we have got some work to do. And the work starts at home. I have a grandson. And I am looking at this young black male and I have got to teach him, with his family, his parents, how to make good decisions, how to ma ke good decisions from young—he is only seven right
Bermuda House of Assembly now. And I have got four grandkids now and they are starting to get a little old. [Timer beeps]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonBut what I do want to do is start having a conversation that I would like to conti nue to evolve and develop over the months until we start to actually see the fruits of what I consider to be an initiative. I have raised this in the House before …
But what I do want to do is start having a conversation that I would like to conti nue to evolve and develop over the months until we start to actually see the fruits of what I consider to be an initiative. I have raised this in the House before and I feel like this afternoon is a good time to mention it again. And that is the whole concept of the innovation districts. And I feel like I have be en speaking to this now for a number of years and we are getting closer. The whole FinTech industry lends itself to these innovation districts, and I challenge us as a Government to see what we can do to stimulate, maybe, these kinds of environments. And I am going to take a few minutes just to describe it again, but very briefly. If, historically, we take a look around there was a time, maybe back in the ’50s when after the war there was sort of the industrial revolution, and definit ely in the United Sta tes and in the UK they would have found places where factories were built and these communities were created around the factories for the people who worked in the factories and these became the neighbourhoods. And we have evolved since then to the likes of like a Silicon Valley and these sorts of gated communities where maybe back in the early 2000s, especially out on the West Coast of the United States, you would find that these up and coming start - ups—the Googles, the Facebooks of the world— would have the ir headquarters out in the middle of nowhere, very isolated, and they would be very co ntrolled environments, and people would have to drive a long way and they would go into these communities to work. And that was pretty much what it was —a community where you worked. And we are now evolving into something called innovation districts and the FinTech industry lends itself to this because it is . . . by nature it can be a very sort of small business development community. And in Bermuda I believe we have an opportunity to take what are existing communities on the Island that may have over the years had their lifecycle, and I think of places like Somerset Village, I think about Flatts Village, I think of the Southside area, where we have an opportunity to regenerate some of the energy in these spaces by encouraging the incubation of the FinTech small business development into various areas around Bermuda. And with that allowing other small businesses to come in and to support the people who are working in these what I am going to describe as incubator or small business development offices and such. And the difference between an innovation di strict and maybe the industrial or the Silicon Valley models is that the small businesses are there to support these sort of small business incubators with services. So it could be everything from your nursery school opening up closer to, or within, these innov ation districts to provide for the parents of these FinTech companies —and I am using them as our example here— to have their children closer to them while they are working. Or it may be the mechanic is there so that when you drive into your innovation di strict to work you can leave your car and it may be within walking distance. And I think, Mr. Deputy Speaker , that you ar e kind of getting the idea. It is a more holistic environ-ment in which to support business development. And I believe that this Government could create that. So, right now I listen to things like the EEZ, and I certainly have been paying very close attenti on to the North Hamilton development —or lack thereof —over the years and thinking, you know what, this is an amazing opportunity for the development of an innovation di strict in this area. But for some reason we are, it appears to me . . . the perception is that we are going out there and pointing our finger outward and saying, You people come over and invest in this space, rather than saying, Hey, wait a minute, what can I do to i nvest in this space. And as a Government I believe that we could give greater thought, more creativity, and more idea generation around how we might be able to use some of these areas to create an environment without ma king people uproot where they are and come into this area, but instead, this could be the ground on which we are able to create and grow our own new, you know, sort of innovative industry.
ROAD SAFETY
Ms. Susan E. JacksonSo I just am putting that out there and I am going to pivot because I have another topic that is very much on my mind, Mr. Deputy 2120 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Speaker , and it is worrying. And that is the situation …
So I just am putting that out there and I am going to pivot because I have another topic that is very much on my mind, Mr. Deputy 2120 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Speaker , and it is worrying. And that is the situation with our roads and the road safety. And we are about to enter into the height of our season. We have got the young people finishing school now. Many of them are on bikes. They are ex-cited and they are partying and c elebrating. And I just need to know that this Government is paying attention and is being just vigilant about the safety of our roads at this time of the year. And certainly I know that there are a number of my constituents who have been lo bbying for years to make sure that we can have educ ational programmes available for our young people that are going to give them that on- the-road experience and give them an opportunity to really understand and have a respect for our roads through their training and education before they get their licences, especially riding bikes. And I know that this can be a bit of a sore spot because the Bermuda Road Safety Council is okay with the riding programme, educational programme, Project Ride, that we have in place just now. But, you know, I just have to raise my voice and say that if we could in any way encourage the Road Safety Council to expand the programme to include some on- theroad experience for our students that I believe that this is at least a small step, and it is a nice little sort of negotiable compromise to allow us to maybe just make a small dent in improving the behaviour on the roads. And not to say that it should be focused on the youth. We do know that a large percentage of our accidents on the roads are the younger people on bikes, and we need to take much more care and r esponsibility for them. But understanding that we are going to at some point move toward the breathalyser, that we are going to at some point be able to afford speed cameras, and these will target some of the ot her offenders on our roads, I just need to keep that road safety and our ability to put in place whatever needs to be put in place to make sure that we are addressing some of the dangers on our roads and that we are addressing each one of the target audiences, whether it is the young people on bikes, whether it is the people who are drinking and driving while they are intoxicated, or whether it is our speeders. And to me and to the constituents for which I speak that is a very important point, and I need to keep that in the for efront of the Government’s moves to keep the Island safe during the summer months and beyond. So thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker .
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you. Any further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Pat Pamplin -Gordon [sic]. You have the floor.
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinIt is Gordon - Pamplin. You will get it, Mr. Deputy Speaker —
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinYou know who I am. It is okay, and I am fine with t hat.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYes, you answer to it. It is all right. [Laughter] GOVERNMENT MUST EMBRACE ALL BERMUDIANS
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinThat is good, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Mr. Deputy Speaker , I think it is important to weigh -in on some of the comments that I have heard today on the motion to adjourn, in particular. And I wish to speak first of all to the comments made by the …
That is good, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Mr. Deputy Speaker , I think it is important to weigh -in on some of the comments that I have heard today on the motion to adjourn, in particular. And I wish to speak first of all to the comments made by the Honourable Member from constituency 11 with r espect to how he believes that it is his party’s mandate to embrace the entirety of Bermuda and not just one segment thereof. However, the majority of his presentation was dedicated to let’s make sure that we look after our people . . . our black people, our this. I think it is important for us, as Members of Parliament representing every walk of life and every sphere of our constituency and our country, to recognise that it is imperative upon us to embrace all Bermudians, not just —
[Inaudible interjection]
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin—the Honourable Member says but we di dn’t. That is absolute —
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin—errant no nsense, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Mr. Deputy Speaker , I can tell you that as a Member in this Honourable House for going on 20 years and being inv olved in the political spectrum for far longer than that, Mr. Deputy Speaker , we —our party —are made …
—errant no nsense, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Mr. Deputy Speaker , I can tell you that as a Member in this Honourable House for going on 20 years and being inv olved in the political spectrum for far longer than that, Mr. Deputy Speaker , we —our party —are made up of blacks, whites, mixed, and everything in between.
[Inaudible interjection]
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinAnd the important thing is, Mr. Deputy S peaker , the important thing to us is that we have opened our arms and embraced ev erybody. But as a people, Mr. Deputy Speaker , irrespective of what Members might think, as a people none of us should have to beg …
And the important thing is, Mr. Deputy S peaker , the important thing to us is that we have opened our arms and embraced ev erybody. But as a people, Mr. Deputy Speaker , irrespective of what Members might think, as a people none of us should have to beg for acceptance—none of us! It is demeaning, it is degrading, and we should not have to. So do not tell me on the one hand that, you know, I will embrace everybody, and on the other
Bermuda House of Assembly hand show by word and deed how exclusionary I can be with the common—
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerAll right. What is your point of order Member? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. Christopher FamousI do not even want to say she is misleading, because that might be a good word. I said categorically that we have to under stand that we are here for all people. I also said it is . . . yes, it is the black people in this country …
I do not even want to say she is misleading, because that might be a good word. I said categorically that we have to under stand that we are here for all people. I also said it is . . . yes, it is the black people in this country who are suffering economically. And I make no apologies for saying that this Government has to help force a black business community. What is the pro blem?
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, thank you. That is what he said. POLICE SERVICE STOP- AND -SEARCH PROC EDURES FOLLOWING RECENT GUN VIOLENCE
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinMr. Deputy Speaker , I have no problem with any Government fostering economic empowerment for all of its people. I have no problem with that whatsoever. And I am sure that the Honourable Member is not suggesting for one second that it should be any different. He did not say …
Mr. Deputy Speaker , I have no problem with any Government fostering economic empowerment for all of its people. I have no problem with that whatsoever. And I am sure that the Honourable Member is not suggesting for one second that it should be any different. He did not say it that way, but I am believing that he must believe that because that would be the reason for him being here. Mr. Deputy Speaker , the other comment that I wanted to make was I happened to be off -Island yesterday so when the news of the gun shots happened it was tremendously disappointing, because I knew that for the last month or so— couple of months —we had actually reached a lull in that level of antisocial beha viour. And truth be told I was hoping that we were go-ing to see it waning. It was distressing and disturbing to hear that this had happened. But in listen ing to the Honourable Member from [constituency] 36 who indicated that police will respond quicker to white businesses if a shot is fired into a white business than it would if it were shot in Happy Valley (were his words), I would hope that our police dep artment is seen to respond to challenges however and whenever and wherever they arise. I think it is very important to us, and we do not want to perpetuate a thought that would say that the police are leaning on one side or the other. A significant portion of our Police Service is actually black, if you stop to think about it, you stop to look at them. I do not know what the numbers are in terms of percentages, but a significant number of them are. And I do not believe that there is a thought process in the hierarchy and the administration of that department that would suggest that there would be a faster response in one segment of the community than there would be in another. If there is, then we have some serious work to do. And I certainly would hope that we would do something to ensure that we are seen—that our Police Service is seen—to be even -handed in terms of how they respond to crises across our Island. I also wanted to make a comment with r espect to the Honourable Minister Caines from consti tuency 14 to indicate that he really impressed me t oday with his comment that taking himself out of the equation of the emotive responses that we get one to the other in this Honourable House. He was able to determine by assessment of what he heard that what, in fact, was being said on the floor of the House was democracy in progress. That . . . and I think it is i mportant for people to understand, notwithstanding that Members opposite may have a different opinion of something, the fact that we take the opportuni ty and the time to espouse our concern with what the Go vernment is proposing or any challenge that we have with whether or not we believe it to be in the best i nterest of the entire country, it is our responsibility, as I mentioned last week, to put those thoughts out there. And just because we say something that is not necessarily in lockstep with what the Government is proposing does not say that we are imputing i mproper motive by creating a challenge. It says that we are being vigilant, that we are look ing at the things that we ought to be looking at, and that we are r esponding thereto. So I really applaud the Honourable Minister for his comment indicating that . . . or recognising that we are not necessarily imputing improper motive, but, rather, that w ith maturity of thought he can accept the fact that criticism could be constructive because that is our job. We are not here to roll over and play dead and acquiesce and accept everything that is being offered. It is very important, I believe, to ensure that we embrace what the Government is offering and if there is any objection thereto we have a right and a responsibility to declare it. [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND TRAINING OF BERMUDIANS
Mrs. Patrici a J. Gordon -PamplinBut I want my comments today to be made mostly towards the comments that were made by the Honourable Minister for Education from constituency 13 (actually my representative) in which he indicated that in international business they should not shop in employment spaces in foreign countries, that we should be …
But I want my comments today to be made mostly towards the comments that were made by the Honourable Minister for Education from constituency 13 (actually my representative) in which he indicated that in international business they should not shop in employment spaces in foreign countries, that we should be looking to our own country from which to gather our talent, and where it does not exist we should be making a concerted effort to build and to ensure that our people are 2122 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly able—and when I say “our people” I mean all of our people, all Bermudians —are able to fulfil the requir ements of the jobs that are being advertised. And I a pplaud and agree with those comments 100 per cent! Mr. Speaker , let me just say this, because one of the things that we have here is that we have companies that will have no challenge whatever —no cha llenge whatever with looking to employment agencies, no challenge whatever with looking to overseas headhunters, no challenge whatever with looking to local headhunter s who are likely to have on their books foreign people who have come into this country and they would think that there is reason and they have no compunction about having an interview with somebody who may not necessarily be as qualified as a Bermudian, but because for whatever reason a CEO of a company may choose to hire somebody who is not Bermudian, they will find the necessary excuses. I ask the question: Where is the Immigration Department and their controls that would help to pr ohibit these activities from persisting? And I say that very simply because I watch situations arise, in which I can speak to personally, that there are now two nonBermudians doing a job that was previously held by a Bermudian. What does that do? What does that do? That says t o me that either the Bermudians have failed to be able to present themselves appropriately for consideration . . . however, because of my knowledge of a particular situation that is not the case. I have actually seen a Bermudian and a spouse of a Bermudian who effectively has far better qualifications than the person who was the incumbent in the particular position. But for whatever reason the company decided that it was better to offer a position of employment to somebody who was foreign. Now what happens in these circumstances? And why is there such dissention and bitterness exis ting in this particular industry? And that is because in a significant measure international companies will decide that they will offer benefits and remuneration to foreign emplo yees that they would never ever think of offering to Bermudians, and that is where the major challenge comes. You know you cannot, as a Bermudian, say, Oh, I would like to be paid a housing allowance. They do not do it, because we do not do it for Bermudi ans. But you can walk down the street, pick up somebody off the sidewalk who happens to be on- Island, encourage them and entice them to come to work for your company, but all of a sudden you can find a housing allowance for them. What is the difference? Or you can say that a base salary is what the market is now demanding, so you can pay a base salary to somebody, because that is what the market says. Why do you not say to your existing incumbent or the existing people who may be coming into this industry, You know what, the market dictates this. This is the job that you are required to perform and as a result you are now representing the market ? And the market now says that your local pe ople should be entitled to the level of compensation that is being of fered to non- Bermudians. What then happens when you have a non- Bermudian who lands in that position who is now replacing somebody who is Bermudian, who is perhaps allowed to hire even an assistant to work alongside of them and the assistant comes in now and the assistant is not Bermudian? And you sit and think, Now wait a second, now there is a non- Bermudian replacing an incumbent Bermudian, there is an assistant replacing or helping this new recruit, and then you say, Why is this being allowed from an immi gration perspective? Because, surely, if there was a Bermudian that was able to be found to do a job, and to do the job effectively, then why is it that now there are two foreign people requiring work permits to be able to do that job that this one Bermudi an was doing historically? Is there something wrong with our Bermudians who are making the applications? And if so, what do we do to fix it? What should we be doing to fix it? Or what should we do when the purpose of a new non-Bermudian person in hiring another nonBermudian assistant is primarily to ensure that this person’s employment is secured in perpetuity? B ecause if you do not have a Bermudian who is putting themselves in position to say, I am now going to train myself up and do all those things tha t I need to do in order to be able to, at one point in time, take over that position that is now being held by a foreigner, then that foreigner has effectively guaranteed his position in perpetuity. Is that right? Where does the Bermudian opportunity come? If you . . . you know, because that non-Bermudian is not going to get . . . not going to elevate to that position of the higher -up, that nonBermudian is always going to be the assistant. So as a Bermudian, that assistant could build themselves up to rank pari passu with the abilities that are being offered by the non- Bermudian and ultimat ely have the capacity to replace them. But that is not happening. And that is not happening in my humble estimation because I do not believe that from an i mmigration per spective we are looking closely enough and carefully enough at what ought to be in terms of what we are looking for and what we permit to go through the system in terms of saying this is a person who is ideally suited. “Ideally suited” has certain connotations, but it also has responsibilities. And to my mind the one who is going to be ideally suited for a position is going to be one where ultimately you recognise that, Y ou know what ? I am in Bermuda, I am able to embrace all that Bermuda has offered to me while I am here, and ult imately at some point in time I have to go home. And this is not necessarily something that has to be d etermined by term limits or anything like that. That does not necessarily have to be the case. What needs to be
Bermuda House of Assembly the determining factor is the honesty of coming to the table as honest brokers on behalf of some of the i nternational companies. Now I know that there are people who work in the industry who are local who say don’t rock the boat, because the fact is we can live with the f act that these people are getting benefits that we will never get. However, our jobs also in different parts of the industry are secure. But you know, far be it from me to ever be so selfish to think about what is in it for me because if I cannot adopt an attitude and a stance that effectively says that all Bermudians need to either be qualified or trained to a position of qualification so that when these positions are made available they have the capacity to be able to assume them, then I think I have fail ed in my responsibility. And I think that it is so important because we see this, not just on a one- off basis, we see it happening persistently and incessantly and I think it is time that we actually have to stop this. Because some of these companies, Mr. Speaker , will blatantly show a level of disrespect to Bermudian professionals in their guise to be able to justify some of the poor behaviour that we are seeing. You know, I could conceivably call out some of the companies publicly, but I think that as a general statement it is more important to me to say that com-panies need to look at what their practices are, what their policies are, and see how they can honestly embrace a Bermudian culture that allows our Bermudians to be employed. Now if you want to h ear me advocate for somebody, that is going to be it. Mr. Speaker , you may know that I have just recently retired from a position. I have worked . . . I have a son who is 52 years old. I have worked for 52 years. And in 52 years I would imagine 45 of those years were years during which I had the capacity to hire people. So I have been able to make influences. And I can tell you I have not counted the number of people that I have actually hired over that period of time, but I have never applied for a work permit for one. Why? Because I honestly believe that the opportunity that I was given as a 16- year-old, a very new mother being embraced and being brought into the workforce in Bermuda, and then ultimately being given the opportunity to not just have a college education, but to have that college education paid for by my employer, that gave me a responsibility to say that the benefits that have been enured to me should be embraced and should be available to others. And that is how I personally will operate. So is there any prejudice in terms of the fact of who I have hired over the years and who I have not hired? No, there is not. It is just an acknowledgement that says that for those benefits that have been a ttributed to me, that I have benefitted by, that my r esponsibility to the next person is to ensure that they get passed on. And in passing them on you cannot do so if you are ignoring the development of talent. As the Minister responsible for Workforce Development at one point in time in my career, Mr. Speaker , I can remember saying to the Hotel Association that no twithstanding that somebody might come through your door who may not possess all of the prerequisites of a job that you hope to have filled, do not overlook that diamond in the rough. Because there are many of our people who, perhaps, may not be able to articulate on paper, may not be able to present as well in an initial interview. But what happens when that person is nurtured and trained and taught and embraced and en-couraged to be able to fill t hose positions? What can happen? And what can happen, Mr. Speaker , is that you can find that excellence will shine through. Excel-lence will shine through. So from a perspective of encouraging, we want to make sure that we put people in the position so to do. But we also want to make sure that the sy stem does not undermine what people could and should be doing. We should not be having an imm igration system where you have to second- guess the decisions. We should have a board that looks very carefully at what it is that is being offered, how the offerings compare to what the status quo was on that particular organisation, and how can the two either marry -up or why are the differences so stark and si gnificant that one person now, all of a sudden, seems to be the crème de la crème and the standards set by Bermudians somehow need to be trampled upon. I think that we have to look at this situation very ser iously, we have to look at it not just as legislators, but we have to look at it in our systems. We have to not just ask our international bus inesses, we have to demand our international bus inesses that the CEOs, the executives, of those bus inesses have a responsibility to come as honest br okers when they come into the employment market looking for employment, to c ut out the excuses that they may have and the things that will provide them to provide unfair advantages. Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
[Timer beeps]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member . I recognise the Honourable Member , Mr. Swan. Mr. Swan, you have the floor.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanThank you, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker , let me start off by acknowledging that there is a saying, T he more things change the more they stay the same. And I am sure there is a gentleman who is going to celebrate his 100 th birthday tomorrow, Mr. Warren …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker , let me start off by acknowledging that there is a saying, T he more things change the more they stay the same. And I am sure there is a gentleman who is going to celebrate his 100 th birthday tomorrow, Mr. Warren [Tishi] Foggo, and I want to acknowledge his birthday and the significance of that birthday that will be celebrated by his family. And he has very close family here in this Honourable House, Mr. Speaker , very close. He has very close family 2124 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly here in this Honourable House, Mr. Speaker, very close. The seniors down at RA will be having a bingo tomorrow afternoon. We encourage persons to join them around two o’clock tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, I have heard a few speeches this afternoon [that] changed the tenor of the usual Opposition of recent weeks —
Some Hon. Member s: Yes.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND TRAINING OF BERMUDIANS
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanAnd I guess in this election system the benefit of a political consultant must have given some directives that you need to sound a lot different than what your actions were in Gover nment. And we know that. And I am sure there is some currency. I want to congratulate …
And I guess in this election system the benefit of a political consultant must have given some directives that you need to sound a lot different than what your actions were in Gover nment. And we know that. And I am sure there is some currency. I want to congratulate the Honourable Member Ms. Jackson for coming today with some solutions when it comes to FinTech, which is in direct contrast to a lot that has been said in recent weeks with regard to hard- working Members of the Cabinet. Hardworking in that it is in concert with what is taking place globally, with companies like HSBC Bermuda w ho, to my knowledge, have not been as receptive to bloc kchain in this country, but are receptive to it elsewhere. I think that is the type of difficulty that Bermuda wades into when you talk about the great divide. We have a mantra that is coming up for Heri tage Week, and I want to acknowledge that next week Friday we will not be here, we will be celebrating Ber-muda Day, what we share. What we would like to share in this country is more economic parity. We would like to share that. We cannot walk down and wear a T-shirt to say that we have arrived. We pretty much can only say that the more things change, the more things remain the same, is applicable when it comes to economic uplifting. And for those who would say, Listen, it is up to us to deliver all of th at with just FinTech, FinTech, is not designed to give current businesses a pass in Bermuda with regard to its r esponsibility to recognise the shift that is needed to empower blacks in this country. It is not designed to give a pass. I salute those who may be in a position to recognise that, you know, in that emerging industry they have a social responsibility and are coming u pfront with it in regard to MOUs and directing it to where they see the shift can take place, [which] is in education. And to that I know the Honourable Mem-ber, Mr. Diallo Rabain, is very receptive and appreci ative. But let us remember that persons who formerly held the highest office in this country have a r esponsibility to be more statesmanlike and more r esponsible. And I certainly f eel that this is necessary as we walk down this path, Mr. Speaker. The path of economic parity will only come when, as the Honourable Member Mr. Cannonier exclaimed, the convers ation is had over on that side. The conversation on race always took place on t hat side. It did not just start! You inherited a significant portion of what people claim to be changing.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe will take your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThe Honourable Member is inadvertently misleading the House. I never, in any way, suggested that the conversation did not take place many times before in the past. I did not say it just started.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanAnd I am glad that the Member recognised that it took place, but let me tell you this . From an experienced point of view, what it gets boiled down to is that a lot of times those views, honest views like the Honourable Member’s, get r epackaged and used …
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersHmm. Yes.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanIt gets repackaged b ecause in this country wealth is controlled by the minority. And when the minority and the institutions of this country, which are controlled by whites, recognise a social and moral responsibility to shift thei r hearts, then we can make progress. But until such time, we …
It gets repackaged b ecause in this country wealth is controlled by the minority. And when the minority and the institutions of this country, which are controlled by whites, recognise a social and moral responsibility to shift thei r hearts, then we can make progress. But until such time, we in the black community must [follow] suit from what takes place globally. When I went to Japan, and I declare my interest, I have a family member that lives in Japan and married a lady of Japanese descent. I am immersed in the Japanese culture for that reason. And for similar reasons, to the Chinese community. And I can tell you, with love in my heart, I can learn from them because you do not walk around . . . you see Japanese people cleaning toi lets, you see Japanese people sweeping the floors, you see Japanese people driving
Bermuda House of Assembly Japanese cars, you see Japanese people working in businesses. Only in Bermuda are black Bermudians made to be divided amongst ourselves. And the way in which we are allowed to be divided by ourselves makes us feel like something is wrong with us, while people who come here from other jurisdictions would never go home and let anybody think they are an ything less than where they are from, whether it be Ir eland, Scotland, whether it be Italy, whether it be Afr ica, whether it be Australia . . . they take pride in that. Until such time as we on Bermuda Day coming up can stand up proudly and say that we share in the ec onomics can we proudly say that we share, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, we have had Members who have spoken with regard to their work exper ience. Let me just speak to and encourage the Minister of Education, who I just had an online brief chat with, and celebrate the Bermuda Hospitality Institute that just announced s even jobs in hospitality. The first comment that came when that went online [was], Oh, just seven? The PLP have failed. Just seven jobs. Well, let me tell you what just seven jobs mean in hospitality in Bermuda and the Hospitality Institute getting the support of the Government, not to say that it did not have the support of the previous Gover nment, but I know the current Minister believes in its value, that it goes down to the high school. Let it go down to the middle schools! I just want to share, Mr. Speaker, and I may have [shared] on the congrats and obits ever -sobriefly last week. But the acting Commissioner of E ducation spoke at a middle school gathering recently. [He] asked young people a question, How many of you would go out and clean toilets? Pl ease stand up. (And I guess by extension I can paraphrase, maybe go and wait on tables , and maybe go and do menial work .) How many stood up? To the extent that it was less than the number of fingers, excluding my thumb, on my hand, is astonishing. So why would the Hospitality Institute’s work need to be empowered to make a difference in our country? To change mind- sets. We have got to change the mind- sets of the emerging people in our country. We have got to not come here and talk about the people who may not make time, but teach the f uture generations how to make time and the value of work and what you can learn being around the wor kforce at a young age. That is the value of what we are doing. Responsible Government requires responsible Opposition. We hav e a bye- election in our midst. The Honourable Member from constituency 11 spoke to . . . what can two more seats mean for a Government that has 24? A great deal! We can expand our talent pool while the current Opposition is forced to straight-en itself out. And straighten itself out it needs to do. I remember some advice from a Member, I am not going to call any names . . . if he chuckles. Turn the lights out! Remember that? Is he chuckling? Is he smiling? Turn the lights out! You need to turn the lights out ! You need to turn your own advice, Honourable Member. Turn the lights out! Because the mindset that you spoke of there, lives on in your midst. The solution that I hear your Opposition Leader come with is contrary to the undermining that I can see so clearly in her midst. When people can r etire from this House of Assembly and come with a prepared speech, and not allow the Opposition Leader to be able to do it, that is not an expression of team-work. That is an expression of why, when the Premier and the Ho nourable Member, Mr. Caines, are trave ling trying to do well, in which your support base would do well, our support base . . . you tickle us up and say, How any jobs are we going to create for the black community with blockchain, because you know that we have an uphill climb to erase what we did not even start in this country and in this world with the transatlantic slave trade and the like, and the economic i mpact that it has on our country and globally. So black expression has always been looked at to repackage to our own detriment. And until we here appreciate it, and appreciate our own value, we will contribute to it. We will be the masters of our own demise. So I encourage greater responsibility, but I urge the One Bermuda Alliance to look inwardly. You do, obviously by the first eight months . . . and I am probably not . . . I am judging by what is left on your benches, I am probably talking to the converted here today. Okay?
Some Hon. Member s: Yes.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanI am probably speaking to the converted here today! You have got to look inwardly and you have got to take the advice that was so willingly given to me whilst I could not . . . I had to sit with my back facing the wall. People would know …
I am probably speaking to the converted here today! You have got to look inwardly and you have got to take the advice that was so willingly given to me whilst I could not . . . I had to sit with my back facing the wall. People would know that. I did not sit at a rectangle table. I sat in a catty -corner.
[Laughter]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanYou stand there . . . you know, I am an old movie guy. You know, you walk in . . . Bruce Lee walks into there, and you know one hand is here and one hand is there and you are watching . . . you see enter the …
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanYes. And look there and you see the distortions, yes! You know you got that going on!
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. 2126 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan: And so, as a cons equence, that manifests itself i n the country. So you have to sort it out. Not me! I am looking out and covering the backs of my colleagues, …
Yes.
2126 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan: And so, as a cons equence, that manifests itself i n the country. So you have to sort it out. Not me! I am looking out and covering the backs of my colleagues, my Honourable Leader here today and my Honourable Leader who is traveling. Yes. Because last w eek when my Honourable Leader was out doing business a fellow came here and thought that he could doggone . . . could tickle him up and take a piece out of he and his colleague who was away with his family at a graduation.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanBut I want you to know that in this team we work together. And we are r esponsible and we look out for everyone. Because I heard Members say, How could the Honourable Member, Mr. Famous, say that we look out for ever yone, and then in the next breath …
But I want you to know that in this team we work together. And we are r esponsible and we look out for everyone. Because I heard Members say, How could the Honourable Member, Mr. Famous, say that we look out for ever yone, and then in the next breath (and I am paraphrasing) suggest that we ar e doing things for the black community? Easy! If in a mathematical equation (and I am just a country mathematician), the white community repr esents 10- plus per cent and everybody in the community wants us to be nice and act like everything is at z ero, the only time the black community can get to zero in our position is if I start doing things at negative five or negative seven. Anyone in mathematics knows that negative two and plus two equals zero. And ever ybody who has a mathematical mind who might not care about social statistics but knows that if they apply that faulty equation, just be nice and get along, I am here proud to tell you that integrated marriages, either by choice or integrated families by force, did not just start in the year 2000. It start ed 400 years ago in this black community and the effects of it continue. So as one who proudly embraces all of my family from Asia, from Africa, in the Caribbean and in Europe, I want to tell you that the only way that the African descended people in Bermuda will get some parity, [is] if we start not making apologies for having to do something that allows minus five to negate the plus four that exists. That is how you get parity in this country. And until black people on the opposite benches are unafraid to tell their white counterparts and black people on these benches are unafraid to act in that sphere, then [in] this country people will start to look at our black and mixed children with some r espect that they do not today. Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of Bermuda Day I look forward to when we can really truly celebrate and share the economic spoils, but we do so by training the youngest correctly, training those in primary school the value of work and the value of good fundamentals. I only learnt that from people who would be 110 today, and I recognise what their teaching did for me. I appreciate that fundamentals never grow old. You teach it in sport, whether it would be the Honourable Member teaching swimming (that he does so well) . . . it is all about t he fundamentals. You teach it in accounting, in mathematics. You cannot go there and learn trig and calculus unless in that discipline you had a good foundation. In Bermuda, where did we get that good foundation from? We got it in our schools and we got in our churches and we got it in our homes and it was reinforced in our communities. That is where we got to go. That is where this party is focusing, irrespective of the naysayers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know I had a few more minutes left, because I had myself timed today.
[Laughter and inaudible interjections ]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerForty -five seconds. [Inaudible interjection]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerForty -five seconds. By the time you swallow . . . oh, you are done now? Thank you. All right.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. I now recognise the Leader of the Opposition. Honourable Member, you have the floor. ECONOMIC PARITY AND EDUCATION Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speak er, I think it has been a . . . I am finding that on these motions to adjourn, when we …
Okay. I now recognise the Leader of the Opposition. Honourable Member, you have the floor.
ECONOMIC PARITY AND EDUCATION Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speak er, I think it has been a . . . I am finding that on these motions to adjourn, when we fi nish early, everybody obviously does not need lunch, they get their second wind and we keep going on and having long conversations. But it is an opportunity, Mr. Speak er, for me to say a few things with respect to the conversations that we have had today. Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear that the One Bermuda Alliance represents One Bermuda, that we are actually looking out and representing ever ybody. Now I know that we have had some discussions about whether there are certain parts of our community that we have to pay special attention to. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. But I do think that we have to recognise that all of us are in Bermuda and it is import ant for us to do things for all Bermudians. And if I look at that, I have to go on the basis that it is i mportant for us to promote things that benefit all of Bermuda, because if they benefit all of Bermuda, those people who need more of the benefit will get an opportunity. But also, if everybody is growing and ev erybody is getting a piece of the economic pie, then that means that you have a better response.
Bermuda House of Assembly Now, I just want to say that from my perspective, if you go on the basis that we are going to lead the promotion of social and economic equity for all Bermudians, then it means that we are addressing not just the economic aspect of it, but the social aspect. And I say that because there is a tendency to just think about the economic bit without recognisi ng that many of the things that are affecting us here in Bermuda are also social things, things that are resulting in people not feeling the self -esteem that they should have, not feeling good about themselves, and, therefore, creating types of reactions and actions which are negative. So I believe that it is important. And as a party we are going to lead the promotion of social and economic equity for all Bermudians. I also want to recognise, and this is something I said before, that we support a strong and diverse economy, and we also support a secure community. And the reasons we do this, and I have to say it all the time because if I do not reiterate it people might forget that this is where we are, is that the diverse economy allows us to have a different range of jobs —jobs that can be held by ordinary Bermudians, jobs that can be held by individuals who have higher levels of educ ation, jobs that can be held by Bermudians that have the highest level of education. But in order to do this, the bottom line is that we have to make sure that we have a good education. And I say that because the education is going to be what is going to allow Bermudians to succeed. That is why I want to stress that the opportunity to succeed is through quality educ ation. And wh at reminded me of this was that I looked in the paper. The paper came out and there was an ad for a company (and I am not going to list the name of the company). But what it said was: To the occupier: Don’t waste another summer. Whether your child needs to catch up or get ahead this summer . . . (and they said this company can help) check out our great summer programmes. All ages. All grades. All subjects. And then it talked about reading, writing, math, grammar, study skills, homework, SAT . . . and I suddenly thought to myself . . . this reminded me of something that happened over 60 years ago, when back then, in the summer, kids would go to summer school because their parents wanted them to get ready to go to high school and their parents wanted them to get that little boost so that when they trans itioned from their schools into what was going to be the more rigorous requirements in high school, that they would be able to have the best start. And it reminded me that if all of us as parents did that simila r type of thing for our [children], did that similar type of thing with respect to saying to them, Education is important for you, and I am going to make sure that you get that quality education, that would go a long way so that when the jobs come to Bermu da, and when we look at them and we wonder whether sufficient Bermudians will be at the higher levels, we will be making sure that this happens. Now, Mr. Speaker, I have been waiting, and I am still waiting, for the Ministry of Education to talk about the new programme and how it is going to work. And I think that is why people are asking questions because we know that not everybody learns in the same way. And we are looking for an indication that there will be some ranges of education . . . some ranges of teaching that will get those people who learn with their hands, those people who are going to go out and be in the hospitality industry, those people who are going to go into what I call the international businesses —any of those industries where you need a range of activity. We do not want people to feel that , if they do not go down the traditional route, somehow they will be left behind, and then they will feel why am I not deemed to be someone who is important? Everybody in Bermuda is important; but somet imes we do not treat them like that. We do not make them feel that their needs have been looked at and their learning abilities have been catered to. And, as a cons equence, everybody that is in Bermuda is going to have a role to play in the labour force that we have. Mr. Speaker, when I look at that I am mindful of the fact that we talk about those people who are suffering. But I am mindful of the fact that it is not just black Bermudians who are suffering. Now, it might be that there is a predominance of black Bermudians who are suffering, and therefore we have to do som ething about trying to address that. But I always worry when you start to not recognise that you need to deal with everybody who is in a category, because what you end up doing is creating those people who are in the have- not category, some of them move out and the others that are still in the have- not category are still there, and you create that inequity. We want ev erybody in Bermuda to be able to move up and have an opportunity to get the quality of education so that they can have those jobs. Now, there has always been this . . . this cha llenge of equity versus equality. And we know that eq-uity means that you try and make sure that perhaps those people who have suffered injustices have an opportunity to have their injustices taken care of, and you have equality where you say that everybody has an opportunity and, therefore, the opportunity exists. Now, sometimes those people who have further to come need something extra and, therefore, that is where you balance off your equity versus equality. There has been the suggestion, and I know that I have heard some people on the other side tal king about our Members, our party. And I want them to understand that we still have this commitment to the people of Bermuda to do the things that are going to move Bermuda forward— all Bermudians forward. We have the commitment to raise the concerns, if they are appropriate. We have the commitment to support the programmes. 2128 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Now, sometimes in supporting the pr ogrammes we will also make suggestions for things to improve the programmes. And you will hear more and more of our Members making suggestions of things that can be improved. We do not want people out there to think that every time we come here we are going to say something negative, because we have quality thinkers on our side. We have people who are interested in Bermuda. We have people who are knowledgeable. So more and more you will have us raising the suggestions, and if they are taken up, then we will be happy. Bermuda will be happy. We will be able to say, Hey, they listened to us. This is what an Opposition is for . An Opposition is there to hold the Government to account. An Opposition is there to make sure that things improve for everybody. And if they are not taken up, then the people of Bermuda will also know that it was a good suggestion, but the Go vernment was not listening. So from that perspective, we know that it is important to keep our roles and responsibilities clear in our mind. Being a st rong and viable Opposition is good because it keeps the Government on their toes. It makes sure that the Government does the things that are going to benefit all of us. Now, one or two of the speakers have made some comments, and the last speaker talked about two things that caused me some concern and I am just going to make some observations. This whole thing about the integrated marriages, et cetera, I find rather interesting because we go black/white, but Bermuda, like all societies, has changed over t ime. As people start to recognise that we are all interrelated, and that we all should be doing things for Bermuda as a whole, then hopefully we will start to get less of a reliance on was this affecting the black person or the white person, but we would be saying that this is impacting every Bermudian and therefore this needs to be improved for every Berm udian, and if we start to address and make sure that the people who are negatively impacted or need to come further to get up the economic ladder, or the social ladder, that we will start not dividing ourselves and trying to make people feel inferior by looking at them to try and say, Well, you are in a category and I am going to put you down because you are inferior. There is nobody in Bermuda—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order. We will take your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanI think the Honourable Member is grossly misleading the House, inadvertent-ly even so, by trying to suggest that by pointing out statistics, which the Government takes and the census provides, is us trying to make people feel inferior by pointing it out. [That] is not an accurate reflection on what …
I think the Honourable Member is grossly misleading the House, inadvertent-ly even so, by trying to suggest that by pointing out statistics, which the Government takes and the census provides, is us trying to make people feel inferior by pointing it out. [That] is not an accurate reflection on what we are saying. We are stating fact. That is what I am just pointing out.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Mr. Speaker, I do not know where the Honourable Member got that information. I referred to the comment that was made about dividing ourselves to make us feel that we are somehow i nferior. And on top of that there was a suggestion, and …
Thank you.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Mr. Speaker, I do not know where the Honourable Member got that information. I referred to the comment that was made about dividing ourselves to make us feel that we are somehow i nferior. And on top of that there was a suggestion, and I wrote it down, something to the effect of looking at mixed persons . . . almost like saying that you are looking at them with a degree of disrespect, which bothered me.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes, we will take it. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanThe Honourable Member is totally misrepresenting what was said. As a person . . . what I was pointing out to the House was when you look at mixed relationships, I . . . you know, . . . and if she would have listened to what I said, I …
The Honourable Member is totally misrepresenting what was said. As a person . . . what I was pointing out to the House was when you look at mixed relationships, I . . . you know, . . . and if she would have listened to what I said, I am holding up my hand and saying one hundred years ago my family was mixed i n ways, and families in Bermuda are mixed by many means. So if the Honourable Member will not misconstrue what I was saying . . . and I am proud of who I am. But I am also proud to be able to represent what is wrong in this country. It needs to be taken on board. That is what I was sa ying.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Member, you can continue. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was also the . . . one of the Members, and I think it might have been that same Member, was talking about . . . and I cannot remember where he said . . …
Thank you. Member, you can continue.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was also the . . . one of the Members, and I think it might have been that same Member, was talking about . . . and I cannot remember where he said . . . it was talking about asking people about wai ting on tables, and cleaning toilets, et cetera, and pe oBermuda House of Assembly ple, and I think he said no one raised their hands, et cetera. And I think, Mr. Speaker, this is probably a reflection of where we are today in terms of people not understanding that when you . . . if you do a job, and you do the job to the best of your ability, any job th at somebody does, and if they carry out their responsibi lity, that is a good job and they should be proud of doing that job. There is no job that anybody should do in Bermuda where anybody should feel inferior or an ybody feel that it is beneath them becaus e, I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, back when our forefathers were doing things, you know, they cleaned toilets and they were housekeepers, and they waited on tables. But they were treated with respect. And the bottom line for me, Mr. Speaker, is that irrespective of whatever job someone is doing, we should treat them with the r espect that says, You are earning money for your fam ily, you are creating the opportunity for them to put bread on the table and you are doing things to make sure that your family survi ves. Therefore, if we can get ourselves out of this mind -set that says certain jobs are good enough and certain jobs are not good enough, we would not have some of the issues that we have in Bermuda where certain jobs . . . people just do not come out and apply for them. And that is sad. Because any job that is in Bermuda . . . if it is a job where you are being paid for, you should have some Bermudian that believes it will give them the opportunity to earn some money. Now, I am not saying that . . . and I will remind people in Bermuda, there are people here in Bermuda who started off cleaning toilets and waiting on tables as a way to just move on to the next level —
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: —and therefore, Mr. Speaker, the point that I am making —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMember, Member! Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: —is the fact that if we will stop—all of us . . . if all of us would start saying to everybody in Bermuda, These jobs are not beneath any of us, if it is a way to get you to move on to …
Member, Member!
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: —is the fact that if we will stop—all of us . . . if all of us would start saying to everybody in Bermuda, These jobs are not beneath any of us, if it is a way to get you to move on to a higher level . . . and because we do not always say this, there is a tendency for some people to look down on certain jobs. And we are all guilty of not encouraging people to say, Anything that helps you get to the next level is worthy of you doing . . . if it enables you, if it is honourable and it pays you and it gets you to the next level, then we should be doing it. We should stop having non- Bermudians coming here believing that the only way that . . . I should not say that. I should rephrase this. We should not have people saying that when non- Bermudians come to the Island and do jobs which Bermudians have chosen not to do, we should not turn around and cr eate the environment that says, You are taking a job away from me. Because if a Bermudian c omes to do that job, and if Immigration does what it should do, then we should make sure that a Bermudian that a pplies for the job, gets the job. And we should then only have these other jobs held by non- Bermudians because Bermudians either decided not to come and take on that job, or for some reason they are in trans ition to get qualified to take on another job. Now, Mr. Speaker, I know that a lot of discussion has been held today talking about economic par ity and education. And I think that that is all very well because, as I said earlier, if we can recognise that education, that quality education, will provide the o pportunities for Bermudians to get to the next level, then we should all want to support the education sy stem. We should all want to see cha nges and we should all want to challenge the Government — whether it be our Government or the current Gover nment —to talk about, What are we going to do to i mprove to get the quality education that the Bermudians require? And I want to say again, with respect to our party, that we support quality education. We support empowering Bermudians. We support them having the opportunity to be able to do things in their co mmunity which is going to enable them to take themselves to the next level. And I do not want anyb ody to feel that just because we have fewer numbers than the Government, that we are not going to do our job to hold the Government to account. We are going to do our job to make sure that we support the projects, the proposals that are important to us, and we are going to do our job to make sure that we make suggestions for improvements, and we are going to do our job to make sure that the Government does things that are going to expand the economy. And with that, I want to say that I would like to think t hat we will have more Members after the by - election. We will be doing what it takes to get our Members out on the doorsteps, to get the public to know that the One Bermuda Alliance, as I say, repr esents all Bermudians, that we will be working for e mpowering them, and we will be making sure that when we are here we will support the programmes that the Government has. And if they have concerns, we will raise them in a way that says that we are being co nstructive, because that is our job. And thank you, very much, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? I recognise the Deputy Premier. Sir, you have the floor. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, it seems as if we have had a rather full motion to adjourn today, Mr. Speaker. 2130 18 May …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? I recognise the Deputy Premier. Sir, you have the floor.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, it seems as if we have had a rather full motion to adjourn today, Mr. Speaker.
2130 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Yes.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Certainly fuller than the other part of the agenda. But quite a bit of ground was covered—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMm-hmm. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —on a number of issues in areas. And I am not going to go back over that; I assure you. But I am going to cover a couple of items with the time that I have, Mr. Speaker. One is that we should remember that …
Mm-hmm. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —on a number of issues in areas. And I am not going to go back over that; I assure you. But I am going to cover a couple of items with the time that I have, Mr. Speaker. One is that we should remember that before we return to this House for the actual business of the House, Bermuda D ay will actually be celebrated. So in light of the discussions that we have had over recent weeks, particularly in this motion to adjourn, it might be fitting that as we leave this House this afternoon and go into the period beyond today where we will be celebrating Bermuda, that we do not just take the time on Bermuda Day (because we are in Heritage Month in its fullness) to remember who we are, Mr. Speaker, as a people, as a Bermudian people, the journey that we as Bermudian people have taken, where we have come from. In my view, that reflection should not only be about the good, it should also be about the bad and the not -so-good, in that that is Bermuda. The Bermuda experience has been filled with much. Much of its content has been a part of the di scussion today that we have had in this actual motion to adjourn. And so the time perhaps should be spent on using our holiday period, the break that we have, which is the Bermuda Day period and the rest of May (which is our Heritage Month), to not only do what I have just said, but also as has been covered in this particular discussion in the motion to adjourn, but also, what is the Bermuda that we wish to create? That should also be an essential part of Bermuda Day and the heritage that we reflect on for the m onth of May. What is it that we desire to create? What is going to be the role of this Chamber in creating that Bermuda that we say we want? We say a lot in this Chamber, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Whether it actually accomplishes the desires that we say we represent . . . well, that in itself is a debate. But let us use that time that we have, Mr. Speaker, to reflect, to remember and to aspire and to dream of a Bermuda …
Yes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Whether it actually accomplishes the desires that we say we represent . . . well, that in itself is a debate. But let us use that time that we have, Mr. Speaker, to reflect, to remember and to aspire and to dream of a Bermuda that we may desire, to work in this House to create for all the Berm udians we profess to represent. That is what I do hope Members of this Chamber are able to do before we return to do the business once again. We will, of course, return for some other special matters. But I am talking about when we come back to do the bus iness. So I do wish everyone, all the Members of this House, the people of Bermuda, on behalf of the Go vernment and the Opposition, a happy Bermuda Day.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMm-hmm. Yes. 50 th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BERMUDA CONSTITUTION ORDER Hon. Walter H. Roban: But now, Mr. Speaker, I will move on to another component of what I would like to discuss this afternoon. As we know, we are convening on the 22nd, next Tuesday, to remember an important date …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —when the first election was held under the new Constitution . . . the new constit utional order I should say. [There were] 107 candidates who ran in that election, the first under universal adult suffrage. And the Honourable Member who s its for constituency …
Yes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —when the first election was held under the new Constitution . . . the new constit utional order I should say. [There were] 107 candidates who ran in that election, the first under universal adult suffrage. And the Honourable Member who s its for constituency 11, actually has touched on it. Also constituency 21 has touched on some of that journey t oday. So, yes, we have covered a lot, I must say. But I would certainly like to say, on behalf of the Members from this side, because I am not s ure that this is going to be done on the 22 nd and not ev erybody is going to speak. There is obviously going to be a plan, a sort of order, of things. But remember that, certainly for the Progressive Labour Party that fielded candidates in that election, those persons stood to represent in what I would argue was under a situation which would require of them considerable courage —
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberAbsolutely. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —when you see and you u nderstand the Bermuda of that era, and you see who was r unning from the different parties, from the United Bermuda Party, from the Progressive Labour Party, from the Independents, from the Bermuda Democratic Party. Anyone who was standing …
Absolutely. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —when you see and you u nderstand the Bermuda of that era, and you see who was r unning from the different parties, from the United Bermuda Party, from the Progressive Labour Party, from the Independents, from the Bermuda Democratic Party. Anyone who was standing up, certainly for l abour at the time and the working people of this count ry in 1968, would have been under considerable pressure in circumstances that perhaps to some degree do not exist today. And I do say “degree,” qualifying that word “degree.” I see them as people of courage. I see them as champions. I see them as those wh o dared to do something different. And I would like to be able to mention some of those persons.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMm-hmm. Hon. Walter H. Roban: I am not going to mention everybody who ran for the Progressive Labour Party, Bermuda House of Assembly but I am going to mention [that] we were as a party successful with 10 candidates being elected to this House, of which ironically three are . …
Mm-hmm.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: I am not going to mention everybody who ran for the Progressive Labour Party,
Bermuda House of Assembly but I am going to mention [that] we were as a party successful with 10 candidates being elected to this House, of which ironically three are . . . I am sorry. Of the successful candidates, of the 10, three are still alive, that being Mr. Walter Roberts, who ran for Sandys South; that being Mr. Stanley Lowe, who ran for Southampton East; and Mr. Stanley Morton, who ran for Pembroke East Central. Of the rest of that 10, they have left us and gone to their glory. There was L. Frederick Wade, who ran for Devonshire North; Obviously, Lois Browne-Evans, as she would have been then, who ran for Devonshire North; Austin Thomas, who ran for Pembroke East; Dr. Roosevelt O. N. Brown, known as Pauulu Kamarakafego to many, who ran for Pembroke East; Dr. Barbara Ball, who ran for Pembroke East Central; Reginald Burrows, who ran for Sout hampton East; and Eugene Cox, who ran for Sandys South. Those were the 10 successful candidates. Now, I am going to mention a few others b ecause they are still alive. I think they deserve to be recognised from a historical st andpoint. They were not successful, but they are still alive. They are: Donald Jones, who ran for Warwick West; Howard Saltus, who ran for Paget East; Anne Pindar, who ran for Devonshire South; Arthur Hodgson, who was here in this House today and visited us, who ran for Hamilton East; and Davis Tannock, who ran for Smith’s North. So I want to mention those persons, and there were, obviously, another nearly 100 persons who ran, and I am not going to account for them. But I am going to account for the people who ran under the banner of which I proudly hold in this House. And all of these people were courageous. All of these people I believe met with obstacles that perhaps under [certain] conditions they might not have ran at all. But running for the Progressiv e Labour Party in 1968 against a sort of a United Bermuda Party that was then . . . certainly, when you look at the field of people who were amongst their ranks then, were the giants that are a part of the history of Bermuda in areas of business and other activities of the country. So I see the people, and some of them, as I said, those who are still alive, some of them would have been in their 30s. So they were young people just starting their lives, families, as well. So what they faced . . . and we have talked about these issues today, about the racial divide, and the by-product of that divide, and the economic di sparity that often people have found themselves victi mised and imprisoned by, those people would have faced that. They faced something that I do not face today. Opportunities that I have had and many in this House have had were not available to them. And if I had been in my current state of affairs, as I was then, I certainly would not have been where they were. But what I have achieved, and ot hers in this House have achieved, Mr. Speaker, is because pe ople were prepared to stand up, where the odds were not with them, where perhaps, clearly, the sentiment was not with them. And the atmosphere and the cl imate of the country was not with them. And we know that this was a period of great volatility in the history of Bermuda as well, those 1960s and 1970s. But they stood. These people stood with others to represent the working people, the people who were disadvantaged, the people who desired opportunity, the people who desired to change the calculation in Bermuda from that having existed for centuries, Mr. Speaker. So, yes, I stand to give tribute to the Progressive Labour Party contingent of that 107. And we will, certainly on the 22 nd, give tribute to the wider exper ience of what the 22nd of May means to Bermuda. But I stand because I am not sure that this opportunity will be afforded me on the 22nd, to stand to give tribute to those who desired to stand up for m yself. I would have been two years ol d. So I was a child just coming into this world, as many of us were who are in this House. So they were standing for me and all of my generation that was just coming in and would have to deal with the experience and be challenged by the experience of living in a Bermuda that was still coming to grips with many, many things. But they stood to challenge those things.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMm-hmm. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Courageously! And we know the history of many of those people because they, certainly many of that 10, left a legacy on this House that we all very much understand. Mr. Speaker, I am not going to take all my time. But I wanted to …
Mm-hmm.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Courageously! And we know the history of many of those people because they, certainly many of that 10, left a legacy on this House that we all very much understand. Mr. Speaker, I am not going to take all my time. But I wanted to make sure I stood today on be-half of the Progressive Labour Party and its Members and supporters, and all those who have sto od up for our party and what it has represented, certainly since 1963, but also from that point when universal adult suffrage was realised after the work and struggle of many, many people for 50 years to where we are t oday. Bermuda has progressed; but we k now there is more work to be done.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMm-hmm. Hon. Walter H. Roban: So I stand to give tribute to those people who stood, who dared to be cour ageous, who certainly stood for a fairer and better Bermuda as we in this Progressive Labour Party do stand as a Government on their shoulders today. Thank you, very …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. That brings us to a close of this [sitting] today. I would just like to remind Members that on Tuesday, the 22 nd, that is nex t Tuesday, we will have that special sitting as has been referred to by the Deputy and others. We encourage …
Thank you, Honourable Member. That brings us to a close of this [sitting] today. I would just like to remind Members that on Tuesday, the 22 nd, that is nex t Tuesday, we will have that special sitting as has been referred to by the Deputy and others. We encourage all Members to attend. Then 2132 18 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly we will resume normal business on Friday the 1st of June. Enjoy your Bermuda Day! Those of you who will run down, I wi ll be glorying in your spirit. I have done it a few times, but I won’t be doing it this year. Have fun! We stand adjourned.
[Gavel] [At 4:56 pm, the House stood adjourned until 10:00 am, Friday , 1 June 2018 .]