Members
Parliament
Transparency
Ben Smith, MP

Ben Smith, MP

738
Speeches
138,286
Words Spoken
67
Sittings Active
26 Sep 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
1,842 words
Yes, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank MP Famous for starting this conversation. But for me, it is, What is it that we are actually going to do? because we can stand up in this Chamber and give speeches. There have been enough speeches. There have been candlelight vigils. There have been marches. But this country is broken. It …
11 Jul 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
11 words
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was to the Minister of Education.
11 Jul 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
32 words
I received the answer to the first question. The second two questions have not been answered. I just want to know whether we will receive those before we break for the summer.
11 Jul 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
29 words
Will the Honourable Minister please provide this Honourable House with the number of students beginning the school year for each class of each public school from 2017 to 2025?
11 Jul 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
29 words
Will the Honourable Minister please provide this Honourable House with the number of students ending the school year for each class of each public school from 2017 to 2025?
11 Jul 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
31 words
Will the Honourable Minister please provide this Honourable House with the number of students that have transferred from public schools from 2017 to 2025 and which schools did they transfer to?
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
32 words
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think today MP Famous opened a door to some dialogue that I think is actually important for this House and for the country to have.
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
122 words
We have a population crisis —ageing population. Everybody here is agreed because we have said it multiple ways. The statistics have shown us—ageing population, low birth rate, emigration—all of these factors. Bermuda is not the only country in the world that is dealing with these factors, and multi-ple countries in the world are trying to find ways to solve this …
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
465 words
We also know that we have people who are gold medal winners for this country, status Bermudians. We have heroes who came here from other countries. So, we cannot paint the brush that status only leads to a certain group of people. But this is the part that you actually have to look at —twenty years of being in a …
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
233 words
But where we are is this. The children of those PRCs born in Bermuda, growing up in Ber-muda, participating in our sports, they are thinking to themselves, Am I really part of this country? And they are part of that group that is emigrating and not coming back, educated in Bermuda, part of our community. So, when we are having …
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
5 words
The issue — [Inaudible interjections]
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
6 words
The issue is — [Inaudible interjections]
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
16 words
—when the Government puts forward— Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
96 words
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have people that are coming into this country presently. We have a major project that is happening where there are multiple foreign workers who are coming in to be part of that project. That is the reality. And the argument that comes out (right?), because we are not being open and honest about the …
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
5 words
But the issue is, —
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
40 words
—Mr. Speaker, when you are talking about just letting in anybody who has been here for three or four years, the way past speakers have talked about this issue, that is not what anybody has been referring to. [Inaudible interjections]
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
29 words
It is targeted. So, the solution piece — you have to at least be honest that having that open opportunity needs to be part of the discussion. [Inaudible interjection]
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
22 words
Well, we have had multiple speakers make it seem like this is specifically a race issue, that it only — [Inaudible interjections]
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
7 words
Multiples. [Inaudible interjections] POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
27 Jun 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
188 words
So, Mr. Speaker, when we start throwing terms around —gentrification and . . . Listen, the issue is this. Race is always connected with this. Historically, this has always been an issue. So, if you do not get up and actually clarify what it is you are referring to when you tie the history to the present, this is where …