This was primarily a statement session where Ministers provided updates on various government initiatives. The session began with Robert King being sworn in as the newest Member of Parliament after winning a recent bye-election. Minister Burch reported that 62 out of 167 housing units have been completed under the affordable housing renovation program, with 105 more in progress. Minister Furbert announced the historic launch of Bermuda's first disability register app and introduced new legislation for short-term financial relief benefits of up to $1,500 per month for three months for people experiencing sudden hardship.
New Member Robert King sworn in following recent bye-electionGovernment updates on affordable housing progress through Bermuda Housing CorporationLaunch of Bermuda's first National Disability Register mobile appNew Financial Assistance short-term relief benefit for people facing sudden financial hardshipPreparation updates for Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) coming into force January 2025
Bills & Motions
Financial Assistance (Short-Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024 - tabled by Minister Furbert, set to commence July 1, 2024
No bills were debated or voted on during this session - this was primarily a ministerial statement session
Notable Moments
Robert King officially sworn in as newest MP, with colleagues acknowledging his arrival to the Chamber
Minister Furbert highlighted the success story of former foster child Lashuntae Dill-Assing, who overcame challenges to become a registered nurse
Recognition of foster parents and social workers during Foster Care Month celebrations
Debate Transcript
392 speeches from 27 speakers
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning, Members. The Clerk will lead us in prayer. PRAYERS [Prayers read by Mr. Clark Somner , Clerk ]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning, Members. [Gavel]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe House is now in session. The first Order of Business this morning is the result of the recent by e-election that took place. And the successful candidate will now be brought into the Chamber so that he can be sworn in as an official Member of this C hamber. …
The House is now in session. The first Order of Business this morning is the result of the recent by e-election that took place. And the successful candidate will now be brought into the Chamber so that he can be sworn in as an official Member of this C hamber. Mr. Richardson, on his first of occasion of coming through, you need to let him know that he bows when he comes through there. Thank you.
[Pause]
OATH OR AFFIRMATION OF NEW MEMBER
OATH OF ALLEGIANCE
Mr. Robert King
Mr. Robert KingI do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, his heirs and successors according to the law. So help me God. OATH OF AN ASSEMBLYMAN
Mr. Robert King
Mr. Robert KingI, being a Member of this great Assembly , do swear by Almighty God to use and employ my best endeavours therein for the general good without any respect to private interest, gain or advantage, striving to discharge a good conscience in all equity and integrity during my continuance therein. …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMr. King, you are now an official Member of this Chamber. And colleagues have already acknowledged that. I ask that all Members acknowledge the new Member who will sit and join in these Chambers as we do the business of the country. Thank you. ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER HOUSE VISITORS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI also recognise in the Gallery the former Member s, Mr. Cole Simons, former Opposition Leader . And I believe Michael Dunkley was here earlier .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. All right. Members, we will now start the business of the day. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES [Minutes of 17 May 2024]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe Minutes of [May] 17 have been circulated. Are there any amendments required? There are none. The Minutes will be confirmed as printed. Thank you. [Minutes of 17 May 2024 confirmed] MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE SPEAKER OR MEMBER PRESIDING APOLOGIES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe have two Members . . . [four] Members actually have indicated their absence today: MP Jason Wade, MP Jamahl Simmons . And the Attorney General has just informed me that she will be absent today , as well. And the Premier is also absent today. The Premier and the …
We have two Members . . . [four] Members actually have indicated their absence today: MP Jason Wade, MP Jamahl Simmons . And the Attorney General has just informed me that she will be absent today , as well. And the Premier is also absent today. The Premier and the Attorney General, yes. 1280 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly 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 SpeakerThere are some nine Statements this morning. And, Minister Burch, you have the first one, Minister of Works. PROGRESS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Lt. Col. Hon. David A. BurchThank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning. Mr. Speaker, it has been almost two years since I stood in this Honourable House to announce— The Speaker: Minister, one second. Sergeant -at-Arms, could you just please . . . the photographer wants . . . it needs to be sorted out. …
Lt. Col. Hon. David A. BurchMr. Speaker, it has been almost two years since I stood in this Honourable House to announce the Residential Rental Unit Renovation Programme under the Bermuda Housing Corporation [BHC], and I rise today to provide yet another update on the progress t o increase the Island’s housing stock. Mr. Speaker …
Mr. Speaker, it has been almost two years since I stood in this Honourable House to announce the Residential Rental Unit Renovation Programme under the Bermuda Housing Corporation [BHC], and I rise today to provide yet another update on the progress t o increase the Island’s housing stock. Mr. Speaker , this renovation scheme sees the refurbishment of 137 older housing units owned by the BHC at the sum of $21 million over three and a half fiscal years for the purpose of increasing the amount of affordable housing options for Bermudians. At the time [two years ago], 60 of these units were occupied, while the remaining 77 were out of service and are being added as new units to the inventory. These 77 units comprise the entire vacant and derelict inventory of housing owned by the Bermuda Housing Corporation and are being renovated and put back into the housing stock. Since the original announcement in October 2022, I have kept honourable colleagues and the listen-ing public informed on the advancement of this pledge to improve the quality of life for all Bermudians made by this Government in its 2020 Election Manifesto. Mr. Speaker , I have provided updates on three separate occasions —December 2022, March 2023 and September 2023—all of which covered the status of the pro-jects. And again today I will do the same. Mr. Speaker , as mentioned, the BHC are refurbishing 137 older housing units owned by the Corporation. That number has increased to 167 [consisting of] 90 occupied and 77 vacant units. This increase is because of additional rented units needing renovation and being added to the list as tenants have vacated those units. As of today , 62 units have been completed, 32 are occupied and 30 are vacant. The remaining 105 units are in various stages of progress . Either work has started, plans are at the Planning Dep artment or plans are with architects being designed . Mr. Speaker , as Honourable Members can tell, the Government through the BHC are making steady progress , and we intend to see the completion of all 105 of these housing projects as quickly as possible. We recognise that there is still much more work to be done in providing additional housing. This is why units under the Residential Housing Programme are not the only focus in expanding the affordable rental options for Bermudians. Mr. Speaker, I would like to reflect on a few statements made during the original October 2022 Residential Housing programme announcement. The first is , and I quote: “since January 2022 the BHC has been engaging in renovation works to several properties under its remit . . . Through the Economic Stimulus Programme, a further 13 units are still under renovation in varying stages of completion, either awaiting planning approval from the Department of Planning or awaiting the conclusion of a procurement process. ” Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that these 13 units are now completed, thus concluding all works to the identified units under the Economic Stimulus Programme. This programme saw a total of 17 units being either renovated or added to the stock as new units. In that October 2022 statement, I also emphasised that , and I again quote , “Mr. Speaker, the next phases of this plan will include . . . the expansion of the Private Sector Rental Programme. This programme allows for privately owned units to be rented to the Bermuda Housing Corporation with guaranteed rent and intervention by the corporation when tenants do not honour their commitment. The rates are less than market rates, but the rent is guaranteed to be paid on time and the unit returned to its original state at the conclusion of the tenancy. ” Mr. Speaker, to date the project team have identified 18 private units that have an estimate of up to $100,000 to renovate. Having completed the revised leasing conditions for the Private Sector Refurbishment Programme, along with the promissory note conditions , the project team are meeting with homeowners to discuss the requirements and providing a quantity surveyor estimate of costs.
B ermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, we soon expect successful agreements between the BHC and the homeowner(s) to be made, thus allowing construction to begin. I encourage any homeowner listening to this Statement or hearing it in the media to sign onto the BHC website at www.bhc.bm t o gain full information, fill out the basic information form and arrange an appointment. I would like now to move quickly from rentals to home ownership, Mr. Speaker , for the purpose of reiterating this Government’s commitment to ensur ing that every Bermudian can own a piece of the rock . In 2019 the Bermuda Housing Corporation Home Start p rogramme was launched and remains available to Ber-mudians who have never owned a home and are look-ing to obtain first -time home ownership. Mr. Speaker , this programme is a partnership between the Bermuda Housing Corporation and Clarien Bank , and the details are as follows: •Clarien provides up to 100 per cent mortgages for homes listed in the programme. •It is available to Bermudians only who are first - time homeowners or those who have neverowned more than a 25 per cent share in a property. •Homes listed in the programme are those that are either owned by BHC or by Clarien bank . •The mortgages are fully funded by Clarien withBHC acting as the guarantor for the 25 per cent down payment amount . •Once the down payment has been repaid, t he bank releases BHC from the guarantee obligation. Further in formation on this can also be found on the BHC’s website at www.bhc.bm/index.php/homestart. Mr. Speaker since its launch, this programme has assisted 34 Bermudian families in their quest to become first-t ime homeowners. Presently, an additional four families are in the final stages with the financial institution to conclude the purchase. This programme is proving incredibly popular, and as I have said before, we are looking to expand the programme through other financial institutions. Mr. Speaker, of cours e there is the Mortgage Guarantee programme offered by Bermuda Commercial Bank that provides the lowest mortgage rates on Island. More information can be found on their webs ite at www.bcb.bm. Mr. Speaker, this Government is committed to our people. We will continue the work to inc rease adequate housing options for all Bermudians. I must s tress that these are not all of the options we are currently exploring. Discussions on a number of other options to increase the housing stock are underway and will be reported publicly when those discussions conclude. Mr. Speaker, I would like to publicly thank the Bermuda Housing Corporation Board, ably led by MP Chris Famous; ma nagement; and staff for the hard work they continue to do to further deliver on the BHC’s mandate of providing affordable housing for Bermudians. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is — actually, let me make a note here. The second State-ment on the Order Paper is by the Minister of Educa-tion. Unfortunately, we are going to have to carry that one over. And we will move on to the third …
Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is — actually, let me make a note here. The second State-ment on the Order Paper is by the Minister of Educa-tion. Unfortunately, we are going to have to carry that one over. And we will move on to the third Statement [on the Order Paper] , by the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors. Minister Furbert. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Good morning, Mr. Speaker, and thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. FOSTER CARE MONTH— MAY 2024 Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, M ay is celebrated as Foster Care Month . T his morning I rise to provide this Honourable House with an update on the continued work being undertaken by the Department of Child and Family Services within their …
Good morning. FOSTER CARE MONTH— MAY 2024 Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, M ay is celebrated as Foster Care Month . T his morning I rise to provide this Honourable House with an update on the continued work being undertaken by the Department of Child and Family Services within their remit to safeguard Ber-muda’s children. Mr . Speaker , every year the Department of Child and Family Services designates the month of May to recruit new foster parents and to honour Ber-muda’s current foster parents. The Foster Care Team had a full month of recruitment activities planned. This included appearing as guests on the “Motion to Ad-journ” radio show on May 2 and “The Daily Hour” morning show on May 8. The Foster Care Coordinator, Ms. Selena Simons , was an invited guest to an in- person presentation at the Hamilton Seventh-d ay Adventist Church on King Street on May 11. There were additional radio talks planned with local radio stations throughout the month. The Department of Communications also prepared colourful graphics that were used throughout the month for recruiting foster care parents via the govern-ment social media pages. Whilst we are pleased and thankful for the current pool of foster parents , who are to be commended for the role that they play in providing stability for our foster children, we must express our plea: We need more foster parents. Foster parents open their hearts and their homes by taking in children who need nurturing, guidance and love. These children cannot remain with their families of origin for a variety of reasons. Foster p arents fill in the gap with the ongoing support of the Department of Child and Family Services. Mr. Speaker , I take great pleasure in informing this Honou rable House that on Sunday, May 5, 2024, I attended the Annual Appreciation Tea for our Foster Parents. At this event the Department of Child and 1282 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Family Services was able to show tangible gratitude to foster parents, kinship caregivers and respite care pro-viders. Musical selections were provided by the talented Neriah Bean, who is the current head boy at the Bermuda Institute. Mr. Paul Smith provided beautiful sounds on the steel pan while guests were dining. Mr. Speaker , it is always good to see the fruit of one’s labou r. The guest speaker for the Foster Care Appreciation Tea was Miss Lashuntae Dill- Assing. This young lady had a very interesting story to share about her years as a foster care child and in the Sunshine League Children’s Home. Miss Dill- Assing is a shining star! She is a graduate of Cedar Bridge Academy who persevered through various childhood obstacles to later study at Delaware State University where she ob-tained a bachelor degree in n ursing. Miss Dill- Assing was the first recipient of the Foster Parent Association’s Scholarship titled t he Glenda Edwards Award for further education. Mr. Speaker , a highlight of the Foster Care Appreciation Tea is the hono uring of foster families with special awards. This year three families were honoured: 1. Ms. Myra Walker was highlighted for her ongo-ing dedication to her foster child from infancy to the age of 18, becoming a young lady. Ms . Walker’s foster child is now preparing to grad-uate from the Berkeley Institute, and she has been the constant mother figure to her foster child for her entire life. 2. Mr. and Mrs. Anthony and Susan Richardson were awarded the F oster Youth Champions award for the active role that they played in fostering and providing respite to boys in foster care. 3. And Ms. Irene Francis was presented with a beautiful arrangement of flowers upon her re-tiring from her tenure as a foster parent after serving for 20 years. It should also be noted that the event was enhanced with the provision of a number of door prizes for foster parents; these were donated generously by former fos-ter youth Mr s. Lavonne Lee -Smith, a businesswoman and entrepreneur who was the guest speaker for the same event several years ago. Mr. Speaker , the recognition and highlighting of Foster Care Month is not complete without express-ing a huge thank you to the Foster Parents Association Charity 620. This Association works diligently with the community to raise funds and obtain needed items for foster children. The Foster Parents Association comprise s active foster parents , and they too should be commended for the ongoing tangible support given to Bermuda’s foster children. This year the Association recogni sed the following: • Senator Lindsay Simmons -Wilson , who was awarded the 2024 Foster Parent of the Year Award ; • Ms. Selena Simons, our Foster Care Coordinator, was presented with the Social Worker of the Year Award; and • Ms. Simone Romaine, a Foster Care Social Worker , was presented with the runner -up award. Mr. Speaker , I close by stating that our children, vulnerable for many reasons, need us. The Ministry of Youth, Social Development and Seniors takes this time on behalf of all of the children in foster care to thank those individuals who have opened their homes and have given of themselves to make a difference in the life of children. We encourage more people within our community to become foster parents. In so doing, Mr. Speaker, such persons will help the Department of Child and Family Services in its quest to provide caring, safe, nurturing homes for children when their families are unable to care for them. Mr. Speaker , I thank all M embers of this Honourable House, along with persons within the community, who acknowledged and saluted Bermuda’s f oster parents during the month of May and our social workers as they continue to inspire action and lead change. We must highlight the significance of social workers and their collective contributions to helping and advocating on behalf of all of those whom they serve. Please join me in wishing all foster parents and social workers a happy Foster Care Month! Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, the [next] Statement this morning is also in the name of the Minister. Minister, would you like to present your second Statement now? NATIONAL REGIST ER FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, having a disability should never disqualify anyone …
Thank you, Minister. Members, the [next] Statement this morning is also in the name of the Minister. Minister, would you like to present your second Statement now?
NATIONAL REGIST ER FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, having a disability should never disqualify anyone from accessing and experiencing every aspect of life! There are roughly 3,500 persons in Bermuda who have a disability. This Government in-tends to ensure that all persons with disabilities are pro-vided with the services they need to feel included in society and start with an equal playing field to carry out day-to-day activities/employment/volunteering in comparison to persons who do not have disabilities. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to share gratifying news that the Office of Ageing and Disability Services has successfully delivered a first -time-ever disability register for persons with disabilities i n Bermuda. This initiative meets the commitment made by the Gov-ernment in its 2021 Speech from the Throne. The pri-mary purpose of developing a national register for per-sons with disabilities , or a disability register, is to create a path for a more inclusive society. Collecting the rele-vant data about persons with disabilities can ultimately
Bermuda House of Assembly be us eful to mak ing key informed decisions for introducing new and/or enhancing existing programmes and services for persons with disabilities. Mr. Speaker , according to the United Nations [UN], persons with disabilities make up approximately 15 per cent of the world’s population. Globally, this is approximately 150 million people, which means almost one in five persons who are living with a disability encounter significant challenges in their daily lives. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopts a broad c ategori sation of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms, which [convention] Bermuda is in the process of ratifying. Mr. Speaker , the Bermuda Disability Register is a centralis ed repository comprising key information about the different types of disabilities persons are challenged with. I n turn the data and information will be analy sed to identify gaps in the areas of programmes, services and special equipment needed for persons with disabilities. The Disability Register will also ensure there is easier access to services and assistance to improve the lives of persons with disabilities. The Disability Register will not b e used for case management or as a case management tool but will hold information and data using digital technology. These data will ultimately facilitate informed policies and decisions in key areas , such as health care, education, employment and accessibility, to advance inclusivity in Bermuda. Mr. Speaker , the United Nations highlights the fact that evidence and experience show that when barriers to inclusion are removed and persons with disabilities are empowered to participate fully in societal life, the entire community benefits. Barriers faced by persons with disabilities are therefore a detriment to soci-ety as a whole; and inclusion and accessibility are necessary to achieve progress and development for all. Mr. Speaker , last year , April 2023, the Ministry initiated a meeting through the Deputy Governor’s Office with representatives from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and requested that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities be extended to Bermuda. This convention was passed by the United Nations in 2006. It sets out key rights that citizens of a country with a disability should enjoy , including living independently and being recogni sed and respected as pers ons for their ability, not their disability. Since last year, the Ministry team has been diligently working with the head of the International Disability Unit in the UK Cabinet Office , responding to a comprehensive list of questions pertaining to measures that have been implemented in Bermuda to support persons with disabilities. Sufficient information was finally obtained in March 2024 from organi sations in the private sector and public sector entities for review by the head of the International Disability Unit at the UK Cabinet Office. The UK Foreig n, Commonwealth & Development Office shared that a response to the request that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities be extended to Bermuda should be obtained by the end of June this year. Mr. Speaker , no person in our society should ever be left behind or feel ostraci sed because they have a disability. The Government encourages dialogue on all forms of disabilities. This provides a platform to educate all sectors of our community to ensure that persons with disabilities are given the dignity they deserve. I believe, Mr. Speaker, that more education and awareness will ultimately lead to greater understanding and acceptance of persons with disabilities. Mr. Speaker , in November 2023, technical officers in the O ffice of Ageing and Disability Services accessed the consultancy services of CSB Tech Emporium which is a web, mobile and software development agency in the Bahamas. The consultancy service was fully funded by the United Nations Development Programme [UNDP ] Multi Country Office in Jamaica to lend technical support to Bermuda for the development of a disability register . Since January this year, there has been steady , collaborative work involving the consulting firm, the Government’s IT office, technical officers in Ageing and Disability Services , and specialists in disability services in the private sector to create, deliver and test a disability register app for Bermuda. Mr. Speaker , currently, Bermuda does not have a legal disability framework as in other jurisdic-tions. For example, the Jamaica Council [for Persons with Disabilities] operates an established disability register as stipulated by their Disabilit ies Act 2014. The Bahamas has a National Commission for Persons with Disabilities , a statutory body that represents the community of persons with disabilities and also stakeholders. The Commission in the Bahamas is steered by the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Oppor tunities) Act 2014. Therefore, in the absence of a legal framework for Bermuda, the first step in the planning process for developing a disability register for Bermuda was to obtain legal counsel from the Attorney General’s Chambers relating to the collection of information from per-sons with disabilities. Chambers duly advised and tech-nical officers widely communicated that information collected would be considered highly confidential and would be securely stored , to be used only for the express purposes of supporting informed decision- making for improving and guiding policy in health care, education and accessibility initiatives, and to facilitate targeted support and delivery of resources to the community. Mr. Speaker , the introduction of the Disability Register shows that Bermuda is making national changes to improve its existing level of compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This advancement also demon1284 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly strates to the UK that the Government remains committed to supporting persons with disabilities and is pre-paring the country and its people for when the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Dis-abilities is extended to Bermuda. Mr. Speaker , the Government has advanced its vision for strengthened services, opportunities and policies for persons with disabilities, with the historic launch of a first -ever National Disability Register mobile application. The launch was held on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. I stood there on the steps along with the UNDP Assistant Resident Representative, Ms. Kimberley Wilson, very proud to pro-claim that Bermuda was intentionally serving its popu-lation of persons with disabilities. Mr. Speaker , I was so gratified to see the many persons with disabilities who attended and were excited that the Government was valuing who they were. Mr. Speaker, I started to read this Statement this morning by saying that having a disability should never disqualify anyone from accessing and experienc-ing every aspect of life. At the launch of the Mobile Dis-ability Register a pp, persons with disabilities who attended truly felt valued. This was evidenced by the many hugs and smiles they were giving to the Ministry team and representati ves from the many organis ations who were present. It was a moving experience on that day. Mr. Speaker , the launch of the Disability Register Mobile app included an outdoor registration period on the lawn of City Hall which was attended by scores of persons in the community including parents and caregivers. Persons who registered using the disability app on that day were provided with gift vouchers. Since registration was voluntary, the gift vouchers served as an incentive to encourage persons to register. The launch was the first in a series of registration drives to register persons with disabilities on the mobile applica-tion digitally. [The launch] provided a knowledge fair attended by various organi sations which provide services, products and programmes to persons with disa-bilities in our community. During the launch, 67 persons with disabilities registered on the mobile a pp. Also, the Ministry team along with the consultant were there to help and answer any questions about the Disability Register app. To date, a total of 71 persons have registered. Mr. Speaker , with any new initiative, there are always areas of improvements observed throughout the rollout phase. As such, since the launch of the Disability Register a pp, upgrades have been made to the platform to improve the performance and optimi sation of the mobile application. The mobile app is now available for download from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Or the web link can be downloaded at https://link -to.app/BDAregister . As an example of the Disability Register a pp’s function and capabilit ies, an inclusive text -to-speech feature translates written text on the app to voice so that the words can be heard by individuals with visual impairments. Mr. Speaker , in July/August this year, the Office of Ageing and Disability Services will host another incentive- based registration drive to give persons with disabilities and/or their families the opportunity to register. Data collected during the next Island -wide registration drives will build the database and also serve as an opportunity to further develop the app to a comparable product with our counterparts in other jurisdic-tions. Over time, the intent is to set up kiosks in various accessible locations throughout the Island, where persons can register at their leisure. The broader vision is to scale the digital application to offer job listings, to provide notices of natural disasters, to provide deaf in-terpretation and in time to provide accessible transportation options for persons with disabilities. Mr. Speaker , the Office of Ageing and Disability Services will be responsible for overseeing, updating and maintaining the database. Staff have been trained on how to use the application and register persons with disabilities. Ongoing training will be provided for the up-keep and support of the custom mobile application and web dashboard to effectively manage the data. The consultancy firm will continue to provide technical and maintenance support via contractual agreement for a finite period to provide continuous functionality, timely updates and technical support, all of which are crucial for the smooth operation of the digital platform. Mr. Speaker , the UNDP [United Nations Development Programme], which declared its support for in-novation- led digital solutions to advance social development in countries, recently financed the development of an AccessAbility mobile app for the Government of Bahamas. In expanding its programmatic footprint in Bermuda, UNDP will build up on the successes and lessons learned from the Bahamas. The digital solutions are financed under UNDP’s Social Resilience and Inclusion Portfolio in its 2022 to 2026 multi -country programme. Mr. Speaker , the launch of the Disability Register is a significant milestone in Bermuda’s history. Empowering persons with disabilities through accurate data representation is crucial for promoting and encour-aging active participation in society; and this will further align with the Government’s five- year National Plan for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and their Families, which was launched in May 2023. Mr. Speaker , I challenge everyone to partner together and share the vision for Bermuda that is inclu-sive for all. In doing this, we can collectively progress toward not only achieving the UN’s sustainable development goal number 10, reduce inequalities , but we also can break down barriers, challenge stereotypes and create a Bermuda where persons with disabilities can fully participate and thrive. In closing, on behalf of the Government , I am deeply grateful for the collaboration and support the
Bermuda House of Assembly Ministry has received along this journey. From the invaluable input of the UNDP to the commitment from our government departments, community organi sations and support agencies , it has truly been a collaborative effort upon which we can build a Bermuda where no one is left behind. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, the following Statement is also in the name of the Minister. Minister, would you like to continue with your third Statement? Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo right ahead. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (SHORT -TERM RELIEF BENEFIT) ACT 2024 Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, this morning I rise before this Honourable House very much pleased to introduce the Bill entitled the Financial Assistance (Short - Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024. This Bill seeks to establish a framework to …
Go right ahead.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (SHORT -TERM RELIEF BENEFIT) ACT 2024 Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, this morning I rise before this Honourable House very much pleased to introduce the Bill entitled the Financial Assistance (Short - Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024. This Bill seeks to establish a framework to provide immediate financial support on a short -term basis for persons who qualify in the event of experiencing financial hardship due to unfore-seen circumstances. This is a new financial assistance benefit . Mr. Speaker , this initiative was a commitment in the 2022 Speech from the Throne when the Depart-ment of Financial Assistance fell under the remit of the Ministry of Economy and Labour. As highlighted in the Throne Speech, this initiative was part of the financial assistance reform and would assist households requiring immediate assistance with expenses for a short pe-riod due to sudden hardships such as involuntary job loss or a death in the family. Mr. Speaker , I remind my h onourable colleagues that the COVID -19 pandemic demonstrated that there was nowhere for Bermudians to seek imme-diate financial support in the event of impending unfore-seen circumstances. Resultantly, in September 2020, the Government showed its commitment to Bermudi-ans by implementing a supplemental unemployment benefit so persons could still have access to immediate financial support. Noting that many families were still being impacted, the Supplemental Unemployment Benefit was extended on several occasions until it ended in November of 2022. However , Mr. Speaker , since the supplemental unemployment benefit was relinquished, there have still been Bermudians who continue to experience fi-nancial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances and who have no options to meet their immediate basic needs while taking steps to rectify their financial predic-ament. As contributors to our economy, this tends to place a mental burden on these persons , inhibiting their ability to maintain their livelihood. Research shows that individuals and households who find themselves in these circumstances are less resilient because they cannot meet their basic human needs and despair be-gins to set in. Mr. Speaker , as I look around this morning, every one of us in this Honourable House depends on a level of income in some way or another to meet our daily needs , whether for housing, food, transportation, utility bills, insurance, health care, education or even to take care of our parents ; the list continues. If we just pause for a moment, make this personal and imagine the impact that would it have on us if we experienced a sudden loss of income from losing a job or a death in the family of the main breadwinner , and what position that would place us and our families in and its effect — anxious, emotionally stressed, fearful, insecure and un-certain about the future, hopeless, depressed and even angry trying to maintain our financial obligations. This mental anguish can cause conflicts and tensions within our respective individual family units as we try to support each other while adjusting to a differ-ent way of living. Absolutely no one is immune from this type of situation. Mr. Speaker , it is important that we recogni se that this experience of financial hardship would not only affect our immediate families and children but also our extended families as well , and eventually a spill -over effect into our communities will be unavoidable. But, Mr. Speaker , I am sure that each of us here today would want to know that we have a G overnment that understands, cares about , empathi ses with and plans for its people to the point that a structured framework is put into place to support families and households that suddenly experience financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances and who ultimately need help. Mr. Speaker , let me cast the minds of my honourable colleagues back to 2017 when a Financial As-sistance Reform Group was initially established. The mandate of the Financial Assistance Reform Group was to assess the effectiveness of the Financial Assis-tance Programme in achieving its objectives, empha-sising areas where legislative and/or policy reform may be required to improve service delivery. From this as-sessment, the reform group made recommendations for financial assistance reform. Mr. Speaker, my honourable colleagues Minister Jason Hayward, Minister Michael Weeks, MP Su-san Jackson and myself were all members of the Fi-nancial Assistance Reform Group. Mr. Speaker , the reform group worked diligently undertaking this assessment , and in 2019 the group successfully delivered 30 recommendations for financial assistance reform and to ensure a more equitable allocation of financial awards for achieving financial sustainability. Mr. Speaker, one of the recommendations coming from this assessment was to develop and introduce a bona fide unemployment insurance scheme 1286 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly which would benefit persons who find themselves transitioning between jobs or who remain unemployed over a period of time, reducing the strain on Financial Assistance. Mr. Speaker , stemming from our country's experience during the COVID -19 pandemic and the need for the supplemental unemployment benefit, this rec-ommendation from the Financial Assistance Reform Group has now morphed into a s hort-term relief benefit programme that will be governed by legislation. This Bill, entitled Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024, will steer the Short -Term Relief Programme in the Department of Financial Assistance with the following features: 1. Eligibility . Qualifications of a person to apply for the benefit and the stipulated criteria that must be met . 2. Amount . The benefit is a legislated $1,500 per month. 3. Duration. Recipients can receive the benefit for up to three months in a financial year . 4. Process . Every application for the short -term relief benefit must be made in writing on an approved form submitted digitally or in person to the director , with documented proof of eligibility and evidence of sudden financial hardship. 5. Conditions . The benefit recipients must comply with specified conditions in the Bill , some of which include notifications to the d irector of any financial change in one’s circumstance while receiving the relief benefit, any sudden change that would make one ineligible for the benefit or any intention to travel outside of Bermuda and if one becomes a recipient of a financial assistance award under the Financial Assistance Act 2001. Mr. Speaker , the short -term relief benefit payment is payable to individuals, not to households. Individuals must apply and then prove that they are experiencing the sudden hardship and the impact it may have on their household. For example, if a person has been made redundant from their job or is a victim of domestic violence, that specific individual would apply for the short -term relief benefit for a maximum of three months , in that they would receive a total of $4,500 per year. The individual unemployed would need proof from their former employer , while the victim of domestic violence would need proof from either a helping agency such as the Centre Against Abuse or a police report. Mr. Speaker , in the case of victims of domestic violence , when they eventually muster the courage to flee from their home environment because of abusive behaviours, the offending partner would often decide to block their access to funds by closing bank accounts and cancelling credit cards so that the victim has no financial means. Persons experiencing this can apply for the short -term relief benefit. Mr. Speaker , the negative implications of not providing persons experiencing financial hardship with a short -term relief benefit could be very serious to families and include the following: • arrears in paying their monthly rent/mortgage; • the potential of eviction from their homes ; • loss of income for landlords ; • disconnection of electricity for non- payment ; • forgoing needed medications , which could result in health challenges or even death ; • limiting access to critical care or food; and • inability to fulfil other pertinent household obligations . Mr. Speaker , some may say that a short -term relief benefit will create disincentives for persons to in-tentionally look for work, that it may reduce the labour supply or even increase a sustained financial dependency on the Government. However, this is not the intent of the benefit . We want to prevent long- term users of financial assistance. To mitigate these situations, a dedicated team will manage the short -term relief programme; exercise due diligence in assessing applications, verifying evidence of proof ; and conduct ongoing monitoring of any changes in a person's financial situation. The Government views the introduction of this short -term relief programme as a stimulus to help individuals maintain their skills, their motivation and self - esteem, positioning them for re- entry into the labour market and reaching a point of self -sustainability. Mr. Speaker , the Government’s Short -Term Relief Benefit programme will be a valuable social pol-icy that aims to lend the needed financial support to Bermudians when experiencing sudden financial hardship. No one can predict unexpected hardships, but what we can do is pl an for them. In recogni sing the resilience of Bermudians, this first -time-ever benefit provides a level of support to those who have contributed to the Bermuda community prior to falling into difficult financial circumstances. This demonstrates the commitment of this Government to supporting its people. Mr. Speaker , I want to acknowledge Minister Hayward and his team who initiated the work leading to this short -term relief programme legislation. I extend thanks to my Ministry team inclusive of the Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Department of Financial As sistance who diligently steered the completion of this legislation and who have framed the structure to offer this short -term relief programme, which is due to commence on July 1, 2024. Mr. Speaker , I now table the Bill entitled Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou mean you intend to table it later today? [Inaudible interjection]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Thank you, Minister. Bermuda House of Assembly Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister responsible for the Cabinet Office. Minister Campbell. ROAD TO PIPA 2 Hon. Vance Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share an update on …
Thank you. Thank you, Minister.
Bermuda House of Assembly Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister responsible for the Cabinet Office. Minister Campbell.
ROAD TO PIPA 2 Hon. Vance Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share an update on the work of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in preparation for the Personal Information Protection Act 2016 (perhaps better known as PIPA) . The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (also known as PrivCom) and the Cabinet Office’s PATI/PIPA Unit are working hand in hand to ensure information, guidance and tools are available to aid the Island’s organisations, including the public sector offices, to prepare to meet PIPA require-ments. Mr. Speaker , as you are aware, PIPA will come fully into force on the 1st of January 2025, and the Commissioner has been conducting a Road to PIPA implementation programme throughout 2024. The overall objective of the plan is to offer guidance to Bermuda’s organisations and individuals in the year preceding the full enactment of PIPA so that the Island is prepared for the legislation to take effect. To date, the Road to PIPA programme has 1. provided tools to organi sations to aid in building their privacy programmes; 2. improved general understanding of the potential risks related to collecting and storing per-sonal information; 3. identified actions required for Bermuda- based organisations to retain competitive advantages in the global business arena; 4. enhanced training and development opportunities for Bermudians creating potential opportu-nities for careers related to privacy and data protection; and 5. prepared organisations and individuals to take the necessary steps for PIPA i mplementation. Mr. Speaker , the Privacy Commissioner’s Road to PIPA offers a step- by-step process for organisations to follow to comply with the PIPA legislation. The programme is being updated regularly with downloadable resources available on PrivCom’s website , www.privacy.bm . For the last 15 weeks to date, the Commissioner has provided weekly guidance, tem-plates and resources for organisations large and small to • demonstrate their organisational commitment to PIPA; • lay the groundwork for their privacy compliance programme; and • begin taking tangible steps such as conducting an inventory of personal information used by the organisation and cataloguing business practices to ensure privacy is included. Mr. Speaker , the Commissioner’s weekly updates will continue throughout the year. Organisations of all sizes can follow along and utilise the quarterly checklists to track and document their progress toward compliance. I encourage every organisation to review the resources in the Commissioner’s Road to PIPA archive, no matter how they may be preparing for PIPA. The information can assist organisations to begin to take or review the steps necessary to integrate PIPA requirements into their organisations. If organisations have not started their PIPA journey, I want them to know that it is not too late to start on the Road to PIPA. Mr. Speaker , in addition to these online resources, the Commissioner has been actively engaging with the community. PrivCom has developed a six - month cohort programme to help organisations under-take an accelerated Road to PIPA in the fast lane, while learning from and sharing experiences with their peers. The Commissioner has opened a public consultation with the financial services community, re-questing feedback on how Bermuda’s specialised inter-national business practices may need specific PIPA guidance. This consultation leverages Bermuda’s position as a global leader in meeting international financial standards to ensure that PIPA requirements will not conflict with their other legal requirements such as monitoring for financial crime or the prevention of money laundering. Mr. Speaker , on the 8 th of March, the Commissioner held a public information session at City Hall to provide a comprehensive understanding of what PIPA means for the community, as well as to recognise the important contribution of women to the field of data gov-ernance for International Women’s Day. The Deputy Privacy Commissioner, Angie Farquharson, provided insight into her role and privacy in Bermuda. The event was well attended with beneficial discussions around the opportunities that Bermuda’s privacy regime pro-vides to both individuals and organisations. The Com-missioner’s next public information session will fall in mid-July and will focus on PIPA compliance for local businesses. Mr. Speaker , in addition to preparing the local community for PIPA ’s coming into force, the Commissioner has engaged with other jurisdictions to bolster Bermuda’s reputation as a trusted hub for international data transfers. To illustrate the importance of this work, let me frame the context. In the field of finance and enforcement, Bermuda prides itself on strong regulation and has garnered international recognition for our standards and practices. As a global business hub, Bermuda’s businesses receive data from organisations based in all corners of the world. Our business commu-nity would similarly prosper from international recogni-tion for being a trusted jurisdiction for privacy and data protection. Mr. Speaker , this practice of recognising trusted jurisdictions is a key feature of most privacy legislation. Such two-way recognition serves (1) to provide 1288 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly practical certainty that Bermuda’s businesses may engage with service providers in other trusted jurisdic-tions ; and (2) as a signal to the world that Bermuda is open for business as a trusted recipient of global data flows. Thanks to the Commissioner’s engagement, Bermuda has received an invitation to participate as a member of the Global Cross -Border Privacy Rules Forum and its associated cooperation arrangement for privacy enforcement. The Commissioner has recom-mended that the Government apply to seek participation under a ssociate status in the f orum. This allows Bermuda to participate in the activities of the forum and to be recognised as a trusted, equivalent jurisdiction. Mr. Speaker, participation in this forum would mean that Bermuda stands side by side as an equal partner with the United States, Canada, Australia, Ja-pan, Singapore, Korea, the Philippines, Mexico and Chinese Taipei, along with other a ssociates such as the Dubai International Finance Centre and the United Kingdom. This growing f orum promotes interoperability between the privacy laws of the member jurisdictions by providing an international certification system that organisations may use, if they choose, to demonstrate compliance with common privacy principles that align with PIPA. By participating in the forum, Bermuda would be granted mutual recognition for our privacy rights and standards, ensuring certainty for Bermudian businesses and expanded international protections for the rights of its people. The forum’s workings are based upon consensus, which gives Bermuda a global plat-form to express our perspective and represent our in-terests. Mr. Speaker, I have directed our PATI/PIPA Unit to submit a letter of intent to participate as an associate member in the forum and to take steps to update that participation to full membership once PIPA comes into full effect in January 2025. Mr. Speaker , issues of technology and digital rights have never been more important —or more global. By bringing PIPA into force on the 1 st of January 2025 and by engaging with jurisdictions around the world, we are positioning Bermuda as a forward- thinking and privacy -preserving jurisdiction. Not only will Bermuda be recognised as meeting international standards for conducting business, but we will also be seen to play a key role in setting those standards while protecting personal information and respecting privacy rights. I thank the Privacy Commissioner and his officers for their superb work in preparing the community on the Road to PIPA, and for his tireless efforts in representing Bermuda’s interests in the wider world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Economy and Labour. Minister Hayward. UPDATE —IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UK ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORISATION Hon. Jason Hayward: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, o n the 23 rd of November 2023, a press release …
Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Economy and Labour. Minister Hayward. UPDATE —IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UK ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORISATION
Hon. Jason Hayward: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, o n the 23 rd of November 2023, a press release relating to the UK’s implementation of an Electronic Travel Authorisation [ETA] was communicated to the Bermuda public. In that release I stated that the UK began work on this scheme on the 25th of October 2023. Today I rise to today in this House to provide a status update on this project . Mr. Speaker , an ETA gives travellers of specific nationalities permission to travel to the UK without the need to obtain a visa. The UK’s ETA scheme is being implemented in a phased manner on a nationality - by-nationality basis to ensure systems and processes operate effectively. The scheme will apply to those trav-ellers visiting or transiting the UK who do not currently need a visa for short -term stays or do not have a valid UK immigration status prior to travelling. As the UK continues to implement this scheme, on the 1 st of February 2024, the Home Office published a fact sheet which emphasi ses that the transformation and digitisation of the UK border would “ enable a more efficient customer experience and cement the UK as a world leader in border security .” It also highlights that the scheme is open for nationals of Qatar, Bahrain, Ku-wait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, who require an ETA to travel to the UK. Mr . Speaker, as a result of these most recent changes , nationals from Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan who have ob-tained a valid UK ETA will be permitted entry into Ber-muda provided they possess a valid UK ETA and pass-port which is valid for 45 days from their intended date of departure from Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, I can also advise that the Home Office confirmed that British Overseas Territories Citi-zens [BOTC s] are exempt from the ETA requirement in the same way that British Citizen [ BC] passport holders are exempt. This means that, as is currently the case, when visiting the UK, BOTCs will be able to travel to the UK without an ETA, provided they travel using their BOTC or BC passport. For more information, persons should access the gov.uk website and search “Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme fact sheet February 2024.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Transport. Minister. UPDATE ON AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to address this Honourable House and the people of Bermuda. Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. …
Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Transport. Minister.
UPDATE ON AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to address this Honourable House and the people of Bermuda.
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present an update on the status and outlook of our airlift , which is a vital component of Bermuda’s economy and t ourism industry. Airlift is the lifeline that connects Bermuda with the rest of the world, enabling us to access medical care, welcome visitors, conduct business and enjoy leisure travel. Airlift is a catalyst that sparks opportunities, generates revenues, creates jobs and enhances our quality of life. It is the engine that drives our growth, innovation, development and our prosperity. Mr. Speaker , we are dedicated to enhancing our airlift capacity, quality and diversity to ensure Bermuda remains resilient and well supported for our local population, particularly for medical needs. Additionally, we aim to make Bermuda an attractive and accessible destination for both leisure and business air travel lers. Today I will share with you the latest trends in our airlift performance, the challenges we have overcome and the opportunities we are pursuing. I will also highlight the positive impact that airlift has on our Ber-muda economy and our Bermudian people. Mr . Speaker, I will present an overview of the past five years ’ trends in Bermuda’s airlift capacity whil e highlighting the progress and developments we have achieved. They are as follows: • In 2018, Mr. Speaker, Bermuda experienced a substantial airlift capacity with an approximate total of 611,000 available seats . • In 2019, we witnessed a slight dip in seat capacity, decreasing to 580,000. This represents a reduction of approximately 5 per cent from the previous year . • Mr. Speaker, we all recall in 2020 the global COVID -19 pandemic caused a significant downturn in airlift capacity, plummeting to an all-time low of just over 170,000 seats available. This dramatic drop reflects a decrease of about 71 per cent compared to 2019. • The year 2021 signalled a gradual recovery with the airlift capacity increasing to approximately 237,000 seats. This marks an increase of about 39 per cent from the previous year . • Recovery continued into 2022 with a further increase in seat capacity to 356,000. This represents a substantial rise of approximately 50 per cent compared to 2021 . • By 2023, the airlift capacity reached an approximate 433,000 seats, indicating a further growth of about 22 per cent from 2022. Mr. Speaker, despite the challenges we had in 2020 due to the pandemic, we did not give up on our airlift, nor did we lose hope for our recovery. We took decisive action to protect our health and safety, to sup-port our airline partners, to stimulate demand and to re-store confidence. Mr. Speaker, as noted, in 2023 we reached nearly 433,000. Therefore, as we navigate through the current year, 2024, the upward trajectory continues and we anticipate airlift capacity to increase even further. These escalating figures not only underscore a robust recovery for Bermuda, but also serve as a testament to our resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity. The growth in air travel showcases our ability to not just endure challenges but to emerge stronger, thriving as a destination of choic e. Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Transport, in collaboration with our valued partner stakeholders, has been consistently and diligently working toward en-hancing airlift services. Allow me to highlight some of the noteworthy achievements we have made recently which have assisted in our increase in airlift capacity. Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to report the developments in our airlift services that have enhanced our connectivity and accessibility to and from Bermuda. These include the following : • American Airlines launched its flights between Washington Reagan National Airport [DCA] and Bermuda, with seasonal flights which re-sumed in April 2024. This route offers conven-ient connections to the US capital and beyond, as well as increases our exposure to a key political and business market . • American Airlines resumed its daily non- stop service to Miami on November 5, extending its year-round connectivity from Miami to Bermuda. This complements the already established year -round services from JFK and Charlotte. • JetBlue's year -round service to Boston has markedly improved our connectivity and heightened local passenger satisfaction, par-ticularly for medical travel. The reintroduction of this crucial route not only broadens our array of travel choices but also reaffirms our dedication to delivering convenient and efficient air travel services . • BermudAir has established connections with seven major markets —Boston; Westchester , New York ; Baltimore; Fort Lauderdale; Orlando; Toronto and Halifax —representing a noteworthy achievement in our expansion efforts to provide increased travel options. Mr. Speaker, we are pleased to announce (I am sure you have heard about it) that United Airlines will be flying year -round from Newark to Bermuda. This is the first time since 2016. [Desk thumping]
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Also, United Airlines’ 35 th anniversary of providing air service to Bermuda is tomor-row, 1 June 2024, and I thank them for their many years of service and commitment to Bermuda, including their recent increases in seat capacity on their Newark to Bermuda route. Mr. Speaker, these achievements are not only beneficial for our airlift, but also for our economy as they generate more revenues, create more jobs and 1290 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly stimulate more activity. According to the Bermuda Tourism Authority, the estimated booking direct spend by air visitors in 2023 was $341.3 million, an increase of 26 per cent over 2022. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I want to thank all of those who have contributed to the success of our airlift and who continue to support our efforts to grow and improve it. I want to thank our airline partners, our Air-port Authority, our airport operator, our Tourism Author-ity, our hoteliers, our travel agents, our taxi drivers, our hospitality workers and all of our public servants who invest in ensuring our airlift is successful. I also want to thank our visitors who have chosen Bermuda as their destination of choice, and who have shared their posi-tive feedback and experiences with others. I want to thank our people, who have shown resilience, adapta-bility and hospitality in the face of adversity and change. Mr. Speaker, I want to end by saying that airlift is not just a numbers game, but people. Airlift is not just about statistics, but about stories. Airlift is not just about flights, but about feelings. Airlift is not just about transport, but about inspiration. Airlift is not just about Bermuda, but about the world. Airlift is not just about today, but about tomorrow. Airlift is not just about us, but about you. Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker, I thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, this final Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of National Security. Minister. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. [Laughter and crosstalk] Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Good morning, colleagues. [Crosstalk] HURRICANE SEASON 2024 PREPARDNESS Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, I rise to provide this Honourable House and the public with a timely re-minder of the precautionary measures we should all take as we enter another hurricane …
Good morning.
[Laughter and crosstalk] Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Good morning, colleagues. [Crosstalk]
HURRICANE SEASON 2024 PREPARDNESS Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, I rise to provide this Honourable House and the public with a timely re-minder of the precautionary measures we should all take as we enter another hurricane season . Yes, it is that time of year already , and the hurricane season officially begins tomorrow, June 1, and ends on Novem-ber 30. Mr. Speaker, in 2023, Bermuda was spared any major hurricane damage; however, there were several close calls with several storms passing near the Island. Hurricane Franklin was the first major storm of the year on August 30, with Tropical Storm Idalia following closely behind on September 4. Fortunately for us, Idalia did not make a direct hit, but was the most impactful storm of the season, causing more than 3, 000 homes to lose power. The only other significant storm to threaten us during the season was Hurricane Lee on September 15. Mr. Speaker, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA ] Climate Prediction Center has predicted an 85 per cent chance of an abovenormal season this year with 17 to 25 named storms forecasted. NOAA has predicted that eight to thirteen of those storms will become hurricanes, including four to seven major hurricanes in C ategory 3 or higher. These data are cause for concern, and we all must be vigilant throughout the coming months. Mr. Speaker, AccuWeather further cautions that increased sea temperature makes it more likely that hurricanes may develop rapidly. This means that storms have the potential to increase wind intensity by at least 35 miles per hour in 24 hours or less. Such rapid intensification makes it more important that we have plans in place and are prepared to quickly batten down in the event of a hurricane. Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members will recall that June is Hurricane Preparedness Month. On Monday, June 3, I will convene the Executive of the Emergency Measures Organi sation (EMO) for its annual hurricane readiness meeting. The purpose of that meeting will be to assess the government’s readiness for hurricane season and to advance our preparations. Over the course of the month, the National Security Ministry’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation Team (DRRM) will coordinate activities to re- familiaris e relevant staff and stakeholders with the Emergency Measures Organisation Operations Centre. Staff train-ing and equipment and connection- testing for the Emergency Broadcast Facility will also be conducted during the month of June. Mr. Speaker, I implore all residents to also use the time during Hurricane Preparedness Month to prepare for the peak of hurricane season, which is typically from mid- August through October. It is not too soon to start preparations. Families should meet to discuss their hurricane plans for the season. If there are any lessons learned from 2023, these should be included in updated plans. People should confirm that their property insurance is up to date, as well as create a hurricane supplies checklist and ensure that the necessary items are on hand. We should include a two-week supply of medications and non- perishable food items to sustain members of the family for up to three days. In practical terms, it is also a good idea to include the household’s favou rite games and books in your hurricane kit to stay occupied in the event of a storm. In true Bermudian spirit, I also encourage residents to check on their el-derly or disabled neighbours to see if they require as-sistance in hurricane preparedness planning. Mr. Speaker , I wish to remind residents that the Emergency Broadcast Station is 100.1 FM. The station is live now, and residents should tune in periodically to
Bermuda House of Assembly become familiari sed with its broadcast. Other official hurricane update sources are the Bermuda Government ’s and the Bermuda Weather Service’s Facebook pages, and local radio and television stations; however, these may not be accessible during power outages. As such, a portable radio with spare batteries should be included in hurricane kits so that residents are able to access the Emergency Broadcast Station 100.1 FM for important messaging and updates during a storm. Mr. Speaker , Bermuda has successfully weathered many active hurricane seasons —pun intended. This might induce a false sense of security amongst the public and cause us to become complacent. I urge each of us to not let our guard down and to remain safeguarded and prudent. I hasten to reiterate my earlier comment that predictions thi s year indicate that hurricanes will form faster than in previous years with very little warning. We must not be caught off - guard. Mr Speaker, it only takes one storm to directly impact Bermuda to cause major disruptions to our daily lives and stability. I urge the public to use the time now to make sure that proper preparations for h urricane season are made. The more we are prepared, the less damage we are likely to sustain. Mr. Speaker, it is well known that Bermuda and her people are resilient and very resourceful. I am confident that with early and adequate preparations, we will safely weather the 2024 hurricane season. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, that brings us to a close of the Statements for this morning. We will now move on. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. QUESTION PERIOD
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe have no written questions this morning, so the questions will come from that Statements that were given today. And, Ministers, we have Members who wish to ask questions of your Statements. The first Statement this morning that has a question is the Statement by the Minister of Youth, Social …
We have no written questions this morning, so the questions will come from that Statements that were given today. And, Ministers, we have Members who wish to ask questions of your Statements. The first Statement this morning that has a question is the Statement by the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors regarding foster care. And that is from MP Jackson. MP Jackson, would you like to put your question?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. QUESTION 1: FOSTER CARE MONTH—MAY 2024
Ms. Susan E. JacksonI would like to ask the Minister if she is able to provide us with a number or an esti-mated number of the children in Bermuda who are presently awaiting the support of foster parents within our system.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, I can give the information on how many children we have in foster care as well as foster parents. We have 59 children in foster care and 57 foster families. We do our due diligence as best as we can to be able to …
Minister.
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, I can give the information on how many children we have in foster care as well as foster parents. We have 59 children in foster care and 57 foster families. We do our due diligence as best as we can to be able to place children when there becomes the need. But [that is] the number of children whom we have currently placed in foster care.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Supplementary or second question?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNone. Okay. Thank you. Minister, there are no further questions for you regarding that Statement. However, on your next Statement in regard to the disabled persons, MP Pearman would like to put a question to you. MP. QUESTION 1: NATIONAL REGISTER FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Minister. Obviously, the Opposition would like to commend the introduction of a national register for the dis-abled when that does come into effect. And also, it is pleasing to hear that consultation has been paid for by the United Nations. It is nice …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Minister. Obviously, the Opposition would like to commend the introduction of a national register for the dis-abled when that does come into effect. And also, it is pleasing to hear that consultation has been paid for by the United Nations. It is nice to see someone else picking up the bill rather than the beleaguered Bermudian taxpayer. My question, Mr. Speaker, to [the Honourable Minister’s] Statement this morning is she referenced that the convention may be extended to Bermuda and that we will have a response to our request from the UK by the end of June of this year. Assuming for a mo ment that the response is positive, so assuming that the convention will be extended to Bermuda, what are the practical ramifications of that extension? What will happen in real terms? Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Member, for that question. 1292 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The positive ramifications for that extension (1) are to identify what Bermuda is doing well, what our strengths are as far as serving our persons with disabilities; …
Thank you. Minister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Member, for that question. 1292 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The positive ramifications for that extension (1) are to identify what Bermuda is doing well, what our strengths are as far as serving our persons with disabilities; but (2) it will also identify where we need to improve. And that is very important inform ation for us as a Government to be able to progress initiatives and services for persons with disabilities. But it also lets our community and our community globally know as well what our needs are. So that is what the extension will offer. It will also pu t us in line globally with the other countries that have been extended that convention as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary or new question?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo ahead. QUESTION 2: NATIONAL REGISTER FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Mr. Scott PearmanMinister, you mentioned during your Statement barriers to those with disabilities and accessibility for all. Could you kindly update this Honourable House on the considerations, your considerations, of building access and where that currently stands? Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I did mention in my Statement in regard to . . . right now Bermuda has no legal framework for persons with disabilities. So we are definitely looking forward to progressing a Bermuda Disabilities Act.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you for that answer. Mr. Speaker, no further questions. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNo further questions? Thank you. Minister, there are no further questions for you on that matter. We will now move on. Members, the next Statement that has questions this morning is the Statement by the Minister of Transport. Minister, MP Jackson would like to put a question to you. MP.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThank you, Mr. Speaker. And how to frame a question that is congratulatory? So will the Minister please accept the congratulations and appreciation for the hard work that he and the Air Service Development team have done? Because it has been a stellar job to get from what we had—zero …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And how to frame a question that is congratulatory? So will the Minister please accept the congratulations and appreciation for the hard work that he and the Air Service Development team have done? Because it has been a stellar job to get from what we had—zero seat capacity in 2021, up to now for 133,000 seats. So that is an accomplishment. So my second question . . . no, not my second question. All right. I will sit down and see if he accepts my—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, I do not think you are really looking for a response for that.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerFrame a question that he can respond to. QUESTION 1: UPDATE ON AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
Ms. Susan E. JacksonSo my question to the Minister, getting from 433,000- odd seats that we are presently at up to the sort of 661,000 or 600,000 that we had before the COVID -19 pandemic, could he maybe just give us an indication of where we see that there are still gaps to …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister, I hope that was easier, [more] of a question for you than the first one. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Yes, that is an easy question.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: First of all, on behalf of the Government, we absolutely thank you for the congratulations. The last part is that it comes down to numbers of rooms. You cannot overdo it as far as that. So we are having discussions also with other airlines who …
Good.
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: First of all, on behalf of the Government, we absolutely thank you for the congratulations. The last part is that it comes down to numbers of rooms. You cannot overdo it as far as that. So we are having discussions also with other airlines who are very interested in coming this way. But it depends on availability in other areas. And the Government is working on those particular areas. So we will have to wait and see how it happens. But as soon as it happens, we will make sure that we have further discussions with airlines and see how we can make it happen.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary or second question?
Ms. Susan E. JacksonNo further questions. Thank you. [Pause] Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Members, there are no further questions. Mr. Whip, would you come see me for a minute, though, please? Thank you. There are no further questions to Statements this morning. So we will now move on, on the Order …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWould any Member wish to speak to that? I am going to take MP Simmons -Wade because I know she is going to be going off to a family matter in a minute. So, I am going to take her first. MP Simmons -Wade, do you mind?
Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -WadeAs I normally do, I would like to recognise my constituents, my seniors, constituents who have gone 65. I would like to congratulate Alice Redford, who is 94. I w ould like to also congratulate Erskine Tyrrell, who is 93 and Maria AstrideSterling , who is 85. I also will …
As I normally do, I would like to recognise my constituents, my seniors, constituents who have gone 65. I would like to congratulate Alice Redford, who is 94. I w ould like to also congratulate Erskine Tyrrell, who is 93 and Maria AstrideSterling , who is 85. I also will take this opportunity to give congratulations to all of the caregivers in our community who are certified caregivers, and all of our family caregivers who are allowing family members to keep their seniors at home. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. MP Foggo, you did jump earlier, although I acknowledged your colleague across the way. So, I will acknowledge you this time. You have your three minutes.
Ms. Lovitta F. FoggoThank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning to the House, and good morning to the listening public. Firstly, Mr. Speaker, I would like congratulations to go out to East End Primary and St. George’s Preparatory School for their pre- Bermuda Day celebration. They provide a phenomenal experience, a parade second to …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning to the House, and good morning to the listening public. Firstly, Mr. Speaker, I would like congratulations to go out to East End Primary and St. George’s Preparatory School for their pre- Bermuda Day celebration. They provide a phenomenal experience, a parade second to none. And it is a display of the young ones’ talents. And the parade in and of itself has the ability of pulling the community together behind their schools. And with the display that they put on this last May 22, it again di d just that. On a sad note, Mr. Speaker, I would like to give condolences the family of Kuni Frith on the recent passing of both her mother, Ms . Cordelia Marie Hayward; and her father not long after, Mr. Charles Leroy Frith. And I would like something to go out from the House expressing condolences. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. MP Lister, you jumped very quickly that time. Would you like your three minutes?
Mr. Dennis Lister IIIGood morning to the listening audience. Firstly, I would like to start off by sending condolences to the family of Mr. Vandal “Hockey” Robinson, a family friend. While [he was] much older, I did not know him as well. He was a good associate of my grandfather, and so he …
Good morning to the listening audience. Firstly, I would like to start off by sending condolences to the family of Mr. Vandal “Hockey” Robinson, a family friend. While [he was] much older, I did not know him as well. He was a good associate of my grandfather, and so he was always around. So I just want to send condolences to his family —the late Vandal “Hockey” Robinson. On a lighter note, Mr. Speaker, I would like to send congratulations to recently the Outstanding Teen Awards to all participants or recipients of awards. I will associate the whole House. And to the overall winner — and I do not want to get the name wrong—C hiaje Rudo. Congratulations to her. I am not sure what school —
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberBerkeley.
Mr. Dennis Lister IIIBerkeley, okay. The Berkeley. Also, Mr. Speaker, on another note, I would like to send congratulations to the Town Crier, Mr. Ed Chris-topher, for 30 years of service. I will again associate the whole House, Mr. Speaker. Thirty years of service and doing a job that he has passion for, …
Berkeley, okay. The Berkeley. Also, Mr. Speaker, on another note, I would like to send congratulations to the Town Crier, Mr. Ed Chris-topher, for 30 years of service. I will again associate the whole House, Mr. Speaker. Thirty years of service and doing a job that he has passion for, because we see it each time you see him out there. And, Mr. Speaker, also to the graduating class, the 2024 graduating class of Bermuda College. I would like to send congratulations to all of the students of that class and wish them success in their future endeavours. And I specifically associate the Mini ster of Education and also the whole House. And, Mr. Speaker, last week Friday we celebrated Bermuda Day. And I want to send congratulations to all of the participants in the 25 th of May half - marathon, the parade and, Mr. Speaker, the junior race. I just want to highlight the winners. The 24th of May Half -Marathon, Mr. Lamont Marshall and Ms. Gayle Lindsay; and then in the Junior Race we had Mr. Sanchez Smith and Ms. Naomi MacGuinness who in this year set or tied the record for the Junior Race for the females —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerA new record. A new record, a new record. 1294 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Dennis Lister III: Previously she had won it . . . oh, she set the new record? I stand corrected. So congratulations to them, Sanchez Smith and Naomi MacGuinness. …
A new record. A new record, a new record.
1294 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Dennis Lister III: Previously she had won it . . . oh, she set the new record? I stand corrected. So congratulations to them, Sanchez Smith and Naomi MacGuinness. And lastly, Mr. Speaker, we all know that this year in summer we will be celebrating the 2024 Olympic Games. And I want to give congratulations to all of the Bermudian athletes who have qualified to represent Bermuda. There are still some to qualify. But to those who have already, congratulations to them and that they represent Bermuda well overseas in the Olympics. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. MP De Silva, you look like you sprang up pretty quickly that time. Would you like your three minutes? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes. Yes, I did, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I jumped up so quickly on behalf of our brother Glenn Woods, who passed …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And, Mr. Speaker, I am sure that many things will be said certainly at his funeral. And I think I will leave most of those comments to that time. But of course my heart goes out to Candy and the family. And I …
Yes.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And, Mr. Speaker, I am sure that many things will be said certainly at his funeral. And I think I will leave most of those comments to that time. But of course my heart goes out to Candy and the family. And I think that he will be given his due when he is funeralised, Mr. Speaker. I will leave it right there. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. MP Scott, you have the floor.
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottThank you, Mr. Speaker. I had some competition to my left. I just wanted to send a letter of congratulations to all of the winners of the Outstanding Teens Awards. (And I declare my interest as it was started by my mother, Olga Scott.) [The winners are as follows:] • …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had some competition to my left. I just wanted to send a letter of congratulations to all of the winners of the Outstanding Teens Awards. (And I declare my interest as it was started by my mother, Olga Scott.) [The winners are as follows:] • STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), Moriah Bridgewater from the Berkeley Institute and Luke Foster from Warwick Academy; • Most Progress, Ca’Mya Rose from Bermuda Institute and Dekada Gilbert from CedarBridge Academy; • Academic Achievement, Chiaje Rudo, Berkeley Institute, and Benjamin Mello from Saltus Grammas School; • Sports, Adriana Argent from Warwick Academy and Anijah é Santos Martin from Mount Saint Agnes; • Public Speaking, Eva O’Connor from Warwick Academy; • Entrepreneurship, Z éa Swainson from Bermuda Institute and Rickai Lightbourne from Bermuda Institute • Community Service, Leyla Ganal from Saltus Grammar School; you had Neriah Bean from Bermuda Institute; • Spiritual Leadership (surprisingly, not one by Bermuda Institute), Dominique Brown in CedarBridge Academy and Tajer Basden from CedarBridge Academy; • Visual Arts, Naomi Every from Somersfield Academy; • Perseverance, Katherine Bean Rosario, Saltus Grammar School, and Jordan Lightbourne from Bermuda Institute; • Performing Arts, Satya Darrell from Somersfield Academy and Neriah Bean from Bermuda Institute; • Vocational Technical Arts, Paulo Aguiar from CedarBridge Academy; • Leadership, Imara Richardson from Warwick Academy and Shane Powell Hayward from Warwick Academy; and • Special Recognition, Satya Darrell (from Saltus); and • Outstanding Overall Teen, Chiaje Rudo from the Berkeley Institute. I just want to send special congratulations to all of them. And if this is any sign of what the future of Bermuda is going to look like, our future is strong and bright.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. MP Jackson, would you like your three minutes?
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThank you, Mr. Speaker. On a very sad note, I would like to send condolences to the family of Gwendolyn Brunson. She was the mother of a former Member of Parliament, Jon Brunson, and he sat in this Chamber. And he certainly has provided us with his public service and …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On a very sad note, I would like to send condolences to the family of Gwendolyn Brunson. She was the mother of a former Member of Parliament, Jon Brunson, and he sat in this Chamber. And he certainly has provided us with his public service and was raised by Gwendolyn, who was quite the entertainer. She loved to dance. And certainly her farewell service at Vernon Temple was certainly full of reflection of her legacy of family, as well as the joy of entertainment, which was very much a part of that service. On a happier note, I would like to recognise and be associated with the congratulations to Lamont Marshall on winning the Half -Marathon on Bermuda Day. He lives in constituency 10, so this is somebody whom we had had the honour of meeting in person dur-ing the canvassing before the bye- election. I would also like to send out congratulations to the College of Natural Health Sciences -Bermuda. This is run by Rev. Dr. Detroy Bean and his wife, Dr. Delcina Bean -Burrows. They have a wonderful programme that is going, a real reflection of entrepreneurship, service to the community, educational development all in one
Bermuda House of Assembly package. And it is healthy. They had a lovely graduation ceremony on the 29th of May. I had the honour of being there, and my mother, Louise Jackson, was hon-oured and was actually given an Honorary Doctorate in Natural Health Science at the graduation ceremony, which was absolutely lovely. I wish the College of Natural Health Sciences - Bermuda all the best in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP Jackson. Mr. Whip, would you like your three minutes? MP Tyrrell.
Mr. Neville S. TyrrellMr. Speaker, sadly I ask if condolences can be sent to the family of the late Calvin Sinclair Simons, a constituent of mine who lived in Khyber Pass.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou are associating yourself. I think it was done last time as well.
Mr. Neville S. TyrrellI do not . . . okay, I am associating myself then, Mr. Speaker. But I would like to give special mention of his two daughters, Shari and Karla. Mr. Simons will be laid to rest today, so I hope he does rest in peace. Thank you. The other point …
I do not . . . okay, I am associating myself then, Mr. Speaker. But I would like to give special mention of his two daughters, Shari and Karla. Mr. Simons will be laid to rest today, so I hope he does rest in peace. Thank you. The other point I want to make, Mr. Speaker, a very good friend of mine passed recently and very sud-denly, Mr. Braxton Stowe. He was — [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Neville S. TyrrellI will associate the whole House. Mr. Stowe previously was a neighbour of mine up in Rocklands before moving out. But he was certainly better known, or well known, for his sports qualities (because we played together in slow -pitch softball). And he also was a tennis pro who taught …
I will associate the whole House. Mr. Stowe previously was a neighbour of mine up in Rocklands before moving out. But he was certainly better known, or well known, for his sports qualities (because we played together in slow -pitch softball). And he also was a tennis pro who taught my grandson. He was Nyland’s first coach and brought him along quite well. On a happier note, Mr. Speaker, you know, sometimes we have to do things we do not really want to do. I do not normally bring happy birthday greetings. But I have to bring happy birthday greetings today to Mrs. Valeria Butterfield, commonly known as Duffy . She is my mother -in-law. She is 95 today, Mr. Speaker. [Desk thumping]
Mr. Neville S. TyrrellSo I would have (if he was in the House) associated her nephew, Minister Weeks. But he is not here now. But I will associate him anyway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Does any other Member? Member Swan, you are rising a little slowly this morning. But you have got your three minutes.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanI would like to be associated with the condolences to the Woods family, to the Brunson family, to the Stowe family on those condolences that were done just this morning. I would like for suitable congratulatory remarks to be given by myself to Bermuda Breeze, a collaborative effort led by …
I would like to be associated with the condolences to the Woods family, to the Brunson family, to the Stowe family on those condolences that were done just this morning. I would like for suitable congratulatory remarks to be given by myself to Bermuda Breeze, a collaborative effort led by Marico Thomas, Ms. Danielle Riviere, from the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Transport Department, the Ministry of Transport and also the BTA [Bermuda Tourism Authority] and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. It is breathing life into St. George’s through vendor markets, seven days a week for 365 days, a commitment through the end of the year, entertainment as well. It certainly is a tremendous initiative. I would like to be associated with the May 22
congratulatory remarks given by MP Foggo and the remarks from May 24 on the Olympians given by MP Lister. And to be associated also with the 2024 Teen Ser-vices award. Singling out the 2022 Perseverance winner was David Goonewardene, a young man who was near death some years ago through a car accident. I had the honour and pleasure of coaching him in golf. And to watch him walk across the stage surprised me and pleased me. And may he continue to go forward. I make mention of Ms. Roxanne Christopher and Ms. Wendy Augustus, whose work behind the scenes along with their team illuminated the legacy left by the late Mrs. Olga Scott whose son and daughter and husband, who were there to receive her accolades. And I am sure they did so proudly. And finally, to recognise the launching of the spelling bee on the steps of City Hall, being spear-headed by retired Justice Norma Wade[ -Miller] and ably assisted by a group team who meet regularly, the Master of Ceremonies, none other than Mr. Robert Horton, and all of those associated did a wonderful job, putting their heart into an initiative that illuminates the importance of education, the importance of literacy. And we celebrate that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
[Crosstalk ]
1296 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker : [MICROPHONE OFF]
Mr. Ben SmithThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like on behalf of the One Bermuda Alliance to congratulate and welcome our lat-est MP to the House of Assembly. [Desk thumping]
Mr. Scott SimmonsThank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning to you and good morning to colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I did not get the opportunity at the last sitting of the House. I recognise that we did send our condolences to the family of Chesley Trott. But I just wanted to associate myself …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning to you and good morning to colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I did not get the opportunity at the last sitting of the House. I recognise that we did send our condolences to the family of Chesley Trott. But I just wanted to associate myself with that. I was not in the House at that particular time. But I just wanted to associate myself. I did enjoy, in the past certainly, sitting with Mr. Chesley Trott, along with the former Speaker of this House. He was a representative at the time. And we had some wonderful, wonderful moments together. And he will be s orely missed. He is certainly a legend in this country, both for his creativity, but also for his generosity. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to be associated with the remarks given by the Honourable Zane De Silva as it relates to Mr. Glenn Woods. Mr. Woods was known to all of us. He was loved by all of us. But more importantly, Mr. Speaker, is the fact that he gave so much to each and every one of us. He had a good heart. He was kind. And certainly his level of creativity was shown by the projects that he engaged in, by the things that he did in this community. And he will long be remembered as an example to us al l. Also, Mr. Speaker, if you do not mind, in sadness I would like to remember the Castle family on the passing of Donna Castle.
[Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Scott SimmonsI associate the entire House in this regard. Ms. Castle, Donna, was someone whom I knew and certainly I think our community knew her. And she had a very . . . I often say a very strong, but a quiet countenance about her. But at the times when she …
I associate the entire House in this regard. Ms. Castle, Donna, was someone whom I knew and certainly I think our community knew her. And she had a very . . . I often say a very strong, but a quiet countenance about her. But at the times when she had to emphasise what she had to emphasise she did so. She will be sorely missed by Jack. W e all know Jack and give him our love and support in this Honourable House today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Christopher FamousGood morning, Mr. Speaker, colleagues and to the listening public. Mr. Speaker, as you know, Devonshire is a very close -knit community. And over the last week we have lost three persons. I will start with young Nakia Smith. He played for Wolves Sports Club. He also played for North …
Good morning, Mr. Speaker, colleagues and to the listening public. Mr. Speaker, as you know, Devonshire is a very close -knit community. And over the last week we have lost three persons. I will start with young Nakia Smith. He played for Wolves Sports Club. He also played for North Village. Rev. Mr. Joe Perry of Devon Springs Road. He passed away last week Thursday. And Mrs. Janet Brown of Lightbourne Lane, which is off of Hermitage Road as well, Mr. Speaker. So I just want to bring condolences to [those]. Mr. Speaker, today is the birthday of one of our parliamentary colleagues, Senator Arianna Hodgson. Everyone knows Arianna, so I just want to wish her a happy birthday. As importantly, Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is the anniversary of the birth of Dame Lois Browne- Evans, a woman who walked up and down the streets of this entire country, but especially Devonshire, to enlighten us as to the ways of politics in this country. So I just want to say to both of those ladies who share a 24- hours birthday. Continue to do work. We [are inspired] by Senator Hodgson [and] by Dame Lois. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. MP Pearman, you have your three minutes.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer congratulations to the charity group, CURB (Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda), who last night held a conference at the Bermuda College with a guest speaker, Ms. Shelly Tochluk, who came from Los Angeles where she is involved in anti …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer congratulations to the charity group, CURB (Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda), who last night held a conference at the Bermuda College with a guest speaker, Ms. Shelly Tochluk, who came from Los Angeles where she is involved in anti -racism and gang activities and promotions out there. She spoke to a group last night. I am delighted to say that I saw at least three Members of Parliament at the event, including our new Member of Parliament from constituency 10, Mr. King. In addition, and I am not sure in this context if I can mention the other place, but the President of the other place, or the upper House, or however I am supposed to say it —
Mr. Scott PearmanThe other place, the President of the other place was also there. And just if I can give a little plug, last night’s event was a sort of taster, an appetiser for the main course. The main course is this Sat-urday at BUEI [Bermuda Underwater Exploration Ins titute] from 8:30 …
The other place, the President of the other place was also there. And just if I can give a little plug, last night’s event was a sort of taster, an appetiser for the main course. The main course is this Sat-urday at BUEI [Bermuda Underwater Exploration Ins titute] from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. And my understanding is that although that was a ticketed event, there may have now been a drop in the price of those tickets. So if people are interested in attending at BUEI, it was a fantastic talk by an amazing speaker. And I think the crowd really enjoyed it last night. And I would encourage anybody who has the time and availability on Saturday to go to BUEI. And as to the drop in ticket price, I am afraid I did not catch where that price got to. But
Bermuda House of Assembly no doubt they can make inquiries of CURB in that regard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Deputy Speaker. Deputy Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like for the House to send condolences to the family of Paula Furbert from Warwick. She was a stalwart in the Hotel Division of the Bermuda Industrial Union and certainly a …
Thank you. Deputy Speaker. Deputy Speaker.
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like for the House to send condolences to the family of Paula Furbert from Warwick. She was a stalwart in the Hotel Division of the Bermuda Industrial Union and certainly a powerhouse with Herbie and shop stewards at South Princess. Paula leaves to mourn her husband, Eric “Peaches”; her daughters Erica, Thea and Stacy. She will be sorely missed by Herbie Bascome, who was the President of the Hotel Division; and also at Southampton P, the Bermuda Industrial Union family. Also, Mr. Speaker, I would like to send condolences to the family of Anthony Gibbons [Outerbridge], who was funeralised yesterday. Anthony leaves to mourn his sister, Marchalle Augustus; brothers Denton and Stephen Outerbridge. He will certainly also be sorely missed by his two daughters and the entire fam-ily. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy. MP Caines, you have your three minutes.
Mr. Wayne CainesThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer condolences to the family of Frazer “Errol ” Rhoda. He will be buried today, Mr. Speaker. He lived at 16 Cedar Park. I would like send our love and support to his family as they go through this most …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer condolences to the family of Frazer “Errol ” Rhoda. He will be buried today, Mr. Speaker. He lived at 16 Cedar Park. I would like send our love and support to his family as they go through this most difficult time. Mr. Speaker, today I had the opportunity to go to my alma mater, Prospect Primary. Prospect Primary is a school that is 58 years old. Today they honoured the direction of the Principal, Dr. Holly Richardson. She is from Harris Bay , and she celebrated some local honourees in sports. They celebrated Andrea Hinds. She is a young entrepreneur in business. They celebrated our Cherie Whitter in sports; Kenley Ford Guilliams in education; Dr. Jerry Wade in science . . . sorry, Dr. Jerry W ade; in education, Ms. Rucima Swan; and in politics, yours truly, Wayne Caines. It was indeed a phenomenal opportunity. The young children sang “The Man in the Mirror.” They performed some wonderful songs. They actually narrated everyone’s biographies. Just to see the kids so well put together. The faculty, you can see that they spent copious amounts of time making sure every element of this programme was pristine. They were welcoming. The young students were at the gate as we came in, usher-ing us into the building, ushering us into our seats. Just a level of professionalism. All of t he kids were immacu-lately turned out, very well spoken. At Prospect Pri-mary, it was just such a beautiful occasion to celebrate with Dr. Richardson and this wonderful school. I would like congratulations to be sent not only to the honourees, but to the principal and her staff for an amazing presentation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP Caines. Minister Hayward, would you like your three minutes? Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I rise on a sad note to provide condolences to the friends, the family and the entire North Village Community Club. I know MP Famous did say that Nakia Smith was a member …
Thank you, MP Caines. Minister Hayward, would you like your three minutes?
Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I rise on a sad note to provide condolences to the friends, the family and the entire North Village Community Club. I know MP Famous did say that Nakia Smith was a member of the Wolves Sports Club and a member of North Village. But he kind of glossed over that to us within North Village Nakia is a legend. Often referred to as Lionheart, he was probably was the grittiest player whom I have ever come across. Nakia could have a bad game and the coach would not take Nakia off of the field. Because there was always a possibility that he could get a toepoke in the 91 st minute and seal the game. During the 2005– 2006 campaign, North Village Community Club made history by being Triple Crown champs —not the first, but joining an illustrious club.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Jason Hayward: Nakia was actually the leading goal-scorer on that particular team. So his impact would be felt. I think we need to give special support to his family. He has young sons who have also lost a mother. Now they are losing a . . . [Pause]
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberTake your time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerRight. Hon. Jason Hayward: They are also losing a father. And so he was a great man. Our community appreciated his contribution. And certainly if we can actually on this one have a formal letter sent out on his behalf, I would very much appreciate that. [Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Does any other Member? MP Ming.
Mrs. Renee MingGood morning, Mr. Speaker and listening audience.
Mrs. Renee MingIn the first instance I would like to join in with the comments for our brother Glenn Woods. 1298 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly There is no one here who sits out and wears the green from the PLP who has not been in some …
In the first instance I would like to join in with the comments for our brother Glenn Woods. 1298 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly There is no one here who sits out and wears the green from the PLP who has not been in some way supported or encouraged by Mr. Woods. And for that, we will be eternally grateful. He has left some really big shoes for the rest of us to fill. Mr. Speaker, on a happier note, I just came back. I would like to say Happy birthday today, Happy 100th birthday to Ms . Marsha Hunt. She is a constituency number 1 resident. She celebrated her 100th birthday today down at the Sylvia Richardson facility. I will associate the Deputy Leader because he attended as well, and also MP Jackson. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to say congratulations to a young man by the name of Angelis Hunt. For those of you who know, his lifelong dream has been drama, production, singing. He has been with Up with People. He has travelled with them. And he actually went to university, and he has a bachelor degree in the same things, in production and drama and music. He has been cast to TINA The Tina Turner Musical in the UK, which is something that he has always wanted and aspired to do. And we expect great things from him. I know that this is just his start and there is much more to come. And I want to congratulate his village. Because this is a very time -taking a nd can be expensive step. And his village has made sure that his success is their success. And we look forward to hearing more from him. I would also like to be associated with the comments for the Bermuda Breeze market in St. George’s, who have a theme of m usic, market and memories. And this is something t hat we are hopeful that this will breathe a breath of fresh air into the town, having a local market there every day. But the one thing that is especially heartwarming is the collaboration that went into making this happen. And I really want to make sure to say thank you to Minister Wayne Furbert, because he held a series of stakeholder m eetings, and everyone came together and kind of shared their input —what they would like to have seen and what it is that we could make happen for this upcoming year. So, I think that there are more great things to come, Mr. Speaker, but this is just a star t. And I believe that, like I said to you, the collaboration that went into it was also a start for how we look and how we go forward within our town and throughout Bermuda. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP Ming. Minister Furbert. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to stand to my feet, as Members have already mentioned in regard to the Teen awards, to as-sociate myself with those remarks as I was not here on Island to attend. But I know …
Thank you, MP Ming. Minister Furbert. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to stand to my feet, as Members have already mentioned in regard to the Teen awards, to as-sociate myself with those remarks as I was not here on Island to attend. But I know that they had been on a hiatus for a number of years before the Teen awards were brought back. I do know the work that went into making sure that this event did happen, particularly for acknowledging our youth and our teens. I want to share my congratulatory remarks to the team who put on this event today, and of course to our youth and our teens who were the recipients of the awards. Mr. Speaker, I also want to associate myself with the remarks of congratulations to Honourable Justice Norma Wade- Miller and the spelling bee that is now back in Bermuda. I do not know if any other Members in the House were very meticulous with their spel ling with the spelling tests that we used to have on Fridays. But it does give our students, our youth, our children the opportunity to showcase their talent and also improve upon the English language. So I want to send a big thank you to the Honourable Justice Norma WadeMiller and her team for bringing the spelling bee back. And, of course, I do want to associate with condolences remarks to [the family of] Mr. Glenn Woods, condolences to his family. Mr. Woods, like others have said, had been very supportive. He used to often send me text messages encouraging me. Those messages will be missed. And so just condolences to the family of Mr. Glenn Woods. Thank you, [Mr. Speaker].
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Opposition Whip.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Cannonier, you have your three minutes.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierAnd [good afternoon] to colleagues. I would like to be associated with the comments from my colleague on the College of Natural Health Sciences in awarding doctorates out and, in particular, one that I know very closely. But I would like to read those names off, the doctorates. The late …
And [good afternoon] to colleagues. I would like to be associated with the comments from my colleague on the College of Natural Health Sciences in awarding doctorates out and, in particular, one that I know very closely. But I would like to read those names off, the doctorates. The late Loui se Jackson, who received her honorary doctorate. Dr. Barbara Holder also received her honorary doctorate. Sharon Ann Burrows, honorary doctorate. But also an hon-orary doctorate to Doreen Williams James. Many of us know . . . a lot of us may know her here i n the House.
[Inaudible interjection]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes, yes. I associate the Honourable Member. She probably was known to us as a mortician. And to watch someone like herself —from St. David’s, I must say—to then make that transition from Bermuda House of Assembly that kind of business to something that she really loved, amazing information she …
Yes, yes. I associate the Honourable Member. She probably was known to us as a mortician. And to watch someone like herself —from St. David’s, I must say—to then make that transition from
Bermuda House of Assembly that kind of business to something that she really loved, amazing information she has. I saw her the other day, dressed all up, and I did not realise why she was dressed all up, not used to seeing her. And she said she was receiving her doctor-ate. So to Doreen Williams James, a big name in the St. David’s Community, I say Kudos to her for sticking it out. Many of us probably do not even know, but we were buying her drinks in supermarkets and the like. But she has got a wealth of knowledge there. Unbelievable! Just Bermuda and the plants and the things we used to probably call weeds when we were growing up! We just did not know the health benefits of these things. So if any of us gets an opportunity, we should look her up and purchase some of the stuff that she is providing for health benefits to all of us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. MP Anthony Richardson.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonGood afternoon, Mr. Speaker and to colleagues and those in the listening audience. I want to do . . . well, it is going to be . . . I want to say that I certainly want to be associated with the comment for Brother Glenn. There are almost no …
Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker and to colleagues and those in the listening audience. I want to do . . . well, it is going to be . . . I want to say that I certainly want to be associated with the comment for Brother Glenn. There are almost no words in terms of describing what he did, his big heart. And beyond all of that, he was always so gentle and kind. Always, always, always. So I wi ll just leave that at that. But, Mr. Speaker, what I also want to do is acknowledge the service that I attended for . . . it was a funeral service actually for Ralph “the General.” His full name was Ralph Edmund McClinton Wade. And it was held at Marsden. And I told some people that it was the best funeral I have ever attended, which is strange. But the reason is that it was such a community event. The Minister who was in charge was Pastor Dean Smith. And what he was able to do is remind the wealth of the community in what they had done in the whole hospitality service. So even Ralph himself worked at Castle Harbour, the former Castle Harbour. And they talked about how excellent he was in terms of what he did, but also how he dressed. But beyond that, once he finished working, what did he do? He went and volunteered at Summerhaven for like 18 years. And I say “volunteer” meaning he did it for free as a live- in person. And almost no one else would do such a thing for such an extended per iod of time. And then what was really touching is the fact that as a young person, his mother died and he was taken in by his aunt, Ms. Odell Zuill. And they talked about her so richly in terms of, he was her son. It was not a fact of, Okay, he’s adopted. No, no, no. He was her son, and he grew up with the children. And her two immediate children, even when they gave their com-ments, it was just so heartwarming to hear what they had to say in terms of how he grew up in the midst of their family. And then again, what Pastor Dean was able to do was just on reflection to tie it in to everybody who was actually present and to hear others who were present remembering their own experiences in the hospitality sector. A lot of times here we talk about the idea of service, which is very different from servitude. Ralph actually epitomised that. He understood what it was. And I will not repeat it exactly. But there was one instance whereby a guest actually verbally offended him. And he chose to respond not physically, but as a joke. He dumped coffee in their lap. So he was able to be responsive without being overly offensive. That is what I am trying to get at. But again I just want to make sure I say that it was truly amazing in terms of how, at the funeral service, they were able to tie it together for the entire community. And everyone was truly blessed by that. So, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. MP Adams, would you like your three minutes this morning?
Mr. Jache AdamsGood morning. Good morning. I wanted to take this opportunity to associate myself with the congratulatory remarks to all of the win-ners of the most recent Outstanding Teen Awards. I will not go through the names, as my MP Scott did a great job going through all of the names. …
Good morning. Good morning. I wanted to take this opportunity to associate myself with the congratulatory remarks to all of the win-ners of the most recent Outstanding Teen Awards. I will not go through the names, as my MP Scott did a great job going through all of the names. But then my cousin, MP Swan, said that she was a Berkleyite. But I would be remiss if I did not mention that she was a constituent of Pembroke West. So with that, I would like to congratulate the overall winner, Ms. Chiaje Rudo, who was crowned as the overall win ner. The event was a huge success and certainly a testament to the outstanding talent that we have on this Island. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to associate myself with the condolences [for] Mr. Glenn Woods. Woodsy, will certainly be a tremendous loss to us all in the halls of Alaska Hall. Woodsy, as I would say, was PLP through and through. The good days and the bad days, the ups and the downs. When we were in Government and we were out of Government, he was on the forefr ont wearing his green with his fist held high. So I will say on behalf of us all, it is safe to say that Woodsy was PLP all the way and all the way PLP. Thank you.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWould any other Member like to make a contribution? Minister Weeks. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 1300 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, I too would like to be associated with the comments [for] Mr. Glenn Woods. I know we have …
Would any other Member like to make a contribution? Minister Weeks.
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 1300 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, I too would like to be associated with the comments [for] Mr. Glenn Woods. I know we have said it over and over, but words cannot express what he meant to us as young people coming into the PLP family. He was there. He always had a word of en-couragement. And when he encouraged us sometimes, when he felt we were up to something wrong, he was almost like a big brother the way he talked to us. Because he knew me before I came into the PLP. But he always reminded me of my roots and what they stood for. So he is going to be a great miss, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: But on behalf of the Ministry of National Security, if I may, Mr. Speaker, it is with sad-ness that the Ministry of National Security has learned of the passing of Mr. Glenn Woods, a dedicated and passionate member of the Treatment of Offenders Board. Mr. …
Yes.
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: But on behalf of the Ministry of National Security, if I may, Mr. Speaker, it is with sad-ness that the Ministry of National Security has learned of the passing of Mr. Glenn Woods, a dedicated and passionate member of the Treatment of Offenders Board. Mr. W oods passed away early this week. Mr. Woods served on the board for many years with dedication, working under various chairs. His insightful contributions and collaborative spirit have greatly influenced the board’s progress and achi evements. His loss will be profoundly felt by all who had the honour of working alongside of him. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Chairperson of the Treatment of Offenders Board, she has echoed my sentiments. But she also said that Mr. Woods was extremely welcoming, noting that he personally offered to mentor not only the Chair, but other new members of the board during their tenure. His knowledge was welcome and sought after. His commitment to justice and fairness could be seen and felt in every statement that he made. His compassion for helping others was a true testament to his character. So, Mr. Speaker, on another note, on a congratulatory note, I would like to be associated with the remarks from the Member of constituency 26 when he wished his mother -in-law, who is my auntie, happy 95 th birthday greetings.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: She is now, I believe, the oldest member of the illustrious Dill clan of Samuel Zambudi and Maude Dill. So may she have many more. She was the cake- maker in the family, Mr. Speaker. And all of them are some fond memories that I …
Yes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: She is now, I believe, the oldest member of the illustrious Dill clan of Samuel Zambudi and Maude Dill. So may she have many more. She was the cake- maker in the family, Mr. Speaker. And all of them are some fond memories that I have of my auntie, and may she enjoy many more birthday celebrations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister Weeks. Would any other Member like to make a contribution? Any other? Deputy Premier. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would definitely like to be associated with the remarks already said about Mr. Glenn Woods. It has certainly been echoed by many that …
Thank you, Minister Weeks. Would any other Member like to make a contribution? Any other? Deputy Premier. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would definitely like to be associated with the remarks already said about Mr. Glenn Woods. It has certainly been echoed by many that he was a prominent fixture in the Progressive Labour Party for many, many years. I certainly can attest to that from my own experience with Mr. Woods. He played a considerable role with the health and welfare of the party, whether we were in Government or not, with no request for reward and no request for recognition. That was one of Mr. Woods’s chief mantras, commitment. But I would also say that even as a great contributor to the party, he was a great contributor to his community. Mentioning his contributions to the Treatment of Offenders Board, Mr. Woods was also not only PLP all the way, but Bermuda all the way. He gave his time and energy to fulfil those to their maximum. Certainly our condolences go to his family because he took time from that family to give to us. But there was one last thing I would like to mention in tribute to Mr. Woods, in that there has been a mention of Alaska Hall. But as many, many know, that name has changed to represent the name of another great contributor to the party’s health and welfare. Mr. Woods was the chief campaigner to make sure that the build-ing that was known for most of its history as Alaska Hall would be named the Reginald A. Burrows Building. That was one of his chief campaigns. He put extremely a lot of energy into it. And he was certainly overtly, singularly responsible for the party’s making that change to what the building is named now. So, Mr. Woods’s contributions to the party are outstanding, equal to any elected Member of the Chamber who has ever perhaps been a part of this Chamber because he gave his all without asking for reward. And the credit goes to him and others who have decid ed to do just that. My last tribute would be to Ms . Mary Hunt , who celebrated her 100 th birthday. With myself and MP Ming (if she has not already mentioned it), [we] did attend this morning. But I would also like to give credit to all of the wonderful staff at Sylvia Richardson [Care Facility] who give such great care and attention to the welfare of their clients. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy. Minister Burch, you have your three minutes.
Lt. Col. Hon. David A. BurchI would like to be associated with the condolences being sent to the family of Mr. Glenn Woods. We were neighbours for a period in Southampton. And I certainly echo all of the sentiments Bermuda House of Assembly that have been expressed by others this morning on his passing. Mr. …
I would like to be associated with the condolences being sent to the family of Mr. Glenn Woods. We were neighbours for a period in Southampton. And I certainly echo all of the sentiments
Bermuda House of Assembly that have been expressed by others this morning on his passing. Mr. Speaker, on a happier note, I would like to offer congratulations to Rev. Dr. Dorothy Winifred Luetta Tuzo, the former Pastor of Miracle Temple in Dev-onshire, who goes 100 tomorrow. She retired from that post many years ago now and has resided in Jama ica and still resides there. But few in this House will probably remember her as a pastor. But I certainly do. She was fired up and ready to go! And she still is fired up and ready to go, Mr. Speaker. There is a delegation that has gone from Bermuda to Jamaica to celebrate that occasion, and they were kind enough to let me know that they were going, so I sent a card myself. I am not a New Testament Church of God member.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberTell them where you go! [Inaudible interjections and laughter]
Lt. Col. Hon. David A. BurchPeople who grew up in my area went to every church that existed on Sundays. So I never pass up a good sermon, Mr. Speaker. Let us say that.
Lt. Col. Hon. David A. BurchSo I would ask that congratulations be sent to Pastor Tuzo on this tremendous milestone. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Thank you. Would any other Member like to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member? There are none. Before we move on, I am just going to add a couple of remarks. And naturally I would like to be associated with the condolences that are expressed to …
Yes. Thank you. Would any other Member like to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member? There are none. Before we move on, I am just going to add a couple of remarks. And naturally I would like to be associated with the condolences that are expressed to the Woods family on the passing of Mr. Glenn Woods. Most comments this morning have centred around knowing him from his political involvement. I knew him actually before that when he was an ambulance driver at the hospital and I was an orderly, coming home during the summer, working to go back to school. And I have always found the personality that you described, as you have known him in your space, was the same personality that I knew back then in those days. He has always been the same, always one who had a big heart and willing to do more and above what was required of him. I would also like to be associated with the remarks that were sent to the winners of the annual Bermuda Day Races. Particularly as a sponsor —my family is a sponsor of the Junior Race— I would like to acknowledge the winners (as already has been done), but also acknowledge the fact that the junior runners move on to the senior race. And that young Ryan Outerbridge who came second in the derby had participated in our junior race and in fact won it in 2015 or 2016. So it is good to see the junior race runners as they go on and participate in the main derby. That is why the junior race was actually created, to put them in that space to get comfortable in the space so they can move on to participate as senior runners. So I would just like to acknowledge that. [Inaudible interjection and laughter ]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe will see you when that comes back together. How is that? [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerBut on another note, one of the Members this morning did ask that a formal letter be sent. Members, you would know from many years the procedure of sending formal letters has been stopped. And we are in the process now of discussing how we are going to re- establish …
But on another note, one of the Members this morning did ask that a formal letter be sent. Members, you would know from many years the procedure of sending formal letters has been stopped. And we are in the process now of discussing how we are going to re- establish formal letters being sent for the appropriate occasions. Okay? [Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. With that said, 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 MATTERS OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS GOVERNMENT BILLS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere is one Government Bill this morning to be introduced, in the name of the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors. Minister. BILL 1302 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly FIRST READING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (SHORT -TERM RELIEF BENEFIT) ACT 2024 Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, …
There is one Government Bill this morning to be introduced, in the name of the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors. Minister.
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am introducing the following Bill for its first reading so that it may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: the Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. NOTICE OF MOTIONS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. ORDERS OF THE DAY
The SpeakerThe SpeakerIn the Orders of the Day we have two matters to be dealt with today. The first is . . . actually we are going to switch the orders and do the second order first, which we have five minutes left before our normal break time. Minister, would you like …
In the Orders of the Day we have two matters to be dealt with today. The first is . . . actually we are going to switch the orders and do the second order first, which we have five minutes left before our normal break time. Minister, would you like to start it now? Or do you want us to break now? Would you like to have the break now?
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I will take your lead. It is a short brief, but perhaps it would be a convenient time for us to go ahead and break for lunch now, and then I can start anew.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerLet us break now, and you can start it clean when we come back. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe will ask the indulgence of the House that we will break now and come back at 2:00 pm, and we will start with that order first. Any objections? There are none. Thank you, Members. Members, the House now stands adjourned until 2:00 pm. [Gavel] Proceedings suspended at 12:26 pm …
We will ask the indulgence of the House that we will break now and come back at 2:00 pm, and we will start with that order first. Any objections? There are none. Thank you, Members. Members, the House now stands adjourned until 2:00 pm.
[Gavel]
Proceedings suspended at 12:26 pm
Proceedings resumed at 2:01 pm
[Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood afternoon, Members. [Gavel]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe are now back in session for the afternoon. And we broke this morning deciding to do [Or-der] No. 2 first, and it is in the name of the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs. But I believe the Minister of Health is going to carry it for today. …
Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerGood afternoon, Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, with the Governor’s recommendation and in accordance with section 36(3) of the Bermuda Constitution [Order], I move that con-sideration be given to the Draft Rules, Court Fees and Expenses Amendment and Validation Rules 2024, proposed to be made in exercise of …
Good afternoon, Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, with the Governor’s recommendation and in accordance with section 36(3) of the Bermuda Constitution [Order], I move that con-sideration be given to the Draft Rules, Court Fees and Expenses Amendment and Validation Rules 2024, proposed to be made in exercise of the power conferred by section 2 of the Court Fees and Expenses Act 1971.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections? There are none. Continue, Minister. DRAFT RULES COURT FEES AND EXPENSES AMENDMENT AND VALIDATION RULES 2024 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present to this Honourable House the Court Fees and Expenses Amendment and Validation Rules 2024 . The Chief …
Are there any objections? There are none. Continue, Minister.
DRAFT RULES
COURT FEES AND EXPENSES AMENDMENT AND VALIDATION RULES 2024 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present to this Honourable House the Court Fees and Expenses Amendment and Validation Rules 2024 . The Chief Justice, in exercise of the power conferred by section 2 of the Court Fees and Expenses Act 1971 makes the Amendment and Validation Rules. Mr. Speaker, this presentation is therefore made in collaboration with the Chief Justice in accordance with his power to make these rules. The amendments being proposed by the Court Fees and Expenses Amendment and Validation Rules 2024 are to increase the fees to be paid in rela-tion to the performance of any function by a court or an officer. The amendments also increase the fees to be paid for any matter incidental to the performance of such functions. Mr. Speaker, in simple language, the fees that litigants are required to pay into court to commence a new action and/or at certain intervals to continue an ac-tion already underway are being increased by these amendments. As shared by the Honourable Premier in his 2023/24 Budget Speech, I quote: “Mr. Speaker, a n assessment has been completed comparing Bermuda’s court fees to those in other jurisdictions, and Bermuda’s fees were found to be considerably lower than competitor jurisdictions . . . A new scale of fees, which will impact matters being conducted in the Magistrates’ Court, Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal,
Bermuda House of Assembly has been developed. It is anticipated that these changes will yield an additional $750,000. ” Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court fees have been increased; the Court of Appeal fees have been increased; and the Civil Appeal fees have also been in-creased. And these Court Fees and Expenses Amendment and Validation Rules 2024 are the last round of fee incr ease amendments. Mr. Speaker, during the budget term 2022/23, the Registrar of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal submitted drafting instructions to have all four sets of court fees, namely, the Rules of the Supreme Court 1985, the Court Fees and Expenses Rules 1972, the Civil Appeal Rules 1971 and the Rules of the Court of Appeal for Bermuda 1965, amended simultaneously so as to comprehensively update the fees in order for all sets of fees to be effective from the same date. For this to happen, the Rules of the Supr eme Court and Court Fees and Expenses Rules must go through the affirmative resolution procedure. Mr. Speaker, the amendments to the Civil Appeals Rules 1971 and the amendments to the Rules of the Court of Appeal for Bermuda 1965 are not subject to parliamentary scrutiny. The Magistrates’ Court administration has been historically charging $10 rather than $5 in court fees for the reissuing of an ordinary summons, as well as the reissuing of a judgment summons. The Registrar and the current Senior Magistrate, as well as the former Senior Magistrate, Mr. Juan Wolffe, were unable to identify the source of this discrepancy as the fee structure was being utilised at the time that they commenced with the judiciary. And as such, that relates specifically, Mr. Speaker, to the issue as it relates to the validation. Mr. Speaker, the [ finalisation ] of the existing judicial revenue streams shortfall of fees collected by the courts will increase the revenue and that can only be beneficial, Mr. Speaker, for the welfare of the entire community for the positive impact it will have on the administration of justice. Astonishingly, Mr. Speaker, these particular fees of the Magistrates’ Court have not increased in almost 60 years. However, contrast it against the static position in today’s means of litigants to pursue legal act ion. These litigants are also increasingly sophisticated, and their cases are more complex. Higher volume and variation of proceedings are routinely being initiated. These demands increase time and work expended by administrator staff to process proceedings. The increased cost of office supplies is another cost-incurring factor. Additionally, Mr. Speaker, resources are required to counter ever -changing threats to the safety and well -being of all of those connected to the judicial system including litigants, ju dges, bailiffs, counsel and witnesses. Mr. Speaker, these amendments are long overdue and will become even more onerous the longer that they are delayed. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, the Magistrates’ Court has had jurisdiction to adjudicate proceedings for the recovery of money up to $25,000 for decades now. And in tandem, such proceedings are quite common. In this area alone, Mr. Speaker, the increase in fees will greatly contribute to the revenue collected through the courts. Fur thermore, Mr. Speaker, it should come as no surprise that research has shown that Bermuda’s current fee schedule for payments into the Magistrates’ Court is remarkably low when compared to other British Overseas Territories. The increase of fees will put this jurisdiction on par with similar jurisdictions, Mr. Speaker, suc h as the Cayman Islands. In closing, I take this opportunity to thank the Honourable Chief Justice, the Registrar of the Courts, the Senior Magistrate, and all public officers and stakeholders who have contributed to the implementation of this consequential milestone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Would any other Member like to make a contribution? MP Pearman.
Mr. Scott PearmanIt is obviously a little warm in here, as we chased some of our colleagues away. The Honourable and Learned Minister has given a brief brief on this matter. And I am delighted to follow in the footsteps of MP Susan Jackson, who ear-lier today had some words of praise …
It is obviously a little warm in here, as we chased some of our colleagues away. The Honourable and Learned Minister has given a brief brief on this matter. And I am delighted to follow in the footsteps of MP Susan Jackson, who ear-lier today had some words of praise for things being achieved. And I too have some words of praise. I remember when the Honourable and Learned Minister and I were in the previous House in February of 2019. It was my first Budget Debate for Legal Affairs. And you were holding the brief at that time, Minister. You and I discussed how it would be a very good idea to move Bermuda to a system where the court fees were charged on a basis that was commensurate with the size of the claim. And the reason for that is obvious. These big claims —and they are big claims, sometimes. Sometimes we have billion dollar, multi -billion dollar claims moving through our court system. And they demand a lot of time and effort from the court staff because there are emergency applications, there are massive bundles, there is extra- addit ional work in terms of transcribing the recording system, in terms of trying to make different rooms because you have got so many lawyers who are coming in from all and [sundry]. So it is a burden. And it is right that a larger - value case should have a larger -value fee. And I raised this in 2019— in fact, if I may be tedious, in every year since in every debate on Legal Affairs. And so I am delighted to see that it is finally coming to fruition. And in the interest of bipartisanship, let me also mention that 1304 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Minister Wilson, back in 2019, agreed that it was a good idea. So I do not think this is a partisan shot in saying that it has taken an awfully long time; it is good to see it happening. This particular set of rules, Mr. Speaker, is part of a larger package of changes, as the Minister explained in her brief. More specifically, it is making amendments to four principal Acts. One is the Protection of Justices Act 1897; the second is the Evi dence Act 1905; the third and the fullest set of changes in terms of fees is in relation to the Magistrates Act 1948. And just pausing there, Mr. Speaker, I know that it is not my interest to declare, but I know that one of our Members happens to be married to the Chief Magistrate, Chief Magistrate Anderson. And it was pointed out to me previously that the Magistrates’ Court is one of the few courts where things are actually on time and . . . I am not sure it is on budget, but it is certainly on time without a backlog. And that is delightful to see. And now, of course, we will have some greater financial support for the Magistrates’ Court. That was the third Act being amended. The fourth and final Act being amended is the Provost Marshal General Act of 1965. Why is it so important, Mr. Speaker, you might ask, to change to a system where the fees are commensurate with the size of the claim? Well, the answer is because there are certain areas of our courts that are struggling more than others. For example, our Family Court is struggling. Our Commercial Court, which is widely regarded as the envy of the offshore jurisdictions and has some fabulous works and fabulous judges and (dare I say it?) fabulous ( ahem) lawyers (I declare my own interest). The Commercial Court has the financial ability, potentially, to support the Family Court. And therefore, not only is it sensible for fees to be commen-surate with the size of the often- large claims coming through these courts, but it is an opportunity . . . it is an opportunity, Mr. Speaker, for the Commercial Court to effectively generate revenue that can then better support our Family Courts, which I think on any objective view do need greater support than they currently have, financially and otherwise. So I think that this is an important thing. And while we are on the subject, Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful. Obviously we discussed this in 2019; it is 2024. But let me put a marker down now and perhaps hopefully it does not take that long. But I think we should really consider detaching the financial independence of the court system. Because if courts can be run properly and well, and are run for the benefit of court users, it is possible that they are not a loss to the government, but they can become revenue- generating centres. And they can assess where best the fees should be applied. And particularly, as I have already said, one can see how that can be the Commercial Court supporting the Family Court. So I would invite consideration of the financial independence of our court system, which many juris-dictions do have and which is not necessarily a bad thing if you approach it on the philosophical level of independent justice. So as I have said, my mere kerfuffle partisan observation is, it was a shame it was not done in 2019 or sooner. I note that the Honourable and Learned Minister mentioned that this would bring in an estimated sum of $750,000. I anticipate that this figure i s an annual figure, but I would be grateful if the Honourable and Learned Minister could confirm if the $750,000 is an annual estimate. I say that because, of course, even taking that number over the past five years, it would have been good to get that int o the coffers. The other thing is that the Honourable Minister mentioned that this was the first increase in Magis-trates’ Court fees in 60 years. I have to say I have not had a chance to check the accuracy or otherwise of that statement. I note that the 1972 rules are t he rules that we are amending. But I also note that the last time the 1972 rules were attended was by way of an amendment in 2011. But taking what the Minister has said at face value, if that is the case then some might reasonably understand why an increas e is appropriate at this point in time. And speaking as someone who often is not a user of the court, but a sort of stakeholder of the court as a lawyer (and I declare my interest), it is important that we keep our courts functioning at a very high level, to a global standard. And Bermuda as an international business centre and an international financial centre is somewhere where litigation is a necessary element of those transactional activities. And it is necessary that we continue to maintain our international Commercial Court at the highest level, where I am pleased to say it has been, and it has been for some time. Just finally one question for the Minister. And I am not taking her by surprise. I raised it with her in advance of the debate. But a question has come from the Bar, as it were, from the legal community. And that is this: There is a transition date. For t he sake of convenience, let me call it the 1 st of June (although it may not be the 1st of June). And the question is this, Mr.
SpeakerThe SpeakerIf a summons is issued before the 1st of June— let us say it is issued in February, say, or January or December —and then the hearing does not happen until after the 1st of June, the question that I would pose . . . and I know the Minister …
If a summons is issued before the 1st of June— let us say it is issued in February, say, or January or December —and then the hearing does not happen until after the 1st of June, the question that I would pose . . . and I know the Minister does have the answer, but I think it is important for the record for the answer to be given. At that hearing, are you applying the hearing fee that took effect on the 1st of June? Or are you applying the fee by reference to the date on which the summons was filed? Put another way, does the old regime of costs link itself to the summons? Or does the new regime of costs link itself to the hearing date? And I understand the answer from the Minister to be that it links itself to the summons . . . no. I am sorry. I will wait to hear the
Bermuda House of Assembly answer. But that is the one question. That and the $750,000, whether that was anticipated to be an annual generation of fees. So with those brief remarks, I thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP Pearman. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other? Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank my honourable and learned friend for his contribution and support for this legislation. Mr. Speaker, with respect to a couple …
Thank you, MP Pearman. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other? Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank my honourable and learned friend for his contribution and support for this legislation. Mr. Speaker, with respect to a couple of points that were raised, in one regard with respect to the fees that are attached to the Magistrates’ Court, it is the fees themselves that have not been addressed, these fees, in 60 years. You and I were probably called around the time when they increased the fees to [$25.00] when I think it was [ $]10[.00] for summonses in Magistrates’ Court. So it is the fees that we are speaking about, Mr. Speaker, with respect to the amendments under the Magistrates’ Court fees that have not increased in al-most 60 years. Mr. Speaker, I can also advise that this sum that they are anticipating collecting with respect to these particular legislative amendments is per annum. And then in conclusion, the last question that was asked by my honourable and learned friend as it relates to the fee that is associated with the date of the hearing. So for example, if you commenced an action six months ago, you would have paid one set of fees. Once this Act becomes operational, if your hearing date is after that, any fees associated to that will be as a re-sult of what we are getting ready to decide today. So it is not retroactive. So it will be that. But again, we have not raised many of these fees in a substantive amount of time. Mr. Speaker, with that, I would like to move that the said Draft Rules be approved and that a suitable message be sent to Her Excellency the Governor. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections? There are not any. The appropriate message will be sent. [Motion carried: The Court Fees and Expenses Amend-ment and Validation Rules 2024 were approved.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, that brings us to a conclusion on that matter. We now move on to the next item on the Order Paper, which is the first item on the Order Paper (being we switched the order), and we are now doing the second reading of the Cybersecurity Act 2024. And …
Members, that brings us to a conclusion on that matter. We now move on to the next item on the Order Paper, which is the first item on the Order Paper (being we switched the order), and we are now doing the second reading of the Cybersecurity Act 2024. And this will be led by the Minister of National Security. Minister.
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood afternoon. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you for your patience. [Pause] Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill entitled the Cybersecurity Act 2024 be now read the second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections? There are none. Continue, Minister. BILL SECOND READING CYBERSECURITY ACT 2024 Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, today I am presenting to this Honourable House the Cybersecurity Act 2024. This Bill provides the necessary cybersecurity administrative framework to ensure the protection of computer systems that support …
Are there any objections? There are none. Continue, Minister.
BILL
SECOND READING
CYBERSECURITY ACT 2024
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, today I am presenting to this Honourable House the Cybersecurity Act 2024. This Bill provides the necessary cybersecurity administrative framework to ensure the protection of computer systems that support the government and other essential services such as energy and water supply, our air and seaports, telecommunications, health care, and financial and banking institutions. Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members will recall that cybersecurity featured in the 2021 Speech from the Throne. Having recognised the importance of ensuring that Bermuda’s critical national information infrastructure was adequately protected from cyber threat s, the Government promised to introduce a Cybersecurity Act which would establish the minimum standards for cybersecurity for Bermuda’s critical assets. Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members will recall that the September 2023 cyberattack on the government systems brought government provider services and processes to a halt. Even with existing protections in place, restoration and recovery from the attack was a tremendous effort. While the cyberattack was distressing for the country, it served to accelerate and en-hance the development of a cybersecurity legislative framework. This was underscored in the 2023 Throne Speech, which noted that the Legislature would be invited to consider a cybersecurity Bill, the draft of which would be amended to reflect recommended statutory strengthening required in the wake of the cyberattack on the Bermuda Government. Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this Bill is to 1. establish a Cybersecurity Advisory Board, a public -private partnership to advise the Gov1306 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly ernment on cybersecurity matters and the protection of critical infrastructures against cyber threats; 2. provide a legislative mandate for the Cyberse-curity Unit within the Ministry of National Secu-rity to establish and operate a National Cybersecurity Incident Response Team; 3. designate critical national information infrastructure entities and enforcement authority that will ensure these entities meet minimum cybersecurity standards; and lastly, Mr. Speaker, 4. provide the Minister of National Security with authority to issue policy directions, codes of practice and regulations to ensure cybersecurity of critical national information infrastructure entities. Mr. Speaker, this Bill furthers the Government’s aim of ensuring that Bermuda has adequate protections in place to thwart the actions of those commonly referred to in the cyber world as threat actors. And that the recovery protocols of CNII [critical national information infrastructure] entities will permit a timely return to normalcy in the event of a significant cybersecurity event. Mr. Speaker, this Bill formally establishes and renames the existing Cybersecurity Governance Board. The board has been renamed to the Cyberse-curity Advisory Board to provide clarity of its role as an advisory body on cybersecurity -related matters. The board is made up of the relevant officers within the public service and independent advisors appointed by the Minister from the private sector having the requisite qualifications and experience. The primary function of the board is to provide advice to the Mi nister, the Cabinet and the Public Service Executive on management and implementation of Bermuda’s National Cybersecu-rity Strategy and a Government cybersecurity programme. The board will also encourage collaboration between CNII entities and enforcement authority on cybersecurity matters. Mr. Speaker, in addition to the Cybersecurity Advisory Board, this Bill also establishes the Cybersecurity Unit within National Security as the National Cy-bersecurity Incident Response Team (or CSIRT). The Cybersecurity Unit is separate from the Government’s Information and Department of Information & Digital Technologies Department (IDT). IDT is responsible for implementing, maintaining and protecting the Government’s information technology systems. The Cyberse-curity Unit will be an additional layer of protections through the provision of oversight of the government’s internal cybersecurity programme. The unit will perform centralised security logging and monitoring of the government’s information and technology systems and environment to support the detection, analysis, response to and investigation of cybersecurity threats and incidents. The unit will also conduct an annual national cyber risk assessment of critical national infrastructure sectors in Bermuda and provide a report and recommendations to the Minister and the board. Mr. Speaker, in its role as the national CSIRT, the Cybersecurity Unit will lead the detection of and re-sponse to cybersecurity events in Bermuda. The National CSIRT will assist Bermuda’s cybersecurity efforts by providing early warnings and dissemination of information to relevant stakeholders about risks and cybersecurity events. By fostering cooperative relationships, critical national information infrastructure entities in Bermuda and CSIRT in other jurisdictions, the Bermuda National CSIRT will improve our ability to prepare for and address cyber threats at the national and international levels. Mr. Speaker, an important aspect of the Bill being presented today is the designation of critical na-tional information infrastructure entities and enforcement authorities. Under the Bill, an entity meets the criteria of being a CNII entity if the entity pr ovides an essential service. The provision of that essential service relies on computer systems, and the disruption of that computer system would have significant disruptive effects on the provision of the essential service. The Minister may designate thes e entities as CNII entities after consulting with the Cybersecurity Advisory Board and a relevant enforcement authority. Mr. Speaker, enforcement authorities are the regulatory bodies that are already established and function to ensure that the entities it regulates are in compliance with all applicable legislation, rules, regulations and codes of practice, et cetera. For th e purpose of the Cybersecurity Bill, the function of enforcement authorities will be to ensure that the CNII entities they regulate are in compliance with the requirements of the Bill. Mr. Speaker, it is intended that the Government of Bermuda will be designated as an enforcement authority responsible for ensuring that the departments of the government are in compliance with the Bill. This means that the Cabinet and the Cabinet Cybersecurity Subcommittee will be the enforcement authority for the Government. The Bill will require the Government to ensure that each of its departments meets the minimum standards of cybersecurity as issued by the Min-ister of National Security in consultation with the Cybersecurity Advisory Board. The Cybersecurity Unit will assist government departments in meeting the prescribed standards. Mr. Speaker, I intend to make a floor amendment today that will remove the designation of the gov-ernment and private sector entities from the Bill for the time being. It is intended that the Bill will apply to the government and to private sector entities that are the owners of CNII. However, these entities will only be designated following consultation with enforcement authorities and the CNII entities themselves. Removal of these private sector entities from the Bill today will allow for adequate consultation with those entities intended
Bermuda House of Assembly to be designated. As is stipulated by the Bill, no designation of a CNII entity will occur without prior consultation with the Cybersecurity Governance Board and the relevant enforcement authority. Mr. Speaker, the Bill will empower the enforcement authorities to implement and enforce cybersecurity legislative requirements, policy directions, codes of practice and standards of performance as provided under the Bill and its regulations. In practice, enforcement will follow the same process that currently obtains for the enforcement of legislative requirements for these regulated sectors. Typically, compliance is ensured, as the enforcement authorities or regulatory bodies cannot issue operational licences if the entity is noncompliant with any legislation to which it is subjected. Mr. Speaker, the protections that this Bill aims to standardise and implement are the hallmark of the legislation. The Bill provides the Minister with the authority to issue regulations that require CNII entities and enforcement authorities to carry out my riad planning and testing activities in the pursuit of good cybersecurity practice. These requirements will be the minimum standards of cybersecurity that a CNII entity must have in place to be in compliance with the Bill. Mr. Speaker, these requirements are laid out in regulations, as it is expected that the requirements will need to evolve over time to keep pace with the ever - increasing cyber threats. In addition, the protections required of the computer systems supporting our electrical power supplies will likely differ somewhat from the protections required for health care entities. Similarly, threat levels or associated risks are also varied. Given the diverse range of critical infrastructures, it is intended that the Mi nister of National Security will issue regulations that establish the minimum standards of protection. However, the CNII Enforcement Authority will be able to exercise their own discretion and judg-ment with respect to any industry’s specific requirements t hat are needed and with respect to how the regulations are best enforced within their respective sectors. Mr. Speaker, with our increasing reliance on technology and computer systems, it is important that we create and enforce legislation that will safeguard our essential services against cyber threats. This Bill provides the framework for that protection. It is the Government’s intention to ensure that the requirements set out in this Bill are not overly burdensome for the affected entities, but provide adequate protection and recovery capabilities in the event of a cyber incident. This legislation, together w ith our cybercrime- related legislation, ensures that Bermuda is cyber safe. I am pleased to commend this Bill to the House and the Honourable Members to debate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Would any other Member like to make a contribution at this time? MP Ben Smith, you have the floor.
Mr. Ben SmithThank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for his brief. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off with, we recently came to the House and decided that there was going to be a Joint Select Committee for Cybersecurity. But before the members of that committee have …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for his brief. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off with, we recently came to the House and decided that there was going to be a Joint Select Committee for Cybersecurity. But before the members of that committee have been formed and before that committee has had its f irst meeting, we are debating legislation that will change multiple things when it comes to cybersecurity. The reason I bring that up is because you would think that if the Joint Select Committee’s position and what they learned during that process is going to be— Hon. Walter H. Roban: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Walter H. Roban: I think the Honourable Member is misleading the House. I do not think it is intentional. It is not my understanding that we are creating a Joint Select Committee on Cybersecurity, but creating a joint select committee to deal …
Point of order.
POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Walter H. Roban: I think the Honourable Member is misleading the House. I do not think it is intentional. It is not my understanding that we are creating a Joint Select Committee on Cybersecurity, but creating a joint select committee to deal with the matter of the cyberattack. Two totally different matters, certainly not related to this Bill directly. But cer tainly there has been a commitment clearly stated by the Government to set up a joint select committee to look at the attack, and that will be done by this House. So I do not think it is appropriate for the Member to convolute that with what we are debatin g today. And it is really misinforming the House and the public by his suggesting that it is such. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI will admit I was involved in something else at the time; I missed the comment. But if he was making reference to the Joint Select Committee in this, he has the ability to make reference. He cannot necessarily make it into the debate. But he can make reference at …
I will admit I was involved in something else at the time; I missed the comment. But if he was making reference to the Joint Select Committee in this, he has the ability to make reference. He cannot necessarily make it into the debate. But he can make reference at some point. So I missed what he actually said. I will listen as he moves forward.
Mr. Ben SmithThank you, Mr. Speaker. So the reason I brought up the Joint Select Committee is because I think the population and Members of this House would understand that what happened last September made cybersecurity something that would be really important for the population to understand, probably more so than most …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the reason I brought up the Joint Select Committee is because I think the population and Members of this House would understand that what happened last September made cybersecurity something that would be really important for the population to understand, probably more so than most of the population had thought about prior to September last year. So when we are looking at the legislation that has been put in front of us (my words), I would think that some of the things that would be learned from that pr ocess, from September, as was mentioned by the Minister in his brief, would make up some of the decisions and 1308 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly changes that we would make going forward. So my comment was based off of, considering that we have not done that process yet, it seems that the cart has been put before the horse. That is it. So, with that being the starting point, I am going to ask the Minister if some of the recommendations and changes that are in this legislation are already in place. Are we just labelling them differently? Are some of the members who are going to be part of this process going forward . . . were they already part of the process in September last year? The reason why that is important is because we had a major incident that most of the population does not know anything about. They do not know what happened. They do not know what that has meant for Bermuda. We know that it impacted multiple ministries. And when we are here trying to put what I would say legislation in place so that we are preventing what happened in the future, you would think that we are going to take into consideration what happened. The Minister in this legislation referred to reports that will be provided to the Minister and eventually will be able to come to the House for the House to be able to go over. Once again, we would have thought that if there were reports that would have b een provided to the Minister of National Security prior to this, that would have been something that the House would have also been able to see. And up until this point, there has never been a report brought to this House when it comes to what happened las t September. So, I think it is important that the Minister would be able to let us know what is going to change from this legislation’s point. Was he unable to provide those reports because we did not have the legislation? Were the reports not provided prior to this po int? The entities that are being put in place, or relabelled, did they hap-pen prior to this point? And now that we move forward, what is the cost going to be? Because if you are going to have to bring experts into committees, unless they are volunteering t heir time, you would think that there is going to be an increased cost that is going to happen, a burden on the government, in order to do this. Mr. Speaker, the amendment that was brought to us here just after lunch pointed out something that we were looking at prior to today, which is there is an expectation that the Government was then going to go into private industry and put in potential fines for them. Considering that we have not gotten to a point where we know all of the accountability of what the government is able to do and has done up until this point, it seems strange that we would then be telling private en-terprise how they should run t heir business when we have not had a situation where we are being accountable for what has happened within the government. Or if it had been changed, we have not been given a report to tell us how those changes have happened, what the impact is. But we are sitting here with legislation without that information. The question that I have is . . . the Minister mentioned consultation that now will happen because this amendment is changing the Act that we are dealing with today. Has consultation happened up until now? Has there been consultation with the private sector about what is going into this Bill? Because as most people would know, we are a major jurisdiction when it comes to international business, and there would be people within our community and companies within our community that will have a cybersecurity s tructure that potentially would help us to make the kind of decisions that we are here making today. So can the Minister let us know what consultation has happened with the private sector? Whether the group that were in this Bill up until this point . . . has there been consultation [with] the entities that would have been impacted? We agree there are certain parts of our country that we have to make sure cannot go down. So, that would be our electric power plant, our telecommunications and also our hospital. So, has the Minister had consultation on how that part is going to happen prior to this Bill being put in front of us today? And it is interesting because there has been a case recently where consultation has not happened. And it is causing problems when the legislation reaches the House of Assembly and the other place. That is the reason I am bringing it up. Because if we actua lly do the consultation properly and make sure that we are having all of the information, which would mean the Joint Select [Committee] being part of it, consultation with the private sector, we can make sure that the legislation we are putting forward and we are debating has had all of the eyes on it so that we do not have to have multiple amendments within weeks of the Bill’s being passed. So, can the Minister give us clarity on what has happened? Considering that up until now we have had very little information on what happened in Bermuda in September when it comes to cybersecurity, and now we are dealing with this Bill, I think it is imper ative that he allow the community to understand. Because people are questioning what happened. What does it mean to them? So now we are putting in a Bill that . . . is it fixing the problem? If we do not know exactly what the problem was, how do we know if we are fixing it? I believe that was one of the main purposes of having a Joint Select Committee, so that this group here could have the ability to go through that infor-mation so that we as a House of Assembly had a better understanding of what happened. And now we are being expected to go through this process before that process has happened. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to make a contribution? Any other? Bermuda House of Assembly Minister Hayward. Hon. Jason Hayward: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this Cybersecurity Act 2024 puts in place administrative structures to ensure that we safeguard the national security of Bermuda. …
Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Honourable Member wish to make a contribution? Any other?
Bermuda House of Assembly Minister Hayward.
Hon. Jason Hayward: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this Cybersecurity Act 2024 puts in place administrative structures to ensure that we safeguard the national security of Bermuda. This Bill does not prescribe specific things that need to be done. This Bill puts in place committees that have the ability to work with entities. Throughout this entire Bill it says, with consultation. It speaks to the specific entities. The first thing that this Bill sets out to do is create a Cybersecurity Advisory Board and a National Cybersecurity Unit. Every country should have a Cybersecurity Advisory Board and a National Cybersecurity Unit. We are becoming a more technologically advanced economy, and as a result the risk of cyberattacks on our jurisdiction, or cyber threats from threat actors, is becoming more prominent in societies throughout the world. When we ask if something were to happen to Bermuda, who is ultimately responsibl e for ensuring that we have the appropriate response? Who is ultimately responsible for ensuring that there are proper controls in place and that if something happens we can ably respond? This Bill now sets out structures that we can rely upon. The Bill also creates a designation of a National Cybersecurity Incident Response Team, which includes critical authorities. Whether we had a cyberat-tack in Bermuda or not, that is a logical and practical step that we should take, ensuring that we have a r esponse team. It is simply not good enough to know we must do better, but sit up and do not do better. It is also important to note that this legislation was being created prior to our having a cyberattack. It was always the in-tention of the Government to ensure that we have this level of administrative processes in place. When you ask what a responsible Government should be doing, a responsible Government should be ensuring that we have our resources in an area to ensure we protect the safety of the citizens of this country. The Minister of National Security, where he has had committees in place which have been operating, but ad hoc, [the committees] now have the proper legislative framework that they can utilise to ensure that they can carry out their functions in an efficien t and effective manner. It is the . . . the . . . the Act lays out how the board should report. The Act lays out the role of the National Cybersecurity Unit and their functions. I do not see anything in this Bill that is unreasonable. I do not see anything in this Bill that puts us in a fundamentally different space from other countries. I do not see anything in this Bill which does not allow, or that binds the Minister to not have the ability to put efficient, or the proper regulations in place after having ongoing consultation. The way in which this Bill is developed, it does give the Minister additional authority to put regulations in place for where we find gaps in our national protec-tion, Mr. Speaker. And these instructions are written in-structions with the Minister after consultation with the board and relevant stakeholder entities. It is written in the Bill! We continue to create this narrative in terms of, The Government is not consulting and things of that nature. But when you write “consultation” in a Bill, it says, “after consultation with the Board and relevant CNII enforcement authorities . . .” on page 9 prior to the amendment, sir. But it is clear we come to this Chamber week after week to score political points while we continuously . . . And individuals on that side, you continuously mislead the public in terms of the intention of legislation. Mr. Speaker, this is a practical step in the right direction. We currently do not have these structures in place or the necessary administrative structures in place. And the more difficult question to answer right now is, Why not? Why not? The Government has done and is making the necessary first step. This puts frame-work in place. This clarifies scope, this clarifies function. This Bill classifies, at the end of the day, who has the responsibility for reacting to setting up units when we do have attacks or find ourselves in a crisis situation. That is something that every Government needs to and ought to have in place. I commend the Minister for bringing this legislation. It is required. It is responsible. And I do not know what all of the fuss is about. If the Member opposite who is saying that he supports the legislation supports it, he should simply say so.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Does any other Member? Opposition Whip.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThank you very much. I want to thank the Honourable Member who just took his seat for some of the clarification that I as-sume he thought he was bringing to the table so that we were clear. I do not think it is without a shadow of a doubt that …
Thank you very much. I want to thank the Honourable Member who just took his seat for some of the clarification that I as-sume he thought he was bringing to the table so that we were clear. I do not think it is without a shadow of a doubt that we have been clear since the Bill was presented to this House and we were ready to debate it two weeks ago, only for it to be delayed. I think the Bill in and of itself we do not have necessarily an issue with. We did have an issue before the amendment. Now that we see the amendment . . . well, maybe I will just start off there. We were scrambling this morning to try and get an amendment to the table when the issue of this amendment was known a long time ago.
[Inaudible interjection] 1310 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. L. Craig Cannonier: The Government was scrambling to get an amendment to the table this morning. We had to keep going back and forth with you, Mr. Speaker, as to whether or not we were going to delay, do the other [matter] first or not because the amend-ment was not here. It was not here! But the issue was here well before today.
[Inaudible interjection]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes, it does, with this Government, happen all the time. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierIt happens all the time. And it is my opinion, if we are going to be bringing legislation like this here, which for the sake of argument does not bring up any major, major so- called issues because we are trying to get committees together . . . Well, I …
It happens all the time. And it is my opinion, if we are going to be bringing legislation like this here, which for the sake of argument does not bring up any major, major so- called issues because we are trying to get committees together . . . Well, I am very curious as to how many reports have we had since . . . Or first of all, how many reports have we had before the cyberattack took place? And how many have we had thereafter? So, we got a lot of information out there because we know reports were given as to what we should be doing before the cyberattack, and we know that advice has been given after the fact. But yet, this Honourable House knows very little about it, very little at all. So, I get the fact that we are going to present this Bill to the House, but we have got committees that were already in place, that were, if you look at the committee, three- quarters of it is Government. Three- quarters of the members of the board are Government! So were they not speaking to one another? The Minister was not ensuring that enough information was being exchanged so that we could be somewhat prepared? I mean, to this date where we are is, we already know that certain departments within government still do not have everything back and still cannot access certain amounts of information. But you would have thought that this Government, in my opinion, would have brought it to the table! Brought it to the table. So, yes, we put this Bill in place. But the committees, quite frankly, exist in some other form. We may have a new part here, we are calling it CNII. But with the amendment here, we recognise, Oh, hold on a second! We’re making a mistake here. So to say that it is unreasonable . . . yes. That is why we have got an amendment. But some of it was unreasonable.
[Inaudible interjection]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThey would not be making the amendment taking out certain entities of . . . the amendment. The amendment. So the amendment is coming because, Oh, it was unreasonable! So when did we realise that it was unreasonable? When did we realise that, Hold on a second! We may be …
They would not be making the amendment taking out certain entities of . . . the amendment. The amendment. So the amendment is coming because, Oh, it was unreasonable! So when did we realise that it was unreasonable? When did we realise that, Hold on a second! We may be making a mistake here. We were overstepping. We may need to withdraw or come back. We may have to come back and revisit this. But yet today we are scrambling up to this point to get it to the table. So it is the process that is vexing some people. It is kind of like in that movie, Committee of 300, where Xerxes is standing up there to the Spartan, and he says, We got to just accept it. You got to accept this here! You just got to accept it! And what he said back, Ahh, you know what? I got this funny cramp in my leg. Something’s not quite right! And we see it with the amendment. I mean, the Government has, in my opinion, enough corporate people to sit down and say, Well, this is a problem, guys. You need to fix this before it is even presented in the first place! Before it is even presented in the first place. So I am still perplexed as to why . . . the Honourable Members on that side may feel like, Well, you know, we’re just making noise. We’re trying to get good legislation to the table, and we’re scrambling at the last minute to get it here. Asking this and that. I am going bac k and forth with the Government Whip trying to figure out what we are going to do because it is not here. Because it is not here! So, this is no punt on any civil servants who are working hard to make this happen, but I can assure you that the reports were available beforehand, so four parts of this here that I am concerned about. The Joint Select Committee, okay? Well, we know how that goes. Just look at any joint select committee. Takes about a couple of years to get some re-sults. Yet we are still scooting along here. It has been eight months, Mr. Speaker, eight months. September is coming real soon. The summer is about to begin and end. And we are still trying to get answers as to exactly what was going on and what happened. The public should at least have an idea. Civil servants are talking about what is going on. It is out there. So just say what is going on so we all know! We all know. Putting together this legislation, let me say this here, Mr. Speaker. This here is not going to speed up the recovery for the next cyberattack, because you have already got the people in place. And they are al-ready around the table talking. And consultants have been hired as to what it is that you exactly need to do. So this piece of legislation is not speeding up anything. It is basically saying, Okay. Well, we’re going to get this done. But we’re going to put the cart here and the horse behind it. Because some corporate entities must have screamed when they saw this Bill, which is why they are being omitted right now. And we will get to —we will come back —we will revisit this back again. So we are creating another board. Then we are going to create the CNII Authority that is going to come in and . . . and . . .
Bermuda House of Assembly Listen. The Regulatory Authority cannot keep up with what it has got now! So we are putting legislation in place that cannot be policed, that cannot be monitored. And we do not even know if we have enough personnel within our own government IT ser-vices to handle the load. Yes! This is problematic in and of itself. So when we ask questions, Oh, well, you know, we’re just trying to create problems and we’re trying to create this here. No! The Government is vexing the situation. They’re coming at the last minu te with amendments. Vexing the situation because they have not consulted —as we see Bill after Bill —properly. Doctors are in an uproar over another Bill. Here we are now; corporate entities are in an uproar. They are having to be removed from the [Bill] bec ause they were not consulted ahead of time. And yet our Ministers laugh. Because it is critical information, they cannot even tell us what critical information they have not gotten back and where individuals and private organisations may be at risk. But yet in the original Bill we want to charge people $100,000 when the Governm ent cannot get its own act together! We wanted to charge them! Yes, we’re going to charge you! But yet we had the biggest cyber . . . Listen. Corporate entities have been attacked for donkey years and been dealing with it —been dealing with it! In fact, some of them probably offered their services to help when government had the cyberattack. So you would have thought that this amendment w ould have never made it, should have been in there in the first place and would never have been made. Because the corporate entities know that this is not making any sense. This is not making any sense at all! None whatsoever.
[Inaudible interjection]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierSo the Honourable Member is saying, I haven’t read it. I am pointing out a glaring challenge that we are having, and I think the Minister needs to concen-trate on that glaring challenge that we have, as bringing legislation to this House which this Opposition spent two weeks going over …
So the Honourable Member is saying, I haven’t read it. I am pointing out a glaring challenge that we are having, and I think the Minister needs to concen-trate on that glaring challenge that we have, as bringing legislation to this House which this Opposition spent two weeks going over and over and over. It is not like we have got 30 of them, you know. We have got six over here. We have got time, and we sat down and went over and over and over them. So two weeks ago we knew the issue, Mr. Speaker. And in my opinion, it is appalling that we are just now getting to this. Now like I said, in an of itself, okay, fine. You know, they were asking me, Are you looking to turn down this? Of course not! Of course not. But guess what? If they were listening to what I am saying, they would recognise that we are losing ground here! And a joint select committee and any other kind of committee is behind the eight ball at this point —eight months after the cyberattack —because this is about making sure that, as the Minister said, we get these all in a row and they have a mandate to do thi s here. They had the mandate before! The reports were already on the table. What was not on the table was a cyberattack. So when it came, we got consultants in place, some of the best. We still do not even know if we had to pay a ransom! And every day I am sure that ransom was going up that the Premier was away, because he was away. Every day I am sure that it was doubling or whatever it was doing. So we had to wait. We had to wait. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierSo, tell the public how much they had to pay, then! Tell the public how much they had to pay in order to at least get some of our information back, because we ain’t got it all, Mr. Speaker! We ain’t got it all. But we are working on it …
So, tell the public how much they had to pay, then! Tell the public how much they had to pay in order to at least get some of our information back, because we ain’t got it all, Mr. Speaker! We ain’t got it all. But we are working on it eight months later. We are still working on it. We are still working on it. So I have— [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierMan, yes! That is right. That is right. So why present this, Mr. Speaker? This is an emergency. For eight months it has been an emergency.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberBut it has taken years to get here.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierIt is an emergency. So where is the critical input? I have not heard anyone say whom they consulted yet. I did not hear any corporate entities as of yet, Bermudians, that they consulted with. [Inaudible interjections]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerJust talk to the Chair. You will be all right. Just talk to the Chair.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes, yes, yes. I am, Mr. Speaker. So it behoves me and I got this cramp in my leg because, you know what? Something is not quite right. You know? [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThe process of this whole thing is not looking quite right. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierAnd the sad thing about it is, if you remember the movie, a spear is coming . And I don’t know what that is, but we got to hurry up and get 1312 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly this right. Because if this is just …
And the sad thing about it is, if you remember the movie, a spear is coming . And I don’t know what that is, but we got to hurry up and get 1312 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly this right. Because if this is just to get committees in place, and to get them moving, what exactly is getting us prepared, then? What is putting us in a position for this not to happen? Because if it has taken eight months to get it sorted out . . . have we had another one? I am trying to figure this one out here. Because if . . . another one could very soon be coming . . . could very soon be coming. Because guess what they realised? You know, out of all of the jurisdictions that have been having these challenges, Bermuda is the slowest one to get to resolving it.
[Inaudible interjections]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierOne of the slowest. We’ve got other islands — [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. L. Craig Cannonier—that have had cyberattacks and they are sitting there and they resolved their matter and they are moving on. And we are just now bringing legislation to the House that allows us to put a committee in place. And isn’t this wonderful? I am going to bring legislation just so …
Mr. L. Craig CannonierI am going to bring legislation so I can get a board together , and I am going to appoint somebody else to do this. And I am going to appoint somebody else to do that. You know what? We are not moving as if this is an emergency. We …
I am going to bring legislation so I can get a board together , and I am going to appoint somebody else to do this. And I am going to appoint somebody else to do that. You know what? We are not moving as if this is an emergency. We are not moving as if . . . and I know when I get up and I say these things, people get exercised and [say that] I am just trying to bring up and agitate the Government. I am not trying to agitate the Government. All I am saying is, Let’s get a move on.
[Inaudible interjections]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierIt is almost a year. Let’s get a move on. Yes, I am blowing off steam. Blowing off steam happened a couple days ago when the Honourable Member who is in this House now, King, allowed the PLP to come last. Not third—last! That is blowing off steam right there. …
Mr. L. Craig CannonierLet me stick to the Bill. Mr. Speaker, I am going to back sticking to the Bill. I got this cramp in my leg, Mr. Speaker. And the process is not looking right. And the process is taking too long! You know, when you get that cramp, Honourable Swan, in …
Let me stick to the Bill. Mr. Speaker, I am going to back sticking to the Bill. I got this cramp in my leg, Mr. Speaker. And the process is not looking right. And the process is taking too long! You know, when you get that cramp, Honourable Swan, in sport s? And you can’t seem to get rid of it. We need a hot cloth on the cramp.
[Inaudible interjections]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierSomebody said, Sit down. Yes. Yes. Yes. I am not sitting down yet because I still got this cramp; I am trying to work it out. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThey want me to sit down but they better fix it, Mr. Speaker. The Government needs to move on and fix it. They have got good civil servants who want to do the right thing. Let’s get on to fixing it. This may be a step in the right direction …
They want me to sit down but they better fix it, Mr. Speaker. The Government needs to move on and fix it. They have got good civil servants who want to do the right thing. Let’s get on to fixing it. This may be a step in the right direction to fixing it, Mr. Speaker, but I want to say this here. We ain’t there yet. And this a national emergency. When have you ever known a national emergency to take eight months in Bermuda to resolve, Mr. Speaker?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWhat are you talking about?
Mr. L. Craig CannonierThis . . . our Government was attacked. Held at ransom! And the Government is saying, and I want the public to hear this. What are you talking about? That is what they just said. What are you talking about? No wonder, Mr. Speaker, with all of the intellectual capital, …
This . . . our Government was attacked. Held at ransom! And the Government is saying, and I want the public to hear this. What are you talking about? That is what they just said. What are you talking about? No wonder, Mr. Speaker, with all of the intellectual capital, in my opinion, that is in this House, great intellectual capital . . . I cannot believe it is taking so long to get to stuff. I just . . . I just don’t get it. And so—
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberIt was all the other legislation.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes. Yes. It was all the other legislation. Yes, Mr. Speaker. Yes. It was all this legislation we got going here. So, I am hoping that out of this the committees, the committees, you know, they get moving. And I am hoping, Mr. Speaker, because I know the Minister of …
Yes. Yes. It was all the other legislation. Yes, Mr. Speaker. Yes. It was all this legislation we got going here. So, I am hoping that out of this the committees, the committees, you know, they get moving. And I am hoping, Mr. Speaker, because I know the Minister of National Security is an honourable man. I hope we get some pieces of information real soon that can br ing the public [some] ease. That is going to get rid of the cramp that they have, Mr. Speaker. This is a national emergency. This is not just everyday stuff when your Government gets hacked to
Bermuda House of Assembly the extent that we got hacked. So urgency is needed, Mr. Speaker. And you know, throw out the antics. I hope that the Government understands. I just want it fixed. That’s all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to . . . MP Caines.
Mr. Wayne CainesMr. Speaker, the Honourable Minister of National Security shared his brief with this room, and the spirit of the legislation is in keeping with the time in which we live. These cyberattacks are not lim-ited to Bermuda. We have seen them in Las Vegas crippling some of the biggest gaming …
Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Minister of National Security shared his brief with this room, and the spirit of the legislation is in keeping with the time in which we live. These cyberattacks are not lim-ited to Bermuda. We have seen them in Las Vegas crippling some of the biggest gaming establishments in the world. We have seen these attacks happening globally. I have read through the legislation and I believe that it is apropos that this Government takes the oppor-tunity to protect the critical national infrastructure of our country and to make specific entities, or hold specific entities accountable for their i nfrastructure. In acknowledging that this is the right thing to do and that this leg-islation is needed, it is warranted, this legislation is go-ing in the right direction. It is important for us to highlight that in everything that we do, things can be done better. The consultative phase in this process could have been done better. In order for us to be stronger, to be better, we must identify and have the strength of character to accept that we could have done things dif-ferently. That is the first thing with any iss ue. The consultative process in this could have been better. And we have to acknowledge that. Why? Because this is not about any person in this room. This is about our country and making sure it is safe from threat actors. The legislation is going in the right direction. The consultation could have been done broader, it could have been done in a different manner, but we are here now and the legislation is in front of us. Everything that I will say, I have said to the Minister directly prior to this. The ability for us to look at the legislation and go through it line by line we can see that the legislation is going in the right direction. I appreciate the fact that in Schedule 2, the Regulatory Authority, when looking at the enforcement authority and the entities that will be regulated, that this has been pulled for a later day. I think that was something that was important for us to do. Why? Because in order for us to make sure that this is indeed fit for purpose we have to have the right conversations with the right people in the room. And I think us doing that and having other conversations and revisi ting that at a later day is in the best interest of Bermuda, and that is a step that was applauded, and it should be applauded, to do that which is best for the country by removing Schedule 2, specifically the element in [paragraph] 2. I will say, again, that I think it is important for me to say today that the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee now crack on with the work. That information, that conversation should be in the public domain. The conversation should have taken place and we need to encourage this Joint Select Committee to get on with the work so we can have the appropriate answers so that everyone who is under the dominion of this Act can have confidence that we are indeed doing the right thing —not for just the public sector, but for the private sector. I appreciate this legislation. I appreciate the work of the civil servants. I appreciate the work of the Minister. We need the consultative part in the next phase to be considered, to be meaningful, and to be done in a manner that is consistent with best practice with the right persons at the table. If I can just highlight something that I believe is worthy, and I think somebody highlighted that if you look at the legislation with reference to the [Cybersecurity] Advisory Board, [clause] 4, it highlights the Chief Information Officer —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerRemember some of that can be dealt with in Committee, so you have to walk lightly on those parts.
Mr. Wayne CainesMr. Speaker, we can wait until Committee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, you [can] reference but you [can’t] go deep into it.
Mr. Wayne CainesThis is not a grandstand for me. I believe this is an opportunity for us to make a stronger legislation. I have taken the guidance from you, Mr. Speaker, and at the appropriate time I will make the appropriate suggestion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. All right. Thank you, Member. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other . . . MP Jackson.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonGood afternoon, Mr. Speaker. I am quite frankly quite disappointed because I have been following our protections, in particular around information technology, for a while. And to be quite honest with you, all the way back to 2017 I was quite enthralled to see that we had a Premier and …
Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. I am quite frankly quite disappointed because I have been following our protections, in particular around information technology, for a while. And to be quite honest with you, all the way back to 2017 I was quite enthralled to see that we had a Premier and we had a new administration coming in that was IT savvy. And they gathered around, they shared their vision, 1314 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly their wish for cryptocurrency, digital assets, financial technology —our new horizon. And Mr. Speaker, the very first, very responsible thing that the Government did was they wrote a National Cybersecurity Strategy. In 2017 they started talk-ing about it. In 2018, seven years ago —seven years ago— they wrote a 43- page strategy on cybersecurit y. And they all had their picture in the book and they all said how very important (and it is) to have our infrastructure safe, because we know that there are cybersecurity threats all over the place and all the time. And to think that we were going to go on this new venture, pioneer new lands in cryptocurrency and digital assets. I mean, that is some sophisticated . . . and a lot of money and value introduced into our Ber-muda! We had to present ourselves as being stable, mature and ready to protect the infrastructure. And it sounded good. And the former Ministers of National Security wrote all over this book about how im portant it is to safeguard our infrastructure and to take responsibility and to guard off cybersecur ity threats. Seven years ago— 2017—published in 2018, Mr. Speaker. Seven years ago! And not only did we have a beautiful National Cybersecurity Strategy, but we had folks coming from the FBI in the United States of America. We had the University of Oxford, Martin School, coming down here. They were going to give us this entire assessment of our infrastructure. They were going to prepare us for cybersecurity. [In] 2018—seven years ago!
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: It couldn’t have been seven years ago. You w ere in power.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYep! Another Hon. Member: Uh-oh!
Ms. Susan E. JacksonMr. Speaker, they gave us an assessment. They wrote out pages and pages of recommendations. And one of the questions I would like to ask the Minister, because apparently . . . and I am not quite sure what this means, but they gave us a maturity . How mature …
Mr. Speaker, they gave us an assessment. They wrote out pages and pages of recommendations. And one of the questions I would like to ask the Minister, because apparently . . . and I am not quite sure what this means, but they gave us a maturity . How mature is our system? I think. I wrote it down somewhere. But our level of maturity in the cyberspace. I would like to know if the Minister knows what our level of maturity was in 2018 when this strategy was published versus what our maturity level is in 2024. So we had all of these professionals come to Bermuda. They gave us a lot. Did a critical assessment and came up with lots of recommendations for us. And what did we do with it, Mr. Speaker? What did we do with it? I have heard that a government advisory board came out of it. Okay. The content of that strategy is the basis and the backbone of this legislation that we are now debating seven years later. That is how late it is. That is how behind the ball we are. And to be honest with you, Mr. Speaker, that is how irresponsible we have been. Because . . . I don’t know, what? It’s not fun? I personally think it is very technical. Probably way . . . you know, way over our heads. And that is fine. People have different expertise in different areas. We have to go out there and source that. I don’t know what the reason was, why the PLP administration dropped the ball on this. It was . . . this is . . . the National Strategy gave you all the bones you needed for this legi slation. We should have been debating and passing this piece of legislation in 2018. And I am disappointed. You know why I am disappointed? Because now we have lost the trust of eve-rybody. The trust of everybody! Our citizens don’t trust us anymore. Our private sector is probably sitting up there laughing at us. And then we have the nerve in this piece of legislation to say, Oh, we are so big and bad and good at what we are doing around cybersecurity that we are actually going to give oversight to these pri-vate entities. Are you joking? I came out of the private sector. Those folks know cyb ersecurity. Those folks know how each and every one of their employees should be aware of it. They have panic buttons on computer desktops like crazy around cyberthreat. If you even— [Inaudible interjections]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonIf you even remotely think there might be something that is not recognisable to you as a worker, you can raise all kinds of alarm bells. The private sector has been at it for years. Digicel, 2021, had all of the professional expertise come to Bermuda and set them up. …
If you even remotely think there might be something that is not recognisable to you as a worker, you can raise all kinds of alarm bells. The private sector has been at it for years. Digicel, 2021, had all of the professional expertise come to Bermuda and set them up. Who are we as this Government who has got a piece of legislation that is seven years late to tell the folk like BELCO —
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Point of order. Point of order, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order. POINT OF ORDER Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Point of order, Mr. Speaker . Seven years ago the Progressive Labour Party was not in Government. It was they, the OBA.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Point taken. Continue.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonSure. I will use six and a half if that makes him feel better. [Laughter and inaudible interjections ]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonIt makes no difference to me. It is late! Bermuda House of Assembly [Inaudible interjections]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonIt is late! And to be honest with you, the private entities out there in Bermuda are looking at us and probably laughing. [Inaudible interjections]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonLaughing! Sure private entities have had cyberattacks and have them all the time. I have been working in . . . I mean, it happens all the time! Yes, I am sorry, our systems have gone down right now . But you know what? They know how to get you …
Laughing! Sure private entities have had cyberattacks and have them all the time. I have been working in . . . I mean, it happens all the time! Yes, I am sorry, our systems have gone down right now . But you know what? They know how to get you back up and running right away. Why? Because they are prepared, Mr. Speaker. Because they have done their research. Because they have invested in their infrastructure. We have paid no attention to our infrastructure whatsoever. And as I said earlier, the real disappointment is that this admin istration came in at the height of the digital age, expertise in information technology out the ying- yang. And this was our big opportunity, Mr. Speaker. Six -andhalf years ago, we could have created a whole work-force of young people who know IT. Bermuda c ould have its own little mini cottage industry around cyber-security.
[Inaudible interjections]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonWe had . . . we paid no attention to this. What was this? Some kind of national Gov-ernment arrogance that you would just not even con-sider the fact that you needed to protect your infrastructure? And now look where we are. There are still members of our Government, ci …
We had . . . we paid no attention to this. What was this? Some kind of national Gov-ernment arrogance that you would just not even con-sider the fact that you needed to protect your infrastructure? And now look where we are. There are still members of our Government, ci vil servants who cannot even open up emails because they are still locked up.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWho? [Inaudible interjections]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonYes. As soon as we get it open. Mr. Speaker, one of the Ministers or two ago who took their seat said that all of this is with good intentions. I would like to add to that. Good intentions are seeds of good deeds. All right? Good intentions. But they …
Yes. As soon as we get it open. Mr. Speaker, one of the Ministers or two ago who took their seat said that all of this is with good intentions. I would like to add to that. Good intentions are seeds of good deeds. All right? Good intentions. But they need to be watered with action and perseverance. And to be honest with you, Mr. Speaker, I am becoming more and more concerned with the legislation that is being tabled in this House of Assembly that there is ab-solutely no action—
[Inaudible interjection] Ms. Susan E. Jackson: No action!
[Inaudible interjections ]
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberThere is not even the legislation.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonThere is not even the legislation, so says a Member. And so we are sitting here now, behind the eight ball, trying to catch up with a piece of legislation that was basically written for them back in 2018 and trying to catch up. And then on top of it …
There is not even the legislation, so says a Member. And so we are sitting here now, behind the eight ball, trying to catch up with a piece of legislation that was basically written for them back in 2018 and trying to catch up. And then on top of it trying to catch up, and then pass the big boys, and then turn back and say, We are the leaders. I don’t think so, Mr. Speaker. But it is what it is. We have got it now. Do the best with what we have and pray that we don’t find ourselves in a double whammy cyberattack in the near future. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. MP De Silva, would you like to make a contribution at this time? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, yes, I will, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo right ahead. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I did not expect to speak today because I thought this was pretty straightforward stuff. But Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member who just took her seat stated, and I will paraphrase a bit, that with the incoming PLP Government in 2017, …
Go right ahead.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I did not expect to speak today because I thought this was pretty straightforward stuff. But Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member who just took her seat stated, and I will paraphrase a bit, that with the incoming PLP Government in 2017, with all the IT savviness and expertise, why would this ever happen? Hmm. Maybe we should talk to the casinos in [Las] Vegas. MGM, one of the biggest companies in the world, why, they got caught out by the same situation. And the Honourable Member who just took her seat —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order. POINT OF ORDER
Ms. Susan E. JacksonI am not speaking about the cyberattack. I am speaking about the fact that we did not have the legislation in place to start to protect our infrastructure.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNoted. MP, just note that point of order. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, I did hear that, Mr. Speaker, but I don’t speak that language so I don’t quite understand it. But let me continue, Mr. Speaker. One of the biggest companies in the world was attacked and …
Noted. MP, just note that point of order.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, I did hear that, Mr. Speaker, but I don’t speak that language so I don’t quite understand it. But let me continue, Mr. Speaker. One of the biggest companies in the world was attacked and brought to a standstill. Several of the casinos in [Las] 1316 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Vegas, the biggest (you would think the biggest) cybersecurity -worrying people in the world with the amount of money that changes hands in a casino. You would think that they are one of the best at cybersecurity. And Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member Jackson also said that when we came into power again in 2017 we were at the height of IT. Seriously? So in other words, IT didn’t exist from 2012 to 2017? [Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: So, let’s talk about that for a minute. Because the Honourable Member is saying how we are seven years behind. Well, five years before that seven, who was in power?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWhy didn’t you do anything? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: So, wait a minute. So the same systems that were in place from 2012 to 2017 were there when we took power in 2017 too. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, we were.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberAnd so were you. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: So, let’s not forget that, Mr. Speaker. And the Honourable Member, who contradicted herself within 45 seconds, said that the private sector (where she used to work or still does) are all prepared for cyberattacks. And then 45 seconds later …
And so were you.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: So, let’s not forget that, Mr. Speaker. And the Honourable Member, who contradicted herself within 45 seconds, said that the private sector (where she used to work or still does) are all prepared for cyberattacks. And then 45 seconds later she said private sector companies are attacked all the time. [Inaudible interjections]
Ms. Susan E. JacksonAnd they are able to recover. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Oh, no they are not. And I can speak from experience. So don’t go there with me. Private sector companies get attacked too. And sometimes, guess what? They don’t recover.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberBut they would make you believe it. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And they may take a long time to recover. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And the fact that the Opposition got beaten on this drum about the amendment . . . are you serious? …
But they would make you believe it.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And they may take a long time to recover. [Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And the fact that the Opposition got beaten on this drum about the amendment . . . are you serious? Mr. Speaker, you have been here longer than any of us . . . well, yes. Longer than any of us. I have been here almost 20 years, Mr. Speaker. I have seen amendments . . . how many — [Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Every session there are amendments by all governments, by the way. All gov-ernments! One just a couple of weeks ago—
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Just a couple of weeks ago the Opposition were raising a possible amendment. They brought it here.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWow! Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: They were vexed that we didn’t do it. So it happens all the time. And for the Honourable Members next door to say, Oh, you have the greatest minds in the world. You shouldn’t make this . . . you shouldn’t be coming …
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWow! Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: We have governments all over the world that create legislation. And guess what they do? They make amendments too.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberAll the time. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Nothing wrong with amendments. And guess what? I would predict that before this is done we will have some more amendments too. You may find a couple of months down the road that, Well, wait a minute —
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberOr next year. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Or next year. Just like we do in this House all the time. How many times do we bring housekeeping amendments to this House? How many times? All the time! Because things change and they constantly change. The other thing I …
Or next year.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Or next year. Just like we do in this House all the time. How many times do we bring housekeeping amendments to this House? How many times? All the time! Because things change and they constantly change. The other thing I think it is important for the public to understand is that when you hear Members opposite saying, There have been no reports. There has been no information. Have we paid a ransom? Well, actually, the Honourable Member Cannonier said we have paid it! How much was it? And let me repeat for everyone in this Honourable House.
POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierPoint of order, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Member unfortunately is misleading the House. I never said we paid it. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: He certainly did!
Mr. L. Craig CannonierWe’ll see what — Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member asked, Mr. Speaker, How much was it? To be exact. He said, How much was it? So what does that mean? That you are not asking? I will sit down if you want to do a point …
We’ll see what — Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member asked, Mr. Speaker, How much was it? To be exact. He said, How much was it? So what does that mean? That you are not asking? I will sit down if you want to do a point of order. [Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Right. So, the Honourable Member said, How much did we pay? I think that means . . . I think that means — [Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: We paid something.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes. We paid something.
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: But, Mr. Speaker, the point I am trying to make with this is this: This is a very sensitive situation. And I think the Premier said that many times right after it happened. [He said,] Listen, it is very sensitive. We were even worried about employees who worked for government, if any of their personal infor-mation had been taken. It is very sensitive. So yes, it has been a few months. But we all, even the Opposition . . . I know they were not in Government that long. But, certainly, for the little time they were there, they know that things take time to get done. We could run off a litany of items under this Govern-ment, under the previous Government, and under the Government prior to 1998. Some things take a little time. One minute the Opposition is saying, Why are you bringing us here, rushing us to make a decision? The next minute they are saying, Why are you taking too long? You see, they can . . . is the glass half -full today or is it half -empty? They pick and choose. You see?
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Right? And that is the type of thing we are dealing with today. Next week they will be saying, Why are you bringing this here and rushing it through? I guarantee you! I will remind you too. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: But that is what they do. But this Government is going to do what we have been elected to do. And that is to govern the country as best we know how. And sometimes we may not quite get it right. But as the Minister showed today, you bring an amendment, it makes sense, we will make a change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? Minister Campbell. Hon. Vance Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister of National Security for bringing this Bill to this Honourable House. We have heard about the delays …
Thank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? Minister Campbell. Hon. Vance Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister of National Security for bringing this Bill to this Honourable House. We have heard about the delays on the Joint Select Committee. But, Mr. Speaker, we know (and I think it bears repeating) that the respons ibility for striking that committee, once it has passed both Houses, falls in your lap, Mr. Speaker. So, if there is nothing —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI suggest you be careful how you walk around — Hon. Vance Campbell: Yes, I will be careful —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerBe careful how you walk on that one. Hon. Vance Campbell: And I will stop right there, Mr. Speaker. I am not suggesting—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerTake care. Hon. Vance Campbell: I am not suggesting that there is any delay on your part. I am just trying to educate the public on the process. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Vance Campbell: That’s right and I am sure you will correct me when I am wrong, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible …
Take care. Hon. Vance Campbell: I am not suggesting that there is any delay on your part. I am just trying to educate the public on the process.
[Inaudible interjection] Hon. Vance Campbell: That’s right and I am sure you will correct me when I am wrong, Mr. Speaker.
[Inaudible interjection] Hon. Vance Campbell: Yes. But, Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this Bill is to provide for a cybersecurity legislative framework for the protection of critical national information infrastructure assets such as computer systems supporting the government and other essential services. We have heard that— [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Vance Campbell: We have also heard, Mr. Speaker, earlier today from speakers, that much of this Bill was in progress prior to September’s cyberattack. And this Bill does reflect recommended statutory strengthening required in the aftermath of that attack. 1318 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, a national cybersecurity framework must be comprehensive, adaptive, resilient. What I would like to do right now, Mr. Speaker, is to look at the necessary components for a national cybersecurity framework that will lead it to be, result in it being comprehensive, adaptive and resilient. 1. The number one area is governance and coordination. • So under governance and coordination, Mr. Speaker, there should be a N ational Cybersecurity Strategy and a legal and regulatory framework. 2. The next area, Mr. Speaker, is risk manage-ment and assessment . • And under that you will have the risk assessment framework and critical infra-structure protection. So if we go back to number one, what does it mean to have a National Cybersecurity Strategy? It is the clear, comprehensive strategy that outlines the goals, the priorities, and the approach to cybersecurity at a national level. We should have centralised leader-ship establishing a National Cybersecurity Agency or coordinating body to oversee and impleme nt the strategy. Under the legal framework: enacting laws and regulations that address cybersecurity issues, including data protection. PIPA comes to mind and privacy. That’s PIPA. We have cybercrime. We passed a Com-puter Misuse Bill last time we sat. Under risk assessment framework: Regularly conducting risk assessments to identify and prioritise threats and vulnerabilities. Under critical infrastructure protection: Identifying and securing critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, healthcare, finance, and telecommunications. 3. And area three of a comprehensive, adaptive and resilient cybersecurity framework is information sharing and collaboration. • It is recommended that we have a public - private partnership which encourages collaboration between the Government, private sector companies, and academia. • Threat intelligence sharing: Establishing mechanisms for sharing threat intelligence and best practices amongst stakeholders. 4. Incident response and recovery. • It is recommended that we have a national incident response plan. Developing and maintaining a coordi nated response plan for cyber incidents. • The crisis management and recovery. En-suring robust mechanisms are in a place for recovery and continuity of operations after a cyber incident. 5. We are looking at education training and awareness. • Promoting cybersecurity education training at all levels from primary schools to professionals. • Raising awareness among the general public about cybersecurity threats and best practices. 6. Research and development. • Innovation and research and development support encouraging innovation and research in cybersecurity technologies and methodologies. • Public funding for cybersecurity research. • Providing grants and funding for research institutions. But we do not necessarily have to provide grants because there are people out there and companies and institutions that are engaged in researching around cybersecurity. 7. Technical measures and controls. • Baseline security standards. I think that speaks for itself. And enforcement of those standards. It does not make sense having standards if we are not going to enforce them. • Promoting the use of advanced cybersecurity technologies and tools, encryption, intrusion detection systems, AI. 8. Mr. Speaker, we move on to area eight of a framework for cybersecurity that is going to be comprehensive, adaptive and resilient. • We are talking about international cooperation. Global partnerships. Collaborating with international partners to address cross- border cyberthreats and share best practices. • We spoke earlier today when we were re-ferring to the update in our preparation for fully coming into effect of the PIPA legislation about how we are looking to cooperate across borders and joining forums so that we can become an accepted equivalent jurisdiction when it comes to data transfers. • Compliance with international standards and adhering to international cybersecurity standards and frameworks. We are known as a jurisdiction that has high standards when it comes to business practices and regulatory frameworks. 9. Monitoring and evaluation that should be continuous. • Monitoring of networks and systems to detect and respond to threats. • Conducting regular reviews and audits of cybersecurity policies and systems to ensure they are effective and compliant. 10. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, privacy and civil liberties. • Data protection policies. Ensuring that cybersecurity measures do not infringe on individual privacy and civil liberties.
Bermuda House of Assembly • Transparency and accountability. Maintaining transparency in cybersecurity practices and holding entities accountable for breaches and failures. By doing all of these things, Mr. Speaker, a national cybersecurity framework can provide a robust de-fence against cyberthreats, enhance national resili-ence, and foster a secure digital environment for everyone. Mr. Speaker, when I look at the requirements that are critical for a resilient, adaptive, comprehensive framework, and when I look at what is in place now, Government’s IDT Department, the Cybersecurity Unit, the PIPA Act, the Computer Misuse Act that we recently passed, and I look at some of the measures, the interlocking and complementary roles of the measures that this Bill proposes to put in place, I am confident that all of the elements that I just outlined for a comprehensive, adaptive and resilient legislative framework when it comes to cybersecurity will be covered. And therefore, Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? None other. Minister Weeks. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Honourable Members for this robust debate and, at times, comical descriptions of something that I consider serious and much in …
Thank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? None other. Minister Weeks. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Honourable Members for this robust debate and, at times, comical descriptions of something that I consider serious and much in need for us as a country. But let me start off by saying something, Mr. Speaker, if I may, I would like to answer the questions. I want to make it clear. I have heard a few people mention that there was no consultation as to why we have done an amendment. Mr. Speaker, shortly [into] my tenure, when I first became Minister in April of 2022, shortly thereafter in May 2022 I was invited to attend a CSIRT [ National Cybersecurity Incident Response Team] capacity - building event which was held by experts in Interna-tional Telecommunication Union [ITU] and the Critical National Information Infrastructure [CNII] stakeholders at Bermuda College. This event included all of the Critical National Information Infrastructures in Bermuda. And the presentation was from the Ministry of the plans to enact cybersecurity legislation which would establish a framework for the protection of critical national infrastructure against cyberthreats, clearly defined responsibilities and accountability for the protection of critical national infrastructures within the government and private sector against cyberthreats and required that adequate and appropriate security is maintained in alignment with industry standards. I wanted to start off there, Mr. Speaker, just to make sure that we understand that consultation sometimes comes in different forms. But for as long as I have been involved in this Ministry for the last two years, soon into my tenure, we started . . . I was a part of a consultative process and presentation up at the Bermuda College. Now, having said that, Mr. Speaker, I am going to try to answer the questions that have been asked. One of the first questions that was asked, I believe by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, was: Are changes in legislation already in place? What is going to change from the legislation? What is the cost going to be for experts on the committee? Mr. Speaker, there are some aspects of the Bill that are already in place. The Cybersecurity Governance Board being renamed to an Advisory Board al-ready exists and provides advice to the Minister through the Ministry’s Chief Information Security Officer. The Cybersecurity Unit is operational and additional staff, as we speak, are currently being recruited. Mr. Speaker, another question: What is going to change from the legislation? I did not make note of who asked this question. But what is going to change from the legislation? Cyberthreats and cybersecurity are rapidly evolving. This legislation provides the foundation for issuing and evolving regulations, standards and codes of pr actice moving forward to ensure the Government and other CNII entities are adequately prepared to address the ever-evolving threats on an ongoing basis. Mr. Speaker, what consultation has occurred? I touched on that in my opening salvo, but there has been extensive consultation with the public and private sector entities and regulators. With the assistance of the International Telecommunications Union, Na tional Security and a Cybersecurity Governance Board conducted a CSIRT Readiness Assessment and Capacity - Building workshop in collaboration with CNII stakehold-ers. That was the opening statement that I said earlier, Mr. Speaker. What is the cost going to be for experts on committee? Public sector members of the board are assigned as a result of the official rules within government and are not provided additional compensation other than the government’s salaries. Private sector members will be compensated in accordance with standard compensation from members of government boards and committees. [Inaudible interjection and laughter ]
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: A little more than that. Stakeholders’ engagement: Privacy Commissioner, Airport Authority, Civil Aviation Authority, BELCO, Bermuda Hospitals Board, Bermuda Health Council, Port Authority, Marine and Ports, numerous government departments, Bermuda Monetary Author1320 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly ity, Cybersecurity Advisory Board, which included representatives from major audit firms, banking and rein-surance sector were included in one of our consulta-tions. Others were also in attendance at joined ITU CSIRT Readiness Assessment and workshops. The legislation provides the foundation for additional stakeholder consultation as part of the development of regu-lations, standards and codes of conduct. As a key stakeholder, there was extensive consultation with the Regulatory Authority. Another question, Mr. Speaker (I think that was presented by the MP for constituency 20, I believe), was: What was our level of maturity in 2018 versus 2024 in our cybersecurity space? The National Strategy identified gaps in our cybersecurity including . . . in our cyber maturity including the lack of a national CSIRT, outdated cybercrime legislation, and no cyber-security legislation. Since then we have performed an analysis of our cybercrime legislation against the requirements of the Budapest Convention, and based on the results of that analysis last week we updated the Computer Mis-use Act [2024] and will follow with additional updates to other cybercrime- related legislation. With help from the International Telecommunications Union we developed a plan for implementing the National Cybersecurity In-cident Response Team (CSIRT). This cybersecurity legislation will formerly establish the Cybersecurity Ad-visory Board and the National CSIRT as required under the Strategy. It will also enable us to ensure that good practices are implemented to protect our critical na-tional information infrastructures. Mr. Speaker, on my last response to a lot of the comments and questions I want to make it clear that the Government’s responsibility is to ensure that there is a sound legislative framework for cybersecurity separate and apart from any review of an incident by a joint select committee. This Bill establishes an administrative framework to implement cybersecurity standards. The structure of the advisory boards and oversight structures is clearly set out. This has nothing to do with any reports. This Bill properly captures all relevant industries that will be impacted by a failure to implement these measures, appreciating that the security measures are necessary for the national importance and not limited to one sector. Consultation is prescribed by the Bill and will be ongoing given the fluid nature of the subject. The joint select committee is not the body to prescribe the protections necessary under the Bill without delay. Any findings of the joint select committee may be taken into consideration and at the relevant t ime any necessary amendments of the Act where relevant. Mr. Speaker, that is the answer to all the questions. I now move that the Bill be committed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, [Minister]. Deputy. House in Committee at 3:48 pm [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL CYBERSECURITY ACT 2024
The ChairmanChairmanHonourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole [House] for further considera-tion of the Bill entitled the Cybersecurity Act 2024 . Minister Weeks, you have the floor. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I would like to move that the Bill entitled Cybersecurity Act …
Honourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole [House] for further considera-tion of the Bill entitled the Cybersecurity Act 2024 . Minister Weeks, you have the floor. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I would like to move that the Bill entitled Cybersecurity Act 2024 be committed. I would like to move clauses 1 through 11.
The ChairmanChairmanContinue. [Clauses] 1 through 11. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, clause 1 provides a citation for the Bill. Clause 2—
The ChairmanChairmanOne second. Let’s do [clauses] 1 through 10 because 11 is the amendment. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, thank you for that correction. We will do [clauses] 1 through 10.
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Clause 1 provides a citation for the Bill. Clause 2 sets out the definitions used in the Bill. Clause 3 provides that the Bill binds the Crown. Clause 4 establishes the Cybersecurity Advisory Board, which will be responsible for advising the Minister on matters concerned …
Yes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Clause 1 provides a citation for the Bill. Clause 2 sets out the definitions used in the Bill. Clause 3 provides that the Bill binds the Crown. Clause 4 establishes the Cybersecurity Advisory Board, which will be responsible for advising the Minister on matters concerned with cybersecurity in Bermuda. The Board consists of nine members, six of whom are to be ex officio members, two are to be from the private sector and one is to be a barrister and attorney. The Minister is to appoint the Chairman and Dep-uty Chairman from among the members. The meetings and proceedings of the Cybersecurity Advisory Board are provided for in Schedule 1. Clause 5 provides for the functions of the Cybersecurity Advisory Board. The principal function of the Board is to advise the Minister on the management and oversight of cybersecurity in Bermuda for the pur-pose of safeguarding of information resources connected to essential operations in Bermuda. Additional functions of the Board include providing advice to the Cabinet and Public Service Executive on the manage-ment of the Government’s cybersecurity programme as well as providing advice to the Critical Natio nal Information Infrastructure [ CNII] enforcement authorities on the entities that they regulate and on their responsibili-ties under the Bill and regulations made under the Bill.
Bermuda House of Assembly Clause 6 requires the Cybersecurity Advisory Board to provide a report on the exercise of its functions after every period of six months. The report is to include information on the state of cybersecurity in Bermuda, the general or policy directions issued by the Minister to the Board and an explanation of the manner in which those directions were carried out. Clause 7 establishes the National Cybersecurity Unit. The functions of the Unit provided under the clause include the responsibility for operating and maintaining the Cybersecurity Operation Centre and the National Cybersecurity Incident Response Team and providing specialised security services, capabilities and expertise to support the Government and the Critical National Information Infrastructure enforcement authorities and entities to protect against cybersecurity threats and incidents. Clause 8 designates the National Cybersecurity Unit as the National Cybersecurity Incident Response Team, which will be responsible for leading the detection of, and response to, cybersecurity events in Bermuda. This provision is adapted from regulation 5 of the UK Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018. The clause further provides the functions of the National Cybersecurity Incident Response Team which include: (a) monitoring cybersecurity events in Bermuda; (b) promoting common or standardi sed practices for managing cybersecurity events and risk -handling procedures; (c) establishing relationships with Critical National Information Infrastructures enforcement authorities and entities, other Cybersecurity Inci-dent Response Teams established within Bermuda and cybersecurity regulators in other jurisdictions. Clause 9 empowers the Minister to designate an entity in Bermuda as a CNII enforcement authority after consultation with the Cybersecurity Advisory Board. This provision is adapted from regulation 3 of the UK Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018. The clause further provides that each CNII enforcement authority shall, within 30 days of being designated as an enforcement authority, submit to the Minister a list of CNII entities that provid e essential services and are regulated by the CNII enforcement authority and also submit the criteria under section 10 used for determining an entity as qualifying to be designated a CNII entity. Clause 10 empowers the Minister to designate an entity as a CNII entity after consultation with the Cy-bersecurity Advisory Board and the appropriate CNII enforcement authority in the case where the CNII en-forcement authority listed the entity as providing an essential service under section 9(2) and the entity meets the criteria provided under this clause. The clause is adapted from regulation 4 of the UK Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018. The clause further provides the conditions to apply in determining an entity to be a CNII entity and outlines the factors used to determine whether a cybersecurity event affecting the provision of that essential service by that entity is likely to have significant disruptive effects on the provision of the essential service.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you, Minister. Are there any further speakers to clauses 1 through 10?
Mr. Wayne CainesI would like to propose the amendment, Mr. Chairman, that “the National Disaster Coordinator in the Ministry of National Security” come out of this particular legislation and it be substituted. So I just want to be clear, I want for the Minister of Nation al Disaster Coordinator in the Ministry …
I would like to propose the amendment, Mr. Chairman, that “the National Disaster Coordinator in the Ministry of National Security” come out of this particular legislation and it be substituted. So I just want to be clear, I want for the Minister of Nation al Disaster Coordinator in the Ministry of National Security [for] that to come out and that particular post should go in the National Cybersecurity Unit. And if you look in that paragraph, Mr. Chairman, it says “two private sector cybersecurity —
The ChairmanChairmanYou are talking about [clause] 4(d), right?
Mr. Wayne CainesYes, Mr. Chairman. And then for [clause] 4(d), and if you look at (g) it says, “two —
The ChairmanChairmanLet’s deal with the amendment first —
The ChairmanChairman—and see if the Minister is accepting your amendment.
Mr. Wayne CainesYes, Mr. Chairman. 1322 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly So Mr. Chairman, for the amendment then it says “two private sector cybersecurity advisors;” I would like for that to specify the Chief —
The ChairmanChairmanWait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Let’s deal with the [clause] 4(d) first. You are asking in clause 4(d) that the National Disaster Coordinator in the Ministry of National Security . . . you are asking what for him?
Mr. Wayne CainesThis section is . . . if I could speak plainly. It is very government heavy. What we wanted to do was get people in the private entities in the private sector and to have them specifically named. If you could just let me explain what I mean. So for …
This section is . . . if I could speak plainly. It is very government heavy. What we wanted to do was get people in the private entities in the private sector and to have them specifically named. If you could just let me explain what I mean. So for this it says . . . instead of it just saying, “two private sector cybersecurity advisors;” what the proposal for it to say is “the Chief Information Security Officer for Telecommunications.” Then the next one to be the “Chief Information Security Officer for Energy,” and th en for it to say the “Chief Information Security Officer for Banking.” Yes? So you take away [clause 4](d), he goes into the Unit and then you have where it says “two private security —
The ChairmanChairmanWell, you are taking it a bit far right now.
The ChairmanChairmanFirst of all, you have got to find out if the Minister is going to accept [clause] 4(d) before you get to there. I understand what you are trying to do.
Mr. Wayne CainesI was trying to explain to you what I was trying to do. And I seek your guidance.
The ChairmanChairmanGo ahead. Go ahead. But be careful.
Mr. Wayne CainesSo if you look at the [subsection], right? The [subsection] there it says . . . if you look at the [subsection], it says “two private sector cybersecurity advisors;”.
Mr. Wayne CainesWhat I am trying to do there is to be very specific. So this is for . . . so we are trying to say each person in the sector. So remember who we are trying to regulate. For this part where we are creating the board, I want to …
What I am trying to do there is to be very specific. So this is for . . . so we are trying to say each person in the sector. So remember who we are trying to regulate. For this part where we are creating the board, I want to be specific. Right? And if I just ask for you to give me leeway to say it again. I want to say, instead of just saying two people from the private sector , for us to be specific. For us to say, the Chief Information Security Officer for Telecommunications, the Chief Inf ormation Security Officer for Energy and the Chief Information Security Officer for Banking. That is all I am trying to do. To be specific as opposed to saying, two people. And then for the one where it says, “ the National Disaster Coordinator” take him off totally and then use one of those spots to put one of those three that I just mentioned there.
The ChairmanChairmanYou have got . . . you have that amendment in writing?
The ChairmanChairmanIt is a little difficult because you are not . . . see, if you were asking for two or three words, I think, but you are asking for basically a section. Quite a bit of this section to—
Mr. Wayne CainesMr. Chairman, if . . . if . . . I understand that I should be following a specific train of thought. If you just listen to the last one where it says, “two private sector cybersecurity advisors; —
Mr. Wayne Caines—all I am trying to do there is get people in there, specialists in banking and in telecommunications to be 100 per cent put in and so it is not just like two people from the private sector. If this is go-ing to make sense, we have to have the …
—all I am trying to do there is get people in there, specialists in banking and in telecommunications to be 100 per cent put in and so it is not just like two people from the private sector. If this is go-ing to make sense, we have to have the experts from telecommunications, from energy and from banking. That is what I believe will make—
Bermuda House of Assembly The Chairman: No, I understand it, but has this been discussed with the Minister?
[Pause]
The ChairmanChairmanMinister, any response on that? Because a lot will depend on if you are accepting it. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, I will take your guidance, but I thought amendments, first of all, had to be put in writing. Nothing . . . —
The ChairmanChairmanYes, yes, they do. I mean, if we are talking about — Hon. Michael A. Weeks: There has been no formal —
The ChairmanChairmanI’m sorry. I’m sorry. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: There has been no formal consultation with me whether or not I was going to take anything out or put anything in.
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: So I will take your guidance as to where we go from there. But if I may, while I am on my feet, I want to say that the National Disaster Co-ordinator is the head of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation Unit. So they …
The ChairmanChairmanYes. No, you are correct. This should be in writing because this is substantial in my opinion. Right? We are not talking about words that could be ambiguous or whatever. What do you want to do on this, Minister? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: I would think that this would need …
Yes. No, you are correct. This should be in writing because this is substantial in my opinion. Right? We are not talking about words that could be ambiguous or whatever. What do you want to do on this, Minister?
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: I would think that this would need some further consideration, so I really don’t mind in a future time —
The ChairmanChairmanYou want to rise and report progress? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: No. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Michael A. Weeks: No.
The ChairmanChairmanOkay. So you are rejecting it, Minister? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Yes.
The ChairmanChairmanOkay. Any further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member
Ms. Susan E. Jackson[Subsection] (1) there. I acknowledge that it says that “The Minister may after consulting with the Board” . . . you know, this is around the entities, the CNII entities and designating them as entities. So I know it is a “may.” There is a choice. However, when I was …
[Subsection] (1) there. I acknowledge that it says that “The Minister may after consulting with the Board” . . . you know, this is around the entities, the CNII entities and designating them as entities. So I know it is a “may.” There is a choice. However, when I was reading down the various criteria for being an entity it seemed—
The ChairmanChairmanYou are talking about [clause] 10(1)(a) now?
Ms. Susan E. JacksonYes, like [clause 10](1)(a) you have to be an essential service. [Clause 10](1)(b) you need to be designated . . . you have to rely on a computer system, et cetera. I am just curious, aren’t . . . this criterion is already a fact for certain entities anyway, such …
Yes, like [clause 10](1)(a) you have to be an essential service. [Clause 10](1)(b) you need to be designated . . . you have to rely on a computer system, et cetera. I am just curious, aren’t . . . this criterion is already a fact for certain entities anyway, such as telecommunications, electricity and such. So, whether you are on the list or you are off the list as an entity, it makes no difference really because it is inevitable. An electric utili ty or a telecommunications company is an entity anyway.
Ms. Susan E. JacksonSo, I guess my question to the Minister would be, Under what circumstances would you either be on the list or off the list? Do you have to do something . . . does something disastrous have to happen for you to get on the list? Or if you [have] …
So, I guess my question to the Minister would be, Under what circumstances would you either be on the list or off the list? Do you have to do something . . . does something disastrous have to happen for you to get on the list? Or if you [have] really good behaviour after a certain number of years you get to go off the list? Or if you prove that you have really good cyber protection, then you can come off the l ist?
The ChairmanChairmanOkay. Let’s get the Minister’s answer.
The ChairmanChairmanMinister. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Give me a second, Mr. Chairman. [Pause]
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Mm- hmm. To the listening public, we are in Committee of the whole House and we are discussing the Cyberse-curity Act 2024, led by the National Security Minister, Michael Weeks. 1324 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Well, Mr. Chairman, just …
The ChairmanChairmanOkay. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman—
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: —in answer to the Member’s question (who just took her seat).
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: It is for the Critical National [Information] Infrastructure [CNII] enforcement authori-ties to determine who is going to be on the list or not. [Clause] 10(2) and (3) give further consideration that must be undertaken before the entity can be put on or taken off the …
Yes.
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: It is for the Critical National [Information] Infrastructure [CNII] enforcement authori-ties to determine who is going to be on the list or not. [Clause] 10(2) and (3) give further consideration that must be undertaken before the entity can be put on or taken off the list. There are some small telecom and energy providers whose services are not critical to the jurisdiction. In answer to your questions.
The ChairmanChairmanMember. The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Pearman. Mr. Pearman, you have the floor.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Minister. I have a question in the same vein as the previous MP, but it is a slightly different question. So, given the answer (and I am still on clause 10 of the Bill, on page 8), clause 10(1) provides [that] the Minister may, …
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Minister. I have a question in the same vein as the previous MP, but it is a slightly different question. So, given the answer (and I am still on clause 10 of the Bill, on page 8), clause 10(1) provides [that] the Minister may, after consulting with the Board and t he enforcement authority, designate . . . . What factors would the Minister take . . . as the question you answered . . . as MP Jackson and your answer already indicate, there are a number of sort of factual requirements that follow. That is a discretion, may. How would the Minister exercise that discretion given the factual criteria that follow below? What would be an occasion where entity “X” meets all of those criteria, but the Minister would choose not to exercise his or her discretion in those circumstances ? Thank you.
The ChairmanChairmanMinister. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, I had answered that earlier in a different way. There are different ways . . . if I could [take] just a quick second.
The ChairmanChairmanMm-hmm. [Pause] Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, in answer to the learned Member’s . . . [Pause]
The ChairmanChairmanMinister? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: In answer to the learned Member, Mr. Chairman—
The ChairmanChairmanMm-hmm. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: —the Minister will make a decision in consultation with the Cybersecurity Advisory Board enforcement authorities, and the Critical National Information Infrastructure entities.
The ChairmanChairmanAny further speakers to clauses 1 through 10? No further speakers. Minister, do you want to move clauses 1 through 10? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, I would like to move clauses 1 through 10.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clauses 1 through 10 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. [Motion carried: Clauses 1 through 10 passed.] [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Michael A. Weeks: It’s over.
The ChairmanChairmanContinue, Minister. AMENDMENT TO CLAUSE 11 Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Okay. Mr. Chairman, the floor amendment to clause 11 provides power to the Minister to designate Critical National Information Infrastructure enforcement authorities and entities by order published in the Gazette. The Minister is further empowered to vary or remove a …
Continue, Minister.
AMENDMENT TO CLAUSE 11
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Okay. Mr. Chairman, the floor amendment to clause 11 provides power to the Minister to designate Critical National Information Infrastructure enforcement authorities and entities by order published in the Gazette. The Minister is further empowered to vary or remove a designated Critical National Information Infrastructure enforcement authority or entity from designation.
The ChairmanChairmanJust one second, Minister. You want to delete the entire clause 11? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: And I would like to—
The ChairmanChairmanSubsections (1), (2) and (3)? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Yes, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanOkay. Continue, Minister. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael A. Weeks: [That the Cybersecurity Act 2024 be amended as follows:] By deleting clause 11 and substituting the following: “Designation of CNII enforcement authorities and entities by order “11(1) The Minister may, after consultation with the Board and an entity that …
Okay. Continue, Minister.
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Michael A. Weeks: [That the Cybersecurity Act 2024 be amended as follows:] By deleting clause 11 and substituting the following: “Designation of CNII enforcement authorities and entities by order “11(1) The Minister may, after consultation with the Board and an entity that he proposes to designate as a CNII enforcement authority, by order published in the Gazette designate the entity as a CNII enforcement authority. “(2) Where a designated CNII enforcement authority has in accordance with section 9(2) submitted to the Minister the list of entities to be designated CNII entities under the CNII enforcement authority, the Minister may, by order published in the Gazette, designate such entities as CNII entities. “(3) The Minister may vary a designation of, or remove from designation, a designated CNII enforce-ment authority or entity by order published in the Gazette.” And by deleting Schedule 2.
The ChairmanChairmanOkay. Does anyone want to speak to the amendment? There appear to be none. Minister. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that clause 11 be . . . I move clause 11,
Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanTo be approved as — Hon. Michael A. Weeks: I move that it be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanAs amended. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: As amended.
The ChairmanChairmanAny objections to clause 11 being approved as amended? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: Clause 11 passed as amended.]
The ChairmanChairmanAnd you might as well do the Schedule also because this ties into it. [Inaudible interjection]
The ChairmanChairmanOr let’s wait . . . let’s do the Schedule when we get to it. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, I now move that the preamble be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanWait, wait. We have got to do [clause] 12, Part 4. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
The ChairmanChairman[Clauses] 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Oh, Mr. Chairman, excuse me.
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, I now move clauses 12 through 18.
The ChairmanChairmanContinue. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, c lause 12 empowers the Minister to issue a written policy direction to a CNII enforcement authority where the Minister considers it necessary or expedient for ensuring the cyber-security of CNII entities under the CNII enforcement authority or for the effective administration of …
Continue.
Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, c lause 12 empowers the Minister to issue a written policy direction to a CNII enforcement authority where the Minister considers it necessary or expedient for ensuring the cyber-security of CNII entities under the CNII enforcement authority or for the effective administration of this Bill. A policy direction may relate to actions concerned with a cybersecurity threat, compliance with a code of practice or standard of performance, the appointment of an auditor to complete an audit of the CNII enforcement authority on its compliance with this Bill, or any other matter that may be necess ary or expedient to ensure the cybersecurity of the critical national information infrastructure in Bermuda. Clause 13 empowers the Minister to issue, amend or revoke codes of practice and standards of performance for CNII entities after consultation with the Cybersecurity Advisory Board and CNII enforcement authorities. Clause 14 provides for enforcement measures for the policy directions issued by the Minister. Under the clause a CNII enforcement authority or entity may be required by the Minister to provide a written response where a policy direction has not been follow ed. Where the Minister concludes that the CNII enforcement authority or entity has not complied with the further policy direction and is not likely to do so, the Minister may apply to the Supreme Court for an order that the CNII enforcement authority or entity comply with the direction. Clause 15 requires the Minister to carry out an annual review of compliance with the cybersecurity requirements of the Bill and to publish a report on conclusions of the review as well as lay the report before both Houses of the Legislature. The clause requires the first review to be carried out by the 30 th of June 2025. Clause 16 empowers the Minister to make regulations subject to the negative resolution procedure for the purposes of the Bill. Regulations made under this clause may create offences punishable on summary conviction with a fine not exceeding $100,000. 1326 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Clause 17 empowers the Minister to make consequential amendments to other legislation by order subject to the negative resolution procedure. Clause 18 provides for the Minister to bring the Act into operation by notice published in the Gazette.
The ChairmanChairmanAny speakers to clauses 12 through 18? No speakers. Minister. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I now move that clauses 12 through 18 be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clauses 12 through 18 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 12 through 18 passed.] Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, I move Schedule 1 be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanI’m sorry. Minister, do you want to do the Schedules also? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, I move Schedule 1 be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanAnd [Schedule] 2. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: I move that Schedule 2 be removed in accordance with the floor amendment.
The ChairmanChairmanRight. It has been moved that Schedule 1 be approved. Any objections to that? There appear not. [Motion carried: Schedule 1 passed.]
The ChairmanChairmanIt has also been moved that Schedule 2 be deleted. Any objections to that? There appear to be none. [Motion carried: Schedule 2 deleted.] Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanContinue, Minister. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I now move that the preamble be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the preamble be approved. Any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Chairman, I move that the Bill entitled Cybersecurity Act 2024 be reported to the House as amended.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Bill entitled the Cybersecurity Act 2024 be reported to the House as amended. Any objections? The Bill will be reported to the House as amended. [Motion carried: The Cybersecurity Act 2024 was considered by a Committee of the whole House and passed as amended.] …
The ChairmanChairmanThank you. Mr. Speaker. House resumed at 4:17 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] REPORT OF COMMITTEE CYBERSECURITY ACT 2024
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, are there any objections to the Bill entitled the Cybersecurity Act 2024 being reported to the House as amended? There are none. The Bill has been reported. Members, that brings us to a close of the order of business for today and we will do the third reading for …
Members, are there any objections to the Bill entitled the Cybersecurity Act 2024 being reported to the House as amended? There are none. The Bill has been reported. Members, that brings us to a close of the order of business for today and we will do the third reading for the Bill we just completed. Minister.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 21 Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that Standing Order 21 be suspended to enable me to move the Bill entitled Cybersecurity Act 2024 be now read a third time by its title only.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAny objections? Continue, Minister. Bermuda House of Assembly [Motion carried: Standing Order 21 suspended.] BILL THIRD READING CYBERSECURITY ACT 2024 Hon. Michael A. Weeks: I move that the Bill be now read a third time by its title only and passed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe Bill has been read a third time by its title only and is now passed. [Motion carried: The Cybersecurity Act 2024 was read a third time and passed.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Members. Minister of Works. ADJOURNMENT
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDoes any Member wish to speak to that? MP Adams. PLP ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Mr. Jache AdamsThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made in such a short period of time. You see, it was not that long ago our airport was shut down, our hotels were empty, there were no cruise ships com-ing to the Island. It …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made in such a short period of time. You see, it was not that long ago our airport was shut down, our hotels were empty, there were no cruise ships com-ing to the Island. It was not that long ago t housands of Bermudians were receiving unemployment benefits. Our hospital was at the brink of being overwhelmed. In fact, it was at its highest alert level. Our economy was shrinking by the day. Mr. Speaker, this then was followed by a war that spurred supply chain issues and global inflation and rising interest rates. Truly, truly unprecedented times. But through our dedication, our resilience, our commitment to the well -being of the people of t his country I can see the foundation that we have set. I can see that it will lead us to a prosperous future. But Mr. Speaker, the question is not whether or not I see it. The question I ask myself is, Am I doing enough to ensure that the people of this country see it as well? Are they aware of all the things we have done? Are they aware of the things that we are currently doing? Do they know what to expect in the future? For example, Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that the cost of living is a real concern. And so it is within reason for anyone to ask, What has the Government done to address the cost of living? How has the Gov-ernment assisted in helping people with their financial pressures? And so I will start by reminding the public, that since returning to office, we have reduced payroll taxes for the majority of the workers in this country four times. It cannot be pushed aside or dismissed because the reality is that those tax cuts have resulted in the average worker in this country saving $5,000. Notice there is no point of order. Notice there is no one correcting me. There is no one—
[Inaudible interjections and laughter ]
Mr. Jache AdamsI was going to be rude, but not today. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Jache AdamsNot today. Mr. Speaker, we have also enhanced and expanded our child day care allowance. We listened to the people as they expressed their concerns with the rising cost of child day care. And so we have made it so that not only will individuals receive more, but we have …
Not today. Mr. Speaker, we have also enhanced and expanded our child day care allowance. We listened to the people as they expressed their concerns with the rising cost of child day care. And so we have made it so that not only will individuals receive more, but we have made it so that more people can receive the child day care allowance as well. I often ask my constituents, Are you a new parent? Or even still, Do you know any new parents? Have you told them about the child day care allowance? It is amazing how fake news and rumours seem to spread like wildfire, but information on programmes that could actually change people’s lives for the better doesn’t seem to travel as far. Doesn’t have the same cachet. Mr. Speaker, rising interest rates also add to the cost of living which is why I am proud to be a part of a government that established a Mortgage Guarantee Programme that currently offers a preferential rate to first- time homebuyers, to public officers, to employees of quangos and part -time regimental soldiers. While some banks in this country are now charging 8 per cent, 9 per cent and 10 per cent, this Government has worked on a programme that is now offering 5 per cent that is right now saving people hundreds of dollars a month. Do they know about the Mortgage Guarantee Programme? Well, Mr. Speaker, perhaps the programme is not for them and so we also amended the Stamp Duty Act so that anyone with a mortgage of $1 million or less can transfer from one bank to another without incurring any stamp duty. So if another bank is offering you a better rate you can transfer your mortgage right now without incurring any stamp duty. Again, I ask my constituents all the time, Are you happy with your mortgage rates? Have you even explored rates elsewhere? If another bank can demonstrate how they can save you money, would you consider transferring? Does it help your decision knowing that it was the Progressive La-bour Party that has ensured that you will not incur any stamp duty? Mr. Speaker, when asked, What has this Government done to address the cost of living? How could 1328 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly I not mention the 70 affordable housing units we have now put online? How can I not mention the 70 individu-als and families that now have more affordable living arrangements because of the investments made by this Government? That is no small feat! I am giving you pol-icies and programmes that are actually affecting people’s lives. Mr. Speaker, we have implemented one of the highest minimum wages in the world. Just imagine! Just last year there were people earning less than $16.40 an hour and because of this Government they no longer do so. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of this minimum wage, and you will [be] too, because it was something that was included in our original platform in 1963! It was something the founders of the Progressive La-bour Party wanted and it is something we have deliv-ered. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the cost of living, I could go on . . . or having addressed the cost of living, I could go on for quite some time. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Jache AdamsI could talk about the price freeze at the gas pump. Or how we have increased pensions for our seniors every year. I could talk about how we removed duty on essential grocery items or how we doubled the scholarship funding so that more families can afford to send their …
I could talk about the price freeze at the gas pump. Or how we have increased pensions for our seniors every year. I could talk about how we removed duty on essential grocery items or how we doubled the scholarship funding so that more families can afford to send their child overseas to further their education. I could talk about how we have increased these benefits . . . or increased the benefits for those on financial assistance or how we have fostered an en-vironment where there are now more Bermudians working in IB than ever before. Bermudians who are earning wages and setting examples for the next gen-eration. Again, notice that everything I am saying is true. And now, Mr. Speaker, when we are discussing what people can expect in the future, I would like to turn your attention to this year’s Budget Statement. And speaking about corporate income tax the Premier said (and I quote) 1“[T]here are urgent needs in our community: the need for tax relief for [our] workers and businesses, the need for investment in our infrastructure, the need for relief from high electricity [costs] and food prices, and, most importantly, the cost of healthcar e.” So when it comes to the additional revenue we expect to receive from the corporate income tax, I am hoping Bermudians get a vision as to what is to come. An idea of what to expect. Because again, Mr. Speaker, it is not whether or not I see it. I ask mysel f, Am I doing
1 Royal Gazette, 17 February 2024 enough to ensure the people of this country see it as well? But, Mr. Speaker, it does not stop there. You see, it is not enough to simply highlight the relief we have provided. We must also highlight that we have done so whilst maintaining our credit ratings, whilst paying down on our gross debt, whilst on the pat h to delivering the first balanced budget in over 20 years. Mr. Speaker, here is where I would normally begin to speak about significant GDP growth or the lowest unemployment rate since 1980. Here is where I would normally talk about record cruise arrivals or the increased air arrival capacity. Or talk about decli ning inflation rates or how employment income is increasing. But I could be accused of politicising when those are just simply the facts. In fact, I will go a bit further. Let’s start with audited financials of the Consolidated Fund. Four years ago during the peak of the pandemic our deficit was $184 million. The next year it was reduced to $66 million and the year after that it was $34 million. I mention this to bring home the point that our audited figures are demonstrating that we have been reducing our deficits. These are not numbers that are produced by politicians. These are independently audited and the audits confirm declining deficit s. Mr. Speaker, perhaps those who want to go beyond our audited figures would also prefer independent assessments by recognised bodies. So, I will remind the public that last month we were assessed by S&P who not only reaffirmed our A+ rating. They also said, and I quote, 2“We believe continued growth will support a balanced budget in line with the government’s expec-tations this year.” S&P said, “We assume a commit-ment to fiscal consolidation will lead to balanced budgets and a slight decrease in net [general government] debt over the next three years.” The Fiscal Responsi-bility Panel in their most recent assessment said the Government’s fiscal policies are aligned with long- term economic stability , and the trajectory toward reducing deficits is commendable. But, Mr. Speaker, perhaps audited financials are not enough. Perhaps independent assessments of our performance are not enough. We also received support from our local industry as well. I am talking about AB IR and ABI C, BILTIR , and the Chamber of Commerce. ABI C said, and I quote, that its member companies applauded the Bermuda Government for achieving a balanced budget and protecting future gen-erations from additional government debt. BILTIR . . . BILTIR said the Government’s introduction of the corporate income tax is a reasonable response because it will allow Bermuda to take aim at the cost of living and doing business in Bermuda. The Chamber of Com-merce said they commended the collaborative spirit 2 Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has reaffirmed Bermuda's A+ Sovereign Credit Rating | Government of Bermuda (www.gov.bm)
Bermuda House of Assembly shown by the Government and industry peers in developing a tax framework aimed at strengthening Bermuda’s economic position and attracting further investment. Mr. Speaker, I gave you audited figures. I gave you independent assessments of the Government’s performance. I gave you industry leaders that are praising our efforts. Recognising the time (I have six minutes left ), I guess I will finish with this. The last few years have been difficult for us all . But our journey has been one of resilience, patience, and an unwavering commitment to the people of Bermuda. We are now turning the corner from some difficult times. We have laid a strong foundation and are now poised for an exciting future. Mr. Speaker, corporate income tax will come into effect in less than eight months. Companies such as Brookfield are investing in our Island. Our FinTech industry continues to progress. Our tourism industry is rebounding nicely. The fruits of our labour are beginning to show , and with continued diligence and stick -toitiveness, Bermuda will soon reap the rewards of our collective efforts. Again, I can see it. And I will continue to do all that I can to ensure the people of this country can see it as well. T hank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Member. Does any other M ember wish to make a statement today?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. [Laughter] CONGRATULATIONS TO MANCHESTER UNITED AND SENATOR LINDSAY SIMMONS
Mr. Christopher FamousGood afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, colleagues and to the listen-ing public. Mr. Speaker, I am not sure why the Standing Orders only give us three minutes during congrats and obits, but it does until it is amended.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWhoa! [Laughter]
Mr. Christopher FamousMr. Speaker, after my congrats and obits, someone text ed me and said, Hey! But you forgot to mention XYZ . (Good afternoon, Ms . Smith .) I said, Three minutes is not enough to talk about XYZ. So, I am going to talk about XYZ right now. Mr. Speaker, …
Mr. Speaker, after my congrats and obits, someone text ed me and said, Hey! But you forgot to mention XYZ . (Good afternoon, Ms . Smith .) I said, Three minutes is not enough to talk about XYZ. So, I am going to talk about XYZ right now. Mr. Speaker, ther e is a thing called a Timex . [It] takes a licking and keeps on ticking. So , for the last . . . I do not know , 10 years or so, there is this group of people who have been taking a licking, but they keep on ticking. And today I failed to mention that in my congrats and obits. Six days ago, I suspect millions of people around the world were glued to their TV s in anticipation of some team being successful.
[Inaudible interjections ]
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersNo. No.
Mr. Christopher FamousThey watched that, and they watched that, and they watched that. A nd you know , they had good opportunities but they just never capitalise d. But then a ray of sunshine happened. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Member is misleading the …
They watched that, and they watched that, and they watched that. A nd you know , they had good opportunities but they just never capitalise d. But then a ray of sunshine happened.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Member is misleading the House. There were not but about 10 people watching that game.
Mr. Christopher FamousAnyway, Mr. Speaker, everything leads to something. Work with me. Anyway, long story short, Mr. Speaker . I was texted today by someone asking why I did not mention [that] Manchester United beat Manchester City for FA Cup [Football Association Challenge Cup] ?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberSo that is what is was?
Mr. Christopher FamousYes. So, for all those who are for other teams, Spurs, Chelsea, City of Liverpoo l. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: That is the team. That is the team. Liverpool.
Mr. Christopher FamousIt does not matter w e got the FA Cup. Mr. Speaker, that leads to my second point. Tomorrow some of us will be celebrating the anniversary of someone’s birth, a lady who walked up and down Devonshire—no phone banking, no ro-bocalls, no email s because they were not invented …
It does not matter w e got the FA Cup. Mr. Speaker, that leads to my second point. Tomorrow some of us will be celebrating the anniversary of someone’s birth, a lady who walked up and down Devonshire—no phone banking, no ro-bocalls, no email s because they were not invented at the time , but walked up and down Devonshire—talking to the people. N ot just talking to them for her own good or the party’s own good but for their own good to educate the people on getting registered to vote, educating the people how to vote because many people did not know how to vote properly, educating people why they should vote this way or the other, Mr. Speaker. She gave of herself. Anyone [who] knows the history of this 1330 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly party, of this country, knows that she took licks left, right, and centre, internally and externally. At times it was only her and maybe a handful of others , but she kept on going just like U nited kept on going.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWhy did you have to spoil it?
Mr. Christopher FamousI could spoil it , man. And I tie this in as I end here, Mr. Speaker. The last time we were in this House two weeks ago, all of us focused our energy on a young lady who keeps on going, a young lady who walks up and down …
I could spoil it , man. And I tie this in as I end here, Mr. Speaker. The last time we were in this House two weeks ago, all of us focused our energy on a young lady who keeps on going, a young lady who walks up and down Devonshire, Smith ’s, Paget, wherever there is a need. She is there for the people. So, I say to that young lady : You were not far off the mark. Keep on going. We are there with you. I am not disparaging anyone else, but I am encouraging her to keep on going. We are there with you. And just like Dame Lois, your day will come. So, Mr. Speaker, I end on this note. We love you, Lindsay.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAnd I take . . . no other Members? PEOPLE OF VISION PROMOTING TOURISM IN BERMUDA
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanYes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. I am not able to pop up as quickly as those gentleme n on my left and right and in front but I will do my best. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot of discussion about the increase in air arrivals which …
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. I am not able to pop up as quickly as those gentleme n on my left and right and in front but I will do my best. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot of discussion about the increase in air arrivals which we are very ap-preciative of , and particularly since COVID -19. And I want to thank the Minister of Transport , the Honourable Wayne Furbert , and his team, for their efforts in that department. I want to say that the introduction of BermudAir . . . Bermuda has not a national airline but an airline that bears our name and makes us all proud to see [it] at the air terminal in the evenings and in the morning and I am sure in different ports around the United States. And thank you to them. And as a consequence, we are seeing ourselves getting more access to different marketplaces on the eastern seaboard in particular, now in Canada, and with some hope, maybe even in Europe as well. Mr. Speaker, we and those of us in the tourism industry and the hospitality industry are quite aware of the loss of hotel beds that exists in Bermuda. If we once had 12,000, we are probably at around 2,000- or-less beds , and certainly, that makes it very difficult. We have seen efforts in recent weeks and months where we have had some very good marqu ee events. And I thank all those organisers, the BTA teams, and all those persons who participate in the international track event, Ms. Hazel Clark and her good work in that space, the SailGP. To declare my interest, I come from a sailing family from way, way, way back . Not just my grandfather but great -great -great -grandfathers before were very much maritime persons, so I love that as much as I love being a golfer and seeing the PGA Championship on our shores. But, Mr. Speaker, the opportunity for Bermuda —until such time as we do get the Southampton Princess open, until such time as we get S onesta, and Elbow Beach , and other properties , Ariel Sands , back operational to grow the hotel beds that we so desperately need— exists between November and April . I will keep repeating how important it is for us to focus on a period of time when hotel occupancy is well below 50 per cent. And that means that that unsold inventory is where we need to put our focus. We are starting to see the airlift coming. We are starting to see airlines make a year -round commitment. We need to make that same airline commitment beyond that same commitment in those winter months , beyond being in writing but being in practice. And so, when we see events such as the PGA Bermuda Championship in November, seven weeks af-ter the growing season has stopped . . . And for anybody that knows science and so forth, it is difficult to keep grasses as consistent , which we did and which we have done every year for the last five year s. To do so it takes a great deal of skill and it takes money. And we do so to ensure that we can promote Bermuda during those months. There are many other things that we can do during those months. I have to take this opportunity to single out a gentleman. I have done it before. I am going to continue to do it. Mr. Bob Corrao from Glebe Hill, Tucker’s Town. I must say I have nothing but admiration and love for what this man has done in the space for Bermuda. He loves Bermuda. He has made it his home. He saw an event that was the oldest professional golf event, pro- am event , during COVID -19 looking like it was going to die, and he put [up] his personal money and his love to ensure that it survived and that the 50-plus year, 70- year, legacy that existed did not die. And as a consequence, as I was in England not too long ago for only a short period of time , because I had to return home, I ran into clubs where they used to come to Bermuda as former champions and I was able to invite them back . And I called him . And that event was sold out for December of 2024 in December of 2023. Now I am saying to this, Look, ye s, [a] one- off event! Take that type of success. Partner with that type of person and say , Listen. What is it in your spirit that can cause that to happen? And let us multiply it. Let’s get that done. And I am saying that because I am of that same spirit as he, and had a similar success with the percentage of what his income is to mine. We put our heart s into what we do. And I just want to encourage persons to embrace him. And I know that the Min-ister of Transport has done s o because I introduced him to Mr. Corrao whose knowledge in television and his contacts around the world are extensive. And a lot of the people in the airline industry he has helped connect
Bermuda House of Assembly us with as well. So, I want to say thank you to Bob Corrao. I just want to say in what little time I have left, Mr. Speaker, that when I talk about the exodus of hotel beds, I want to tell you that in the glorious east , from Flatts to the tip of St. George’ s, many of the hotels that existed 100 years ago, save and except for Coral Island and Manor House and Palmetto Bay ( when you go east from there), the same hotels that you would have seen 100 years ago, you still see today —albeit Grotto Bay is celebrating 50 years. St. George’ s hotel had a hotel. The St. George’ s Club has been around now for some 40 or 50 years sitting where the St. George’ s hotel once stood. We have St. Regis. We have Grotto Bay. We have The Loren. We have the Rosewood [on] Tucker’s Point. And we have three golf courses in Mid O cean [in] Tucker’s [Town], St. George’s . One hundred years ago we had five because we had Shore Hills . But the S t. George’ s areas were broken up into two. I am saying that to say this. St. George’ s is a destination in itself. The E ast End when you include Tucker ’s Town, part of Tucker ’s Town is in St. George’ s, Hamilton Parish and Smith ’s Parish , and Hamilton Parish. We are a destination that exists much the same as it would have done when Bermuda had 12,000 beds. So, we will be promoting Bermuda jealously. And in that, Mr. Speaker, I just want to close out by thanking Mr. Marico Thomas and Ms. Danielle Riviere with the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, Minister Wayne Furbert, Minister Owen Darrell, the Corporation of St. George ’s mayor for their collaboration, and all those involved that allowed Bermuda B reeze to ensure that in the town of St. George’s we now have consistent daily activities that will encourage more business to come and encourage the business es there to be open when we get the people that are here in great numbers in Dockyard to the town of St. George ’s. I cannot speak about that without heralding those persons, those friends of St. George ’s that have been behind the restoration of those f orts there. It is no mean feat to clean out all the invasive species of Mexican peppers and casuarinas that can take over an area left abandoned. And to see those forts Albert and other forts, Ma rtello out in Ferry Reach , that beautiful area being restored is a testament to people’s love for our country. The cultural embrace that we must take on with the things such as the Peppercorn Ceremony even the November 11, the June holiday celebrations . . . Tourists love pomp and ceremony just as much as many residents in certain communities love it as well who grew up with it. In St. George’ s we are no different as well. And so, as we start to take pride in our communities, knowing that our infrastructure certainly needs to be upgraded, it is being done with love and care. And finally , I just want to say thank you because the Ministry of Public Works does a lot of work in this space —the infrastructure work that is taking place to provide more modern sewage and water services , too. It takes time , but it takes commitment. And you see it happening, tying in. It was some . . . I would say some 30-plus years ago that we had talked about transforming maybe even the sewage rather than pumping it out to sea and turn it into water that could be used as irrigation when I was responsible for that infrastructure there when I first went to St. George’s to open the golf course in 1985. So, we see an infrastructure there. But it happens because we have a hotel there, two hotels in St. George ’s. We have renovations taking place at Grotto Bay, a beautiful addition there. We are seeing that Genc om not only is showing an interest in the Southampton Princess restoration but also in Tucker ’s Point. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say just like my uncle , Herman Santucci Bascome, before me back about 80 years ago envisioned a golf course being at Port Royal , which opened in 1970, I envision one just to the west of it one day that ties in to Morgan ’s Point hotel up there overlooking, touching from the south shore on the western side of Pompa no going right along there showcasing Bermuda. You hear these stories of people saying: I want to play. I want to get on a great course that is ranked amongst the world. And they cannot get on private courses like that. And I would say maybe someone of great repute puts the final stamp on a masterpiece of product that causes people to travel to Bermuda. It has been a proven way of getting people to Bermuda for over 100 years. And it will continue for another 100 as well. It is not going away . But it takes people with vision. And I am here to say this, t hat the people who can do that are in the great 1 per cent. The millionaires do not think like billionaires. The billionaires cause millionaires to follow them, and it does not take many. And in Bermuda the type of people that I was blessed to have been mentored by were world movers globally whether or not they owned Pan Am, whether or not they owned Castle Harbour, whether or not they owned Cross pens, or whatever they owned. And as Jim Woolri dge used to say , You know , Bermuda is a product that requires us to provide good value for the money that people will pay to play to come here. And I stand by that. Yes, we are a jurisdiction that costs a little bit more. But we stand far above in many areas anywhere else in the world. And we all love this country. And I see the glass of Bermuda as half full. And I am very grateful to be playing a small part to help fill that cup and help it runneth over. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. MP Cannonier. CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW MP MR. ROBERT KING 1332 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to extend my congratulations. I echo the same sentiments as the Honourable Member Famous. Three minutes …
Thank you. MP Cannonier.
CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW MP MR. ROBERT KING
1332 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to extend my congratulations. I echo the same sentiments as the Honourable Member Famous. Three minutes were not enough for me, so I did not get the opportunity to extend congratulations. And I want to extend those congratulations —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes, yes. Your time is up. [Laughter]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierI will not be long. I want to continue to add my congratulations to the newly Honourable Robert King for his accomplishment. Not too long ago it was a gruelling opportunity for us to come forward and present what I would consider to be a stellar gentleman, a wise, smart …
I will not be long. I want to continue to add my congratulations to the newly Honourable Robert King for his accomplishment. Not too long ago it was a gruelling opportunity for us to come forward and present what I would consider to be a stellar gentleman, a wise, smart man, to give him the opportunity to stand for Bermuda and for the constituents of constituency 10. And as many of us went out and had designated days that we took time with him . . . I can recall the first time I went out with him. I . . . you know . . . We had been getting to know each other really, really well. And I did not realise how funny he actually was. We had gone to a constituent’s home, and I was backing up and did not realise it was a sidewalk type of step there, and I tripped over it. And immediatel y he said to me : Well, they did not see you. They had walked into the door. Well, on the day of the bye-election, the young constituent came and said, I got you on camera, you know.
[Laughter]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierI had tripped completely over . I felt like it was in slow motion the whole time. But what was beautiful about it was that the Honourable Member connected very well with people. And you know, constituency 10 is an interesting constituency. And so, it was rather rewarding to be …
I had tripped completely over . I felt like it was in slow motion the whole time. But what was beautiful about it was that the Honourable Member connected very well with people. And you know, constituency 10 is an interesting constituency. And so, it was rather rewarding to be in the count and to see that he was victorious. I will not go into any of the other things that were taking place other than to say t his is a time for us to show our appreciation for another young man— when I say young man, relatively young, but still in his prime to be coming into the H ouse. It is very difficult to find good people promoted to this honourable profession and opportunity. And so, he has been stellar. And I used to look at him sometimes when going out and I knew he was tired because he was making second rounds and then for some places even third rounds, but he pressed ahead regardless of the time we said had to be dedicated to it and became victorious in it. And so, I cannot say enough. I know that today it was probably a bit of a baptism by fire in some sense, but I do believe that he will add, the Honourable Member will add, a great voice to this House of Assembly and a balanced approach to what he has seen and his experience , and solutions to what he believes can work for the future of Bermuda. So, I cannot say enough about his appointment. And I will say to him personally , I am very glad to see you in the House . And we will do our best to school you up as quickly as possible. It is not always easy , as you saw today , whether you are a Minister or Opposition when it comes to procedures and the like. We still sometimes do not get it quite right. So that is what the Speaker is for and the Clerk. So, again, to the effort that was made, to the stick- to-itiveness (which is probably not into the dictionary), I thank you for the future and the time that you will continue to dedicate to making this place a better place. Congratulations.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Smith, Ben Smith. FOCUS ON THE ROOT OF CHAOS IN BERMUDA AND MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO CHANGE IT
Mr. Ben SmithThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week someone forwarded me a Facebook post that had been put up by a young athlete who had competed last week in the Bermuda Day m arathon. He was frustrated and upset . . . not in himself, not in his own …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week someone forwarded me a Facebook post that had been put up by a young athlete who had competed last week in the Bermuda Day m arathon. He was frustrated and upset . . . not in himself, not in his own performance, but in the behaviour of some of the people that were watching his performance. He stated that he had trained all year to prepare to be able to run in front of his Bermuda people. Unfortunately, a week before he took sick. So, by the time he got to the start line, he wa s not feeling his best, but he was still going to run because for him this had been the challenge he had put on himself for the year. But, Mr. Speaker, it is interesting because, [it was] not the people who were participating, [it was] not people who had put in the work, had put in the effort, [it was] not his competitors, but [it was] bystanders saying derogatory things to him to make him feel a certain way to the point where multiple members of the public , after this post, reached out and said, Don’t give up . I know this man personally because he has actually competed for Bermuda, and I have travelled with him in the past. And I am going to tell you that Sean Trott is an amazing young man . . . quality. The kind of Bermudian that we all want to see. And to see him feel that way because of the way part of our population be-haved is a shame. But, Mr. Speaker, that was only one of the black eyes that we saw last week. Early in the morning, the stabbing and, before the end of the day, a young man lost his life. And the young man who took his life has ruined his life as well. Mr. Speaker, I grew up in a Bermuda where the murders were so infrequent that it was almost a story
Bermuda House of Assembly that was passed on. That is how infrequently we were in that situation. We have now come to a point where the number of deaths, the number of violent incidents . . . it is a national emergency. We have a declining birth rate which means that we don’t actually have enough children to sustain our future. So every one of these lives that are being lost on our roads and by violent crime . . . not only can we not afford them, but the tragedy of it . . . the families that are being destroyed. And I connect those two stories together because it seems that parts of our com-munity have lost their way. Some of our moral fibre has disintegrated. There are mothers who are mourning the death of their child —which is never something that they should ever have to do —because of a death on the road. The behaviour on our roads has gotten to a point where many people are afraid of what will happen on a daily basis. And I am not saying that in any other way than on that same day —the most beautiful day for community, for all of our families to get together . . . and on one side all of that amazing culture and sport and to-getherness and family we had we had major accidents and tragedy. We can’t keep doing it this way. How many mothers are having to leave Bermuda to protect their sons? We talked about emigration for all other reasons, but how many of them are doing it to protect their sons because they do not believe that their lives are valued here in our community? Mr. Speaker, this is not a fault. This is me asking all of our community to start to realise that what you say, what you do, can impact others’ lives. While spectating that event, people took out the time to ridicule somebody who was a beacon of hope; somebody who had done the work, who lives a quality life, who is doing all the things the right way. He goes to church. He sacrifices because he is trying to be the best version of Bermuda. And instead of us holding him up . . . we should be pointing out the people who are doing things the wrong way. The opportunity [is] in your neighbourhood to say that is not the right way because that is the Bermuda we grew up in. Family, church, community, community centres, people under-standing that we had to be accountable for each other. But, Mr. Speaker, if we continue down the path that we are on right now, for all the accolades that we would like . . . we celebrated today that the airlift is up in Bermuda. Rightly so, because all of us in this Chamber want to see Bermuda flourish. But, Mr. Speaker, that murder that happened last week happened on our major beach during the day. Many of the videos that were sent around our country came from tourists’ phones. For all of the positive that we are doing and working towards, that undoes it. So whatever it is we think that we are doing at this point, we have to do more. A collective we , as a community, we can no longer accept, It is not my neighbourhood. It is not my family. I don’t know those people. Twenty -one square miles. It will impact you. It is impacting you. We now are in the next generation of the children of the people who were murdered when this plague of gang violence started to hit our country. Those children are now the ones who we are seeing in this same situation. Trauma of our young people. The trauma that is showing up in classrooms. The trauma that is showing up on our football pitches, on our cricket fields, in our community, on our beaches now. Because that is what leads to it. That anger, that hatred for each other. A lot of times it is because [ of] hatred for yourself, not understanding. It is going to take a lot . . . not lip service. Mr. Speaker, I believe that we have a real role to play in this. As leaders of this community, we have to start to show a better example. We have to put our-selves in a place where young people realise, That is the example that I want to follow . But as much as we give, I think we all have to give more. We have to be in our community and have our community understand you cannot turn a blind eye. When things are happening in your neighbourhood and you know that it’s illegal activity, you are going to have to say something. We can’t afford to lose any more of our young people. And when we bring our young people into our community centres and into our social clubs, we have to make sure that the example that we are setting for them is the example that will lead to a positive future. Because if the behaviour that we are showing is the behaviour that is on our streets during the parade route— we are quick for violence, we are quick for anger, we are quick to tell somebody off because potentially they are in our way —those young people who are next to you, they see it. That is the example that they will follow. The problem is: that is the example that they are following. They feel lost, and our entire community is paying the price. So it is going to take an increase in support services. It is going to take an increase in how we are dealing with our youngest and most vulnerable and figuring out ways to deal with that trauma at the early ages because some of that trauma is being passed down from generation to generation. Because things went badly for the father or the mother, that an-ger is being passed on to the child. So by the time that they get to school, they are taking it into school. They don’t know. A five- year-old is modelling what they learned in their household. They are a blank slate. So when a five- year-old shows up to school and they are already swearing and they are already showing negative behaviour and violent behaviour, they learned it from somewhere. It wasn’t Sesame Street . So, Mr. Speaker, we as a community need to start to give support to our young parents. Remind them that we take care of each other not just when a hurricane happens, when a storm happens and we say that 1334 31 May 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly is the emergency for 24 hours, 48 hours. We had a national emergency during COVID -19 because we didn’t want anyone to die. How many years in a row now have we had double- digit deaths on our roads? But those are just the people who die on the roads. How many people are being maimed on our roads? Being left handicapped? Being left unable to work after that point? Mr. Speaker, we must come together and come up with a plan that is going to let everybody in the community know the safety on our roads has to be paramount. The safety of our neighbourhoods and com-munities has to be a priority. Families should not be afraid to let their children outside in their neighbourhood because they don’t want them to fall prey to the neighbours. Mr. Speaker, I am going to go back to what I started with which is Sean Trott. And I would like to make sure that he understands, like all of our other athletes and all of our other young people who are working hard in our community to show that positive path: Keep doing it . Keep working towards being a positive future for Bermuda. And it is our job to try to guide the others to follow that path and not the negative one that leads to the negative side of what happened last Friday. Because, Mr. Speaker, what we should be striving for is the Bermuda Day that everybody wanted to celebrate on one side. Not the Bermuda Day that put a black eye (in some cases), because I am not sure what the tour-ists who took those videos thought about our community when they went home. Mr. Speaker, as we talk about balancing our budget and how we are going to do certain things, I always look at it, as you do, that some of the things that you are cutting potentially are things that you actually need. It is just what happens. So think about those lifeguards that had to save or tried to save that young man that day, the trauma that they went through and what that looks like. And what happens when multiple times our hospital is taken over, and now [they] have to move away from helping your granny and helping your mother and helping your father because now there has been a major accident and now that becomes the priority. And now somebody has been shot, and now the entire hospital is being locked down, and now the priority of saving the lives of the citizens who were actually following all the rules and get moved to the side so that [they] can deal with this chaos. The chaos we have to focus on and make it a priority to change it. And it is not about locking everybody up. It is about getting to the root, dealing with the trauma, giving support and across the aisle doing everything we possibly can to make sure that our community is safe and no more mothers have to leave so that their sons can survive. For the positive in our country, keep striving for it. Keep working towards a better Bermuda and every opportunity you have, try to be a guiding light to the people who have lost their way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker . The Speaker: Thank you, MP Smith. Does any other Member wish to—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMP Richardson. WHILE SOME THINGS MAY NOT BE THE BEST IN BERMUDA , THEY CERTAINLY DO NOT REPRESENT THE MAJORITY
Mr. Anthony RichardsonI take your point that you want to move quickly. I understand that. I just want to have a few quick comments, Mr. Speaker . Certainly for Bermuda, we need to make sure that we address and understand the emotions and the people who are behind these negative circumstances. And, …
I take your point that you want to move quickly. I understand that. I just want to have a few quick comments, Mr. Speaker . Certainly for Bermuda, we need to make sure that we address and understand the emotions and the people who are behind these negative circumstances. And, clearly, on Friday there were some tragic events. And I want to emphasise that to the extent that MP Smith just did, but I w ant to be mindful also, Mr. Speaker, that in the context of it all that Friday certainly was not the totality of those incidents and the accidents. What I want to say, Mr. Speaker, and I have said it a few times elsewhere that at some level in context, right, the Heritage Day goes back to 1977 and prior and one recommendation from the Pitt Report was to have such a day whereby we can celebrate each other as Bermudians, from a culture perspective. And I emphasise again that certainly for the Bermuda Day half-marathon it does achieve that objective because from observation it is probably the most social event that is . . . sorry, it is the social event that is probably the most diverse representation of who we are. When it comes to the half -day marathon, it is Black, it is White, it is rich, it is poor, it is old, it is young. It is everybody, and everyone comes out to support that. I take your point. I did not know this (by the way) until last week, Mr. Speaker , that your family, or you have a significant association with the Junior’s race from Supermart to the end. And I do commend you for that because, as you said, today actually, one of the outputs is that those youngsters end up being champions, or they do end up running in the main race. But my point really is that I don’t believe that the majority, certainly the majority, would have been negative towards any of the runners. And so I am not going to take away the fact that some may have been. But a lot of times what happens is we tend to take the negative and emphasise that to the exclusion of the positive. I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that on Friday I was blessed to have had the opportunity to be on Court Street, recognising of course that they had changed the finish back to Court Street. And I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, that the level of energy that was present was mind -blowing. I want to commend the faces , and they are not the only ones, but the faces of, certainly , Dr. Gina Tucker and Elmore Warren —Gina, for the race
Bermuda House of Assembly component and Elmore for the portion around the Court Street finish line. To see the energy that was there . . . it is the first time in a long time, Mr. Speaker, that we have seen that much energy at the end of the race and certainly the energy that was generated by the fact that for the first time in I don’t know how many years there was actually a competitive finish. That all three runners were able to stay together almost to the end, and obviously Lamont [Marshall] did win. And so we cannot take away from that and I want to make sure that we don’t leave here today on a negative note as opposed to being very, very practical, Mr. Speaker . Mr. Speaker, the other point I was going to make actually before MP Smith spoke is that this week I had the first -time opportunity to participate in the interviews for the Government scholarships. And the opportunity was to be part of a panel that interviewed for the biggest one which is the Government $35,000 scholarships and the blessing was that we were able to interview 13 out of 189 applicants. We gave them about 30 minutes (per person) to speak —13 young people — and Bermuda has a very, very bright future based upon those interviews alone. The youngest person was prob-ably about 17; the oldest maybe 22, 23 (in that area). But their ability to express themselves, the ability for them to tell us what they did both academically, socially and for general community. One person actu-ally, well many of them (obviously) had lots of things to say. But the one thing that was actually amazing was that one person said that they actually wanted to be a teacher because they recognised that as young people we often put labels on them. And what she wants to do is be a part of actually changing that trajectory so that if someone says to Anthony as a young boy, You are not going to amount to anything or You are dumb or You are stupid, or whatever the case, she understands what impact that has and she wants to play a part in doing that. This was a young person saying that, Mr. Speaker . So I want to make sure that today, for all of them (obviously not all of them can get the scholarship this time around), but I want to make sure that we in this Chamber do recognise that yes, while there are some things that may not be the best in Bermuda, they certainly do not represent the majority. And for every single young person out there that is doing what they are supposed to do, I want to make sure that they do not get discouraged by what we sometimes do (not just here but collectively) in terms of emphasising the negative. I will finish on this note, Mr. Speaker, to a direct comment to Mr. Sean Trott: Do not be discouraged. Do not be discouraged. Do not be discouraged. Because Bermuda is cheering for him and everyone else. I believe, Mr. Speaker, you even said that before . . . well, you did say this actually, you used to run. Many times you would come down, as you call it, come down from Somerset and you know what it is like. It is a challenge but it is a very rewarding challenge. And so again, not just to Mr. Trott, but to all of those who are actually aspiring to do it in this race, like, go for it —young, old and in -between —because I remember also what Dr. Tucker said. That the reason why they are expanding the race in terms of the relays, the Senior Classic and the rest of it, is because they want to ensure that more people are able to enjoy it. So on that note, Mr. Speaker, to the listening public please, please, please recognise that the Bermuda glass is actually more than half full, and we have to keep our focus on all of those positives so that we as a collective can move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. No other Member? No other Member? The House now stands adjourned until the 14 th of June. Members, we appreciate your contribution today and look forward to further contributions on the 14th. [Gavel] [At 5:2 2 pm, the House stood adjourned until 10:00 am Friday, 14 June …
Thank you, MP. No other Member? No other Member? The House now stands adjourned until the 14 th of June. Members, we appreciate your contribution today and look forward to further contributions on the 14th.
[Gavel] [At 5:2 2 pm, the House stood adjourned until 10:00 am Friday, 14 June 2024.]