The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning, Members. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES [Minutes of 4 May 2018]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, the Minutes of the sitting from the 4th of May have been circulated. Are there any amendments or corrections? There are none; the Minutes are confirmed as printed. [ Minute s of 4 May 2018 confirmed] MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE SPEAKER OR MEMBER PRESIDING APOLOGIES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe have announcements this morning pertaining to Members who have indicated that they will be ab sent today. The Honourable Premier has sent in his [notice of] absence. The Honourable Minister Simmons, the Honourable Minister Caines, the Honourable Member De Silva, and Honourable Member Smith have all indicated that they …
We have announcements this morning pertaining to Members who have indicated that they will be ab sent today. The Honourable Premier has sent in his [notice of] absence. The Honourable Minister Simmons, the Honourable Minister Caines, the Honourable Member De Silva, and Honourable Member Smith have all indicated that they will be absent today. 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BERMUDA CONSTITUTION ORDER— SPECIAL SITTING
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAnd I would also like to remind Members to keep your calendars open for the special si tting that will take place on the 22nd [of May] , which is a Tuesday morning, in recognition of t he 50th anniversary of the universal adult suffrage and of the new constitution. …
And I would also like to remind Members to keep your calendars open for the special si tting that will take place on the 22nd [of May] , which is a Tuesday morning, in recognition of t he 50th anniversary of the universal adult suffrage and of the new constitution. Just mark it in your calendar. The invit ations are on their way for you. MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. PAPERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS TO THE HOUSE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS AND JUNIOR MINISTERS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe have two Statements this morning. The first Statement is in the name of the Honourable Minister Brown. Minister Brown, would you like to take the floor? NEKTON MISSION I, XL CATLIN DEEP OCEAN SURVEY , AND THE OCEAN RISK SUMMIT Hon. Walton Brown: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. …
We have two Statements this morning. The first Statement is in the name of the Honourable Minister Brown. Minister Brown, would you like to take the floor? NEKTON MISSION I, XL CATLIN DEEP OCEAN SURVEY , AND THE OCEAN RISK SUMMIT Hon. Walton Brown: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to report on the findings of the Nekton Mission I, XL Catlin Deep Ocean Survey , and the Ocean Risk Summit . Mr . Speaker, t his week has been an exciting week for marine science in Bermuda. On Monday, I, as the Minister responsible for the Environment, r eceived the findings of the Nekton Mission I, XL Catlin Deep Ocean Survey , in Bermuda. Since September 2016, scientists drawn from a network of over a dozen participating marine r esearch institutes have collaborated to analyse 40,000 specimens and samples, and 15,000 litres of water samples. Laboratory analysis revealed the discovery of over 100 new species , including very small animals and dozens of new algal species, as well as black wire co ral that stand up to two metres high. The survey also confirmed a new zone in the ocean, the Rar iphotic Zone [Rare Light Zone] , from 130 metres to 300 metres. Just off the coast of Bermuda, Mr. Speaker, the slopes of the Plantagenet Seamount (locally know n as “Argus ”) were found to have gardens of 2020 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly twisted wire corals and sea fans. There were also sea urchins, green moray eels, yellow hermit crabs , and other mobile fauna, feeding off zooplankton and algae drifting off the summit and settling on the deep seabed. Mr. Speaker, considering that the Bermuda waters have been comparatively well studied for many decades, these discoveries remind us of how much we do not know about the ocean, and are evidence of how important it is to document this unknown frontier to ensure that its future is protected. The complete results from the XL Catlin Deep Ocean Survey are expected to be published by September 2018. Mr. Speaker, following on from this, on Wednesday, I had the pleasure of providing welcome remarks for the groundbreaking Ocean Risk Summit, sponsored and led by XL Catlin. This summit was the first of its kind, bringing togeth er leaders from around the world, with diverse backgrounds and influence, to discuss and find solutions to the risks posed to human socie ty by the changing ocean. Mr. Speaker, the outcomes of the summit not only will be important for Bermuda, but will be globally significant as well. A nd I hope to report back to you in the near future with some of these outcomes. Last year, several islands to our south were devastated by hurricanes that were some of the strongest ever witnessed in the Atlantic Ocean. Cl imate scientists agree that warming oceans increased the intensity of these storms. While Bermuda was spared this time, we are nonetheless also very vu lnerable to the effects of the changing ocean— not only from more powerful storms , but also from more vari able weather and precipitation patterns, higher sea and air temperatures, and a steadily rising sea level. Such changes have the potential to severely impact our economy, our way of life, and our environment. Mr. Speaker, beyond the risks driven by cl imate change, we are concerned about our food sec urity, tied to the health of oceanic fisheries. The persi stent threat from IUU [illegal, unrep orted , and unreg ulated ] fishing and the impact of plastic waste mater ials, which accumulate significantly in our Sargasso Sea, threaten these important resources. So, we are just as interested as other countries in finding sol utions and ways to mitigate these growing risks. Bermuda’s role in developing this s ummit highlights its leadership position in both the areas of insurance/reinsurance and marine science. Berm uda’s status as the “world’s risk capital ” and the resil ience of the Island’s insurance/reins urance indus try continue to be demonstrated, particularly following last year’s catastrophic natural disasters. Mr. Speaker, Bermuda has been a centre of marine science for nearly 150 years, starting with the Challenger Expedition in 1871 , then following with the formation of a marine science research station in 1903, the precursor to the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, now the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences. Bermuda has been a place where gener ations of marine scientists started their traini ng, conducted their research, or began their careers. Our Government is , therefore, keen to encourage and support the cutting- edge research being conducted around the Island today, which adds to the global body of knowledge regarding the ocean and can be used to help us make better informed decisions on the use and conservation of our ocean spaces. One of the important objectives of this s ummit, Mr. Speaker, was to bring together a broad cross section of ocean stakeholders to create a truly multi - sectoral approach to protecting the ocean and managing the risk caused by our changing ocean. It was , therefore, encouraging to have insurance and finance professionals, scientists, politicians, policy makers, lawyers , and other ocean leaders from around the globe c ome to Ber muda to attend the summit and tackle the challenges together. Mr. Speaker, I am confident that innovative solutions for mitigating the consequences of ocean risk will result from the discussions held at the s ummit and that this will positively i mpact the quality of life for people across the world. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognise the Honourable M ember, Mr. Cole Simons, JP , MP, for his efforts on behalf of Bermuda to lend his support to this initiative when he was the Minister of the Env ironment. I must also congratulate XL Catlin for their financial support and sponsorship of both the Nekton Mission I, XL Catlin Deep Ocean Survey , and the Ocean Risk Summit. Without their foresight and insp iration, these initiatives would not have been possible. Mr. Speaker, thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. There are no other Statements. We will move on. [Inaudible interjection] ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER HOUSE PROCEDURE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerLet me take this moment. Let me take this mom ent. When I was appointed to this job, I said to this House that I intended to be fair and I intend for this House to run with proper procedure. I am getting to the point where there is no …
Let me take this moment. Let me take this mom ent. When I was appointed to this job, I said to this House that I intended to be fair and I intend for this House to run with proper procedure. I am getting to the point where there is no more toleration for people ignoring that. Papers and communications that need to be here . . . there is a time and process that they should be here. They should be here; if they are not here by that time, we are moving on. Understand me? It has been too long for this. We are moving on. I was told two minutes ago that th e document was not here, via the represent aBermuda House of Assembly tive who indicated that we had not received it. And I had scratched it off. The Minister walked in just now. You did not indicate anything. I was told to move on, that we did not have it. This is the last time. U nderstand? Members, Ministers, your documents that need to be here, have them here on time under the procedure that is there for them to be in this House. And if there are questions about the procedure, let me assure you that this is one of the things that is on my agenda, that we are going to remove any grey area about procedure. When I finish with that, there will be a clear procedure and it is going to be upheld on all documents that need to come to this House, for all circumstances. Minister, I am givi ng you the last grace. Have the floor.
UPDATE ON THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 –2022
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, colleagues. This morning I am most pleased to provide my honourable colleagues with an update on the foundational work that the technical officers in the Depar tment of Education are currently framing to effectively execute the Public S chool S ystem’s strategic plan— that is, Plan 2022 . Mr. Speaker, a s a backdrop and a reminder to my honourable colleagues, Plan 2022 is a community - based and community -driven strategic plan for public school education. Plan 2022 was developed on the basis of inpu t, suggestions, convictions, vision, co ncerns , and views shared by a diversity of individuals across the I sland. These individuals include the ge neral pub lic, social groups, business person associ ations, public school principals and deputies, pre - school adm inistrators, union executives, private school principals, teachers, school custodians, PTAs, senior school students, leadership teams in gover nment, church groups, Bermuda College faculty, the local fraternity community, the Bermuda Technical Institute Alu mni, the Mirrors leadership team and their students, members of the Bermuda Education Network, members of this Government , and members of the Opposition. All feedback gathered from community conversations held was documented to provide us with what we have today —a strategic plan that is relevant to the needs of our children and their future. Mr. Speaker, it was important to specify again all of the community contributors who were involved in the strategic planning process , as there is a quote that states, Repetition helps one to internalis e. In this i nstance, it is critically important to remind each of us that, although the Department of Education is at the core of championing the execution of the goals and strategies of the public school strategic plan, e ach and every one of us —the entire general community —has a unique measure to add to ensure that the delivery of Plan 2022 for the transformation of public school ed ucation is a success. I particularly emphasi se this for my honour able colleagues across the other side of this floor , who may believe that they are excluded and it is the r esponsibility of just the Government and the technical officers within the d epartment. We all have a part to play; we all must internali se and comm it to Plan 2022 in the best i nterest of our public school students and in the best interest of the future of Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, I will now share some of the work that the technical officers in the Department of Education have undertaken to progress Plan 2022. In summary, let me state that Plan 2022 comprises of five strategic priorities , 43 key outcomes, 15 areas of action, and 55 strategies. During the past three months , senior leaders, managers , and technical officers have focused on Strategy 5.1.5 , Compliance and Quality Assuranc e, ensuring that the strategic plan’s measures of success and operational plans are clear, measured, and used for accountability. This groundwork is essential to lay at the front end, as accountability will be the driving force for the execution and delivery of all 55 strategies outlined in Plan 2022. It is our intent to be account able, responsible, and answerable for the work carried out for Plan 2022. Mr. Speaker, the leadership team at the D epartment of Education is currently developing specific delivery plans of action for each strategy in Plan 2022. These delivery plans comprise a series of actions to be undertaken to achieve the strategic out comes. To give my honourable colleagues an example of such actions that are being planned, I share the following: • Each strategy will have assigned ownership and a specific leader . • Delivery plans are being linked to the performance appraisals of all staff , as the 2018/19 forward job plan objectives are being pr epared. • Specific timelines are being set as deadlines for achieving the strategies . • Assigned time will be taken each month for teams to huddle and review progress on the execution of strategies and/or prob lem-solve. • Monthly reporting on progress will be provided to all Education Department staff, the Minister, the Board of Education, parents , and the general community. Mr. Speaker, a data team has been formed, comprising officers in the Department of Education with highly technical data skills. The data team will identify data that must be collected for each ke y outcome; set timelines for data collection; set up a data collection and storage system; and collect data on an ongoing basis. Data will be important to measure pr ogress. 2022 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly All senior leaders have been instructed to place Plan 2022 on the agenda of their m onthly team meetings, meet with officers who are leading the i mplementation of delivery plans twice per month, and provide written evidence on progress and challenges encountered while implementing the delivery plans. Mr. Speaker, just last Friday, on May the 4th, the Acting Commissioner of Education held an offsite planning and work session with all Education Depar tment staff. The planning session focused on develo ping strategies that will be used to hold staff account able while implementing Plan 2022. The accountability strategies will be a direct link to the work of each officer and outlined in their annual forward job plans as objectives to achieve. Mr. Speaker, presentations were made of delivery plans that some officers had already started to implement . This gave first -hand knowledge and understanding to all staff of the components of the deli very plan model. Additionally, Plan 2022 strategies were unwrapped by staff , using categories aligned with international accreditation standards and best practices . Mr. Speaker, s taff worked together to agree on responsibilities for the key processes embedded in Plan 2022 strategies. These processes are vital , as they will help move the work forward and will also be used to develop key performance indicators for the various work sections within the Department of Education. Mr. Speaker, the planning session facilitated good participation by staff at every line level . Staff members reviewed, questioned , and provided valuable feedback on the reporting mechanisms to be used to update our key stakeholders on progress made in implementing Plan 2022. Before the end of this month, we will begin to stagger the posting of delivery plans on the Education Department’s website to i nform the community of the work that is to be carr ied out by officers. Stakeholders will also gain insight about what is required to implement Plan 2022 and to transform public school education for Bermuda’s chi ldren. Mr. Speaker, a comprehensive monitoring and implementation framework for Plan 2022 that is time driven is being developed, as officers will be expected to execute with fidelity. In support of this , officers will be provided with multiple avenues and opportunities to receive support and develop capacity. This foundational work will be complet ed during the month of May. After that, meetings will be held with all technical and support staff, teachers, principals, custodians , and students across the entire public school system to share the details of the delivery plans and the role that each will have to ensure corporate execution and delivery. Mr. Speaker, accountability is at the forefront for the delivery of Plan 2022. It will be both an indivi dual and a collective priority. What has been shared today is a snippet of the intensive work that is currently being carried out at the Department of Education by our technical officers. In closing, let me share a quote by leadership guru John C. Maxwell , who stated: “Everything rises and falls on leadership. ” It is within this context that I sincerely thank the senior leaders of the Department of Education, under the leadership of the Acting Commissioner of Education, for their commitment and steadfastness in laying this foundational work. What has been developed and implemented thus far is a testament to the fact that the Department of Education has the leadership capacity to drive the effective delivery of Plan 2022; and they are doing it. The general public can visit the department’s website at www.moed.bm to obtain the regular updates , which will also be placed on social media sites , as well. Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but reiterate that this Government is committed to making public educ ation a priority. We will put our c hildren and their future first. We encourage the corporate support of every commu nity person to lock in with us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. QUESTION PERIOD
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are no written questions, so we will move on to the questions in reference to the Statements which were read out this morning. We actually have two Members who have indicated that they would like to ask questions. The first Member is from constitue ncy 10. Honourable Member Dunkley …
There are no written questions, so we will move on to the questions in reference to the Statements which were read out this morning. We actually have two Members who have indicated that they would like to ask questions. The first Member is from constitue ncy 10. Honourable Member Dunkley has a question for Minister Brown. Honourable Member.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. QUESTION 1: NEKTON MISSION I, XL CATLIN DEEP OCEAN SURVEY , AND THE OCEAN RISK SUMMIT Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Good morning to colleagues and those listening. Mr. Speaker, to the Honourable Minister, I thank the Honourable Minister for the Statement. We certainly appreciate the opportunity to stay …
Good morning.
QUESTION 1: NEKTON MISSION I, XL CATLIN DEEP OCEAN SURVEY , AND THE OCEAN RISK SUMMIT
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Good morning to colleagues and those listening. Mr. Speaker, to the Honourable Minister, I thank the Honourable Minister for the Statement. We certainly appreciate the opportunity to stay at the cutting edge of what is going on with the environment, and the Minister seems to have a real keen passion for it.
Bermuda House of Assembly In updating on this conference, can the Honourable Minister please provide a high- level outlook at the main initiatives that this Government currently has underway to combat some of the challenges we face in our environment? Obviously, you know, we have the threats of what is taking place in our oceans with erosion, the warming water temperatures, poll ution, the health of our oceans with our reefs and our fishes. But, currently, what is the strategy of Government as far as moving forward to mitigate these risks, knowing full well that this conference will have some objectives that might come out and be adopted by the Government at this Honourable House?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank yo u, Member. Minister. Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Honourable Member for his question. Well, first of all we are doing a fish stock assessment. We realise that you cannot formulate effe ctive policy without an accurate count of the fish stock. So …
Thank yo u, Member. Minister. Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Honourable Member for his question. Well, first of all we are doing a fish stock assessment. We realise that you cannot formulate effe ctive policy without an accurate count of the fish stock. So we have committed resources to identify the na-ture and extent of the supply of fish in the area. Secondly, we are working with the BIOS [Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences] and other r elated agencies to identify the issues that need to be addressed. We are currently just taking advice on where we need to go in that regard. We do not have a final solution as yet. But we are taking advice on where we need to prioritise.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Supplementary? Hon. Michael H . Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Specifically, in two areas. Obviously, as we look at the threat from the oceans and the hurricanes, is there any interest or impetus in looking at the most threatened areas of our coastlines rather than just looking at it when we might have a …
Continue.
SUPPLEMENTARY
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Specifically, in two areas. Obviously, as we look at the threat from the oceans and the hurricanes, is there any interest or impetus in looking at the most threatened areas of our coastlines rather than just looking at it when we might have a hurricane coming forward? And secondly, does the Government have an appetite to look at the use of plastics on the Island? That is one of the main polluters that we s ee and, also because of our position as to the ocean currents, what we see washed up on the Island. So it could be a good initiative, if the Government had an appetite for us to take a leading role in the use of pla stics or the non- use of plastics.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Member. Minister. Hon. Walton Brown: Yes, the use or abuse of plastic runs rampant, and you see it populating large parts of the Sargasso Sea. So it is definitely a problem. However, t he actual decision regarding the use of plastic falls under the remit of the Minister …
Thank you, Member. Minister. Hon. Walton Brown: Yes, the use or abuse of plastic runs rampant, and you see it populating large parts of the Sargasso Sea. So it is definitely a problem. However, t he actual decision regarding the use of plastic falls under the remit of the Minister of Public Works . And so, I will leave that for him to decide on.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Any supplementary? No supplementary, no further question. You have got a supplementary?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay . Well, that brings us to an end of the Minister Brown’s Statement. [Inaudible interjections]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOh, I thought you had yours for — [Inaudible interjection]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOh, okay. I thought you wanted to ask the Minister of Education.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. No problem. Minister Brown, you do have a further question from the Honourable Member from constituency 8. Honourable Member, you have the floor. QUESTION 1: NEKTON MISSION I, XL CATLIN DEEP OCEAN SURVEY , AND T HE OCEAN RISK SUMMIT
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsThank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all , I would like to acknowledge my support for the Statement. The reason for the Ocean Risk Summit did not just happen. It was through diplomacy and making contacts to make sur e that Bermuda is recognised for its contributions. So my question …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all , I would like to acknowledge my support for the Statement. The reason for the Ocean Risk Summit did not just happen. It was through diplomacy and making contacts to make sur e that Bermuda is recognised for its contributions. So my question to the Minister is, does he have any environmental diplomacy plans in place? Because if we are to continue to be up on this stage to show what we can do and what we have done and what we have achieved in Bermuda in the space of ocean science, then we need to tell our story. So, can the Minister share with us what environmental dipl omacy initiatives he has in place or planned?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Minister. Hon. Walt on Brown: Certainly, Mr. Speaker. We had some high- level discussions with some key individuals. One of the issues that we are looking at is raising the Hamilton [Declaration] to the 2024 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly level …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Minister.
Hon. Walt on Brown: Certainly, Mr. Speaker. We had some high- level discussions with some key individuals. One of the issues that we are looking at is raising the Hamilton [Declaration] to the 2024 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly level of a treaty. And so, I do not want to presuppose the outcome of those deliberations. But it is recognised that if we make it into a treaty, it will have much greater power and ability to be enforced. So that is the diplomatic initiative.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Supplementary?
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsWhile he has mentioned the Hamilton Declaration, does he have any other countries that are pending in regard to signing onto the Hamilton Declaration?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister. Hon. Walton Brown: None that I am aware of, but we are certainly talking to countries on an ongoing basis to try to get more countries to sign up to that.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Any further questions? No further questions. You still have one for the following Statement, right? Yes, okay. Minister of Education, the Statement you read, there is one Member who wants to put a question. The Honourable Member from constituency 8, you can put your question. QUESTION 1: …
Thank you, Minister. Any further questions? No further questions. You still have one for the following Statement, right? Yes, okay. Minister of Education, the Statement you read, there is one Member who wants to put a question. The Honourable Member from constituency 8, you can put your question.
QUESTION 1: UPDATE ON THE PUBLIC SCHOO L SYSTEM STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 –2022
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back in December, the Minister of Education made a Statement that the Department of Education will be working on delivery plans during the month of December. Today’s Statement indicates that they are still working on delivery plans. Can the Minister give us an update …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back in December, the Minister of Education made a Statement that the Department of Education will be working on delivery plans during the month of December. Today’s Statement indicates that they are still working on delivery plans. Can the Minister give us an update on the status of the delivery plans for increasing academic rigour and student engagement; ensuring career, college, and workforce readiness; enhancing the quality of teacher practices and system leadership?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you. T hank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank that Member for that convers ation. Mr. Speaker, as we develop Plan 2022, all of the issues that the Member has raised will be impl emented. But they will be …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you. T hank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank that Member for that convers ation. Mr. Speaker, as we develop Plan 2022, all of the issues that the Member has raised will be impl emented. But they will be implemented in place. As the Statement read, it is critically important for us to establish the processes, moving forward (before we just jump into the processes ), and put in place account ability to making sure that the processes are put in place. So, to answer the Member’s question, they are coming. They are part of the Plan 2022. As you know, it is a five -year plan. The first part, as the Statement stated, is about developing accountability and putting the proper people in place so that they can produce the things that are needed to move the plan forward.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Supplementary?
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsI accept the Minister’s comments. But my question is, and I will rephrase it . Before we initiate these priorities, when will a blueprint be in place for the delivery of the programme? That is my question: When will the blueprints for the de livery of each of the priorities …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Member. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, the Plan 2022 is the blueprint for what is going to be put forth. And, as the Honourable Member would know, every Stat ement that I have made has stated that. By September of this year, the plan will …
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, the Plan 2022 is the blueprint for what is going to be put forth. And, as the Honourable Member would know, every Stat ement that I have made has stated that. By September of this year, the plan will be fully implemented and moving forward. So, I guess the answer to the question is September of 2018.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Any further questions? Supplementaries? You have a supplementary. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Honourable Minister of Education: Thanks for the update on the public schools system strategic plan. Can the Minister give an update on the Government’s initiati ve as contained …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWas that referenced in your Statement, though? I do not think that was referenced in the Statement. If you just want to tie it to the Statement? Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, bec ause this is a strategic plan going forward for five years. And, obv …
Was that referenced in your Statement, though? I do not think that was referenced in the Statement. If you just want to tie it to the Statement?
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, bec ause this is a strategic plan going forward for five years. And, obv iously, middle schools play an important part in our education system. So, if that helps, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister, he cleaned it up a little. How is that? He made it more relev ant. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Just a little bit. [Laughter] Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, the Plan 2022 was constructed in such a way that it transcends the system that we do …
Minister, he cleaned it up a little. How is that? He made it more relev ant. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Just a little bit.
[Laughter]
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, the Plan 2022 was constructed in such a way that it transcends the system that we do currently have, to include the even-tual phasing out of middle schools. If the Member opposite read Plan 2022, he would notice it makes reference to middle school -aged children, not middle schools in particular.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. No further questions? That brings us to a close of Question Period. We are moving on. CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECHES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWould anyone wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Minister Wilson. Honourable Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I rise today on a sad note, asking this House to extend condolences to the family of Alexander “Sandy” Mitchell, MBE, who was a very active member in our community. Mr. Speaker, he led a very active and fulfilling l ife, notwithstanding …
Good morning.
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I rise today on a sad note, asking this House to extend condolences to the family of Alexander “Sandy” Mitchell, MBE, who was a very active member in our community. Mr. Speaker, he led a very active and fulfilling l ife, notwithstanding the fact that, at a young age, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Mr. Speaker, in addition, this man, Mr. Mitchell, led by example, and, in fact, his example was allowing his mantra to consume his life. And his mantra was Of course we can. He was an individual who did not allow his disability to define him. And, in fact, he participated in a number of community activities in Bermuda, including being the President of the Hamilton Lions Club. But what he is, perhaps, most known for is , in Canada, starting a centre for individuals who had spe-cial needs, which he referred to as WindReach. Then, he was asked by some colleagues of his in Bermuda to come to Bermuda and start a similar programme, which he did in Warwick, which is, obviously, also known as WindReach. This is a tremendous pr ogramme, Mr. Speaker, that allows individuals with di s-abilities and the like to explore horseback riding and other types of activities. In fact, Mr. Mitchell was a Paralympian in horseback riding and equestr ian services. So, in that regard, I would ask this House to send condolences to his family. And I would also, on a lighter note, ask the House to recognise the Bermuda Nurses [Associ ation]. They are celebrating their annual Nursing Week. In fact, their th eme is an international theme, Nurses: A Voice to Lead—Health is a human right. And, on Sunday, the 6 th of May, I had the opportunity to be present with them as they honoured the Nurse of the Year. And I would like for us to acknowledge Genevieve Williams -Hart, who is a Bermuda nurse. She has been a nurse, actually, for over 29 years, serving at King Edward in the Paediatrics Department for 22 years, and in the last two and a half years has been a community nurse. And recognising that you have heard me speak quite a lot, Mr. Speaker, about the challenges that we have with respect to obesity, one of her main objectives as a school nurse is to teach children how to live a healthier lifestyle, how to pack healthier food options, et cetera, et cetera. So, she i s quite commi tted to spurting the message of healthy living and the importance of exercise to our children, and she has five schools which she is responsible for. So, again, Genevieve Williams -Hart is the Nurse of the Year. I would ask that this House ack nowledge and congratulate the nurses of Bermuda for the tremen-dous work that they do as they celebrate Nurses Week, and in particular the Nurse of the Year, Ms. Williams -Hart. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Would any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 36. Honourable Member Scott, you have the floor. Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise on a note of condolences and ask that this Honourable House offer c …
Thank you, Minister. Would any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 36. Honourable Member Scott, you have the floor.
Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise on a note of condolences and ask that this Honourable House offer c ondolences to the family of the late Mrs. Lois Simmons, of Ely’s Harbour.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Michael J. Scott: I see a number of Members who wish to be associated, the Minister of Health, who just took her seat, the Minister of Cabinet Office—the whole House —Minister Weeks, Mr. Scott Simmons — the whole House.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe will do the whole House. Hon. Michael J. Scott: And I am sure, Mr. Speaker, yourself — 2026 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Yes. Hon. Michael J. Scott: —who remembers that Mrs. Lois Simmons was the sur viving widow of an also …
We will do the whole House.
Hon. Michael J. Scott: And I am sure, Mr. Speaker, yourself —
2026 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Yes.
Hon. Michael J. Scott: —who remembers that Mrs. Lois Simmons was the sur viving widow of an also eminent Somerset former police officer, Mr. Hubert Si mmons. Mrs. Simmons, Mr. Speaker, had a fragrant presence in my life, from my time as a child right on through to my current adulthood. She did this through her deep friendship, she and Mr. Hubert Simmons, with my mother and father; I am sure with your par-ents, Mr. Speaker, as well.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Michael J. Scott: These ladies formed the st ability in Ely’s Harbour and the wider Somerset co mmunity by doing good charitabl e work. They were members of the same women’s charitable organis ations. They sewed beautiful attire. They baked bri lliantly. And may I just remember and …
Yes.
Hon. Michael J. Scott: These ladies formed the st ability in Ely’s Harbour and the wider Somerset co mmunity by doing good charitabl e work. They were members of the same women’s charitable organis ations. They sewed beautiful attire. They baked bri lliantly. And may I just remember and honour Mrs. Simmons? She continued to bake, and even every Christmas she would come by my house with some mincemeat pies or some— [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you. [Laughter]
Hon. Michael J. Scott: —or some Christmas pudding. I am trying to—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue on, continue on, Member. Hon. Michael J. Scott: What a sweet and fragrant memory I have of Lois Simmons. So, I was touched deeply by her passing. I know that all Members were, even as the Minister of Health looks affectionately at me this morning; I know that she …
Continue on, continue on, Member.
Hon. Michael J. Scott: What a sweet and fragrant memory I have of Lois Simmons. So, I was touched deeply by her passing. I know that all Members were, even as the Minister of Health looks affectionately at me this morning; I know that she remembers this great figure of Somerset. So, to Joanne and Paulette, and all of her children, we offer the House’s condo-lences t o Lois —she had a nickname, “Pie” (I think it may have had to do with her culinary exploits ), and her son, Lumpy Simmons.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAnd Kenny. Hon. Michael J. Scott: And Kenny; thank you, sir.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Yes. Hon. Michael J. Scott: So, the condolences of the House for [the family of] this dear lady, whom we will, I am sure, soon attend church for and celebrate. Thanks, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Mem ber. Does any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Minister, Minister Foggo. You have the floor. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Good morning to the House and to Bermuda. Yes, Mr. Speaker. I just rise to make a congratulatory remark. …
Thank you, Honourable Mem ber. Does any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Minister, Minister Foggo. You have the floor. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Good morning to the House and to Bermuda. Yes, Mr. Speaker. I just rise to make a congratulatory remark. I would like to recognise the awardees for the United World Scholarship pr ogramme. The United World College is a college that aims to bring people from all over the world, of diverse cultures, to break down barriers, build respect for each other’s cultures and enhance leadership, and create scholarly individuals. Mr. Speaker, there were five students who were recipients. It is a private entity. However, we had the pleasure of being invited to that event. And while at that event, we had th e pleasure of meeting the Queen of Jordan. And she is the President of United World Colleges all over the world. And there are about, I think, 17 colleges. And our students who will go this year and go to various quarters in China, India, Canada— quite a few places —they gain an exper ience and an exposure that puts them in good stead for the rest of their lives. So, I just wanted to highlight. And I cannot remember each student’s name—two Berkeley st udents and three students from Somersfield Academy, and two males, three females. And they all represented their schools well, and they all will go on to repr esent Bermuda well, as students in the United World College family organisation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Any other Member ? I recognise the Minister next to you. Honour able Minister Weeks, you have the floor. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning to you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off my r emarks by associating myself with the remarks by the Honourable MP from [constituen-cy] 36, for Lois “Pie” Simmons. My wife considers her [as] her aunt. She came up, you know, as Aunt Pie. She …
Good morning. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off my r emarks by associating myself with the remarks by the Honourable MP from [constituen-cy] 36, for Lois “Pie” Simmons. My wife considers her [as] her aunt. She came up, you know, as Aunt Pie. She and my mother -in-law, who is now deceased, were very good friends. So, I just wanted to extend my condolences to her family. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to associate myself with Ms. Genevieve Hart. She is the wife of one of my friends, and she is definitely an exemplary nurse. So, congrats go out to her, her and family, and definitely my friend for having such a lovely, lovely wife.
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, I was remiss last week in [not] recognising Mr. David Patrick. Mr. David Patrick is the son of one of my constituents, Icen A. Patrick . David Patrick, Mr. Speaker, has just been hired as the coach, as the head basketball coach, for the Univers ity of California -Riverside. And I think that merits great attention and acknowledgement. I would like to ass ociate the entire House with these remarks.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Because he is a son of the soil; and he has attained these great heights and now is in California as a coach. So I am glad that we could associate the entire House. Mr. Speaker, before I take my seat, I would like to …
Yes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Because he is a son of the soil; and he has attained these great heights and now is in California as a coach. So I am glad that we could associate the entire House. Mr. Speaker, before I take my seat, I would like to give my colleagues and the general public a reminder. We have a track permit meet [Bermuda Inv itational Permit Meet] tonight, Mr. Speaker. And a lot of our young Bermuda talent will on show up at National Stadium. So, please come out, for those who can come out, and support our youngsters. Because so often, when we talk about our youngsters, we talk negatively. But we have got a lot of talent, and as many people as possible should come—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou are congratulating the organisers of the event, right? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Yes.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. I was just trying to figure out how that was working in. But you are congratulating them for doing it, right? [Laughter] Hon. Michael A. Weeks: I am congratulating the organisers of the permit meet, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay . All right. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: And also, I would like to congratulate the organisers of this football tournament that is going on right now. The team from West Ham, and the team from the Azores. And, too, I would like to associate the MP from constit uency …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to encourage people to come out and support our youngsters.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: They are there tonight at BAA [Bermuda Athletic As sociation]. The event is free. So, I thank the organisers — [Timer beeps]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Leader of the O pposition. Honourable Member, you have the floor. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Spe aker. In keeping with congratulating organisers . . . [Laughter] Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I would like to congrat ulate the organisers of …
Thank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Leader of the O pposition. Honourable Member, you have the floor.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Spe aker. In keeping with congratulating organisers . . . [Laughter]
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I would like to congrat ulate the organisers of the Bermuda National Day of Peace. Mr. Speaker, for any of those persons who were up there or listened over the air, I think that this event, which I hope will be an annual one, was som ething that Bermuda needed, in terms of our recogni sing the losses that we have had . . . [Associate] the whole House.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe whole House. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Because I think we all got behind it. And I think we all recognise that a loss of one of our Bermudians is a loss to everyone, especially when they are lost very early in their lives, because it means that they do …
The whole House.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Because I think we all got behind it. And I think we all recognise that a loss of one of our Bermudians is a loss to everyone, especially when they are lost very early in their lives, because it means that they do not have the opportunity to co ntribute. But I do think it was very important that we had not only people from the various ministries on the Island, but also it was good to talk about, you know, praying for the government, praying for the education, praying for various first responders, all different types of people who contribute to making sure that things that happen with respect to loss and losing our Bermudians. Those individuals who are at the forefront were able to be recognised. And I would like to think that, as I say, we will make this more of an annual event and to thank the organisers.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member . . . We recognise the Minister of Education. Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. S peaker, I would like for congratulations to be sent out to the Berkeley Institute, who placed …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member . . . We recognise the Minister of Education. Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. S peaker, I would like for congratulations to be sent out to the Berkeley Institute, who placed first and third in the KPMG Investment Challenge 2018. Also, BHS did place second place, and it was Bermuda Institute, the alma mater, that placed fourth. This is an event that has been going on for a number of years. The amount of support that KPMG does give 2028 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly to our public schools is unprecedented and should be noted in this House. Additionally, Mr. Speaker, congratulations [should be] sent to KPMG, who just earli er this week donated 30 laptops to Dellwood Middle School, as well as committing to assist with the installation of a more robust wireless network throughout the school. Mr. Speaker, I had the honour to attend the graduation ceremony of the New England Institute of Technology, where they graduated 13 Bermudians this year. I think of importance is to note that five of them graduated with bachelor s of science degrees in cybersecurity and computer technology, something that, as we know with what is going on i n Bermuda now with blockchain technology, will prove incredibly invaluable to them as they come back to seek their place amongst graduates here. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge that, this week, schools in Bermuda celebrated Teacher Apprec iation Day. And some schools did do things to celebrate their teachers and show that, you know, teachers are the bedrock of our education system. Without them, we would not be able to deliver. There is a saying that, If you can read, thank a teacher. So, I wish to send congratulations to all teachers who do what they do in Bermuda, because without them, we would not have what we do have. And that is an excellent school system that we are currently building upon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank y ou, Honourable Minister. I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 8. Honourable Member Simons, you have the floor.
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to associate myself in regard to the comments m ade re the recent graduates and scholarship recipients of the United World College. These kids were phenomenal. They knew what they wanted. They were looking for worldly experience, and they stood …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to associate myself in regard to the comments m ade re the recent graduates and scholarship recipients of the United World College. These kids were phenomenal. They knew what they wanted. They were looking for worldly experience, and they stood up to the wicket and did an excellent job of presenting themselves. And they have received their just rewards. Mr. Speaker, I would like to also send condolences to the family of Colin Selley. He was the former Director of Tourism. Mr. Selley was the Director of Tourism from 1975 to 1984. He started his career in 1950 in promoting Bermuda. And he ended, as I said, in 1984 after a 35- year career in tourism. He recognised the importance of attracting young tourists to Bermuda. And so, he was one of the founders of hav-ing College Week in Bermuda. So, again, his visio n today, 2018, we are still trying to get more young tourists to Bermuda. It also should be recognised that he was also an international tourism consultant to other, smaller jurisdictions. So, his prowess and his professionalism were recognised by others, and he made a contribu-tion to global tourism. In addition, from a sporting perspective, he was a renowned tennis player. He repr esented Bermuda in the 1960 Pan Am Games, and he also umpired a number of times at the US Open in Forest Hills in New York. Again, Mr. Selley, thank you for your contribution. We salute you for your contribution. And our condolences go to your entire family. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. We recognise the Honourable Member Swan from the East End. Honourable Member Swan, you have the floor.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanGood morning, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just following on from the imm ediate past Honourable Member, I would like to be associated with the condolences going out to the family of Mr. Colin Se lley, and also the condolences to the family of Ms. Lois Simmons, both persons I knew …
Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just following on from the imm ediate past Honourable Member, I would like to be associated with the condolences going out to the family of Mr. Colin Se lley, and also the condolences to the family of Ms. Lois Simmons, both persons I knew personally and had associations with. Mr. Selley, as was mentioned, was the Director of Tourism. I have parti cipated in many functions with regards to tourism during his tenure. But he also was an avid sportsman, as was made mention by Member Simons. He also had a fondness for the sport of golf, as his family was very much associated with the Castle Harbour when I r eturned back to Bermuda in 1980 and made my ass ociation wi th them in Bermuda Properties. I know that from the foundations of sport, Mr. Speaker, come many persons in business and the like. And Mr. Selley was one such person. The family of Mrs. Lois Simmons, from Ely’s Harbour, I certainly had a very close association with the Simmons family, more so from Inspector Hubert Simmons, most known for being at the Birdcage dur-ing his years as a constable.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanBut I knew him through golf, her husband, in which she ably supported in his many roles of public service. And behind every great man is a great woman, and certainly in this case it is a testament to that. And I would like to be associated with those condolences …
But I knew him through golf, her husband, in which she ably supported in his many roles of public service. And behind every great man is a great woman, and certainly in this case it is a testament to that. And I would like to be associated with those condolences that the Honourable Member, Mr. Michael Scott, provided. I would also like to send congratulations to Dellwood Middle School for their Career Day, feeling it not robbery to involve Ms. Kalmar Richards, who gave a very outstanding address to the audience, and also recognising the careers made in sport and invol ving Sport Zone from MAGIC 102.7, Clarence Hill and m yself, who were interviewed to share how our connec-tions with sport have turned into a career. And it was a very enlightening day. And I was proud to be a part of that.
Bermuda House of Assembly And also, Mr. Speaker, I would li ke to send congratulations to Mr. Quinton Sherlock, former pr ofessor at the Bermuda College. Minister Weeks would like to be associated, whose Ace It Foundation, an NGO in West Ghana, is spreading greatness through his love of sport, especially golf, and his love for education, to many young people who are willingly lear ning from . . . and it is my pleasure to be a part of that programme and helping him teach those people through modern technology in the early hours of the morning, which is their early hour s. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like—Mother’s Day is Sunday.
[Timer beeps]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSave that for next week. Save that for next week. [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 10. Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Honourable Member’s mother is not going to be too happy, but he can catch up next week. [Laughter] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, …
We recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 10. Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Honourable Member’s mother is not going to be too happy, but he can catch up next week.
[Laughter]
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, I would like to, along with the Opposition Leader, tag on with the comments about Peace Da y. Unfortunately, I was off of the Island, so I could not join in. But in doing that, I would like this House to send congratulations to a young Bermudian, Anthony Swan, who was recently in the media. This young man has, in my words, had some challenges in his life. But he stepped up, stepped forward and took on a new path in his life and his career. And I think he is a shining example of what one can do if they put their attention to changing the circumstances and the environment that you are in. So, on P eace Day, let us look to real -life e xamples of young Bermudians who have turned it around and are heading in the right direction. So, congratulations to Mr. Swan. I would like to be associated with the congra tulations sent by the Minister of Health for Nurses Week, and to Nurse Hart on being awarded the des-ignation of Nurse of the Year. And I take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to urge Bermudians to get i nvolved in a career in nursing, which can be very r ewarding, not only for oneself, but also for the hea lth of our country and our people. And my colleague, MP Susan Jackson, from constituency 20, would like to be associated, as well. Mr. Speaker, turning to a sadder note, I would like to be associated with the condolences to Sandy Mitchell. I had the pleas ure to know Mr. Mitchell. And throughout the time of our relationship in knowing him, I was amazed, Mr. Speaker, at what the man did and how he contributed to our community in so many ways. And one only needs to go to WindReach just to see the beehive of activity that it is going on just about every day of the week, helping people move forward, facing some of the obstacles and challenges they face in their lives. So, unlike a lot of people who just talk about things, Sandy Mitchell was one who devoted his entire life to making a difference in communities all across the world. And Bermuda is certainly a good recipient of that. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to be ass ociated with the condolences to the Selley family that my honourable colleague from const ituency 8 has previously provided. I first knew Mr. Selley as a young man. And then I got to know him more in his career. And I remember in the 1970s I was still in school and very aware of the long tenure that Mr. Selley had in the world of promoting tour ism. And I was always amazed at his boundless energy in that area. It seemed that he was always around events that were taking place. He was always promoting Bermuda. He was like the Voice of Summer , CV Jim Woolridge. They never took off that tie, they nev er took off that hat, of promoting Bermuda. And they helped put Bermuda in a good position. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? We recognise the Deputy Premier. Honour able Member, you have the floor. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning to everyone. I would just like to be, certainly, associated with the congratulatory remarks for …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? We recognise the Deputy Premier. Honour able Member, you have the floor. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning to everyone. I would just like to be, certainly, associated with the congratulatory remarks for the National Day of Peace. All those who organised and participated and took time to be there certainly should be congratulated, to take a bit of time out of a midweek per iod to show their support and participation, and to work and give time and energy to put it together, such an important event. And I am sure other Members of the House have already shared their comments on this, and we all stand together in giving those tributes. I would also like to be associated with the congratulatory message to the recipients of the United World College foundation scholarships, Mr. Speaker. 2030 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Having attended briefly the ceremony at Government House yesterday, I say hats off to those students who achieved, their parents who have stood by them, and all of those who have assisted them in their journey as students. And I would also just like to have an aside mentioned concerning our own Honourable Member, who is missing today, the Honourable Jamahl Si mmons, who represents in constituency 33. I believe his son is graduating in India from one of the United World College institutions. And that i s why he is not here.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: While he will eventually end up there, he and his wife, to celebrate their son’s i mportant moment.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGraduation. Hon. Walter H. Roban: So, I think it is important to tie that in, that he is a Bermudian who has achieved high and was able to go to India and be a part of that great education achievement. So, they should be congrat ulated, as well. And, certainly, …
Graduation.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: So, I think it is important to tie that in, that he is a Bermudian who has achieved high and was able to go to India and be a part of that great education achievement. So, they should be congrat ulated, as well. And, certainly, Queen Noor, who also was at Government House and was here as part of the Ocean Risk Summit, expressed great pleasure with Bermuda. So, hats off to all those in Bermuda who are serving our visitors. And she expressed an interest in returning. In fact, frankly, she actually said that most of the people who were there with her at the conference did not want to leave. But that is a good sign of how we are receiving our visitors. And certainly, Queen Noor expressed an interest in coming back. And we all hope that she returns to Bermuda, to show what more we have to offer in our beautiful country. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member, Deputy Premier. Any others? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 11. Honourable Member Famous, you have the floor.
Mr. Christopher FamousI want to take this time to thank the people of Warwick, in particular constituency 25, for welcoming us at their doors and in their homes over the last few weeks, particularly Ms. Ca rmen Butterfield of Morgan Road, Ms . Rosalyn Harvey of Morgan Road, Ms. Ianthia Butler of …
I want to take this time to thank the people of Warwick, in particular constituency 25, for welcoming us at their doors and in their homes over the last few weeks, particularly Ms. Ca rmen Butterfield of Morgan Road, Ms . Rosalyn Harvey of Morgan Road, Ms. Ianthia Butler of Spring Hill, the Mayor of Spring Hill, the Ottley family and the Boyles family of Cobbs Hill. Mr. Speaker, I want to take some time. Each of us are here because we canvassed or we have people canvassing with us. I want to take a moment to thank those who have given tirelessly for canvassing and phone banking over the years, in par-ticular persons like Ms . Linda Trott , Ms. Valerie Dill, Ms. Sandi Gilbert and Ms. Jean Marie Symonds , also Ms. Lan el Cameron. Mr. Speaker, sometimes we sit up here and we forget how we got here. We got here by knocking on doors and by engaging with the people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 4. Honourable Member Furbert, you have the floor.
Mrs. Tinee FurbertMr. S peaker, I just would also like to associate myself with the National Day of Peace, which happened at National Stadium. But I particularly want to stand to acknowledge the organi sers who made sure that the deaf/hearing impaired community was represented and that they were also able to …
Mr. S peaker, I just would also like to associate myself with the National Day of Peace, which happened at National Stadium. But I particularly want to stand to acknowledge the organi sers who made sure that the deaf/hearing impaired community was represented and that they were also able to access the information that was being shared that evening. So I want to thank the organisers who organised that initiative, and I am hopeful that national initiatives, going forward, are also represented through interpreters for our hearing impaired comm unity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the Honourable Member GordonPamplin. You have the floor.
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would li ke to add my voice to the condolences being offered to Sandy Mitchell’s family. When one talks about overcoming personal challenges and difficulties and being able to surmount all of those situations, and still put 150 per cent of themselves in …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would li ke to add my voice to the condolences being offered to Sandy Mitchell’s family. When one talks about overcoming personal challenges and difficulties and being able to surmount all of those situations, and still put 150 per cent of themselves in service of the community, it is certainly something that must be acknowledged and lauded. I would also like to be associated with the comments made by the Minister for Education, with respect to the contributions of KPMG. KPMG, I think for a period of 13 years, actually sponsored the Front Street Mile. They did a tremendous number of things within the community. They have given, given, given,
Bermuda House of Assembly and given more. Their recent contribution of computers to one of our schools is indicative of their concern for the levels of education. And I can express —I can declare my own interests in respect of that, because I actually am a product of the KPMG Alumni Association. And I can tell you that my entire college education was paid for by KPMG. As I qualified, I studied in the UK. And they actually made sure that I was not only there as a st udent, as one their representatives; they made sure that my work experience in the UK was able to en-hance my study experience. And then when I was able to come back, I actually spent 11 years wor king with KPMG. So, I will be eternally grateful to them for what they have done in the community, and certainly for what they have done for me personally. And I would just like to encourage all of our young people who have had the opportunity to be on the receiving end of the largesse of KPMG to reco gnise that they have done something special, and as we continue, as our young people continue, to em-brace the benefits of what KPMG has to offer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member . . . We recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 28. Honourable Member, you have the floor.
Mr. Dennis Lister IIIFirst, I w ould like to send [condolences] to the family of Mr. Sandy Mitchell. But also, I had the privilege, I believe it was two months ago, of doing the ribbon- cutting of the f acility up at Win dReach, which was named after Mr. Sandy Mitchell. I attended …
First, I w ould like to send [condolences] to the family of Mr. Sandy Mitchell. But also, I had the privilege, I believe it was two months ago, of doing the ribbon- cutting of the f acility up at Win dReach, which was named after Mr. Sandy Mitchell. I attended along wi th MP Furbert, who sits in front of me. So, it is good to hear the things that Mr. Mitchell did, representing Bermuda in the Par alympics and the difference that he made in Bermuda, so that he would be able to be commemorated and [memor ialised] with the fac ility named after him. I would also like to give congratulatory r emarks to our service workers, the government service workers, Mr. Speaker. On Wednesday, I attended the National Peace Rally up at National Stadium, and they recognised our first responders , which are the police, the firemen, the EMTs, the customs officers, the pri son officers. But I also want to take time to recognise the Public Works crews that keep our highways clean, take care of our schools; parks workers who take care of our national parks; the garbage collectors, who are out there every day collecting the trash; along with all of the other service workers; our bus drivers, our ferry drivers. So, Mr. Speaker, I just want to send congrat u-latory remarks to those who keep this Island runni ng smoothly.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? No other Honourable Member is rising. We will move on. MATTERS OF PRIVILEGE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. NOTICE OF MOTIONS FOR THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE ON MAT TERS OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS GOVERNMENT BILLS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe have two Government Bills to be introduced this morning. The f irst is the Digital Asset Business Act 2018. And the second is the Customs Tariff Amendment (No. 2) Act 2018, both in the name of the Premier. As we know, he is off of the Island, so the …
We have two Government Bills to be introduced this morning. The f irst is the Digital Asset Business Act 2018. And the second is the Customs Tariff Amendment (No. 2) Act 2018, both in the name of the Premier. As we know, he is off of the Island, so the Junior Minister, I believe, will be introducing them. Junior Minister, you have the floor.
FIRST READINGS
DIGITAL ASSET BUSINESS ACT 2018
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the Honourable Premier, David Burt, 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: Digital Asset Business Act 2018.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Member. Honourable Junior Minister, you can do the second one. CUSTOMS TARIFF AMENDMENT (NO. 2) ACT 2018 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I am introducing the f ollowing Bill for its first reading so that it may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: …
Thank you, Member. Honourable Junior Minister, you can do the second one.
CUSTOMS TARIFF AMENDMENT (NO. 2) ACT 2018
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I am introducing the f ollowing Bill for its first reading so that it may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: Customs Tariff Amendment (No. 2) Act 2018. 2032 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Thank you.
OPPOSITION BILLS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BILLS The S peaker: There are none. NOTICES OF MOTIONS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. ORDERS OF THE DAY
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThat brings us to the Orders of the Day, and we have been informed that there will be two items that will be taken up today for debate, actually Orders Nos. 1 and 2 [sic] on the Order Paper. The first item is the Second Reading of the Public Service …
That brings us to the Orders of the Day, and we have been informed that there will be two items that will be taken up today for debate, actually Orders Nos. 1 and 2 [sic] on the Order Paper. The first item is the Second Reading of the Public Service S uperannuation Amendment Act 2018, in the name of the Minister of Finance. As we have indicated, he is not present today, so the Junior Minister will lea d this. Junior Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that the Bill entitled the Public Service Superannuation Amendment Act 2018 be now read a second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue on. BILL SECOND READING PUBLIC SERVICE SUPERANNUATION AMENDMENT ACT 2018 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, the Gover nment wishes this Honourable House to give consideration to the Bill entitled the Public Service Superann uation Amendment Act 2018. The Bill seeks to amend the Act in relation to when …
Continue on.
BILL
SECOND READING
PUBLIC SERVICE SUPERANNUATION AMENDMENT ACT 2018 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, the Gover nment wishes this Honourable House to give consideration to the Bill entitled the Public Service Superann uation Amendment Act 2018. The Bill seeks to amend the Act in relation to when full -time permanent me mbers of the Royal Bermuda Regiment staff become entitled to pension, and to increase the rate of their pension contributions. Mr. Speaker, the Public Service Superannu ation Fund (PSSF) was established on April t he 1 st, 1982, by the Public Service Superannuation Act 1981 and its subsequent amendments. Members will be aware that the purpose of this Public Service Superannuation Fund is to provide retirement pensions for retired employees of the government of Bermuda, and employees of various quasi -autonomous nongover nmental organisations. Honourable Members are advised that section 33 of the Bermuda Regiment Governor’s Orders 1993 (Governor’s Orders) speaks to the normal rules for termination of service of members of the Regiment. Ordinarily, the service of a member of the Regiment will terminate upon the member’s reaching the age of 45, or on completing 25 years of service, whichever comes first. In the case of specialist officers, ordinary termination is upon reac hing his 50 th birthday. A specialist officer who is a permanent member of staff may have his service extended for one year at a time, or less, to enable him to serve up to, but not beyond, his 55th birthday. Mr. Speaker, the Public Service Superannu ation Act 1981 provides for the payment of a pension to any public officer who qualifies for each payment u nder the provisions of the Act. Currently, in the case of the Bermuda Regiment staff, a pension is only pay able upon reaching the age of 60. The conflict b etween the two pieces of above- mentioned legislation has left members of the Regiment unable to receive a pension upon mandatory retirement, at 45 or 55, as the case may be, or upon voluntary retirement after 25 years of service if he is not 60 years old. Honourable Members will be aware that the Public Service Superannuation Act permits police officers, prison officers, and fire officers to retire upon reaching the age of 55 or after 25 years of service, with immediate access to a pension. It is proposed the Governor’s Orders be amended to bring the normal rules of termination of service for members of the Regiment in line with other uniformed services. Additionally, the Superannuation Act will also be amended to reflect the new rules of termination and, in line with the pension provisions of other uniformed officers, Bermuda Regiment officers will now be allowed to draw their pension at age 55. Mr. Speaker, in line with the rates paid by other uniformed services since April 2008, it is pr oposed to increase the rate of pension contributions made by members of the Bermuda Regiment staff, from 8 per cent to 9.5 per cent. This increase is to cover the additional costs associated with the more generous provisions enjoyed by the uniformed officers who are able to retire and receive their pension earlier than other public officers. It should be noted that this proposal will not materially affect the overall funded position of the PSSF. As at March 31 st, 2017, there are 27 members enrolled in the Regiment, and t he actuaries estimate that the impact on the fund liabilities of valuing these members in line with other uniformed officers will i ncrease its liability [to] approximately $845,000, an i ncrease of $98,000. Mr. Speaker, the full -time staff members of the R egiment are not represented by a trade union and rely on the official chain of command to represent their interests. The number of staff affected is small; however, failure to address this issue will continue the hardship for recently retired and soon- to-retire longterm members of the Bermuda Regiment.
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, I can advise that the actuary report for the PSSF for the period ending March 31st, 2017, has been completed and will be tabled in this Honourable House during the session. At that time, the Ministry will provide an update on the financial position of the fund and advise the proposals to be considered to ensure its sustainability in the long term. With these introductory remarks, Mr. Speaker, I now read for the second time the Bill entitled th e Public Service Superannuation Amendment Act 2018. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Before I recognise the next speaker, let me just make a correction. I indicated that we are doing Orders Nos. 1 and 2. It is Orders Nos. 1 and 3 that we are doing today. Okay? Now, I recognise the Honourable Member. Honourable Member Moniz, you …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Before I recognise the next speaker, let me just make a correction. I indicated that we are doing Orders Nos. 1 and 2. It is Orders Nos. 1 and 3 that we are doing today. Okay? Now, I recognise the Honourable Member. Honourable Member Moniz, you have the floor.
Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This in and of itself is a relatively small change, as the Junior Minister has pointed out. Ho wever, of course, there is a larger issue which it brings into focus. And that is, generally, the underfunded nature of the PSSF and the desire, generally, to move away from defined benefit pension schemes to defined contribution p ension schemes. So, I think in this case it was really highlighted by . . . there was some advocacy work done on behalf of a particular individual, or individuals, who are ser ving in the Regiment, in terms of getting them better terms of retirement. And w e certainly discussed this when we were the Government. But when you look at how this piece of the puzzle fits into the larger puzzle, then it raises issues. You know, there is always the question of all of these funds and of how underfunded they are. So, in respect of . . . I did not get the benefit of the Member’s brief, but he said at the end there that there were 27 serving members on the staff of the Regiment that this will affect at this immediate time, although, of course, it will affect all members being hired going forward. And he was saying the liability of the funding increases, I think he said by $184,000. And, of course, that fund is underfunded in the long term. Now, at the end here he said there was a $95,000 figure. I am not sure whether th at was a per year cost of additional pension costs. This question has existed for many, many years, the issue of compulsory retirement ages in the uniformed services. And I have come up against this in the Regiment itself many years ago, back in the 1990s , in my legal practice. I had represented the then- Regimental Sergeant Major, who was being compulsorily retired at the age of 45. And in some cases at the Regiment they are quite adroit, although the ability, generally, is to give them an extra year of the scheme; occasionally, people have found other positions that they fill. So you see people moving sideways within the Regiment in order to maintain their employment. For that individual there was not, and we at that time managed to obtain a settlement for that individual. But just to say that this issue of the retirement age has existed for a long time. Of course, the as-sumption is that if you retire from one job at 45, you can then take up another job. And, of course, the i ssue here is that the pension i s a deferred pension. You know it is coming in the future, but you cannot get it right away. So there has always been this challenge. And at a time when it may be that jobs are difficult to obtain in civilian society puts someone who retires from a uniform ed post . . . that may create problems for them. Now, there is the issue with respect to, that the people who do retire now will get a slight windfall because they are presently . . . I think it is paying an 8 per cent contribution for their pension. In t he future, it is being decided that the equitable contribution rate will be 9.5 [per cent]. Now, each of these contribution rates by the employee is, presumably, matched by the Government. So, you get that amount going in. But people who are retiring now, of course, they have paid in at the lower rate and will get the pension at the higher rate. So, there is a windfall that those people are receiving. One of the concerns that we have on this side is the signal, generally, that it sends , because here you ar e . . . you have been in negotiation with the various unions. There are still some of the unions which are outstanding— in particular, I think, the Bermuda Police Service. So, you know, obviously, the union is being told that the Government is in a tight position; we have got to cut our cloth accordingly. And then, they see one part of the service receiving additional benefits. Of course, there is . . . you know everyone has heard of the # MeToo movement. Well, this would be a different variation of it. So, the Government has to be very careful in what signal it is sending, generally, to people in giving these additional benefits in the point and time. And that is why we had looked at it very carefully. And, obviously, the Government feels that it is fair wit h this service to bring it into line with the other services. But, obviously, it is a crucial time for the Regiment. And I do not know whether that Minister is in a position to look at it in the bigger picture—I know he is from F inance— the bigger picture of how this plays into what the future of the Regiment is or where it is going. I know there are always grand plans and schemes, but it would be interesting to know how this fits in, generally. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Mem ber. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? 2034 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Junior Minister. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, the issue comes down to, do you really care? And you have got a police service and you …
Thank you, Honourable Mem ber. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? 2034 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Junior Minister.
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, the issue comes down to, do you really care? And you have got a police service and you have got other uniformed services who retire at 55. And ther e is no reason why the Regiment should not be allowed to retire at 55 and get a pension. That is the issue. It is not about whet her you get a second job, because the Bermuda Reg iment and the rest of them and the other uniformed officers also can go get another job. But we are not increasing their age to 60. We want to bring this in line, because this Government cares about the Bermuda Regiment and those people who work there. We are not expecting [to have] some 60- year-old gentleman running around with a ri fle up in the Bermuda Regiment. It is about what we do going forward. So the Government made a decision that we should bring those individuals who have been retired and had, possibly, maybe not even gotten another job to be able to afford the opportuniti es that every other uniformed service has, going forward. Now, I am not going to be speaking about the organisation of the Regiment; that is up for another Minister or whoever speaks for that Regiment. But what we will do is what is right for individuals. So, Mr. Speaker, with those few remarks, and [unless] anyone else wants to speak, I move that this Bill be now committed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. House in Committee at 11:18 am [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL PUBLIC SERVICE SUPE RANNUATION AMENDMENT ACT 2018
The ChairmanChairmanHonourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole House for further consider ation of the Bill entitled the Public Service Superannuation Amendment Act 2018. Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Wayne L. F urbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move clauses 1 through 5.
The ChairmanChairmanAny objections to moving clauses 1 through 5? There appear to be none. Continue, Minister. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you. This Bill seeks to amend the Public S ervice Superannuation Act 1981 (the principal Act) in relation to the circumstances in which full -time permanent members of the Royal …
Any objections to moving clauses 1 through 5? There appear to be none. Continue, Minister. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you. This Bill seeks to amend the Public S ervice Superannuation Act 1981 (the principal Act) in relation to the circumstances in which full -time permanent members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment staff be-come entitled to a pension and to increase the rate of their pension contributions accordingly. Clause 1, Mr. Chairman, is self -explanatory. Clause 2 amends s ection 12 of the principal Act (contributi ons to be deducted from salary) to insert new subsection (1B), which increases the rate of pension contributions made by members of the Bermuda Regiment staff to 9.5 per cent from October 1, 2018, in line with the rates paid by other uniformed services since April 2008. Clause 3 makes two amendments to section 19(1) of the principal Act (circumstances entitling co ntributor to payment ). Paragraph (a) replaces par agraph (c) ( which provides that pensions are payable to Bermuda Regiment staff on retirement on attaining the age of 60 years ) to provide that a member of the Bermuda Regiment staff who has contributed continuously to the Public Service Superannuation Fund for eight years or more will be entitled to a pension upon his retirement on attaining the age of 55 years or on completion of 25 years of service, whichever first occurs. This is in line with the circumstances for police offi cers, prison officer s, and fire officers, and will accord with amendments to retirement ages which are made to the Royal Bermuda Regiment Governor’s Order 1993. Paragraph (b) amends the proviso to include a reference to Bermuda Regiment staff , so that if a staff member who r etires after completing 25 years of service before attaining the age of 50 years, payment of his pension shall be deferred until he has attained that age. This is aligned with the rule for other uniformed services. Clause 4 makes a minor amendment to section 22(1) of the principal Act (age of compulsory r etirement ), to update the title of the Governor’s Orders to the “Royal Bermuda Regiment Governor’s Orders, ” pursuant to the name change effected by the Defence Amendment Act 2015. Clause 5 amends section 34 of the principal Act (service qualifying for pension) , by providing that if a Bermuda Regiment staff member retires upon at-taining the age of 55 years, the number of years and months as is the difference between his actual age and 60 years shall be added for computation of the service for pension purposes. This aligns the position of the Bermuda Regiment staff with other uniformed services. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you, Junior Minister. Any further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Trevor Moniz. Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The question I have for the Member is, he said in his brief, I think, that there were 27 members of the Regiment. But I …
Thank you, Junior Minister. Any further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Trevor Moniz. Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The question I have for the Member is, he said in his brief, I think, that there were 27 members of the Regiment. But I guess it will also affect . . . let us
B ermuda House of Assembly say I am a member of the Regiment, and I retired at 45, and now I am 47. Previously, I could only draw my pension deferred until I was 60, b ut now I can collect it at 55. So, presumably, there are members of the Reg-iment who are already retired who will receive their pension five years earlier than they would have r eceived it. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I am advis ed, no.
The ChairmanChairmanAny further speakers? There appear to be none. Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Chairman . . . The Cha irman: Do you want to move the clauses? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Yes. I move clauses 1 through 5.
The ChairmanChairmanAny objections to clauses 1 through 5 being approved? There appear to be no objections. Approved. [ Motion carried: Clauses 1 through 5 passed. ] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I move that the preamble be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanAny objections to the preamble being approved? There appear to be none. Approved. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I move that the Bill be r eported to the House as printed.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Bill be reported to the House as printed. Are there any objections? There are none. The Bill will be reported to the House. [ Motion carried: The Public Service Superannuation Amendment Act 2018 was considered by a Commi ttee of the whole House and …
It has been moved that the Bill be reported to the House as printed. Are there any objections? There are none. The Bill will be reported to the House. [ Motion carried: The Public Service Superannuation Amendment Act 2018 was considered by a Commi ttee of the whole House and passed without amendments.] House resumed at 11:24 am [ Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] REPORT OF COMMITTEE PUBLIC SERVICE SUPERANNUATION AMENDMENT ACT 2018 The Speaker: Honourable Members, are there any objections to the Bill entitled the Public Service Superannuation Amendment Act 2018 being reported to the House as printed? No objections; so done. We now move on to the next Order on the Order Paper today, which is [Order No.] 3. And it is the second reading of the Department of Libraries and Archives (Amalgamation) Act 2018. ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER HOUSE VISITOR
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAnd before I call on the Minister, I would just like to acknowledge in the Gallery a former Member, the Honourable Member Arthur Hodgson. [ Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. All right. Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Minister, I move that the Bill entitled the D epartment of Libraries and Archives (Amalgamation) Act 2018 be now read for the second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue. BILL SECOND READING DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES (AMALGAMATION) ACT 2018 Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker and Honour able Members of the House, I stand today to introduce the Bill entitled the Department of Libraries and Ar-chives (Amalgamation) Act 2018. The Bermuda A rchives and the Bermuda …
Continue. BILL SECOND READING DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES (AMALGAMATION) ACT 2018 Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker and Honour able Members of the House, I stand today to introduce the Bill entitled the Department of Libraries and Ar-chives (Amalgamation) Act 2018. The Bermuda A rchives and the Bermuda National Library were two distinct government departments that were amalga-mated on April 1, 2018. Consequently, all associated legislation that referenced the Bermuda Archives and the Bermuda National Library was amended to reflect the amalgamation. Mr. Speaker, in summary, relevant changes were made to the Bermuda Archives Act 1974, the Bermuda National Library Act 1946, the Legal Deposit Act 2008, the Public Access to Information Act 2010, and the Bermuda National Library Regulations 1992. Mr. Speaker, the information in this brief gives a backdrop to the amalgamation of the Bermuda Ar-chives and the Bermuda National Library. Subsequent to a government -wide functional review in 2015, the Department of Archives was identified for further anal-ysis due to having less than 10 staff. As a result, the Management Consulting Section conducted an organ2036 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly isational review of the Bermuda Archives and, based on its findings, recommended the amalgamation of the organisational structure of Bermuda Archives with that of the Bermuda National Library. Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda Archives, as go verned by the Bermuda Archives Act 1974, collects, arranges and preserves the essential historical re cords of Bermuda and the administrative records of the Bermuda Government, and facilitates access to those documents. As a national archive, the Bermuda A rchives provides preservation, archival appraisal services and access to historical artefacts for studying and learning about the documented history of Berm uda. The Bermuda Archives operates from two loc ations —the Historical Archives in the Government A dministration Building, and the Government Records Centre in St. David’s. Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda National Library, as governed by the Bermuda National Library Act 1946 and the Bermuda National Library Regulations 1992, has responsibility for the management of two library facilities —the Adult Library, located on Queen Street, and the Youth Library, located on Church Street East. The Bermuda National Library is a public service focused and committed to the conservation and preservation of the printed history and culture of Bermuda for present and future generations and providing the current and potent ial education and recreational needs for a diverse Bermuda community. Mr. Speaker, both the Archives and the N ational Library are in the business of collecting, cur atorship, preservation of knowledge, and providing ac-cess to that knowledge. The amalgamati on is expected to leverage synergies related to technical expertise and also facilitate the conversions and leveraging of digital technologies aimed at increasing and improving public accessibility and record management efficiency. The Archives will benef it from the Library’s expertise in electronic service delivery. This synergy is necessary for Archives to embrace its role in the management of digital electronic records systems, or electronic archiving and digitisation of records. Mr. Speaker, other benefits derived from this amalgamation are the creation of new reporting lines and supervisory relationships in the Historical A rchives Section and Record Management Services Section for the improvement of decision- making, management and service delivery, and the establis hment of a diagnostic organisational chart that facil itates succession planning. Additionally, Mr. Speaker, the amalgamation of the Bermuda Archives and National Library resulted in the reduction of six full -time equivalent posts in the amalgamated department and the abolition of pos itions of Director and Assistant Director of Archives, posts that were vacant before they were abolished. However, operational efficiency will be enhanced and sustained with the retention of technical specialists responsible for the main functional areas of archives, record management and libraries. Mr. Speaker, research shows that the integr ation of these two departments facilitates the ability to leverage technological developments, address bud getary constraint s, improve efficiency, and serve users better. In this regard, the amalgamation of Archives and Library will support a shared know -how for the library and archives professionals as collection sp ecialists. The Library has already begun to shift to electronic formats from both a provider and user perspective. Online services include library catalogues; Bermuda local collections; books, magazines, and music. It is expected that Archives will follow the same. Mr. Speaker, the current Director of Libraries is now the Director of Libraries and Archives, with r esponsibility over six sections, namely, Administrative Services, Youth Services, Adult Library Services, L ocal Services and Collections Management, Historical Archival Services, and Record Management Servic es. All staff in the Archives have been transferred to the Department of Library and Archives. The amalgam ation provides an overall budgetary savings, reflecting the abolishment of the director’s post, and there is no loss of jobs. Mr. Speaker, I now move that the Bill entitled the Department of Libraries and Archives (Amalgam ation) Act 2018 be read for a second time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Minister. Does any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Mem ber from constituency 8. Honourable Member Simons, you have the floor.
Mr. N. H. Cole SimonsThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister said the mandate of the Archives is to collect, arrange, and preserve the essential historical records of Berm uda, the admini strative records of the Bermuda Government, and to facilitate access to documents. Mr. Speaker, the A rchives and the Library play …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister said the mandate of the Archives is to collect, arrange, and preserve the essential historical records of Berm uda, the admini strative records of the Bermuda Government, and to facilitate access to documents. Mr. Speaker, the A rchives and the Library play a crucial role in recording, preserving, and conserving Bermuda’s social, cultural, and economic heritage. Mr. Speaker, in those departments, you may find “Bermudiana” —Bermuda maps, old historic furniture, information and artefacts from our history. There are anthropological data there. There are other marine historic data. And to me, Mr. Speaker, the Archives pla y a crucial role in helping Bermudians define who they are as individuals, and helping Bermuda define who she is, collectively, as a country. And as a consequence, this department’s responsibility to the community should not be taken lightly, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, generally, I support the merging of the Library and the Archives Departments. This is happening in other countries. Canada has done it, the UK has done it. And I think it is prudent, for the reaBermuda House of Assembly sons given, that it be done here, for efficienci es and for economic benefits. But, having said that, I do have reservations. And the reservations that I have, bas ically, revolve around ensuring that the services that are available are not compromised and that we have qualified people who can maintain an d manage the archival services and the library services. Mr. Speaker, from where I sit, there are different requirements, different curricula required to become a librarian. There are different academic criteria and curriculum criteria required to become an archi-vist. So, I would get more comfort in knowing that we have a robust team of people who have experience in archivism, as well as library science. I would like to have more comfort that the technical expertise that was once with us when we had our ar chivist will also be available to us after the merger took place in April. Because of the importance and the social functions that the Archives play in Bermuda, we need for this level of professionalism, this level of management of services to not be compr omised at all because of the crucial role it plays in conserving and reporting on Bermuda’s cultural heritage, social heritage, anthropological heritage, and that it is preserved for gener ations to come. As I said earlier, it will provide access to information that will allow Bermudians to see who they are individually and collectively. Mr. Speaker, I just have a few other comments that I would like to make, other than my con-cern about making sure that we have qualified people working there in the two arms of the department. Mr. Speaker, as I said, we need to ensure that we have leading -edge technology in both areas, in the archives area and the library science. Are we getting the leading-edge technology so that we can deliver the service at a standard that is [acceptable] worldwide and, in addition, that we also build the international networks with other libraries? I know in Canada, a number of libraries are connected to universities. And they have it so you can access one portal in Toronto and also have access from the Toronto library to the University of Toronto. So I am wondering if we would have similar partner-ships in regard to the library resources that we have in Bermuda. Can we have an affiliation with other instit utions so that we are not just lim ited to Bermuda’s l ibraries, but that we have access to internationally r enowned libraries —i.e., the [National Library of Canada] or the [British] Library? In addition, I would like to have heard more from the Minister in regard to the national digitisati on plans in regard to strategies that will be in place as a result of the merger. You know, today we are all tec hnology savvy. Everything is about access. Everything is about handheld [devices], your cell phones. In fact, I read an article that said your c ell phones or handheld devices are used less for telephone conversations and more for access to data. So, my question to you, Mr. Minister, is, what is the Library staff doing to pr o-vide more access to handheld android [devices] to ensure there is a smooth transition of data and dow nloads from the Library or the Archives to one’s handheld device? Again, I would also ask him to provide more details on the strategy for updating the website to make sure that the data are current, that they are managed, that t hey are easily accessible and that they [are accessible by] the public —the public meaning locally and internationally, because the information that we have in these two institutions is used by inter-national agencies, scholars, Bermudians studying abroad an d other academicians, who want access to information about Bermuda from Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, in addition, I would like to ask the Education Minister, what type of long- term digital storage strategies do they have? You know, it is all about data management. It is all about ensuring that the information that we have is here for time to come, that it is accessible, that it can be used by anyone, and that we are ensured that the digital data and the physical data that we have in our Library and in the Archive s are preserved for generations. So, what type of preservation mechanisms do we have to ensure that these data are protected, stored, and held for the long run, Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I think I might have one or two more things, and then that will be i t. The other question that I have is, are we working with agencies so that we can become a depository of other electronic media—i.e., relationships, so that we can be a legal deposit for publications? And do we have a legal deposit of publications regul ations that we can adhere to, enhance the services that we have, and also ensure that we can have e- books, online newspapers and other digital publications em anating from a Bermuda website or from the Bermuda Library? Physical premises. . . as was said in t he Budget, you know, we need to have secure premises, air-conditioned premises. And we have to address the mould issue. I remember during the Budget [debate], this came up. And the representatives from the Mini stry and Library said that they did have chall enges with the mould and that they were working to resolve those issues. If the Minister can give us an update on what is being done from a mould mitigation point of view within the Library so that none of the documents or the newspapers or periodicals are damaged because of the moulding conditions? As I said earlier, the other situation that I think is crucial is that we have a partnership with international library exchanges, national library exchanges, so that it promotes sharing experiences with other archival, library, and information sciences. You know, our young people are our professionals, wherein the library needs to have a network with other archivists and librarians overseas so that they can see what is going on in other jurisdictions, learn from them, adopt 2038 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly best practices. And also, they can display what good things we are doing here in Bermuda. So, Mr. Speaker, those are my few comments. As I said, in principle I support what is going on, for efficiencies, for economic benefits. But I have my concerns, and I would like for the Minister to address my concerns in regard to ensuring that the cal ibre of service and professionalism and knowledge is there and that we will have a senior archivist to ensure that our heritage, our “Bermudiana” are protected to the best standards, and that the records and infor-mation will be around for generations to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Member wish to speak? We recognise the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier, you have the floor. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to add a few words to this particular debate on this Bill, the Department of Libraries …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Member wish to speak? We recognise the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier, you have the floor.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to add a few words to this particular debate on this Bill, the Department of Libraries and Archives (Amalgamation) Act 2018, which perhaps to some is not a Bill as important or significant as some of the other [Bills] we do. But I would impress upon the listening audience and those who are interested in matters of the government that this is crucial to the future of how we shape government, going forward. It is very obvious that things have changed considerably in recent years. The management and availability and access to data have become crucial to how governments make decisions and how organis ations, both private and public, operate. And it is crucial that, despit e having to shape things so that we have a handle on the future, we have to make sure that this which has been created in the past is appropriately preserved, managed, and accessible to those who are handling issues, going forward. So, we have a library, and we have had a l ibrary system in Bermuda for quite some time. And, certainly, this Government would like to do as much as it can to enhance that system. We have not only the public library; we have libraries that exist within our schools, to the benefit of our students, as well. But it is clear that the ability to access the information eff iciently is extremely important, going forward, not only to just the well -being of the community and interests of the community, but even as we seek to enhance the educational experience of our students. They need to know more about what has happened in the past so that their decisions and their awareness of the future are in hold. So, a good library system that is well managed, also has archives which preserve those t hings that are being produced on a daily basis for the interests of the country. A lot of the documentation that the government produces, at least in paper form, for the duration, and other documents which often exist, due to our humid climate, which can do havoc on paper and other materials, [need to be protected]. And other organisations in the country, other than the gover nment, can also make use of the Archives for their own preservation. If I might just bring it a little personal to home for this side of the House, the original Minutes of the earliest periods of the Progressive Labour Party are in the hands of the Archives to ensure their preservation for the future. And those who are interested in those sort of studies, going forward, have the benefit to go back at some point in time to look at those Minutes and see accurately what transpired. And I encourage other important organis ations in this country to take advantage of those ser-vices, to preserve the history and experience of our people so that those going forward will have the bene-fit of proper examination of those documents. People’s private papers —perhaps persons in the comm unity who have large libraries themselves and may want their documents to be preserved should look to the Archives, because the expertise is there. They are the most professional people able in this area that I am aware of, in the country. And they know what they are doing. And they have quite an exhaustive stor ehouse of knowledge there that many people around the world who have written quite extensively about Bermuda and have, frankly, profited from their wri tings, had the benefit of the work of our own public A rchives to benefit their activity. So, there are services there that are available to all of us that I would hope that the public, perhaps through this debate, will be more aware of. The effort to amalgamate these two departments is an important step. And again, if I can personalise it, my own interest in history, myself, of Bermuda, I have had the benefit of the work of the people in the Library, who will take their time to find certain things that you are looking for without charging you. That is the amazing thing. They will go and search and extract and provide you with information that you do not have to pay for, that is in their care— great people who are doing a great work for our Bermuda. And I hope that we support any effort to enhance the library system in this country, the public library system, the libraries within our schools, to pr ovide them with the techno logy that they can use, Mr. Speaker, to continue to modernise so that the preservation and care of our stores of knowledge can continue. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I will take my seat. I certainly support the efforts of the Minister and his team to bring this Bill, to do what is necessary to strengthen our library and archivist system for the benefit of everyone. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Deputy Premier. Bermuda House of Assembly Ms. Ming? You would like to speak? Okay. We recognise t he Honourable Member from St. George’s. Honourable Member Ming, you have the floor. [Laughter and inaudible interjections ]
Mrs. Renee MingGood morning, Mr. Speaker and listening audience. I do not know what that is about. Sometimes, I think it is a Somerset –St. George’s thing going on here. But —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, it is getting closer to that time of year, you know. ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER HOUSE VISITOR
The SpeakerThe SpeakerBut before you do, let me just also acknowledge in the Chamber here the Honourable former Member Pettingill. [Desk thumping] [Second Reading debate of the Department of Libraries and Archives (Amalgamation) Act 2018 continuing]
Mrs. Renee MingMr. Speaker, I would just like to add some very bri ef comments with regard to the Bill that is in front of us today. I would like to thank the Minister and his team for looking at this. Even from a financial standpoint, there are so many pluses here. …
Mr. Speaker, I would just like to add some very bri ef comments with regard to the Bill that is in front of us today. I would like to thank the Minister and his team for looking at this. Even from a financial standpoint, there are so many pluses here. I am pretty sure that the cost savings for our taxpa yers—and even if it is a dollar, it is something at this stage. And I am sure that it is going to be much more than that. But just from a cost -saving perspective, we can see where the amalgamation of two areas gives us some financial relief where monies can be spent on something else. I also think about things like this, and this particular Act I think this is another one of the Progres-sive Labour Party promises, that we continue to look for ways and methods of doing and being better. And so, I thank the Minis ter for that. I am encouraged in his brief when I listened to him discuss online. And I would encourage the Mini ster, as you move forward, to continue to look at the various mediums of reaching our young to our old when it comes to our library services. B ecause young people nowadays, they do struggle in knowing and using a library. I know that my youngest daughter had to be taught almost like, It can’t be found on Amazon or the Kindle, right? Because that is the new online library. But there is nothing bet ter than sitting off in the library, in peace and quiet, pulling out your book and having a good read. So, I am encouraged by what you read in your brief, where you stated that you are looking at various options. And I am also very aware that we do have t o find ways to make sure that people across all sectors, all ages, are using the library. So, I want to say that I definitely throw my support behind this Bill. I thank you very much. I am encouraged by what I believe is to come. And as you continue to up date this House on what the development of this amalgamation brings for our people, I look forward to it. So I just wanted to offer those brief comments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Member . . . I rec ognise the Honourable Member Gordon- Pamplin. Honourable Member, you have the floor.
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just briefly wish to add my voice to the debate today and to say that I had the privilege not too long ago of being in a ministerial position, to actually preside over the Libraries and A rchives. I believe that any situation …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just briefly wish to add my voice to the debate today and to say that I had the privilege not too long ago of being in a ministerial position, to actually preside over the Libraries and A rchives. I believe that any situation that allows efficien-cies, obviously, is positive. But I wanted, in particular, to point out the staff. I think that, as we look at how we can make things better, we recognise that people also have to adapt and to change to the changing times. And I believe that we have seen not just the willingness, but the cooperation from the staff of the Library and the Archives Departments to ensure that their services that they provide are enhanced for the better good of the community. And I just did not want the opportunity to pass without my taking advantage of this time to say that I certainly appreciated the support of the lead teams while I served as the Minister and, certainly, in obser ving them from a distance, how they handle the senior library, how they handle the junior library, how they handle the Archives. It is certainly something of which we can be proud. And I would just like to add my voice of congratulations to the staff and my voice of appr eciation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? We recognise the Honourable Member Jac kson. Honourable Member Jackson, you have the floor.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonGood morning, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I just, too, want it to be noted what my participation and relationship with the Library has been for some time. My mother, Louise Jackson, spent an awful lot of time at the Library. And she certainly sat on the board for a number of …
Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I just, too, want it to be noted what my participation and relationship with the Library has been for some time. My mother, Louise Jackson, spent an awful lot of time at the Library. And she certainly sat on the board for a number of years and was instrumental in watching the evolution and the modernisation of the Library. 2040 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly And here we are at another turning point. I have had an opportunity, myself, to chair the gover nment board for the Library, and presently am Pres ident of the Friends of the Library. And so, my relationship remains quite close with the Library. I applaud the Head Librarian for taking on this new challenge. It will be a different kind of expertise that will h elp, I guess, to expand her knowledge and skill set. And, certainly, it is an opportunity for Bermuda to see the modernisation, the evolution of our ability to maintain and hold our historical artefacts, as well as continuing to develop the Bermuda Library . And so, I, too, lend my support. I am looking forward to, hopefully, seeing that there will be some advancements in the technology, the locations, being able to provide whatever training for staff, to see us evolve into a very successful amalgamation between the Library and the Archives. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Would any other Honourable Member like to speak to this? No other Honourable Members. Minister, would you like to resume to your feet? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That was a robust debate. I am actually very pleased to see so many …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Would any other Honourable Member like to speak to this? No other Honourable Members. Minister, would you like to resume to your feet?
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That was a robust debate. I am actually very pleased to see so many people have such an interest in this particular Bill, especially with the efficiencies and the advances that it will bring. To answer the Shadow Minist er, I want him to know that, in total from the Archives Department, three posts will be abolished. And those are the direc-tor, the assistant director, and the administrative assistant, all of which have not been filled for a number of years. This will not have an impact on what is happening within Archives. In fact, currently, there are two trained professional archivists who provide the tec hnical experience required for archival functions. And I think that should satisfy your question about, what about the expertise? Currently, all jobs within the Bermuda Library and Archives are Bermudian. And there are succession plans in place to develop future Bermudians to fill those post as persons move on and retire. So, I think we are in good hands in that case, where we have a department that is completely Bermudian and very, very professional. In terms of the digital storage strategy that the Shadow Minister did ask about, I would make him aware that digitisation of historical records has star ted. And we look for them to—of course, we need them to preserve them for future generations. They have commenced archiving records inclusive of the slave registers, books of wills, and books of miscell anies. The department is also working towards making these accessible, as well. A plan is being discussed to digitise birth re cords and rare Bermuda books out at the Library, for greater accessibility. Also, investigations have commenced for the development of a digital repository for government records. So, when we talk about having all of this information at our fingertips and being ac-cessible digitally, the Bermuda Library already has a plan in place and is moving steadfastly towards that. The other question we had was about updating the website. I find it interesting because we have also had an updating of the government portal. And you will find that some people will comment, or most people have commented, that access to information has become a bit more difficult under the current portal than it was under the previous por tal.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I speak for myself. When I sat in another place, I used to look up statistics all the time. And they are much more difficult to get under the current portal than they were under the previous setup that we had. So, we have …
Yes. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I speak for myself. When I sat in another place, I used to look up statistics all the time. And they are much more difficult to get under the current portal than they were under the previous setup that we had. So, we have a long way to go across government, and not just the Library. But, of course, the Library website will be updated on a regular basis. And I do not know if any of us have children or grandchildren who are members of the Youth Library. But the number of digital documents that come out of that place on a weekly basis is surely enough to keep you reading. So, I do know that there is process in place to ensure that the public is aware of what is going on in both the Adult Library and the [Youth] Library. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I just want to touch on what the Shadow Minister referred to as mould issues and let him know that these are being addressed by the Health and Safety Officer at Cabinet. And so, that is well under hand and being looked at . And with that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to move that the Bill be committed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Deputy, I call on you to chair the Committee. House in Committee at 11:58 am [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES (AMALGAMATION) ACT 2018
The ChairmanChairmanHonourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole House for further consider ation of the Bill entitled Department of Libraries and Archives (Amalgamation) Act 2018. Ministe r, you have the floor. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move clauses 1 and 2. …
Honourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole House for further consider ation of the Bill entitled Department of Libraries and Archives (Amalgamation) Act 2018. Ministe r, you have the floor.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move clauses 1 and 2.
Bermuda House of Assembly The Chairman: Any objections to moving clauses 1 and 2? There appear to be none. Continue, Minister.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Clause 1 is the citation. This clause is self - explanatory and explains that the Bill may be cited as the Department of Libraries and Archives (Amalgam ation) Act 2018. Mr. Chairman, clause 2, Amendment of certain enactments. Clause 2 refers to the Schedule, which sets out the consequential amendments to specific enactments that are being made as a result of the amalgamation of the Bermuda Archives and Depar tment of Libraries.
The ChairmanChairmanAny speakers? No speakers. Continue, Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move the Schedule. [Crosstalk]
The ChairmanChairmanAny objections to clauses 1 and 2 being approved? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 1 and 2 passed.]
The ChairmanChairmanContinue, Minister. Do you want to move all five [clauses]? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Yes. I want to move all five[paragraphs] of the Schedule.
The ChairmanChairmanAre there any objections to the m otion? There appear to be none. Continue. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rab ain: Mr. Chairman, [paragraph] 1 of the Schedule amends the definition of “Director” in section 1 of the Bermuda Archives Act 1974 to i nsert the new title of the Department, …
Are there any objections to the m otion? There appear to be none. Continue. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rab ain: Mr. Chairman, [paragraph] 1 of the Schedule amends the definition of “Director” in section 1 of the Bermuda Archives Act 1974 to i nsert the new title of the Department, which will now be known as the Department of Archives and Libraries. [Paragraph] 2 [of the Schedule] amends section 1 of the Bermuda National Library Act 1946 in instances where references are made to the defin itions of the Department, the Director of Libraries and the Minister, to state “Department of Libraries and A rchives,” “Directo r of Libraries and Archives” and “the Minister responsible for Libraries and Archives,” [r espectively]. [Paragraph] 2 also amends section 5(1) of the Bermuda National Library Act 1946 to change the Li-braries Department reference to “the Department of Libraries and Archives”; and amends the references to the Bermuda National Library to also include a refer-ence to the Bermuda Archives. Section 5(2) of the Bermuda National Library Act 1946 is amended to specify that the Director will now be known as the “D irector of Libraries and Archives.” [Paragraph] 3(a) amends section 2 of the Legal Deposit Act 2008 to alter the definition of the “D irector of Libraries” to refer to the Director as the “D irector of Libraries and Archives”; and to indicate the acts that the Minister is now responsible for. This [paragraph] clarifies that the public officer appointed to be responsible for libraries under the Bermuda N ational Library Act 1946 and responsible for the A rchives under the Bermuda Archives Act 1974 will now be one person with joint responsibility for the Depar tment of Libraries and Archives. [Paragraph] 3(a)(ii) amends section 2 of the Legal Deposit Act 2008 to add a reference to the Bermuda Archives in the definition of the “Minister,” who was originally responsible for the Bermuda N ational Library. [Paragraph] 3(b) amends section 3(2) of the Legal Deposit Act [2008] to state that the Director will be known as the Director of Libraries and Archives in each instance. Paragraph 3(c) amends sections 4(1) and 4(2) to specify that the Director is the Director of Libraries and Archives. Paragraph 3(d) amends section 5(1) to spec ify that the Director is the Director of Libraries and A rchives in each occurrence. And paragraph 3(e) amends section 10(1)(e) to specify that the Director is the Director of Libraries and Archives. [Paragraph] 4 amends section 60(2) of the Public Access to Information Act 2010, to specify that the Director is now the Director of Libraries and A rchives. [Paragraph] 5 amends the Bermuda Nationa l Library Regulations 1992. Paragraph 5(a) amends regulation 6(3) to state that the reference to the Director of Libraries be changed to the Director of Libraries and Archives. Paragraph 5(b)(i) amends regulation 10 in the head note by deleting and replaci ng the heading to now state “Director’s notices.” Paragraph 5(b)(ii) amends regulation 10(1) to amend the reference to Director of Libraries to “Director,” and [paragraph 5(c) amends] regulation 11; the reference of Director of Libraries is changed to just “Director.”
The ChairmanChairmanThank you. Any further speakers? There appear to be none. Minister, do you want to continue? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Chairman; thank you colleagues. I now move that the preamble be approved. 2042 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report B ermuda House of Assembly The Chairman: …
Thank you. Any further speakers? There appear to be none. Minister, do you want to continue? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Chairman; thank you colleagues. I now move that the preamble be approved. 2042 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report B ermuda House of Assembly The Chairman: Any objections to the preamble being approved? There appear to be no objections. Approved. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the Bill be reported to the House as printed.
The ChairmanChairmanYou have got to move the Schedule. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I move that the Schedule be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanAny objections to the Schedule being approved? There appear to be none. Approved. [ Motion carried: Clause 2, the Schedule , passed.] Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Do you want me to go back and do the preamble?
The ChairmanChairmanWe just did that. No, no. Go ahead. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I move that the Bill be r eported to the House as printed.
The ChairmanChairmanAre there any objections to the Bill being reported to the House as printed? There appear to be none. The Bill will be r eported to the House. [Motion carried: The Department of Libraries and A rchives (Amalgamation) Act 2018 was considered by a Committee of the whole House and …
Are there any objections to the Bill being reported to the House as printed? There appear to be none. The Bill will be r eported to the House. [Motion carried: The Department of Libraries and A rchives (Amalgamation) Act 2018 was considered by a Committee of the whole House and passed without amendment.] House resumed at 12:04 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] REPORT OF COMMITTEE DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES (AMALGAMATION) ACT 2018
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, are there any objections to the Bill entitled the Department of Libraries and Ar-chives (Amalgamation) Act 2018 being reported as printed? No objections; so moved. That now brings us to the end of the Orders of the Day. So, third readings. The Honourable Junior Minister, would you like to …
Members, are there any objections to the Bill entitled the Department of Libraries and Ar-chives (Amalgamation) Act 2018 being reported as printed? No objections; so moved. That now brings us to the end of the Orders of the Day. So, third readings. The Honourable Junior Minister, would you like to do your third reading? SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 21 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that Standing Order 21 be suspended to enable me to move that the Bill entitled the Public Service Superannuation Amendment Act 2018 be now read the third time by its title only. [ Motion carried: Standing Order 21 suspended.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Continue. BILL THIRD READING PUBLIC SERVICE SUPERANNUATION AMENDMENT ACT 2018 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I move that the Bill now be read the third time, Public Service Superannuation Amendment Act 2018.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAny objections? No objections. Continue. Done. Now approved, n ow passed. [ Motion carried: The Public Service Superannuation Amendment Act 2018 was read the third time and passed.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister of Education. SUSPENSION OF STANDING O RDER 21 Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that Standing Order 21 be suspended to enable me to move the Bill entitled the Department of Libraries and Archives (Amalgam ation) Act 2018 be now read for …
Minister of Education. SUSPENSION OF STANDING O RDER 21 Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that Standing Order 21 be suspended to enable me to move the Bill entitled the Department of Libraries and Archives (Amalgam ation) Act 2018 be now read for the third time by it s title only. [ Motion carried: Standing Order 21 suspended.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue. BILL THIRD READING DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES (AMALGAMATION) ACT 2018 Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill now be read for the third time by its title only and passed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNo objections; the Bill now passes. Bermuda House of Assembly [Motion carried: The Department of Libraries and A rchives (Amalgamation) Act 2018 was read the third time and passed.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThat brings us to an end of the day’ s business. Deputy [Premier] , would you like to take the floor? ADJOURNMENT Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I ask that the House do now adjourn to May 18 th.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerUntil Friday, May 18? Hon. Walter H. Roban: Next Friday, next.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWould any Member wish to speak to that? I recognise the Honourable Member, the Government Whip. Honourable Member, you have the floor. LEGALITY OF QUARRY OPERATION S IN CONSTITUENCY 24
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottThank you, Mr. Speaker. I am standing here to t alk more so about a constituency issue. And one thing that I have realised is that they say art imitates life and life imitates art. And it is interesting that this actually is somewhat true today. I do not know …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am standing here to t alk more so about a constituency issue. And one thing that I have realised is that they say art imitates life and life imitates art. And it is interesting that this actually is somewhat true today. I do not know if you have seen the movie Avengers: Infini ty War. Good movie, if you have not seen it (I have seen it twice), one part of that is that there is the villain who ends up getting the ability to go back in time, Mr. Speaker. And his ability to go back in time allows him to sort of, seemingly, know what is going to happen in the future. And I bring that up because some time ago, in a constituency far, far away, named constituency 24, there was this area—
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottRight? And God’s country, yes. The H onourable Member Cole Simons is right, God’s country. I am wearing my red and blue socks right now. I mean, if you do not believe me, I will show you. And there was this place. It was an open field owned by an …
Right? And God’s country, yes. The H onourable Member Cole Simons is right, God’s country. I am wearing my red and blue socks right now. I mean, if you do not believe me, I will show you. And there was this place. It was an open field owned by an individual. Then the owner put horses on that field. And then after the horses —
[Inaudible interjection]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerHe isn’t talking about you, Member S imons, is he? Mr. W. Lawrence Scott: After the horses were on that field, there came trucks. And after the trucks came rubble; and after the rubble came processing equi pment. You then end up having a quarry situation— industrial work being done …
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersYes. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottAll right? And the area I am talking about in constituency 24 right now is Cobb’s Hill; the Cobb’s Hill corridor. And it has been . . . you have had MPs. I will not mention the MP’s name who was unable to have any real effect on it. But …
All right? And the area I am talking about in constituency 24 right now is Cobb’s Hill; the Cobb’s Hill corridor. And it has been . . . you have had MPs. I will not mention the MP’s name who was unable to have any real effect on it. But that MP then became a Minister, and was still un able to effect change. That Minister then became a premier, and was still unable to effect change in getting that quarry or the operations to cease and desist. Right? And so, therefore, what ended up happening is that you then had a situation where the ne ighbours of that quarry then had the sediment from the pr ocessing of the rubble, the sediment from the sifting of the sand, go up in the air and land on their roofs. The rain washed the sediments down into the water. And I had a resident who actually had c ancer that was r elated to that. And that is not just hearsay. There are medical records showing that their cancer was most likely attributed to the water and the sediment in the drinking water. Unfortunately, that resident succumbed to cancer. And now, Mr . Speaker, there is another ind ividual, another organisation that is doing or was doing similar functions in another place not too far away from that quarry. And, Mr. Speaker, I noticed that in April (April 28, 29) they submitted a retroactive pla nning application. And the thing is that the only reason I am giving you some background is that the only reason that they submitted that retroactive planning application was because they were caught processing rubble without the proper planning permission. Theref ore, it is safe to say that it was an illegal operation that was going on in a tourist zone, or a tourist -site zoned area, right there on South Shore, right behind the gas station there, Mr. Speaker. So, therefore, my thing is that I have listened to Honour able Members on both sides. And I am going to quote . . . well, not quote, but I am going to paraphrase the Honourable now -Opposition Member Cannonier (but at the time was Minister Cannonier), when he was talking about retroactive planning permission bein g used for members or people of the public to have government legalise illegal operations. And, Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member went on to say that there should be stiff and harsh penalties that were given out instead of planning per2044 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly mission that was gi ven out . Mr. Speaker, I actually agree with the statements of Honourable Member Cannonier that if you are caught . . . Retroactive planning permission has its purpose. If I am adding on to Cousin Burgess’s house and we come across something that we really did not plan for and we have to build around it, for whatever reason, yes, retroactive planning. But if you are going in and you are trying to hedge your bets, you are tr ying to see what you can get away with before you get caught, and then when you get caught, all you do is submit a retroactive planning application to now make an illegal site, an illegal operation legal, that should not be tolerated, Mr. Speaker. That should not be allowed, Mr. Speaker. B ecause, as you can see, it has already been a life- ordeath situation in my constituency, in constituency 24. Those members . . . and, Mr. Speaker, that was a very . . . and I am not trying to pick favourites. But the person who unfortunately passed away was a beloved member, was a very vocal member within the consti tuency 24 family.
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottTherefore, when members, when residents from Sandpiper, from Sandpiper Guesthouse, from Grand Atlantic (or what is to be the Grand Atlantic Hotel), from Billy Goat Hill, from Brenda’s Pool, from Dunscombe Road, from Privateer Lane . . . when members see . . . all along there. That is about …
Therefore, when members, when residents from Sandpiper, from Sandpiper Guesthouse, from Grand Atlantic (or what is to be the Grand Atlantic Hotel), from Billy Goat Hill, from Brenda’s Pool, from Dunscombe Road, from Privateer Lane . . . when members see . . . all along there. That is about . . . I have just named roughly about a mile, so let us just say, a one- or two- square- mile area of land that would be affected by this one area t hat is trying to do quarrying operations, right? And this is the individual . . . I mean, it is in public domain. This individual is Gilbert Lopes. And I can say his name because he had to put his name in the Gazette on April 29 th. So, I do not believe that Gilbert Lopes does not know the rules well enough to know that he should have put in an application prior to that. But I believe that Gilbert Lopes knew that he was going to be d enied, would be denied, because it is tourist zoned, and, therefore, he wou ld do it anyway and then ask for retroactive planning permission.
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottAnd then, knowing that . . . what are the consequences? There are no cons equences, Mr. Speaker. What fine is there on the books if someone is caught doing something illegal like that? What fines have been handed out, Mr. Speaker? Right? And my honourable colleague, Michael Scott, said …
And then, knowing that . . . what are the consequences? There are no cons equences, Mr. Speaker. What fine is there on the books if someone is caught doing something illegal like that? What fines have been handed out, Mr. Speaker? Right? And my honourable colleague, Michael Scott, said that there needs to be reform. And I agree. All right? And so, maybe that is something that we should be looking at now. So, Mr. Speaker, the fact that we are standing here today . . . and I am just making sure that the voices of my residents along South Shore are heard.
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersYes. Yes.
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottI am making sure that we are being proactive i nstead of reactive. Because t oday, Mr. Speaker, is the day, the final day for objections to be submitted. So I do not want anybody in this country to be able to say that there were no objections filed. I …
I am making sure that we are being proactive i nstead of reactive. Because t oday, Mr. Speaker, is the day, the final day for objections to be submitted. So I do not want anybody in this country to be able to say that there were no objections filed. I know that there is a petition that has been filed, and it went in on Wednesday, Mr. Speaker. And I am making sure that everybody knows that the pe ople in constituency 24, regardless of party affiliation, object to quarrying being done on South Shore! O bject to the quarrying that is being done on Lot 6. That is the official designation. Right? We have Members who are in this Honour able House and in this Honourable Chamber right now who have property that is within the vicinity of that. We have former Members . . . the former Minister of F inance lives in the vicinity. I do not want to put his . . . he lives within the vicinity. I do not want to put his a ddress out there. But, Mr. Speaker, I do not want anybody, I do not want anybody to be able to say that there were no objections before the due date. So thi s is a verbal o bjection that I am voicing on behalf of the members and residents of constituency 24. And this is supporting the written objection, the written petition that has gone in. So I am hoping that the system works. I have faith right now in the s ystem, that it will work and that this retroactive planning . . . because, Mr. Speaker, how can you have a quarry operation? And the key thing is this, Mr. Speaker. What I found out is this. G oing back in time to Cobb’s Hill Quarry, that was only supposed to be for a six -month or a one- year period. That is how they get you, Mr. Speaker. They say it is only going to be temporary. Right? And the Honour able Member Trevor Moniz chuckles, just as I do, because we have seen how many temporary things become permanent, Mr. Speaker. I do not want to see any temporary quarrying operations, especially the fact that it is so close to what is to be, or has been proposed (because it is out in the public domain) that Grand Atlantic is going to be turned into a boutique hotel of some sort. So you cannot have a boutique hotel next to a quarrying oper ation. You cannot be talking about how you are going to show off the beauty of the Island while they are sif ting sand right next door.
[Inaudible interjections ]
Mr. W. Lawrenc e ScottYou know? I mean, it is not even like it is the pink sand, Mr. Speaker. And then Bermuda House of Assembly you are crushing stones. And as I said, the health risks, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you have, basically, a sandlot right now. So, what happens to that quarrying …
You know? I mean, it is not even like it is the pink sand, Mr. Speaker. And then
Bermuda House of Assembly you are crushing stones. And as I said, the health risks, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you have, basically, a sandlot right now. So, what happens to that quarrying oper ation during hurricane season when the winds tend to come out of the south? That means that everybody in that one- to two -mile radius, or area, downwind is within the blast, I will say, Mr. Speaker, and being sandblasted, having sand go on their roof. Then the sand goes down into their tank water. And we have proof of what that does and what possibilities could come out from that. And they are not good for your health. We are looking at passing a sugar tax to help protect our people’s health, help reduce o besity. Right? But yet, we are going to let them consume sand in their water, Mr. Speaker. People like to go to the beach and then come home and wash the sand off, not go to the beach and come home and wash down with sandy water. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottSo, Mr. Speaker, I am going to reiterate, and I am actually purposely taking my time. And I am going to use my whole 20 minutes, Mr. Speaker. I do not normally do that. But I am going to . . . how much time do I have left? The …
So, Mr. Speaker, I am going to reiterate, and I am actually purposely taking my time. And I am going to use my whole 20 minutes, Mr. Speaker. I do not normally do that. But I am going to . . . how much time do I have left?
The Sp eaker: Should I indicate your full time that is left? You have got a few more minutes left. How is that?
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottOkay. Thank you. And I am only going to use my full time because I do not normally use my full time. I do not nor-mally use my full time, but I am using the full time because it is such an important topic, Mr. Speaker. This is what I …
Okay. Thank you. And I am only going to use my full time because I do not normally use my full time. I do not nor-mally use my full time, but I am using the full time because it is such an important topic, Mr. Speaker. This is what I am put here to do. This is what the people elected me to do, to make sure that their voices are heard.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberThat is right.
Mr. W. Lawren ce ScottAnd, Mr. Speaker, you know what I really like about this right now? It is that I do not have to, I do not want to, and there is no need for me to call anybody on the other side any names, Mr. Speaker. This is something that has bipartisan …
And, Mr. Speaker, you know what I really like about this right now? It is that I do not have to, I do not want to, and there is no need for me to call anybody on the other side any names, Mr. Speaker. This is something that has bipartisan support, Mr. Speaker. Members of both the PLP and Members of the OBA, supporters of both the PLP and supporters of the OBA have reached out to me via telephone, have reached out to me via email, have reached out to me via letters. I have had people act ually knock on my door. I do not know how they got past my dog, but they knocked on my door.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThat dog is soft. They gave him a little piece of meat. [Laughter]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottRight. But they got past my dog. And that is how important it was. They jumped the fences. They jumped the hurdles to knock on my door to make sure that I was made aware of their concerns, Mr. Speaker. So, I am making sure that this gets its due. …
Right. But they got past my dog. And that is how important it was. They jumped the fences. They jumped the hurdles to knock on my door to make sure that I was made aware of their concerns, Mr. Speaker. So, I am making sure that this gets its due. I cannot allow, I cannot afford . . . and I am not saying “we.” Let me say we. We cannot allow, and we meaning the people and residents of constituency 24 can-not allow, we the constituents and residents of 24 cannot afford to have two quarri es within a mile of each other. Business is . . . I do not believe that the construction industry has such limited resources when it comes to quarrying, has such limited resources when it comes to sifting sand that they need to go and illegally —
Hon. Derr ick V. Burgess, Sr.: Illegally, yes!
Mr. W. Lawrence Scott—illegally find sites, illegally start operating as a quarry. Because anything that starts wrong can only end wrong. And, Mr. Speaker, my constituents, my res idents have my full support on this one. Right is right. Wrong is wrong. It was wrong when people said that Grand Atlantic was going …
—illegally find sites, illegally start operating as a quarry. Because anything that starts wrong can only end wrong. And, Mr. Speaker, my constituents, my res idents have my full support on this one. Right is right. Wrong is wrong. It was wrong when people said that Grand Atlantic was going to fall into the ocean. Right? It is still standing. But the thing is, and I do not want to digress because that is a sensitive issue in my constituency. But I believe that, Mr. Speaker, we need to make sure. And I have told my constituents that the system will work for them, that the policies and proc edures that have been put in place by this Honourable House, by the Members in this Chamber, one, will be follow ed, and [two,] will ensure their safety, Mr. Speaker. And I am actually glad that I can sit up here and paraphrase from the Honourable former Minister, Honourable former Premier Cannonier. And I echo his concerns when talking about retroactive planning a pplications being abused.
[Inaudible interjections]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottRetroactive planning should not be used to make an illegal operation legal, but just help facilitate an already -approved plan that has hit unforeseen circumstances. So, I will hop e that Gilbert Lopes will withdraw his retroactive planning applic ation, knowing that it is illegal and knowing that the country …
Retroactive planning should not be used to make an illegal operation legal, but just help facilitate an already -approved plan that has hit unforeseen circumstances. So, I will hop e that Gilbert Lopes will withdraw his retroactive planning applic ation, knowing that it is illegal and knowing that the country now knows that he was doing something ill egal and wants the Government to now legalise it. I could think of a lot of other thin gs that are currently 2046 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly illegal now that the Government could legalise. And I do not think that this quarrying application is one of them. And on that note, Mr. Speaker, I hope I have not—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, you have got a little window left. So, you can r esume your seat if you wish. But there is a little window left.
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottA little window left. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right. So, I just want to make sure. And my father used to do marketing. He said that repetition is the best form of indoctrination. So I am going to repeat myself, and I am going to go back to the beginning, …
A little window left. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right. So, I just want to make sure. And my father used to do marketing. He said that repetition is the best form of indoctrination. So I am going to repeat myself, and I am going to go back to the beginning, Mr. Speaker. I am going to repeat myself that we in [constituency] 24 do not allow, do not want, will not stand for a quarry on Lot 6! We will not stand for another quarry within the confines of constituency 24. We want the current quarry that is there gone. But it seems as though that has a precedence; it has been there longer than I have. So, therefore, I understand that. And that is something that I will continually f ight. I will make sure Mr. Speaker, that Planning knows me on a first -name basis.
[Laughter]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottEddie Roque knows me on a first-name basis. That is who owns the other quarry, Mr. Speaker. But I will make sure, I will do what I can, I will do all that I can to ensure that this quarry or the quarrying operations continues to have a cease and …
Eddie Roque knows me on a first-name basis. That is who owns the other quarry, Mr. Speaker. But I will make sure, I will do what I can, I will do all that I can to ensure that this quarry or the quarrying operations continues to have a cease and desist order, continues to have a stop order. I see these big trucks carrying it, and I want Gilbert Lopes to know that people are watching. Right? Everybody on that hill . . . Mr. Lopes, know that everybody on that hill is watching you and what you do. I get reports of what time your trucks show up with rubble, and I get the time that is 45 minutes later that they are leaving with sifted sand. I know that, Mr. Speaker, right? And other Members in this Chamber know that, Mr. Speaker. So, under the cover of darkness, that does not work for you either, Mr. Lopes, because you are being watched. You want to talk about Neighbourhood Watch? We have a constituency watch, Mr. Speaker. We do things big in [constituency] 24, Mr. Speaker. So, you know, right. So I just want to make sure. And I see you looking at the time. And as soon as that little beep- beep- beep—beep- beep- beep goes, I will sit down.
[Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI could have pushed the button earlier if that is what you needed! [Laughter]
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottBut, no. Mr. Speaker, I want to stress the point . . . And I see the Royal Gazette in the Gallery. Mr . Jonathan Bell, I hope you find this newsworthy. Mr. Jonathan Bell, I hope that this makes it in Monday’s exposure—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAnd on that note, you get your buzzer. You get your buzzer. [Timer beeps] [Desk thumping and laughter ]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerIs there any other Member? I recognise that the Honourable Member from constituency 10 is on his feet. Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor. INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION; MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING — UNANSWERED QUESTIONS Hon. Michael H. Du nkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker, thank you for stopping that beep …
Is there any other Member? I recognise that the Honourable Member from constituency 10 is on his feet. Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor.
INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION; MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING — UNANSWERED QUESTIONS Hon. Michael H. Du nkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker, thank you for stopping that beep ing. I just got a report from some residents in constituency 24 that a load of rubble was dropped in the Honourable Member’s bac kyard. His dog is barking. So, now he has got a second hazard.
[Laught er]
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: No, but, Mr. Speaker, on a serious matter, that was an important subject to di scuss. And, Mr. Speaker, I go on from the Honour able Member. He says repetition is the best form of indoctrination. And last week, Mr. Speaker, on the motion to adjourn I spoke about the various known MOUs in regard to ICOs, or commonly referred to as initial coin offerings, that the Premier signed. And, Mr. Speaker, you will recall that in summary my comments spoke about the potential of these ICO s, but also that many questions remain unanswered. And it would be helpful to have some of those questions answered. My questions remain out there today, Mr. Speaker, in spite of vociferous comments from those Government Members following my remarks. Thos e questions remain unaddressed. In fact, Mr. Speaker, some of the Members rose on points of order on a regular occasion. And quite often, Mr. Speaker, those points were dealt with, and you even asked them to save those points of order and they could speak when I was finished speaking.
Bermuda House of Assembly Some did speak. But very few of the questions were answered. I did want to rise today to speak, Mr. Speaker, in regard to the comments that Minister Caines made, and clarify for the record, and to clear up the claim that I s hould have raised my concerns at the meeting that the Honourable Minister had graciously arranged for Opposition Members. That meeting took place, I believe the day before this legislation was discussed in this Honourable Chamber, two weeks ago. Minister Caines was good enough to have the technical officers in the room. And I simply could not raise the questions which I focused on last Friday in the motion to adjourn, Mr. Speaker, because simply the meeting was arranged to discuss the legislation. But it w as not arranged to discuss any MOUs. The meeting was arranged to discuss the legislation. And, Mr. Speaker, for the record, when we spoke during the debate, honourable colleagues, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Honourable Deputy Leader of the Opposi tion expressed our support for the legislation. But we had some questions. Now, Mr. Speaker, obviously . . . obviously, Mr. Speaker, in a new fledgling industry —
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: And a Member who spoke—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOne Member speaking at a time. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, Mr. Speaker. That Member tried to speak last week on points of order, but he never stood up on the motion to adjourn. [Inaudible interjections]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOne Member. Hon. Michael H. Dunkle y: I wonder why he will not stand up and speak?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberI followed your example.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAh! Ah! Ah! Ah! Member, you do not want that door hitting your back.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberNo, no, no, no.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, and the reason why my colleagues and I continue to watch this space and to discuss this subject is because, clearly, initial coin offerings are a new fad. It is the most co mmon way to finance cryptocurrency ventures. And, Mr. Speaker, …
Thank you.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, and the reason why my colleagues and I continue to watch this space and to discuss this subject is because, clearly, initial coin offerings are a new fad. It is the most co mmon way to finance cryptocurrency ventures. And, Mr. Speaker, there are now over 1,600 of these ventures throughout the world. And that number, from records, is increasing rapidly. It seems like, every day, more and more of those are released. Mr. Speaker, in doing some research on this matter over a number of weeks, there is an ICO adv isory firm called the Satis Group. And, Mr. Speaker, they say that 81 per cent of ICOs are actually scams that are created by people who are just trying to con people out of their money or trying to swindle people out of their money. But the more interesting statistic, for me, Mr. Speaker, is that 92 per cent of initial coin offerings actually fail. And thus, Mr. Speaker, I applaud the Government. It is the need to have sound regulation that deals with the si tuation. Now, we know, Mr. Speaker, that in China they have outright banned ICOs. And in the United States, the US Security and Exchange Commission is now starting to take a very close look at ICOs and the need for regulation and, perhaps, more proper oversight. So, not reflecting on the debate in any way, Mr. Speaker, you recall we supported the legislation. And it is important that we support it, moving forward. But it is still important that we ask questions about it, Mr. Speaker, because the statistic that I just me ntioned a few moments ago, that 92 per cent of ICOs fail, means that there is not a great deal of success with those ventures. Now, if you are in the 8 per cent and you cash in, that is great, Mr. Speaker. However, we, as legisl ators in th is Honourable Chamber, owe responsibility not only to the people who want to do business in Bermuda, but we owe responsibility to those people who want to invest in any new industry. And thus, it is important that we have that sound regulatory fram ework put in place. After all, Mr. Speaker, I think we all are in agreement in this Honourable Chamber that Bermuda has had a reputation going back for many, many years. In fact, in my time in this House, and perhaps, you know, all of my adult life, I am aware of Berm uda’s sound reputation— in fact, its sterling reputation— for conducting itself right in legislation to oversight and regulate our business. You look at the start with tour-ism, then going to international business. We have been a forerunner in getting t hings right, and our reputation precedes us on the international stage, as successive Governments have found. Thus, it is important, Mr. Speaker, that with something new like this, where there is a potential opportunity, we get it right not only to protec t our reputation, to protect those who want to do business, but also to protect the people who want to invest in the industry. So, the meeting that the Minister arranged was not to discuss those MOUs; it was to discuss the legislation. And, interesting to note, Mr. Speaker, how this industry changes so fast, at that meeting —which 2048 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly was held one day before the legislation was debated in this House —within about, I think, seven hours of the meeting, amendments were passed on to the O pposition, because we are continually looking at how to get the strongest piece of legislation as we go for-ward. And I think that will continue to happen. So, I could not raise any questions at the meeting because it was not about the MOUs. And most of the MOUs, Mr. Speaker, I was not even aware of at that time because they were rolled out through that week. And even after the meeting, I believe, an MOU was rolled out. Mr. Speaker, the Premier spoke and closed on the motion to adjourn and did not really address any questions. And that stimulates me today to con-tinue to look at some of the questions I asked. And I want to be clear that we support any opportunity by the Government to move forward to create jobs and new industries in Bermuda. And I applaud the Go vernment for stating that, in a number of cases with the MOUs, there are potential job opportunities —I think 30 in one and 30 in another one. We applaud that. But we must make sure, as an Opposition, that we do our diligence on every piece of legislation, on every issue that comes to the House of Assembly. And that is exactly what is happening in this case, Mr. Speaker. So, if we have to be subject to loud criticism coming back and forth, we will continue to ask those questions. Let me just go into some of the questions in the time that we have, and I will not wait for the beeping to come, Mr. Speaker. I will speak, and when I am finished I will sit down. But some of the questions that I asked, I think they are important to reiterate and get some answers. And I am sure that the Government has some answers for them if they can put some pol itics aside for just a moment. Now, I know that the Honourable Members have spoken about the need to develop a digital asset exchange. And we have seen legislation that is co ming forward today, which was tabled today. And it a ppears to be meaty legislation in the number of pages. And I do not wish to comment on that. One of the things that is important which has not really been focused on, Mr. Speaker, is, as soon as practical, to develop this l egislation. The timeline appears to be quite soon because the legislation is here. And as we have talked about creating jobs for Bermudians in the industry, Mr. Speaker, I think we need to, as the Government is prone to do, Gover nment Members, and I am sur e I will get some support by the backbench on this . . . I want to know, and I want to be assured that any of these digital asset exchanges, Mr. Speaker, can actually be owned by Bermudians. Now, Mr. Speaker, I know that we need outside influence.
Hon. W alter H. Roban: Point of order, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker : You yield to the point of order. We recognise the Deputy Premier.
POINT OF ORDER [Anticipation]
Hon. Walter H. Roban: I think the Honourable Member is contemplating the legislation going forward when he starts talking about future digital asset exchanges. That is the subject of the legislation that was tabled today about future asset exchanges. So, he really should not be raising that now in the motion to adjourn when that is the subject of the l egislation that is coming forward.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: No, Mr. Speaker. I have no intention of getting into that legislation. The reason why I mentioned it, Mr. Speaker —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerJust be mindful that i t is in the works. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes. And I did refer to it. I see it tabled. And I mentioned that there are a number of pages involved in it, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: But the reason why I mentioned it, Mr. Speaker, is because I have been a pproached by at least one Bermudian who was concerned that there would not be an opportunity for Bermudians to get involved. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDeputy. POINT OF ORDER [Anticipatio n] Hon. Walter H. Roban: The Honourable Member is raising points that he can obviously get well dealt with during the future debate. It is delving into the road where he is referring and dealing with the matters of that legislation.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank y ou, Member. And I was just cautioning him just to guide himself around what is tabled and not have to go into what is already being tabled. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you. Yes, Mr. Speaker. I have not . . . you know, my colleagues and I …
Thank y ou, Member. And I was just cautioning him just to guide himself around what is tabled and not have to go into what is already being tabled.
Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you. Yes, Mr. Speaker. I have not . . . you know, my colleagues and I can read thro ugh legislation very quickly, but we cannot do it that fast.
Bermuda House of Assembly But, in talking about opportunity, it is important that Bermudians have that opportunity. And I will move on from there. Mr. Speaker, a question to the Honourable Acting Premier: Will the MOUs that have been an-nounced by the Honourable Premier . . . we have seen signings in the various media. Will those MOUs actually be tabled in this House for full transparency and accountability? Mr. Speaker, in association with those MOUs, are there any cost s attached to them for the parties involved, whether it be Government or whether it be the other parties involved? Mr. Speaker, the MOU with the company B inance states that they will work collaboratively with Government and all of the necessary oversight agencies to develop and improve a robust legal and regul atory framework. Mr. Speaker, I think we can understand who those oversight agencies are. The question that I asked last week that really has not been a ddressed is: Who is the lead agency in making t his happen? Is it the Bermuda Monetary Authority? And what other agencies are involved in the broad scope of it? I can assume (and assuming is not good) that some of the members of the MOU are part of that. I can assume that the BMA and the Bermuda Gover nment are involved in that. What other businesses are being consulted through this process? Because, obv iously, once the process is on the tracks , down the road it is important that as many people be involved in it as possible. Mr. Speaker, in the Statement that the Premier gave to the House last week, it was quite a com-prehensive Statement. But the Honourable Premier failed to mention the MOU with Bitt and the gentleman by the name of Mr. Gabriel Abed. And I wonder, Mr. Speaker, when the Premier signed th e MOU with Mr. Abed, was the Honourable Premier aware of the as-sociation that Mr. Abed had with Medici? Because it is clear, Mr. Speaker, now that Medici is a large investor in Bitt. And if there are interests in companies that we are dealing with, as the Government of Bermuda, that interest should be disclosed for full disclosure. And it at all times should be put out there for the people to understand. Mr. Speaker, I assume that the Honourable Acting Premier can address some of those questions and the is sue of the MOUs, whether they will be t abled. Now, Mr. Speaker, this matter of initial coin offerings and the approach of this Government is a work in progress, as the Honourable Premier and the Minister responsible have said on a number of occ asions. And we will support this process when we go through. So, when we ask questions it would be, I think, prudent to answer them not with personal attacks or political spin or even loud shouting. I think it would be appropriate to answer the questions so that we can continue to get answers and move forward. Mr. Speaker, one last point I will make in r egard to questions and answers. In reading about initial coin offerings, one of the challenges that we will face is that this new industry is, to some extent, clouded in some secrecy just by the way it is set up, just by i nformation that you or I would be asked for when we develop a wallet. And that, to some extent, goes against the grain of what we are being pushed to as far as international business concerns, the pub lic re gistry issue with the UK, things like that. In fact, Mr. Speaker, if some people question that, just a few days ago, I am aware of a Brazilian gentleman (I cannot recall his name at the present time) who has actually started five bitcoin vaults in various jurisdictions throughout the world, where investors would just put their bitcoin in them and salt it away. And no one knows what is in there, who is in there, what they are doing. And so, my final point is about the MOUs. And the questions are: How are we going to deal with the issue of transparency and accountability, especially when we are forced to, by some of the larger G7 nations? And the issue of secrecy will never go away, Mr. Speaker. As we move forward with this issue, we need to deal with t hat in an open and transparent way because, once we set up a system in an appropriate way with regulation that works and oversight that works, we will be asked questions about who is i nvolved and what they do. And we need to have those answers now, because it is clear to me, in looking at this fledgling industry, that a lot of the companies i nvolved have moved from one jurisdiction to the next jurisdiction to the next jurisdiction. And if we are serious about opportunity for Bermudians, if we are serious a bout growing our economy . . . and the Government has mentioned this as a third pillar. I think that is a bit ambitious, Mr. Speaker. But any addition to our economy done in the right way which supports Bermudians, which fills hotel rooms, which fills economic activity, which gets Be rmudians to work, we will support in this time. But we will continue to ask questions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? We recognise the Honourable Member Swan, from constituency 2. Honourable Member Swan, you have the floor. INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION; MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING — UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanYes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 2050 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, I just want to follow on where the last speaker left off. He spoke about transparency as not in much of the vociferous way in which he tried to impute improper motives …
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 2050 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, I just want to follow on where the last speaker left off. He spoke about transparency as not in much of the vociferous way in which he tried to impute improper motives to the Premier last week. He somewhat alluded to the fact that transparency was missing. So, in that vein, I just went to the Internet, Mr. Speaker, to see what is actually available in this space for Bermuda. We have heard the Honourable Premier and we have heard the Honourable Minister for National Security speak on this issue. We have even heard the Minister responsible for Home Affairs bring to this very House legislation, as well as a Ministerial Statement, to deal with these moving, ever -fast moving new tec hnologies. And I say new technologies because, where I got some information from right this moment is called www.fintech.bm . That is f -i-n-t-e-c-h.bm. And it is important, Mr. Speaker, for us to keep abreast. And the Honourable Member, the former Premier, who takes the space to say that in his role he has to ask all of the questions and, like, f orgets that in his role in leadership he failed to do exac tly what he is preaching now when it came to transparency as it related to a very serious issue, or matter, which actually assisted his being catapulted into the premiership. I am speaking about J etgate. But let me say that FinTech, as it relates to this particular www.fintech.bm , states the following: “Fintech is transforming the way we engage with traditional finance: “From credit and loans, to saving, transferring and spending money, fintech has birthed innovative new technologies to deliver the services in ways never before imagined. From blockchain, to virtual currencies and beyond, the world of finance is undergoing a major revolution. ” So this is not somet hing that is secret. This is something that the Government of Bermuda is putting out front. And if Members who choose to criticise would take the opportunity to do some research, they will see that the Government is actually not hiding away from this parti cular situation. It says in www.fintech.bm , this website, “Our Objectives” (that is, the Government of Bermuda on behalf of the people of Bermuda, which includes the Opposition, are saying), “The Bermuda Government understands the power and disruptive potential of this technology and has identified an opportunity to be a pioneer in this sphere.” I am sure, Mr. Speaker, insurance, as it came to Bermuda in the early days, was a pioneer. And for some, when people put their money in insurance and it was not needed, it turns into significant profit for many people. That is why persons can have upwards of half a million dollars in salaries, and bonuses in the millions. Okay? So, let us not, you know, look at the holy grail of finance. It is stated, Mr. Speaker, as I refer to www.fintech.bm , a document produced by the Berm u-da Government in this sphere, it speaks of, “Bermuda is leveraging the island’s significant expertise in regulatory management and is a leader in the fintech space with cutting- edge ICO legislation.” So, what are we doing? We are actually appreciating, the Government of today, the Cabinet of today is appreciating what has been done in Bermuda with regard to finance, and recognising that the old way of business cannot sustain us or feed us forever and has been challenged. And many an Opposition have often spoken of, and many a Government in office said, We’ve got to find a third pillar. For this Government, the Progressive Labour Party Government, in Opposition, did not just poof! and take out of the sky. It was part of the particular things or solutions that the Opposition put forward. And as I said previously, I will say it again. As the cur-rent Opposition is trying to find its way, let it come forward with some solutions instead of just being crit ical. But when it is critical, let it be honest as well and not so disingenuous, because if it was so secretive, and if we were operating under the cloak of secrecy, I could not g o to the Internet, as a backbencher. You know? He got up and said, you know, I know the backbenchers would jump on this, like the bac kbenchers are going to be so disingenuous to their own Government. No, we are going to go there. He cha llenged us. We went there and looked, and now can prove how transparent the Government actually is in this space, Mr. Speaker. “The legislation creates a unique environment that prioritizes regulatory certainty, investor conf idence, and compliance with international Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti -Money Laundering (AML) regulations. There are many benefits to the certainty and stability that this framework provides to the industry and this attracts the best -structured fintech companies to be a part of the Fintech Bermuda ecosy stem.” So, we are putting it out there, Mr. Speaker. We recognise that the opportunities are in this space, but it is going to have to be regulated. And if we al-ready have a reputation, which our Premier, our current Premier, is representing to the utm ost, internationally, so much so that opinion polls are suggesting that there is a tremendous amount of satisfaction wit hin the business community with the way in which our team is operating right now. And kudos there, Mr. Speaker! So we cannot afford to allow the disingenuous tickling of those issues to go unchallenged, Mr. Speaker. Let me just share one other thing as we look at this particular space with regard to this industry, FinTech. In this particular www.fintech .bm , it gives a glossary of what it is that we are actually dealing with. Because I believe that Mr. and Mrs. Bermuda, and even Mr. and Mrs. Successful Bermuda, who might have inherited wealth or built it up as a first gener aBermuda House of Assembly tion, would be maybe somewhat sceptical of what is being done because they do not understand it. And [it] would be proliferated with regard [to] someone who might be a successful businessperson preying on those insecurities. So, if you go to the glossary stages of www.fintech.bm , it says “ FinTech is an abbreviated combination of the words financial technology. ” Let me stop there, Mr. Speaker. How many of us were used to going to the bank and seeing the branch manager of the bank, going there and looking and touchy -feeling and causing someone to do what we needed to do? Technol ogy has changed that, Mr. Speaker. I can sit right here today and access my (not Blackberry; I have gone iPhone) . . . and access my iPhone, Mr. Speaker, and do transactions. I can go (persons can go, not just me) to institutions like PayPal and send money a lot cheaper than the banks. And let me tell you, the traditional way of doing business, as we are a labour party and I am duty - bound to represent how this impacts on labour persons . . . there are many persons in this country wor king without health insurance, working without formalised situations, Mr. Speaker, who might be just hustling and getting cash. But they have to pay their bills. And they go to a bank to pay because t hey have to pay through the court, $200, or even $100, that they want a record of. If they go to the bank they have to pay half of that amount in a fee to get a draft cheque. Whereas in another jurisdiction, they may be able to go to the post office and get a postal money order for that. FinTech is an abbreviation of the words financial technology. So, for many of us laymen out there who know that those financial institutions are only there to make a dollar —our dollar —and if there are technologies that are going to be presented in the world that make that go down, as it was in technology about 20 years ago where the decentralising (if I use that word) of telecommunications actually drove the price of making a phone call down, we have to look at those type of opportunities. And if we are a country that already has a good reputation, has a culture of being regulated, we have a duty to do just that. How much time do I have, Mr. Speaker?
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanAll right. I can manage my time. “The word Fintech describes the use of computer programmes and . . . technology to support or enable banking and/or other financial services. It represents emerging disruptive technology that has transformed how banking and financial business are used. ” So, where did that …
All right. I can manage my time. “The word Fintech describes the use of computer programmes and . . . technology to support or enable banking and/or other financial services. It represents emerging disruptive technology that has transformed how banking and financial business are used. ” So, where did that birth out of? Was it not the financial sector and businesspeople that caused the global collapse? Where were the hue and cries across that segment of society when that was taking place, when it took workers under and their wages? And people are still reeling. What is blockchain, Mr. Speaker? If anyone is not sure what blockchain is in our community, they can go to www.fintech.bm , which is out there now. And I am sure when the Mi nister and the Premier, who are probably away doing business for this country today, come back, they can address some of the things that were personally targeted at them. But in their absence, Mr. Speaker, let me say, to counter the claim by a former Premi er that this Government is not being transparent, that I can go to a website and share with persons who stop me and say, Swanny, what is this blockchain? What is this bitcoin? Bitcoin and blockchain are two different things! Blockchain . . . and I will rea d, Mr. Speaker. “A Blockchain is a shared distributed ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a business network.” Young people today, if they get technology in front of them, what do they do? They do not accept the technology that was developed by someone older; they improve upon it just by its usage. They can see that it could be improved upon. That is emerging technology. Who would that most . . .
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberBenefit?
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanBenefit ? It benefits the community. But who would it create the most fear amongst? Persons who the status quo benefits the most! And then they would come here and ask a question of the backbench to suggest, Oh, Bermud ians aren’t going to be included in that! Not hing …
Benefit ? It benefits the community. But who would it create the most fear amongst? Persons who the status quo benefits the most! And then they would come here and ask a question of the backbench to suggest, Oh, Bermud ians aren’t going to be included in that! Not hing in what the PLP has put forward has suggested that! It has gone the reverse because the MOUs, Mr. Speaker, put up front educational money. Give me a break! So, you know, it is like that song, Lying Eyes. Are you going to believe what the Government is promising? Or persons who have proven to you that they do not have your interests at heart?
TOURISM —ERODING SEASONALITY
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanFinally, in my final few minutes, Mr. Speaker (I had no intention of going there), I just want to say th at I was encouraged by some news in tourism, and the Minister of Tourism and Bermuda Tourism Authority. I saw some words that caused me to give Jack his …
Finally, in my final few minutes, Mr. Speaker (I had no intention of going there), I just want to say th at I was encouraged by some news in tourism, and the Minister of Tourism and Bermuda Tourism Authority. I saw some words that caused me to give Jack his jacket —eroding seasonality. It has been a problem for this country for many years —for decades, dare I speak. Building on non-peak periods is something that we must continue to do. But let me caution. You do not have to be prof2052 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly itable in the non- peak seasons that exist. You have to be in the game. Find a way to be in the game, and get as close to break -even as possible during the non - peak period to keep us in business so that you can maximise the peak periods. And what is that going to entail? That is going to entail finding more ways, as was mentioned in the recent press release that boasted the greater air capacity that is coming out of New York and Boston, and bearing fruit. We must look at where the potential lies for us to do just that and not just stay in Boston, not just stay in those traditional markets. Look where the opportunity is in Chicago. Look where the opportunity was prior in the Mid- Atlantic States. Look where the opportunity was in Montreal and those areas, where, in fact, we have already established relationships, but might not have the air presence. See . . . in fact, those particular jurisdictions are enjoying high levels of disposable income amongst their communities, and target them. And do not settle for that. Look at the areas down South, where, in fact, we have a presence in the international reinsurance business, because we ensure . . . tell our story in that regard. And I appreciate the success that has been shown, and I felt it my responsibility as one who has always spoken on this subject. Let me finish as I started, Mr. Speaker. A r esponsible Opposition does its homework! I learned that trying to find my way in that community of St. George’s, where we today have a Member for consti tuency 1 who does her homework when she speaks. That is why I was able to look at a press statement she put out in 2016 and know that the homework was done! But she did not come by it by accident. As I glanced my right eye in the Gallery , here sits the Dame who mentored her to do [her] homework, and I implore the former Premier when he is going to come here and try to tickle this Government up—do your homework as well! Transparency . . . you are on a bad wicket. You would need to bring Parfitt back out to get some light out of that wicket. And I know you do not support St. George’s even though you probably —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI know you St. George’s fans wish you can get Parfitt back, but those days are gone.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanAnd my darling wife Ercinda Marina Swan —and all mothers who are r esponsible for making this country what it is today. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to speak? We recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 32. The Honourable Member , Mr. Si mmons, you have the floor.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood afternoon. INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION; MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING — UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Mr. Scott SimmonsThank you so much, I will start where the Honourable Member who just spoke left off—and that is to extend to all of our mothers a wonderful Mother’s Day when it comes to certainly wishing upon them the very best as they have supported this country, have supported our young …
Thank you so much, I will start where the Honourable Member who just spoke left off—and that is to extend to all of our mothers a wonderful Mother’s Day when it comes to certainly wishing upon them the very best as they have supported this country, have supported our young people, and supported all of us. So, we love them, we appreciate them, and as we remember this day, or that day of Mother’s Day, we certainly remember them every si ngle day. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this Honourable House on this motion to adjourn because I recognise that over a period of time, being a ne w Member in this House, that from time to time we do indeed . . . how shall we say? We do indeed sometimes need a bit of guidance. And, so, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate you as it relates to procedures in this House and know that I have learned to understand t hem, and I will move forward with that in mind and I appreciate you.
Mr. Scott SimmonsMr. Speaker, the former Pre mier, former Leader of the Opposition, in my humble opinion has been rather mischievous on more than one occasion as it relates to the efforts made by this Honourable Government as it pertains to FinTech and as it pertains to our moving across with digital …
Mr. Speaker, the former Pre mier, former Leader of the Opposition, in my humble opinion has been rather mischievous on more than one occasion as it relates to the efforts made by this Honourable Government as it pertains to FinTech and as it pertains to our moving across with digital currencies and the rest. I believe that there has been much interest in the general public as it relates to thi s subject. And [for the Honourable Member] to have acted the way that he has acted on the floor of this House, on Facebook, and the way that he has conducted his affairs, has not
Bermuda House of Assembly been in a spirit of togetherness and of us all working together to move the c ountry forward. This industry, Mr. Speaker . . . and I refer to the 4th of May 2018, when the Honourable Premier gave the Ministerial Statement regarding the MOU signing of FinTech development in this House, where the Premier outlined the relationship betw een this Government and that industry —a fast -moving industry. I will backtrack just slightly, Mr. Speaker, in when this Government became the Government we recognised that we would begin to do things differently, that we would create opportunities , becaus e our commitment was to Bermudians. That commitment emphasised that there was a segment of our comm unity—a segment of our black community —that had been left out.
Mr. Scott SimmonsThere is a deficit of opportunity in our community. As a result of that, this Government moved swiftly to make sure that we acknowledged it and we did something about it. Now, Mr. Speaker, the election —the last election gave us our 24:12 majority.
Mr. Scott SimmonsWe realise the si gnificance of that responsibility and we recognise that we had to take that responsibility and use it in a positive way. The backbench in our Government, our backbench, are clear on ensuring that our Government, and the public can be assured that our Gover nment are …
We realise the si gnificance of that responsibility and we recognise that we had to take that responsibility and use it in a positive way. The backbench in our Government, our backbench, are clear on ensuring that our Government, and the public can be assured that our Gover nment are being asked to move responsibly. So what comes before this House has gone before a caucus, has gone before a backbench who are in support after long di scussions and deliberations on these issues. And so once we have done that, they come here. So, when that Minister gets up, when the Premier gets up and speaks on the issues and offers and presents what we have discussed, the backbench and all of us are in concert. This industry is a fast -moving industry. As a result, I have been satisfied and others have been satisfied that this Government has moved at that same pace. It may not be the pace that the Honour able former Premier, the Honourable Member in this House, is not in line with. He may feel that we are moving too swiftly, that we are holding meetings on specific issues and he may wish to bring something up at that meeting but feels as though with the fast pace at which it is moving he cannot discuss that because it is not on the agenda. But he could have co ntacted the Minister. He could have reached out to the Minister. I have reached out to the Minister. My consti tuents have reached out to the Minister and every ot her Minister, and they have responded. On any issue he could have done that and said, These are my co ncerns. In the spirit of bipart isanism he could have done that. But he comes into this Honourable House and begins to undermine, create doubt in our society, in our communities, and what that does . . . it disrupts, it destabilises. And it is not positive. We have asked . . . and I am the first to say this. . . I have to confess, I do not know where the Minister finds the energy. Minister Caines has had to balance . . . and I do not have to speak for Minister Caines in this House. He speaks very well for himself. I do not have to speak for the Premier. He speaks very well for himself as does the ministerial team. But I cannot emphasise enough in the balancing of our game mediation programme and balancing FinTech and all those currencies that go along with it . . . it is a difficult, diff icult job. But he does it with a tenacity that I have not seen in the past. The last time I saw that was with the Tourism Minister, David Allen, with the energy and with the drive that it took to get it done. And that is the energy that this Government has as with other Ministers, the same level of energy given to the issues. So, Mr. Speaker, he does not need me to defend him. But he has an open door as has every si ngle one of that Ministry as it relates to this issue. Not only has the Minister himself displayed the energy, but he has also displayed a measure of reserve as well in recognising that he has to bring a whole entire com-munity along. He has to make sure that the people of Bermuda, our constituents, every one of us on both sides of this House, are in line and understand what we bring. The Honourable Member just highlighted the website. It is comprehensive. I have had to go the website. I have had to comb the Internet to understand this difficult issue. But every time I contact the Minister and I ask him a specific question on this, he has got the answer —in a difficult, technical industry. This means that the Minister is conscientious. This means that this Government is conscientious and that means that the Premier is focused in on making sure that this Government team is in line and in sync with this industry going forward. So, I recognise in this Honourable House that we have to have a level of opposition, that there has to be a level of —and I will give the former Premier this—a level of discer nment, yes. But I would prefer if we would approach the Ministry, approach the Mini ster instead of coming on the floor of this House bring-ing down this Government, saying that we are not d oing this, we are not doing that, when you know for a fact that this Minister and that Ministry has enlisted the help of so many, we cannot name them all —the Bermuda Monetary Authority. The Bermuda Monetary Authority absolutely has, how shall we say . . . they have led, they have assisted. First came their offer, led and assisted, and they have done a sterling job along with others, and 2054 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly we are still questioning what they are doing and what we are doing as a Government. This is exciting stuff. Our young people feel as though for the first time in a long time, through this t echnology, that finally it looks as though something that they understand, something that they are connected to, that their Government is connected to it. Their Government is displaying energy in a field that they felt as older Bermudians, as a more mature society, have been disconnected from. We are demonstrating that we understand where the world is going and we have moved Bermuda along and created what Honourable Members have stated is the third pillar. And if it is not at the very minimum the third pillar, at least, Mr. Speaker, we have embraced an industry, moved forward with swiftness and moved forward to make sure—and discernment —to make sure that it is right for our country. We owe it to our voters. They sent us here for that—to create jobs. I do believe in the syllabus it states about 40 jobs are going to be created. I believe there is $10 million in the first instance and another $10 million from another company that is going to put in . . . there is training for Bermudians being involved. In the compliance framework there is a whole element that says, just like in these compliance departments, where banks are letting people go, [here] you aut omatically get an environment where those individuals are given an opportunity. Those who are in compl iance will get jobs in these industries. And there is a whole tier of —we do not like the word —but its own tier, a layering, a trickle- down, a movement in this country of giving people— and, Mr. Speaker, here it comes —of giving people hope.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberHear , hear!
Mr. Scott SimmonsThis Government is being i ndicted for giving people hope and matching that hope with action, with solid action that moves us along. I would insist, I would encourage the Oppos ition to be more interested in working with us as we are going forward. There is no need every …
This Government is being i ndicted for giving people hope and matching that hope with action, with solid action that moves us along. I would insist, I would encourage the Oppos ition to be more interested in working with us as we are going forward. There is no need every single time, to every time there is an issue, rather than getting on at the front end we start complaining about the c aboose. Get on the train and let us go. We appreciate he will be . . . to a degree, I recognis e what the former Premier is doing in that I recognise that there must be a layer of, how shall we say, administration that has to go along with it. He has lost a very valuable person to him and to the Oppos ition in the form of the Honourable Grant Gibbons , and his contribution to this Parliament was appreciated. However, by that same token, while we are doing the administration and while we are picking at it, let us realise that there are individuals out there who just want to know and are hoping that we m ove forward in a positive way. And that is why we are displaying the energy. And there is a flipside to this as well, Mr. Speaker . The energy that you see being put into FinTech, the energy that you see taking place, and the interest and absolute solid administration is a testament to the rest of our Ministers, a testament to the rest of us as a Government. Because we are going to give the same issues —the issues of our seniors, the issues of education, the issues of transport in our maritime, in immigratio n . . . our interests throughout our Government are going to get the same level of thor-ough examination from this Government going for-ward. So the people of Bermuda can be assured that we will absolutely meet the issues where they are. We will be discerning as it relates to those issues. We will continue as a Government to acknowledge that they as voters in this country deserve us or expect us to continue to go up in the way that we have and the way that we are. Be assured of that. And, Mr. Speaker, I said in previous stat ements that we are going to be innovative. I stated that we are going to move quickly to get things done. I have been satisfied. I recognise with what has been going on in the Ministry of Public Works, I believe we have moved quickly to address so many of the issues that we are facing from a finance point of view and that we are meeting the challenges of Bermuda on a regular basis and on a consistent basis. And we are making sure that we tick those columns of what the people on the doorstep required us to do. So, Mr. Speaker, I would encourage, yet again (and I will repeat it) . . . if we are going to do repetition tonight, or today, I am going to repeat it. I will continue to express my concern when I believe the Opposition are being mischievous and that they are cutting in just to oppose rather than us getting on board with the progress of this country. And it is not one-upmanship. We have stated as a Government (and I will finish on this) that five years have passed from the former Government. They had a lot of things that they could have done, did not do, and that they had every opportunity. The people of Bermuda spoke, and they let them know that unfortunately they were not the Government that they wanted. This Government —and this is the last time I will mention it. This Government has attached itself to progress, has realised the mandate given to us by 24:12 [election], and we are moving forward in a big way in advancing our country. The people of Bermuda have spoken. We will move past the fact that we won because we did, and we have moved swiftly forward in addressing the issues that we have been asked to do so in the election. And, Mr. Speaker, before I take my seat, I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of this Honourable H ouse to express our deepest and most sincere Happy Birthday to one of our Honourable Member s. He is vociferous in his . . . it has to do with the defence of our people in this country, and he has his target issues and he is clear in this House. So, I
Bermuda House of Assembly would like to ask that this Honourable House, on this motion to adjourn, express to him, the Honourable Ralph Commissiong, the very best on his birthday t oday. Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member , and, yes, we al l support the birthday wishes to our co lleague. I now recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 36. Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerHonourable Member Scott, you have the floor. INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATIO N; MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING — UNANSWERED QUESTIONS Hon. Michael J. Scott: Mr. Speaker, I will not be long. I wish to go out and make my way westward to attend the services for the dear Mrs. Simmons. But, …
Hon. Michael J. Scott: Mr. Speaker, I will not be long. I wish to go out and make my way westward to attend the services for the dear Mrs. Simmons. But, Mr. Speaker, I come to my feet to defend, in the way that the Honourable Member Mr. Simmons who has just taken his seat and the Honourable Member from St. George’s, Mr. Swan, have spoken to the concerns —be they genuine or disingenuous — raised by the former Premier. So, Mr. Speaker, I declare that I sat ( and still sit) on the Legal and Regulatory Authority group for cryptocurrency and, so, I have watched the space that has manifested . . . consummated itself in the formation of, and the bringing to this House of, the ICO Bill with which the former Premier, the Honourable Member Mr. Dunkley, has expressed his views just in this motion to adjourn. You know, I want to take into account, too, that during the debate —without reflecting on it, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker — [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Deputy Speaker, in the Chair] Hon. Michael J. Scott: —that during that debate, the Shadow spokesperson, spokes -Minister for Finance and the Opposition Leader, spoke on ambiguous support for this initiative in the country. And I recognise and thank her for that. So, we st ill seem to have this cognitive dissonance, though, being displayed by some Members in the personage of the Honourable Member of this House, the former Premier. So, they will have to work that dissonance out. May I say this? It is important to have co ncerns if they are genuine concerns, but certainly, when I listen to the former Premier raise the issues of the 92 per cent failure rates and secret vaults and MOUs that were not mentioned . . . in an effort to di sfigure and discolour the efforts as have been ad equately and aptly described as both adequate, passionate—by the two speakers who have come before me—for the former Premier to just isolate these three points without . . . with scant reference to the Bill itself and its content and its product and its quality is to do this: it is to build a straw man and to then proceed to knock it down. Now, as I indicated, I was on . . . well, as a Member of this House, we finally, the final manifest ation we all debated— I believe the former Premier was in the House. And for the listening public and anybody that might take anything that he was saying with any degree of seriousness, I mean, the Bill sets out on the very specific issue of knowing who the players are. It sets out that all players who come to Bermuda and o n board here, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker , produce a White Paper in terms. I mean, it talks about the initial digital asset are to publish an ICO document. That is the White Paper. Now, that is a significant paper. And, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, as I sat thr ough the motions of preparing for this final document, Mrs. Tyndale from AMLC was present, the Attorney General was represented, the Bermuda Monetary Author ity was represented by no less than Mr. Cox himself on one or two occasions in our meetings. The singular focus [of these meetings] was the platform —the rigour of the protection of this country and of our reputation by putting in place regulation, which is what the ICO Bill does. It now regulates —and we can say it to the world —ICO offerings, initial coin offerings. What a great day we have achieved. And the whole idea of this Bill and of the manifest, the preparation by the team that worked through this —
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Mr. [Deputy] Speaker — point of order.
POINT OF ORDER Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: And I am raising this just because I believe that the Member is inadvertently reflecting on a former debate. I mean, we have been talking about things that have happened since the de-bate and concerns that are raised. And, as the Member said, we do support the Bill, but now we are tal king about some other issues that came up after the Bill and I believe he is reflecting on a prior debate.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerMember, continue. Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. So, what we wanted to achiev e, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, was that this initiative, this FinTech initiative begun when we were in Opposition . . . I remember the former Leader Marc Bean began to talk about it, reminds …
Member, continue. Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. So, what we wanted to achiev e, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, was that this initiative, this FinTech initiative begun when we were in Opposition . . . I remember the former Leader Marc Bean began to talk about it, reminds me of the days when we were talking about 2056 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly the Internet and it sounded l ike something of interest. But, thanks be to God, we now have and are able to say to the world . . . which is what the Premier and the Minister of National Security are now doing, going into the market to say to the world we now have a statut ory, regulator y framework that is second to none and to give you assurance to on board into this country, cr eate jobs, create compliance opportunities, create con-cierge opportunities for on boarding companies, individuals, young people to have an opportunity to both transact, experiment, grow business in this space. So, they do so now in the context of the Bill that we dealt with under the Companies and Limited Liability Company (Initial Coin Offering) [Amendment] Act. And, as I was saying . . . so, to address my pr imary concern of the building of fearmongering straw men and then knocking them down without any refer-ence to what this initiative, this legislative initiative does is suspect at best. So, the Bill and now the framework . . . I do not wish to even suggest that I am falling into whate ver the complaint was of the Madam Opposition Lead-er. This now can be described . . . we can talk about this now as the national legislative arrangements that we have in place and we are bound to do so. We must continue to do so to assure the world that all that could possibly and humanly be achieved with this very excellent statutory, regulatory framework is in place. There are tools in place including the capacity for publishing online, the capacity to comment on any system that has been set up, initial coin offering sy stem that has been set up. There is the requirement for knowing your customer. There is the requirement to state with clear terms what amount of money is repr esented by any initial coin offering— who you are that is making the proposal to set the company up, what you propose to do. And, so, the rigour is excellent. Now, we have no doubt that, notwithstanding the rigour of the regulatory framework, there will be opportunities for managing risk by risky players and risky people. It was just the reason why the legislation that we passed was substantive, some 12 to 13 clauses of considered work was put in place. But, the rigour of the language of the Bill is such that it will be adequate to the task of meeting those who would seek to be malefactors in this space. And, as the Premier indicated as he presented the Bill, Mr. [Dep uty] Speaker, we start off in the best place by saying that we are going to seek to attract the very best of the best, and vetting procedures will be in place to achieve those objectives. So, it is concerning that the former Premier would mention these three dark areas without any reference to the Bill that he was present in the House to listen to—even Members of his own team —support and defend. Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, it is a trend that I have noticed happening in the other place by the Honourable Senator Andrew Simons. It is a concer ning trend that we see these Members of the Oppos i-tion taking on this initiative of ICOs and pouring dea dly cold water on it and looking for the worst in it when really, at the same time when our Prime Minister . . . our Premier (and, I hope that was a Freudian slip, maybe one day we will get to a Prime Minister), Acting Premier, when our Premier and the National Security Minister, the “Blockchain Minister,” are overseas pushing this initiative. So, this dissonance is inappropriate, is what I stood on my feet to say, and there is absolutely . . . I remain absolutely assured that the opportunities will on board for our young men and women, our young boys and girls, to just sit [at] desks that are being pr ovided by the Minister for Public Works, sit at desks and work up applications and create pop- ups and cr eate new engineering opportunities, will manifestly benefit the gener al aims of this Bill, which is to engage our young talent, engage our young skill set in this new industry, and it is not unrealistic for us to describe it as the third wheel. If it becomes so, then we will thank God for it. If it fails to do so, then we will have tried. But this le gislative framework, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, is a building block for the world to observe. We believe that we have achieved in just strict blackletter legislative language a model, a template that can be admired the world over. A nd the huge opportunity, far from doing the types of commentary that we see from Warren Buffett, saying that, you know, cryptocurrency is snake oil but, you know, if you read some of the other comments he is positive about it. And I can read some. I have j ust read some today. So, people like the wealthy Mr. Buffett, you know, they can say anything. One day somebody will ask them to pour freezing water on cryptocurrencies and on another day he is indicating that he believes that at the end of a certain peri od the top two coins in 2018 will be Ethereum and Ripple. So, you know, he is giving support to this space. But this effort, as indicated by the Honourable Member Mr. Simmons, and the energy displayed, r eally should not be second guessed or understated. The document which I was honoured to help shape is an excellent document, and it can go into the global space and be the tool and be a magnet for saying to the world, as the team is now doing overseas, this is a good document. It is not over -regulatory; it is friendly enough to be managed and understood. And those were precisely the words that I was privileged to hear from Mr. Changpe ng Z hao. He said it directly to me. What a privilege it was —the Binance CEO —that this is what he liked about the Bill. The more Mr. Zhaos that we have looking at and hearing from our Premier and our Minister of N ational Security and giving the stomp and making those kinds of conclusions about the ICO Bill and then d eciding to locate here, then we have made a success of this init iative, and we [will] have created the space on which to do exactly what the Government has made
Bermuda House of Assembly its mantra, you know, growth. Growth is certainly one of the mantras. Putting Bermudians first is the other one. So, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, with those words I am going to take my seat. I invite the former Premier to cease and desist from wanton disfigurement of this initiative and to come on board as we thought that was the position of the Opposition when we dealt with this matter in the House. Thank you, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker .
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerAny further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Pat Go rdon-Pamplin . You have the floor. INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION; MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING — UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Mrs. Patricia J. Gor don-PamplinThank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . It was not my intention to rise on the motion to adjourn today, but I think listening to some of the offerings of the last two Members who have taken their seats on behalf of the Government, I think one thing that we must …
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . It was not my intention to rise on the motion to adjourn today, but I think listening to some of the offerings of the last two Members who have taken their seats on behalf of the Government, I think one thing that we must bear in mind and we must not lose sight of is the responsibility that we have as an Oppos ition—as an Opposition —when there are reasons and causes for concern. We are elected not just to come and sit in this Honourable House and to debate legis lation, but to express concerns that have arisen, that have come to our attention. As the Honourable Member from [co nstituency] 24 was able to do earlier today, I say that I am here to represent my constituents. We are here to represent our constituents in particular and the larger constituency in general. In so doing, when there are concerns that come back at us, we would be remiss if we did not stand and bring those issues to the fore. The comments that were made by the Honourable Member from constituency (10 . . . Michael?) —
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinThe Honourable Member from constituency 10, former Premier, with respect to the ICO and the Memorandum of Understanding [MOU], because that is the missing link. We do not have, and have yet to have in this Honourable House, the benefit of seeing tabled the entirety of the MOU on which …
The Honourable Member from constituency 10, former Premier, with respect to the ICO and the Memorandum of Understanding [MOU], because that is the missing link. We do not have, and have yet to have in this Honourable House, the benefit of seeing tabled the entirety of the MOU on which we can then opine as to whether there is anything that we would like to add to enhance, to request further information for the benefit of Bermuda. The suggestion by the Honourable Member from [constituency] 32 that we have to, you know, hold hands and sing Kumbaya . . . yes; that is ideal. That is the ideal world. The reality is that there are things that . . . notwithstanding, we can support the principle of that which is being done, there is nothing to say that we ought to sit back and accept by saying do not bring things to the floor of the House. Go talk to the Minister in private. Do not air in public your concerns because we want to be constantly seen in good light . I understand that. I understand that philosophy.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Point of order, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker . Point of order.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Walter H. Roban: The Honourable Member is misleading the House. There is not one Member on this side of the House who suggested that they do not bring their concerns here to this House or just speak to the …
What is your point of order?
POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Hon. Walter H. Roban: The Honourable Member is misleading the House. There is not one Member on this side of the House who suggested that they do not bring their concerns here to this House or just speak to the Minister in private and not in public. No one has suggested that. And it is unfair for the Honourable Member to suggest that any Member on this side t onight has said that.
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinMr. [Dep uty]Speaker, the Hansard will show that the Honour able Member from [constituency ] 32, having just spoken, had said, you know, there was no need for the Honourable Member from [constituency] 10 to come and bring his issue to the House; he could have gone and spoken to …
Mr. [Dep uty]Speaker, the Hansard will show that the Honour able Member from [constituency ] 32, having just spoken, had said, you know, there was no need for the Honourable Member from [constituency] 10 to come and bring his issue to the House; he could have gone and spoken to the Minister. That was the context of the comment that I just made. And I am saying that, yes, he could have gone and spoken to the Minister.
[Inaudible interjections]
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinHe could have gone and spoken to the Minister. But he chose to bring the matter to the floor. As the Member from [constit uency] 24 could have gone and spoken to the Minister responsible for Planning—
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is your point of order, Member? POINT OF ORDER [Imputing improper motives] 2058 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Scott Simmons: She is imputing improper m otive. Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, clearly, I wanted to make it clear to the Honourable Member that he …
What is your point of order, Member?
POINT OF ORDER [Imputing improper motives]
2058 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Scott Simmons: She is imputing improper m otive. Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, clearly, I wanted to make it clear to the Honourable Member that he simply, once reading the MOU, could have simply phoned the Mi nister and had a discussion with him rather than coming on the floor of this House and stressing what he stressed. I was not saying that he should not come here and do that. I simply said he had an opportuni ty that he did not take. That is what bipartisanism is, and that is when you can work together. That was the point.
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinMr. [Deputy] Speaker, had we had that level of cooperati on and concern over the course of our five years of Gover nment, we would have probably seen a country that would have progressed a lot quicker and a lot better. I will leave it at that. I will leave …
Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, had we had that level of cooperati on and concern over the course of our five years of Gover nment, we would have probably seen a country that would have progressed a lot quicker and a lot better. I will leave it at that. I will leave it at that b ecause what is very interesting . . . what i s very interesting is that from 1998 until 2012 we had to endure that which the previous Government chose to use to direct and guide and govern the country. It was their position while they were there to do that which they chose to do. And we had to accept that. In the five - year period of time in the interim, our responsibility was to clean up a lot of the financial mess and to keep us from the brink of the financial disaster which was created during those fourteen years. So, now, having had to make decis ions that were not popular and that did not resonate with the electorate caused them to determine that they wanted a different Government. Now, we are coming back in here after the new election of July of last year. We now have come back with a resounding support for the Government from the population of Bermuda with a 24:12 return in seats in this Honourable House to say that this is the Government that they wish to have. And that [decision] we respect. The one thing we do not do is second guess the electorate. So, we respect the choices that have been made in that regard. But in that respect, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, I am going to say that I will never stand and fail to uphold my responsibility to question those things where there are questions. And it is not that I have any aver-sion to speaking to a Minister, or to calling somebody up and saying, What is the situation with respect to this? and getting answers. It still does not preclude standing on the floor of this House to let our constit uents know that not only have we had conversations one-on-one with Ministers to answer our questions that may satisfy us, but that we are also bringing those answers to the attention of the general public so that they know that we are also looking out for the concerns that they may have expressed to us. Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, the prior debate—I am not going to reflect on the debate, but the circum-stances surrounding the debate on the ICO —actually gave us an opportunity to listen to the Premier who then went off to say that he was in the process of going off to sign an MOU. We did not have details of that MOU at that point in time. We did not know who the individuals were, or any details concerning it. But as the Honourable Member from [constituency] 1 (or from 2) had the opportunity to look at the Internet and to see what was contained on the site of www.fintech.bm , others have also had the opportunity to look at the Internet. And when you look and you see that som ebody has come to Bermuda with the idea of establis hing a conglomerate, as it were, or . . . not even a conglomerate, to establish a business in a new space that is still fledgling, from our perspective, which we also have to determine and ascertain whether our reput ation was not going to be impacted or impinged. That was the important thing for us as a Government, as an Opposition, as a Parliament. We should be ensured that the pristine reputation that Bermuda has enjoyed and has been able to develop over time was always going t o be protected. So, when one looked at the Internet, in terms of the individuals surrounding that particular MOU, and saw that in an eight -month period of time an individual had amassed a billion- plus dollar conglomerate, then the first thing you had to s ay was, Okay, you have to admire a new technology . . . somebody has taken full advantage. Applaud that 100 per cent. Then, you look and you say that within that context the individual had set up an organisation in one jurisdiction, moved it to a different jurisdiction and now was looking to Bermuda to move it to a third jurisdiction . . . if that in and of itself did not cause alarm bells . . . not necessarily negative, but certainly questions, because if I start to go from point A to point B to point C, t hen certainly people are going to say to me, What is she trying to do? Let us follow and connect the dots . I am not suggesting that there is anything clandestine go-ing on. I am just saying that a prudent person would look at the lineage of what is being ex perienced and determine whether there is any cause for concern. Then we heard that there was going to be $10 million put into the education system. And $10 million to some people is an awful lot of money. Certainly, in the context of our budget, it is an awful lot of money. But to people who deal —
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Point of order, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker .
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is your point of order, Deputy? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Walter H. Roban: The Honourable Member is misleading the House. I do not believe that the stat eBermuda House of Assembly ment was that they are putting any $10 million into the education system. They are providing funding …
What is your point of order, Deputy?
POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Walter H. Roban: The Honourable Member is misleading the House. I do not believe that the stat eBermuda House of Assembly ment was that they are putting any $10 million into the education system. They are providing funding for education within the space of digital technology and trai ning. So, the Honourable Member . . . they are not gi ving money to our budget. They are providing money in the community to educate people in this particular FinTech space.
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinIt is perhaps the same thing stated slightly different. But it is $10 million being made available for education. So that is . . . I am not saying putting $10 million into the Consolidated Fund. I said putting $10 million into education. And that is the comment that was …
It is perhaps the same thing stated slightly different. But it is $10 million being made available for education. So that is . . . I am not saying putting $10 million into the Consolidated Fund. I said putting $10 million into education. And that is the comment that was made by the Minister, of $10 million. And I am sa ying that only to say . . . and I do not necessarily need to belabour that point, but I say that to say that $10 million sounds like an awful lot of money. But to somebody who has amassed a billion dollars in eight months . . . $10 million is a drop in the bucket. So, what we want to make sure of is that in the context of our being on the receiving end of such largess, we want to make sure that our reputation is not being sold for $10 million, because it is important, it is so important, to our —
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerWhat is your point of order, Member? POINT OF ORDER
Mr. Christopher FamousMr. [Deputy ] Speaker, I want to know from the Honourable Member from co nstituency 22 [sic ], what did we have to go through to get the MOU for Aecon?
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinIf I was speaking about Aecon, then I would be happy to address that particular point. At the moment I am speaking of the matter that is instant, and the instant matter is that with respect to the ICO. The Honourable Member can ask me any question at any point …
If I was speaking about Aecon, then I would be happy to address that particular point. At the moment I am speaking of the matter that is instant, and the instant matter is that with respect to the ICO. The Honourable Member can ask me any question at any point in time, I would be happy to give him that answer. I am not using my time based on something that he chooses to play , you know, shuck and jive. I am not going to do that. But let me just say that the responsibility that we have in . . . and I am not trying to impute improper motive. That is the one thing that I said earlier, that I want to ensure that when we embrace s omething that is new, that is not tried and tested, that we are not running the risk of undermining that which our country has stood for from time immemorial. Having a pristine financial reputation with nothing on the manufacturing front, nothing else to offer, other than our intellectual capacities and abilities, is what we have to protect. And if we take even . . . if we miss even one finite, one tiny step in that process, we can find ourselves undermining all that the Government is now attempting to do. And that certainly . . . I will not sit back and watch our reputation being sullied or undermined b ecause we as a legislature may have failed to look at one particular issue. So, if the issue comes up, I am not going to say that the Honourable Member s ought not to bring it up. They have the responsibility to bring it up because it is of concern as to what is going on. So let me just say that, you know, I am appreciative to Minister Caines because he did afford the opportunity for us to sit in round- table d iscussions in terms of looking at, preparing for legislation that was already passed. I will not reflect on it, but having that opportunity is som ething that we were able to do. And perhaps . . . I would not say unprecedented because I know that we have done that, certainly, when we were the Gover nment, but certainly reaching out to the Opposition in order to be able to explain what is attempting to be done. It did not stop us from coming to the floor of the House and expressing the concerns that came up as a result of the meeting. So, even to suggest as I was made to understand from last week that you could have brought up the questions that you had over in that meeting . . . if the questions were appr opriate to be brought on the floor of the House, this i s what we have to make the determination of. And, then, you know, we get answers. And if the answers are satisfactory we accept them, and if the answers are left wanting, we just ask for further information so that we have clarity of thought and clarity of purpose because that is the responsibility that we bring to this Honourable House. I also wanted to say that Minister Caines had indicated in his presentation before that my younger son was one of those people who kind of gave him some insight and apprec iation as to the technology. So, I only say that to say that within the space of both blockchain technology, ICOs, and everything relating thereto, I perhaps have had more explanation (I would not say understanding, I have had more explanation) of what the technology is and does and could do than perhaps many may have at that point in time. B ecause when you have young people who have an i nterest in this particular area, they can see the areas in which they can actually become engaged in an area of their exp ertise. So I applaud the Honourable Member Caines because I was able to share with my son that however little contribution he may have believed to have been making, it clearly made an impact on the Minister sufficient for him to have made specific reference thereto. 2060 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly And I think that at times when we spend money as parents educating our children and we see our kids coming back and we are saying, you know, What are they doing with my money (and they have been over there and they are not a brain surgeon), but , Where has my money gone? The bottom line is that there is impact that they are having, that things that they are learning that they are then able to impart for the betterment of their country. I say all that to say, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, that I will not sit back, curl up, roll over and acquiesce because somebody says that I should. I will continue, as I have done for the 20 years, nearly 20 years, that I have spent in this Honourable House to question those things that are brought before us, because it i s important to know that everything that we do in this House . . . our names will all be attached to it in perpetuity. So, when you leave this House, when som ebody looks at the Hansards it would be the Honour able Deputy Speaker Burgess said A, B, C, X, Y, Z. It is not just going to be the House of Assembly said. Your reputation and your legacy will rest on those things on which you stand. And the principles that we espouse in this Honourable House are the things that will follow us to our graves. And I want to ensure that when I walk out of here and take my final walk to be put six feet under, or wherever I am going to end up being, I want to make sure that my legacy is such that it can be seen that I have given to this House and to this country my honest a nd level best. I will not do so by shrinking, being a shrinking violet. I will not do so by pressing my face precariously against somebody, the wrong part of somebody’s anatomy. I will do so by standing up and being forthright; by saying exactly what it is that I believe to be appropriate and by repr esenting those people who have put me here.
BERMUDA PASSPORTS
Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -PamplinThat said, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, I have just one other comment that I would really like to make, and I hope I have a couple of minutes to do so. And that is with respect to the issue of passports. I have noted the Minister . . . I …
That said, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, I have just one other comment that I would really like to make, and I hope I have a couple of minutes to do so. And that is with respect to the issue of passports. I have noted the Minister . . . I know he is still around, it would be interesting to find out where we stand. You will know that we have a situation with r espect to immigr ation in which the UK Government HMPO [ Her Majesty's Passport Office] took over the processing of Bermuda passports and in so doing it created a problem for Bermudians in that the new passports have a designation of GBD as opposed to BMU. There are people whose passports are expiring, have expired. They have acquired the new passports and are still experiencing difficulty in trying to traverse boundaries from points foreign through the United States in order to come home. I was very pleased this last week end, having come through China on my way home from a seminar which I was attending, to know that the Immigration Officer had no difficulty with my BMU. But I got into the United States and I . . . you know, it was very i nteresting because I thought to be as far afield as China, and somebody recognising that BMU was not a problem for me to have a visa- free access into the United States on my way back home . . . I was very excited about that. However, it has not helped the people who have GBD as a designati on on their passports. The Minister had indicated at Budget time that he would have a resolution that was imminent and here we are. It is now, you know, three months down the road. Well, no, it is not three months from Budget, but certainly three months si nce he made the commitment that we would have a resolution that we have yet to see any specific progress. I would like for the Minister to be able to let the country know that this matter is being pursued actively, that we are robustly looking at ensuring that our citizens are not being left impacted, being left at borders or having challenges trying to traverse through the United States from points foreign in order to return home. The issue is critical to us, especially when we have, you know . . . well, we have had the commitment. We do not know what the negotiations have produced. I can say that at the end of January when I led the Public Accounts Committee in consultations with the CPA in the UK, we had the opportunity to speak to some of the Ministers there who were a pprised of the challenges which we were having with respect to our passports, and they had actually r equested that we pursue it by ensuring that they got all of the pertinent information so that they could look into it further. I did pas s the information on when I returned. But it is important for us to know that this is actually being addressed because it is creating unnecessary hardships in certain circumstances. Thank you, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker .
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, Honoura ble Member. Any further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Rolfe Commissiong.
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongMr. [Deputy ] Speaker, I want to thank you for acknowledging me, and I want to thank the Honourable Member from [constitue ncy] 32 for hi s kind expressions of best wishes on the occasion of my birthday. I am 61 years old. [Inaudible interjections] Bermuda House of Assembly INITIAL …
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongAnd I am reminded that we must make our contributions while we have time to do so. Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, I have been listening to some Members on the other side talk about the potential reputational risk inherent in opening up this new frontier around issues of FinTech, and …
And I am reminded that we must make our contributions while we have time to do so. Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, I have been listening to some Members on the other side talk about the potential reputational risk inherent in opening up this new frontier around issues of FinTech, and blockchain more specifically. The ICO as being the initial coin offering template by which those types of activities are going to be able to be regulated in Bermuda. But, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, some of this rings a little hollow to me, as we have been constantly r eminded over the last five years of the reputational damage being done to our economy on the part of global organisations like the European Union and now even in the UK with r espect to companies that are domiciled here but have no physical presence. A type of business that law firms such as Appleby and CD&P have done very well for themselves in facilitating.
UK ACTION ON BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongYou will note that the new candidate for the OBA, Mr. James [sic] Pearman is a very prominent lawyer. A scion of the Pearman family that was one of the key families out of maybe two or three that started that law firm. Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, I would hazard …
You will note that the new candidate for the OBA, Mr. James [sic] Pearman is a very prominent lawyer. A scion of the Pearman family that was one of the key families out of maybe two or three that started that law firm. Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, I would hazard to guess that whatever they found at Appleby would perhaps pale in comparison to CD&P. The foremost threat reputationally to Bermuda, even to the extent of eliciting an emerging constitutional crisis as evidenced by what is coming out of the UK, giving us 18 months to put in place a public registry of companies conducting business here—most of w hich, again, are found within the files of the CD&Ps and the Applebys and the Cox and Wilkinsons and the Wak efields and Quins, I guess. Giving us 18 months to put that in place or they are prepared to put forth an Order in Council to mandate that we do so. Now, we are clear on this side. Our Premier has stated that this is a bridge too far for us. We will see how it plays out. But my point, again, is where are the voices on that side when it comes to the reput ational damage of those law firms to Bermuda’s wellbeing, economically? These measures are not being directed against our established reinsurance and i nsurance sector. No! That is where our vulnerability is right now.
UPCOMING BYE -ELECTION
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongYou know it is interesting, Mr. [Dep uty] Speaker, I heard Mr. Pearman . . . I am getting a little political here, but it is a political season. We have our bye- election coming up. I heard Mr. Pearman use a phrase I think may have been coined on …
You know it is interesting, Mr. [Dep uty] Speaker, I heard Mr. Pearman . . . I am getting a little political here, but it is a political season. We have our bye- election coming up. I heard Mr. Pearman use a phrase I think may have been coined on this side by a former Premier, maybe Alex Scott , that Bermuda works [best] when we work together. The problem with Anglo- Saxon Bermuda (of which he epitomises) is that they do not mind working with us as long as it is on their terms. Let us get real here! Jim Woolridge almost said as much 20 years ago.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberHe wrote as much!
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongHe wrote as much. What signal does the OBA send? What is the real signal that Mr. Pearman is sending? That it is business as usual . That the old model that informed the formation of the UBP is alive and well. Because if Mr. Pearman wanted to work together …
He wrote as much. What signal does the OBA send? What is the real signal that Mr. Pearman is sending? That it is business as usual . That the old model that informed the formation of the UBP is alive and well. Because if Mr. Pearman wanted to work together to break with that past he would have done what Jonathan Smith did and join the PLP. So, let us be a little bit fairer here and evenminded on both sides with respect to this issue of rep-utational damage. We have an example of real reputational damage, as I have just outlined, vis-à-vis prospective . . . potential for, or potential for reputational damage with respect to this new exciting line of bus iness opportunity that Bermuda is seeking to take advantage of. We have not shied away from this. We know that it is not risk free, as with most endeavours in life. The industry is looking for a safe harbour. Not a safe harbour to do the wrong things, a safe harbour that is going to be regulated so t hat the business can mature and grow. Now, I want to talk about the political schiz ophrenia which is still evident on the other side. And I am going to give credit to the current Opposition Leader and those in her party . . . in the faction of the party which is backing her leadership. And I hate to say it like that , because they have exhibited, I think, fine examples (in the plural) of bipartisanship around key important issues, and even on this one. I heard someone say cognitive dissonance. Well, cogni tive dissonance is surrounding that same faction in that political alliance, the UBP faction, which continues to masquerade by projecting that they are looking out for the public interests, when, in reality (again, with their high- sounding rhetoric), too often, when one just digs a little bit under the surface, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, it is really about defending their own naked economic self -interests. I am going to close right now because I think I have said all I need to say today. [Inaudible interjectio ns]
Mr. Rolfe CommissiongThat’s right. What I am going to say right now is, Mr. and Mrs. Bermuda up in constituency 25, you have a fine candidate there and you need to get out and vote. Mr. and Mrs. Bermuda in constituency 22, you have another fine candidate. Let’s get out and vote …
That’s right. What I am going to say right now is, Mr. and Mrs. Bermuda up in constituency 25, you have a fine candidate there and you need to get out and vote. Mr. and Mrs. Bermuda in constituency 22, you have another fine candidate. Let’s get out and vote 2062 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly and show that a sum of privilege in more ways than one cannot just get up into the all Anglo- Saxon seat called Paget East, one that they must control for time immemorial, and walk right in without any experience besides perhaps being a member of the branch, and come into this Chamber. Let’s send them a message as well in [constituency] 22. Curtis Richardson is a fine Bermudian, an excellent candidate by any measure. Please go out there and support him too. Thank you, Mr. [D eputy] Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerAny further speakers? The Chair recognises the Leader of the O pposition, Mrs. Atherden. You have the floor. UPCOMING BYE -ELECTION Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, and I cannot say that I did not intend to speak, because I did not. But usually something is said and it …
Any further speakers? The Chair recognises the Leader of the O pposition, Mrs. Atherden. You have the floor.
UPCOMING BYE -ELECTION Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, and I cannot say that I did not intend to speak, because I did not. But usually something is said and it prompts you to decide that it is important. There has been a range of statements made here today, and I am going to just try and address them all as best I can. I am going to start with the last one with respect to talking about the candidates that are going to be vying in this next bye- election. I am really pleased that each party has put forward good candidates. And I think that from our perspective Justin Mathias and Mr. Pearman are good candidates and they represent persons that their constituents should vote for and allow them to be in the House. The reason I especially think it would be good for Mr. Pearman to be in the House is because if he is here in the House he will then be able . . . and I can jump up and say point of order, the Member is impu ting improper motives to the Member in the House. I cannot jump up and say that because Mr. Pearman is not in the House right now. But I believe it is unfort unate for someone to turn and mak e reference to an individual just because they want to talk about what business he has been in, or his family, et cetera. And you know, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I remember, be-cause it was a quote that came to mind, and I must state this because sometimes we have the tendency to look at quotes in one way, but they can go another. Do you remember a very important person to all of us who made a [statement] that said, Judge a man not by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character ? Well, that goes both ways. And I am certain that when that person, that very important, honoured individual said that, he was looking at all of us looking at individuals and making sure that we judge them by their character. And if we start doing more of that here and eve rywhere around the world, we will start having better results and understand that with mutual respect we will be able to achieve much more because we have more in common than separates us. Now, having said that, there are a couple of other things that I j ust need to mention.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: With respect to the ICO and with respect to the new legislation that is going to be debated, I think we all understand, and I said this when I stood up, that we want to see a third pillar in our economy. We know that by diversifying we not only generate more revenue and we reduce the risk related to concentration that sometimes happens if you only have two and something goes wrong with one and then you are really dependent . . . so we know that. But also, we know that the Government has stated and we accept and support the fact that it also wants to allow more jobs to come to the Island. More jobs are necessary. More jobs are necessary, but equally, more jobs are necessary that Bermudians can have more of. Without having Bermudians getting enough of those jobs, you create that environment where people then say, Okay, Bermudian disparity, and we’re not enough. So we are mindful of that. And that is why we are supporting the concept in principle. But that does not mean that we are not su pposed to raise questions about how things are impl emented and how things are regulated. And I say that to anybody within the sound of my vo ice because I know, and I read, just like other people read, that in some instances you see some of the countries that we talked about were some of the first countries to get into the ICOs and get into the cryptocurrency and the regulation. You see some of them have just recently started to modify the regulations because they found that once they were there, there were some changes. In Singapore, and other places they found . . . and I say Singapore because I know that in some cases Singapore was one of the locations we were looking at. They found that there were gaps that allowed pe ople to go through and take advantage of them to the detriment of the people who were investing in the i ndustries. So I am saying that to raise questions at the time is appropr iate. To raise questions after is also appropriate because sometimes it is actually when things have taken place that you suddenly realise that there is a gap. So we should not be turning around just because someone raises a question and impute an improper motive, as if to say you do not want us to get ahead, because we do.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanPoint of order, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] B ermuda House of Assembly The Deputy Speaker: What is your point of order, Member?
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanThe Honourable Member, I think inadvertently, is misleading the House because this side of the House had no problem with what she actually has been saying in this space. The concern has come because of one of her Members, the former Leader, definitely imputed improper motives on the Premier of …
The Honourable Member, I think inadvertently, is misleading the House because this side of the House had no problem with what she actually has been saying in this space. The concern has come because of one of her Members, the former Leader, definitely imputed improper motives on the Premier of the country, and said that this Government is not being transparent. I rose to my feet and went on the Internet and pointed out and was able to educate people in this space. So the Honourable Member needs to be concerned about the duplicity from that side.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerTake your seat. Continue Member. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. So, I want to once again reiterate . . . and I say that because I tried to make sure, and I would like to think that our Members try to make sure that they will …
Take your seat. Continue Member.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. So, I want to once again reiterate . . . and I say that because I tried to make sure, and I would like to think that our Members try to make sure that they will raise concerns in what I call a positive manner, that we will try and bring things that, when we raise them . . . many of these things are things that the pu blic are out there asking us as well. They are asking us what this means. They read, and they see things that happen and they ask, Could that happen in Bermuda? What are we doing to protect ourselves? As we all say, our reputation has been what has made us ––as a country, this little small Island—be, i f you will, the risk capital of the world because it has been the reputation that we have had in terms of how we introduce things, how we looked at making sure that we are not rushing out there and just being either the first or getting the maximum. I know if I looked at some countries (and I will not list them), they will talk about how many listings they have, and they are up in the thousands when our listings are not [as numerous], and they generate lots of money because that is how they have done it. But we have been very deliberate in getting into these i ndustries, putting in our regulations, looking at what has happened in other places, and trying to make sure that we protect our reputation. But at the same time we try to make sure that we are as welcoming as possible. And I know that we have always had this di scussion about more red- carpet and less red tape. And I know that that is a fine balance because the balance is if you do not do it correctly, just by putting out the red carpet you might end up not putting out enough red tape and, therefore, in the end you create a prob-lem. So all I wanted to say, as I got up to just wrap up from this side, is that we will continue to support what we believe are good things, that the . . . we will continue to support initiatives which the Government put s forward for the people of Bermuda because we want Bermuda to be able to be vibrant. We want Ber-muda to be able to have the jobs. And I would like to think that when we are in this House and we raise our concerns, that people will believe that we are raising them with the purest of motives in the sense that we want to make sure that we are not overlooking som ething and, therefore, we will not have people feeling that we are deliberately trying to sabotage something or we are not supportive. I also do not want us start getting to what I call the dividing and conquering, because I see some of that coming in. Everybody has a right to their opinion; everybody has a right to raise a concern. I would like to think that as we go forward we will continue to raise them in terms of the finest motives. With respect to anything that is outside of here, any individuals that are not yet in this House, I would like to think that we will always believe that everybody that is getting i nvolved puts themselves forward because they want to represent the country and they want to be able to talk in these confines. And I would like to think that . . . and we have been doing this. And I hope it will continue. The level of discourse that we have had has been much more focused at a higher level, and I would like to think that we will continue to do that. And I also understand that people can raise concerns. But I just do not want us to start getting into what I call deliberately maligning people’s characters, or believing that we are not su pportive. So, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I look forward to when we get together again. Thank you.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThank you, Member. The Chair recognises the Honourable Member, Mr. Famous. INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION; MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING — UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Mr. Christopher FamousGood afternoon, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Good afternoon to my colleagues and most of all, good afternoon to the listening public of Bermuda. Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, allow me to read kind of a long quote for a second. “If the Negro is to be free, he must move down into the …
Good afternoon, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Good afternoon to my colleagues and most of all, good afternoon to the listening public of Bermuda. Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, allow me to read kind of a long quote for a second. “If the Negro is to be free, he must move down into the inner resources of his own soul and sign with a pen and ink of self -assertive” (a key word) “self - assertive manhood his own emancipation proclam ation. “Don’t let anybody take your manhood. Be proud of our heritage . . . we don’t have anything to be ashamed of. “Somebody told a lie one day. They couched it in language. They made everything Black ugly and 2064 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly evil. Look in your dictionaries and see the synonyms of the word Black. It’s always something degrading and low and sinister. Look at the word White, it’s always something pure, high, and clean. Well I want to get the language right tonight. “I want to get the language so right that ev eryone her e will cry out: ‘Yes, I’m Black, I’m proud of it. I’m Black and I’m beautiful!” Mr. Deputy Speaker, people often quote Martin Luther King, [Jr.] with this, Oh, let’s not judge a man by the content of his eyes and his character. Why do they never quote that? Because they want us all to feel like everything is cool, when we know quite well in this country that everything ain’t cool. Let me move on, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. Last week I talked about colonial mind- sets. And the thing about mind- sets is that they do not dissipate within one week; they remain in somebody’s mind because that is the essence of who they are. Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, allow me to read som ething from a reply from a column written by the Ho nourable Rolfe Commissiong, talking about income [in]equality. I will just read one paragraph of the reply. “Why is there no surprise that incomes differ from one race to another, one age to another, one sex to another, one size of feet to another, one nationality to another, one level of education to another, or any other group comparison? Such comparisons are tota lly irrelevant except to bonehead politicians. An em-ployer who pays too much or is compelled to pay too much because of union pressure” (I repeat that, because of union pressure) “is not likely to remain in business for long. Not for the first time does Mr. Commissiong speak financial garbage.” Now, I am not going to read out who wrote that, but it is one of my constituents who I am quite sure did not vote for me. Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, there is a comparison that there is an income disparity because, well, there are more whites in IB [international business] than blacks. So let’s drill down a little further. In Bermuda there are more blacks with master’s degrees than whites. So, again, how is it t hat more whites are in IB when more blacks are qualified? Structural racism. You see, the question we have to ask ourselves again is, why are there more whites in the higher end jobs than blacks? Is it because blacks are not qualified? Well, no; that is no t it. Is it because blacks do not want to get paid more? No, that is not it. It goes back to structural racism. Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, let me address som ething. The former Leader of the OBA obviously does not read the tea leaves. I wish he was here, but he is gone. Does he not see that the United Kingdom is out to put us out of business, is out to try to close down our financial sector? Those same high- paying IB jobs, if the United Kingdom has their way, not to say that they are going to disappear, but they are going to lessen. So what do we have to do to provide food on the table for our people, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker? We are trying to do our best with tourism, but that is li mited. We have to find another sector. So here we are as a Government and as former O pposition talking about FinTech, acting on FinTech, putting things in place. And every week the Shadow Minister of National Security is up here ba dmouthing FinTech, badmouthing blockchain. Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, allow me to read something (again), if possib le. “United Nations Partners with Crypto Startup to Explore Blockchain. “On Thursday, the world was informed that a cryptocurrency wallet startup, ‘Blockchain’, has par tnered with the United Nations to look into the various applications of blockchain tec hnology. More specifically, the U.K.- based startup and the United Nations will be looking into using blockchain for areas such as natural resource conservation and protecting dem ocratic systems.” Now, I am wondering if the OBA is going to start point of ordering the United Nations next, b ecause they are looking into blockchain. So why, when the PLP is doing it, is it a problem? Always a problem with whatever we do. Fast ferries are a problem. Building housing for Bermudians is a problem. Ever ything is a pr oblem that the PLP does for these people. Why? Because what we are doing is helping the common man to rise up, but it is a problem to them. Why is that? Colonial mind- sets. That’s all I want to say.
UPCOMING BYE -ELECTION
Mr. Christopher FamousNow, I a m going to move on, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. While canvassing over the last few weeks in Warwick, we have spoken to hun-dreds of Bermudians. As you know . . . well, maybe you would not know because you are in God’s country, constituency 25 is a seat …
Now, I a m going to move on, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. While canvassing over the last few weeks in Warwick, we have spoken to hun-dreds of Bermudians. As you know . . . well, maybe you would not know because you are in God’s country, constituency 25 is a seat of mixed demographics. Just like you have mixed vegetables, you have mixed demographics —some black, some white; some rich, some poor; some St. George’s, some that other team. In speaking with the residents we have found there are some staunch PLP, some who are staunch that other team. Then there are those who we call swing voters, those that effectively change seat from one party to another. Again, you may not know that, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, because you are down in God’s country, but speaking as someone from a swing seat, it is very critical to speak to every single voter. And that is what we are doing in constituency 25 day and night, knocking on every door. So I want the listening public to know if you live in constituency 25 and we have not seen you, we will see y ou. Now, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, in speaking to one such swing voter, they passionately stated the following points: the OBA are irrelevant; the PLP are now the Government; the PLP now have no one to
Bermuda House of Assembly blame; the PLP now have to be Government for all Bermudians; the PLP now have to be both the Government and the Opposition. I repeat, the OBA are irrelevant, which leads me to this point, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, accountability. We hear the words “transparency,” “accoun tability,” blah, blah, blah, right? That is on a high level, legislation, policies. But let’s bring it down to the local level, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, because as you know, all politics are local. Hey Cousin. What you doing, cousin? Come to my funeral , cousin. All politics are local. On Wednesday, Mr. Curtis Dickinson and m yself went to see Ms. Karen Butterfield , a.k.a., the mayor of Morgan Road. Here is photographic proof in case people want to say I am lying. Exhibit A. She laid out in no uncertain terms what the people of Warwick are expecting from Mr. Dickinson. I suspect it is the same thing in God’s country, up the country, down the country. They want frequent visits. They want to see the local concerns addressed. They do not want to hear, Oh, I’m too busy; I’m in a meeting. They do not want to hear, Oh well, I will get the Minister to look into it. They want action. Oh, and they also want you to come to their granny’s funeral. You see, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I am going to speak objectively today. Some of my colleagues may get a little perturbed an d, I don’t know, what’s happening. But anyway . . . you see, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, often we get in these nice leather seats up here and feel comfortable and we are like, Oh, it’s Friday. We are wearing our nice suits and all of that. And that’s good. But s ome of us sometimes forget how we got here. We did not vote for ourselves to get here. I ca nnot vote for myself. I am not registered in the constit uency that I represent. So I have to rely on 513 people to vote for me. You see? Those 513 people voted for me the same way they voted for, I don’t know, 700 people for constituency 1, 600 for constituency 2, 800 for constituency 5. Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, to my colleagues on both sides of this table, let us remember it is our vot-ers who put us here. We have to knock on every door, right? At least once a year. We cannot get compl acent. The people are relying on us to be both the Government and the Opposition because, as they say, the OBA is irrelevant. So, let us remember that, colleagues. Knock on doors. Put on yo ur shoes. The people voted for us. My second point, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, goes to us being both the Government and the Opposition. It is quite new for some of us. We are used to being the Opposition, now we are the Government. But what we are seeing here today, over the last few months, is that we have to be both the Government and the O pposition because every week there is only one person, primarily, speaking on behalf of the OBA. And it seems that all they are doing is just digging, digging, digging, dig ging. They are not offering, as the Hon-ourable Member from constituency 2 said, any sol utions. They have to find a way to be an Opposition. I know it is going to be a challenge when you are down to 11, or 10, but you have got to find your way b ecause that is what democracy demands. But in the meantime, the Robin Hood corner will be the Opposition. So what I expect from my colleagues, those of us who are on the frontbench, the backbench, and the ever -growing Robin Hood corner, we have to do what the public expects of us. We have to assist our Ministers, because they do not know ev erything. The technical officers do not know everything. Some of the best advice, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, comes from those people on the ground. And when we bring those suggestions to them, it is for the Mini sters to listen and understand that there may be anot her option. I am going to move on, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, to the voters of Warwick and, indeed, the whole I sland, we on the front benches, we on the backbenc hes, and we in the Robi n Hood corner will be sure to knock on every door. We will ensure frequent visits. We are going to ensure robust in- house discussion on legislation. And we will be the Government and the Opposition to all Bermudians. Because carrying that load of 24:12, soon to be 25:11, 26:10, comes with responsibility. It is not just about what we are going to put on our T -shirts in four weeks; it is about what we do between now and the next election and every day after that. Sometimes we have, as you know, Mr. [Dep uty] Speaker, robust in- house discussion and we sort things out between ourselves. So when we come here on Friday we are able to present, unlike others, a united front. And we are able to present the best options for the people of Bermuda. So I say to the curr ent Opposition Leader, you have a heavy task, Madam Opposition Leader. Not unlike other parties, you have in- house factions. Let’s not scatter around the issue. This is Bermuda. We know what is going on. But, at the same time, I would encourage you and your other Members that when they get up to speak they come with some solutions. Because if all you are coming with are accusations or innuendo against this party, you are always going to be on the losing end. Your party has to go through a metamorphosis. I do not know what it is, but when I saw that video, Oh, we are not going to be defined by race , . . . I said, Okay. Wow. That’s good. But then I saw what the s elections were for your candidates. And it goes right back to the usual. Get the guy with connecti ons, the guy whose family came over on the Sea Venture, give him the safest seat. The guy who ain’t got those co nnections, yes, let him get up in constituency 25 and fly the flag and get beat up. But that’s cool. Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I have been around f or a few by e-elections, and in particular, one on December 20, 2016. I saw with my own eyes a by e-election 2066 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly candidate for constituency 26 before the polls closed, that person was in the tent by herself literally left in the dark. We had to go over and say, Come on over to our tent, feel the love. How is it you send somebody into the fire and give them no support? That is why people do not want to run for the OBA. Not just because of its racist legacy, but the fact that here we go again. Privileged people wer e getting privileged work. Odds are . . . I am a betting man. Odds are the OBA has a better chance in [constituency] 22. I ain’t saying they are going to win, but a better chance. And who gets that spot ? I am seeing Senator Mathias up and down, up and dow n for the last year. What does he get? Throw him to the wolves. So I am saying, Opposition Leader, if your party is not going to be defined by race, before May 24 th you have an opportunity to switch your candidates. Somehow I do not think you are going to do it because, I don’t know, someone else may be calling the shots. But if you want your party to change, or seen to be changed, the behaviour has to change. Stop the colonial mind- set of letting the rich white people always be in charge. Stop the colonial mind - set of giving the rich white people the prized seats. You are down to 11 seats come next month; 10, ma ybe. As you bring in more new blood, who is going to get constituency 8? Who is going to get constituency 12? Is it going to be yet another rich whi te guy? Who is going to get constituency 19, which is going to be a swing seat in the next election? These are the things that you all really have to look at between yourselves. When you are going to quote Martin Luther King, [Jr.], quote what I just read. Absorb what I just read. The Negro has to be self -confident. Be the leader. So, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I am going to close up here because in two hours’ time I am going to be out canvassing along with my colleagues. And we want to remind the people of Ber muda that we have not forgotten that you put us in these leather seats, you put us in these nice ministries. That is who we are. That is the essence of who this party is. Thank you, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerAny further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member from constituency 1, Mrs. Renee Ming.
Mrs. Renee MingGood afternoon, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. I will not be long up here today, but I did feel the need to stand to my feet today and have a bit of a conversation. But bef ore I do, I just want to give two congratulatory shout -outs, as I was unforeseeably …
Good afternoon, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker. I will not be long up here today, but I did feel the need to stand to my feet today and have a bit of a conversation. But bef ore I do, I just want to give two congratulatory shout -outs, as I was unforeseeably delayed this morning. One of them is to your cousin, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Mr. Dage Minors, who is finishing up his time at Franklin Pierce University. He has 21 conference t itles under his belt. So that is definitely a feat. If you do not know the name, Dage Minors was the first Bermudian to win the Front Street Mile in Jan uary.
[Desk thumping]
Mrs. Renee MingSo we congratulate him as he moves on to his next step, whate ver those next steps are, but obviously he knows he has the support that goes with that. I also want to congratulate another young man who is near and dear to my heart, because next week, Friday, …
So we congratulate him as he moves on to his next step, whate ver those next steps are, but obviously he knows he has the support that goes with that. I also want to congratulate another young man who is near and dear to my heart, because next week, Friday, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I will not be in this Chamber. I will not. My first time, actually, mis sing. But I will be in New Jersey, and I will be celebrat-ing my son’s graduation, Jari Ming.
[Desk thumping]
Mrs. Renee MingAnd he is graduating from Kean University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mathematical Sciences. Don’t ask me what all that means, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker; something to do with math. All I know is that there are about seven pages to solve one problem the last time I looked …
And he is graduating from Kean University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mathematical Sciences. Don’t ask me what all that means, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker; something to do with math. All I know is that there are about seven pages to solve one problem the last time I looked at one of his books. But we wish him well. We continue to encourage him on whatever his next steps are. And I think he has a promising future. I also want to just congratulate Ebenezer Methodist Church in St. George’s because they held their annual heritage service last week, Sunday. I am going to . . . I am not going to associate anybody; I’m not in that time. Those were just a few I wanted to make sure I got out there today, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Mrs. Renee MingBut what I really wanted to have a brief conversation on today was concerning what I saw the news, I think it was on Tuesday evening. It was to do with the whole blockchain, cryptocurrency. I heard one of my colleagues who actually sits on this side, and not in …
But what I really wanted to have a brief conversation on today was concerning what I saw the news, I think it was on Tuesday evening. It was to do with the whole blockchain, cryptocurrency. I heard one of my colleagues who actually sits on this side, and not in the Robin Hood section, talk about the fact that there is an advisor who has no costs a ttached. So, you know, I listened to the news, as I am sure everyone around here does, and I said, Well, there must be a cost attached because, if not, it will just be something lat er on for the taxpayer. And I thought, Well I’ll be. I finally thought di fferently, but, I thought, Well, I’ll be. Wow. I seem to recall 2015 and 2016 at a time when I sat in another place when it was going to be something else that was going to be no cost to the taxpayers for millions of dollars , Mr. Deputy Speaker. Millions of dollars.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Bermuda House of Assembly Mrs. Renee Ming: No cost to the taxpayer. But yet I hear this statement that says there is always going to be a cost to the taxpayer. And I am paraphrasing. If you want to find it you can look on Bernews, because the news …
Yes.
Bermuda House of Assembly Mrs. Renee Ming: No cost to the taxpayer. But yet I hear this statement that says there is always going to be a cost to the taxpayer. And I am paraphrasing. If you want to find it you can look on Bernews, because the news thing is still up there. I thought, Well isn’t that something? That’s interesting. Because the difference of a few years and an election on what will be a cost to a taxpayer, and not a cost to a taxpayer. And I say all of that because I encourage Bermudians to . . . and I use the term [hashtag], #Staywoke. Do not become lazy. Do not become complacent. You go back, you listen, you hold us as politicians accountable because you will have articles like . . . there is an article in today’s daily, and I believe it can be found on Bernews as well. And it is all about Twizy and stuff. And then the author of it, who is a former Member I used to sit with in another place, goes off into talking about the UK decision with regard to the registers. But I just had to read the last sentence, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and if you will allow me to read it, it says, “The Premier will have to fight very hard against a British Parliament and its double standards —but, I am sorry to say, given the hypocrisy of our gover nment to date, I’m sure he can manage.” Well, I’ll be. “[T]he hypocrisy of our gover nment to date . . .” Those words actually cut deep with me because I know that . . . I stand here today . . . my co lleague just now spoke that we stand here at the will of the people of Bermuda. And if the people of Bermuda did not want us to do the things that we do, trust me, number one, they would let us know. Okay? Whether it be by phone, email, or marching out in front of here. Or, they will just come tell us. We are that approachable anyhow. Okay? The hypocrisy . . . well, the hypocrisy of that statement, because, Mr. Deputy Speaker, you know . . . I do not even like to give this type of nonsense too much ti me, but it is interesting to read it and just Staywoke, because that same person . . . if I were to go back to her . . . and today I am going to take my time and I am going to read them out to you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, because this is a summary list of pr otests against the One Bermuda Alliance from 2013 to 2017: • March 2013: term limit demonstrations; • November 2013: Lamb Foggo protest; • January 2014: beginning of petition against decision to have gaming; • May 2014: Jetgate; • May 2014: scholarship reduction sit i n; • June 2014: People’s Campaign calls for r eview of banks; • July 2014: Commission of Inquiry on land grabs; • July 2014: PRC to status loophole; • October 2014: SAGE protest; • October 2014: unions reject Public Sector R eform Act; • January 2015: Furlough D ay protest; • January 2015: musicians join protest; • January 2015: Senate protest; • June 2015: mammogram protest; • July 2015: Pit Bull ban protest; • December 2015: police march on Cabinet; • February 2016: protest against the closure of the Gilbert Institute; • March 2016: East Broadway protest; • March 2016: Pathways to Status protest; • April 2016: fix our Schools protest; • November 2016: T. N. Tatem protest; • December 2016: Reverend Tweed work per-mit denial protest; • December 2016: airport redevelopment plan protest.
I am miss ing one in there because the hunger strike for Ms. Enda Matthie was in March of 2016. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, when I look back and I see 27 protests over four and a half years, I have done this math already, but maybe it is time . . . as we know, I think my colleague said it best this morning. He said, repetition is the best form of induction. Twenty -seven protests over four and a half years. When you divide that out by the month that would be six per year —every other month. So before you want to talk about hypocrisy and all that kind of stuff, let’s check ourselves. Okay? We hear a lot of this word “discourse.” Heard a lot of that word over this week. And I actually welcome that word, if we are meaning it in the true sense of how we are saying it. We can always stand to i mprove, each and every one of us. None of us are perfect. But before we are going to check someone else, all of us need to check at home first. Because, Mr. Deputy Speaker, much of what we say and do in here is as a result of our canvassing and our calls, and our just talking to people and seeing what it is the people of Bermuda want. They have given us a clear direction—jobs, education, health. That is what I am getting on my doorsteps. And of course, the Cup coming back to St. George’s. But in all seriousness, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I believe that there is some cleaning up that has to be done, and that some people need to check themselves before they check others. And I guess maybe that is why this article actually says that this person who penned it is the former Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Tourism, Transport, and Municipalities. And is the former for that reason. So if I could just close with this, I would just encourage everyone to Staywoke, pay attention, and make sure that you look, check, and are reading and investigating things for yourself. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. 2068 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly [Desk thumping]
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThe Chair recognises the De puty Premier, Mr. Roban. INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION; MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTAN DING — UNANSWERED QUESTIONS Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. We have had a very fulsome motion to adjourn. I must commend my colleagues for their robust treatment in that …
The Chair recognises the De puty Premier, Mr. Roban.
INITIAL COIN OFFERING (ICO) LEGISLATION; MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTAN DING — UNANSWERED QUESTIONS Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. We have had a very fulsome motion to adjourn. I must commend my colleagues for their robust treatment in that it is a sign of a very strong and a very capable party. The Robin Hood corner, and people who are not a part of the Robin Hood corner in my view have said almost everything that needs to be said in response to certain comments that were made. But, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I want to say a few words in closing. It is very im portant . . . and much has been said by a number of Members about the electorate, why we are here and the relationship that we have with the electorate. I would just like to speak to the electorate today on a few points. If you would just give me a moment, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, there is som ething that I would like to bring up on my piece of tec hnology here that might be an aid to my discussion. It is the definition of a “trickster.” If you look on the Internet there is a definition of a trickster which sa ys (and if you don’t mind me reading, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker), “ a person who cheats or deceives people. ” And it mentions some other words, synonyms if you like, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker: “fraudster . . . charlatan . . . imposter . . . quack . . . hoaxer . . .” shyster . . . I would like to ask of the public, our voting public, our listening public, to beware of tricksters, and particularly political tricksters, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, because to me, in linking with this definition, political tricksters are those who seek to sell uncertainties, confusion, and fear. They often add little to the productivity of discussion. And we have to do a lot of talking in this House. The political trickster often adds little to that. In my view, and this is my own opinion I am expressing here not the printed definition, they often ask questions not to gain clarity, but to perpetuate confusion, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: That is my homespun definition—
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberAin’t it the truth. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —of what I would see as a political trickster. I am now going to discuss something else. I am just setting that up here as my opening. On the 4 th of May, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Honourable Premier came to this …
Ain’t it the truth. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —of what I would see as a political trickster. I am now going to discuss something else. I am just setting that up here as my opening. On the 4 th of May, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Honourable Premier came to this H ouse and presented a Ministerial Statement, entitled “MOU Signing in FinTech Development.” And it came after the signing of a certain MOU which has been well publicised. And the Premier outlined in his statement, which was quite lengthy and detailed, a num ber of key pieces of information about the one that was signed with Binance, and with the upcoming of the signing of an MOU with Medici Ventures LLC . And in the statement, Mr. Deputy Speaker, not only did the Premier outline what I would describe, which is titled in this statement as the relevant terms of MOUs are as follows, precedes in both cases, key terms that both holders must abide by in the MOU. So, on the 4th, we had this statement. Prior to that there were statements made around the previous Bill, the ICO offering . . . Companies and Limited Li ability Company (Initial Coin Offering) Amendment Act 2018 , which we passed in this House. There was a statement that followed on the 4 th of May which detailed information to this House, to these Members, to the public, on the signing of MOUs and the key terms of those MOUs. So when we hear statements in this House about not having information about those MOUs in detail, I believe that is somewhat false. Now, I do not believe that there will be any hesitation to table those MOUs. And as I do recall, the Honourable Member who sits in constituency 10 pr esented some pointed questions and was desirous for me to answer them as the Acting Premier. Well, I am not going to answer those questions, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I will leave that to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of National Security to answer when they return to this Honourable House. They are more than capable of providing cogent and clear honest answers, as I believe they have around all the discussions around the issue of the FinTech and the ICO offerings. And I am sure that the same robust treatment that was given to the Companies and Limited Liability Company (Initial Coin Offering) Amendment Act 2018 will be given to the upcoming legislation which has been tabled. So I go back again, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, to bring observation to some key points that have been made, particularly by the Honourable Member who sits in constituency 10, and certain Members of the Opposition, because there seems to be som e suggestion that some of the activities . . . and again, there was this thing said about repeating as being a valu able process to go through. Well, we heard the Honourable Member for constituency 10 make certain statements last week, which were robustly responded to. And then he pr esented again . . . the Honourable Member presented
Bermuda House of Assembly again, as if they were not answered. Well, I think the Honourable Member from constituency 32 raised a very key point between the previous week and this week if they were unsat isfied with the answers, that Honourable Member had the option to reach out to both the Premier and the Minister of National Security to get the answers that he felt he had insufficient answer to.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberIf there was a genuine interest. Hon. Wa lter H. Roban: As I said, if there was a genuine interest, frankly, and not asking questions that feed more confusion than answers, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Sometimes there are people in this House who might ( quite unfortunately, I might add) ask …
If there was a genuine interest. Hon. Wa lter H. Roban: As I said, if there was a genuine interest, frankly, and not asking questions that feed more confusion than answers, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Sometimes there are people in this House who might ( quite unfortunately, I might add) ask questions to add confusion and not clarity for our public, and will come back again and again and ask those questions for reasons that do not actually contribute to the benefit of the dialogue and discussion they so painfully say they desire —
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Mm -hmm. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —when they had the oppo rtunity, not only in this Chamber, but outside of it, to speak to those who sit on the front bench, since we move through these hallowed halls quite closely t ogether . There is proximity ; we are …
Yes. Mm -hmm.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: —when they had the oppo rtunity, not only in this Chamber, but outside of it, to speak to those who sit on the front bench, since we move through these hallowed halls quite closely t ogether . There is proximity ; we are not hiding in the vast reaches of a great palace, like in London, separate from each other. We all have to eat, drink, and sometimes breathe in the same airspace that we all have to move in in this House. There is not that sepa-rateness. So, if an Honourable Member has a question to ask . . . and I might add (if I can just go back to my reference of the statement of the 4 th), if the Member was present, certainly every question, in my humble view, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, that he has asked r epeatedly every week could have b een asked around the statement in [Question Period], on every stat ement that the Honourable Member for National Secur ity has put forth to this House around what we are doing around FinTech in this Chamber. So one has to wonder. And with some other comment s made by the Opposition, as if somehow the quite capable technical officers who this Government has had to go through its paces with, for months and months, to prepare the legislation which has been tabled around these mat-ters, do they believe that they are the same technical officers that were available to that group when they were Government, who put us through our paces to make sure that we did things that did not put us in di fficulties with our FATF and AML requirements? The reason it took those months to get these Bills here is because that is what we were doing with the BMA, with FATF, with advisors from other parts of the globe with whom we have not only been dealing with, but also have taken on actual advice from. And, if I can just reflect slightl y on the comments last week, which some have felt imputed i mproper motive on the character of the Premier by a Member who sits in this House in constituency 10, well, as if somehow the relationship between Medici and Bitt is somehow . . . there’s a quid pr o quo esse ntially going because we are getting money from —
[Inaudible interjection]
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, but I am not going to mention that word here. Others quite liberally over many years mentioned that word. But I am not going to mention that word here, Mr. Deputy Speaker. That somehow there is a quid pro quo where someone is giving us $10 million while their business partner is being a free consultant. Well, the MOUs in this case are part of a process where we are getting something. And they are helping us to ensure that we will have the best possible regulatory platform to de-velop this industry in Bermuda. Other MOUs that I have seen developed have given away billions of do llars of revenue. And what did we get? There are still people looking for the jobs down at a certain facility that is being developed right now, for opportunities for our people, basic jobs of which you and I, Mr. Deputy Speaker, know we are constantly mindful of looking for expertise to be developed. Right? I do not see c ertain people parking up with millions to train Bermudians despite getting an MOU and an agreement that guarantees them billions of dollars of revenue. We have people who are parked up who are prepared with a genuine effort to prepare our people. That is t he difference between this side and that side, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberExactly! Hon. Walter H. Roban: Less talk, more action to cr eate the jobs that are needed for the future for our pe ople within the first year, delivered with real effort, not just talk. And, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, as others chirp about issues that they feel are of concern, …
Exactly!
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Less talk, more action to cr eate the jobs that are needed for the future for our pe ople within the first year, delivered with real effort, not just talk. And, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, as others chirp about issues that they feel are of concern, we are delivering the hope and the opportunity that we believe is going to give something to our Bermudians that they can actually put their hands on to develop their lives with, to benefit from, to build a quality future for themselves. Some, Mr. Deputy Speaker, might choose to go to the virtual world to continue their discussion. Perhaps that is where we will find further fleshing out of their argument s. I do not know. I do not spend too much time looking at those things, Mr. Deputy Speaker. But again, I am going to leave the further treatment of this to the Honourable Premier and the 2070 11 May 2018 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Honourable Minister of National Security when they return. I am sur e they will have plenty to report to this House in the transparency of which this Government has built on, certainly this period of its history, since July. That is why there are certain indicators that are out there that are suggesting that the public are happy with what we are doing. Perhaps there are people who will not agree with those indicators, but I am not going to get into that. But the indicators out there that suggest that we in our first 12 months are actually doing what the people want. We are keeping our promises as best we can, we are giving them clarity on a direction, and we are building hope and opportunity for them in ways that they appreciate. And they know that it was not going to be a quick instantaneous r esult, but they see the buildin g blocks of a fairer and better Bermuda that we asked them to support. But I caution them, Mr. Deputy Speaker, to beware of the tricksters, to beware of those who only want to sell less hope, less happiness, more fear, more uncertainty, more confusion through questions. Beware of them because they have nothing good for you, your children, or your future. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
[Desk thumping]
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerThe House stands adjourned to May the 18 th at ten o’clock. [At 2 :56 pm, the House stood adjourned until 10:00 am, Friday, 18 May 2018.]