Members
Parliament
Transparency
Ben Smith, MP

Ben Smith, MP

738
Speeches
138,286
Words Spoken
67
Sittings Active
28 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
80 words
Supplementary. So in the conversation that would have happened up until a point, are there any thoughts to in-crease the opportunity for physical education to increase movement of our young people? Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Again, Mr. Speaker, there is a newly appointed Minister of Education, so I will con-tinue that dialogue with that individual. And I would anticipate that …
28 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
2 words
Thank you.
28 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
6 words
New question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
28 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
66 words
Continuing on with that, would the Minister be able to tell us whether there has been any communication or collaboration with the Minister of Sport to find out whether there has been interaction with national sport governing bodies to increase ac-cess for our young people to continue this movement? This is all toward supporting getting our young people moving so …
28 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
7 words
Thank y ou, Mr . Speaker .
28 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
60 words
Thank y ou, Mr . Speaker. Mr. Speaker , the subject that I would like to talk about is a subject that is very uncomfortable for most people to discuss . And it is sexual abuse of children. Mr. Speaker, I bring this up because on Monday I did my recertification for the SCARS (Saving Children and Revealing Secrets) course.
28 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
141 words
And I know that within education it is been mandated that people are involved with being around children, that they take the SCARS course. Within multiple sports I know that National Sports Governing Bodies have mandated that. I think it is important that we understand what it is that SCARS does. So first I woul d like to thank Debi …
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
177 words
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to be associated with the condolences for Nelson Chesterfield Simons, the father of our former Opposition Leader, Cole Simons. I did attend that funeral. It was well attended. Specifically, I would like to speak of the eulogy that was given by Colonel Lamb. I thought it was really well done. I did …
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
19 words
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Madam Deputy Speaker, the Minister who just took his seat — [ Inaudible interjections]
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
4 words
Don’t worry. [ Laughter]
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
1,387 words
From when we were in another place, he referred to the doom and gloom and the storms that always happen whenever we are having these kinds of debates. Well, Madam Deputy Speaker, what happens is when you are doing the door knocking that he was referring to, so many times it is the stories that those families are telling you …
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
45 words
So moving forward, there are times that parents cannot get into first choice, s econd choice. [They ] do not k now where they are going to be able to send their child. And in many cases— Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Point of order.
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
52 words
So maybe that is the is sue. That the parent wants to mak e sure that their child has the best opportunity and the choice that they are getting is not the one that they think is in the best interest of their child. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Point of order.
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
13 words
And that is the frustration. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Point of order.
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
86 words
Madam Deputy Speaker. So, the issue is parents . Right? Because I’m not lucky enough to be a parent. So the people that I am speaking to are telling me how they feel about their children. So, if the Minister disagrees with these parents, that’s fine. But understand something. That disagreement with these parents has been ongoing throughout the reform …
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
16 words
The Minister can get upset about it — Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Point of order.
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
33 words
Which is exactly what I am doing. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will move on to facilities, then, since that will probably get the same activation because— [Inaudible interjections and laughter ]
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
92 words
—when teachers contact you and tell you that the stench of sewage early in the morning is what they are greeted with in the school and it has not been dealt with for an extended period of time, I would say that is something that I should talk about here. Because that is the issue they have written in, com-plained …
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
646 words
—so as we are actually moving forward, our position is that some of the reform seems like it has not been finished all the way through. Even though we have spent millions of dollars from a consultant who should have told us how this process works, the frustration has been happening through the parents, through the teachers, through the administrators. …
21 Mar 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
46 words
So, we have pointed out solutions, but if we don’t give the details of the solution then that is not enough. So now we have to write it, do the legislation . . . remember, all of the resources are on the other side. [Inaudible interjections]