Speeches by Rolfe Commissiong

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

14 words

Mr. Speaker, I am going to indulge in a little self -interest here. [Laughter]

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

19 words

I would like the House to send congratulations to my dear wife, Roxanne Commissiong. [Inaudible interjections and laughter ]

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

126 words

That, too. Forty -five years of employment at Bank of Bermuda/HSBC. Forty -five years this week. Mr. Speaker, at a time when, as we know, most people go through four or five employers during their working life, my wife is decidedly old school. I am rem inded of my grandmother, who was a seamstress/head seamstress by the time she left …

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

66 words

That would help a lot, if they are listening. But to her and all of those women who were the backbone of this economy, hats off to all of them! Especially my wife on this special day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Thank you. Does any other Member wish to join this morning? We recognise the Honourable Member Swan. …

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

3 words

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

79 words

Mr. Speaker, at the risk of reflection, I referenced earlier the generations of women who were the backbone of our modern economy and I referenced my wife and countless others, and it is in relation to this. I might just wan t to correct the record. My wife worked at HSBC . . . has conti nued to work there …

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

420 words

But there is another story of generations of women of African descent who toiled and laboured in this country pre- 1834, who worked under conditions of servitude and bondage that we more commonly refer to as “chattel slavery.” And t oday we are seeking to codify —to make under law — the recognition of one of those women whose name …

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

952 words

“It was night when I reached my new home. ” This was after she was sold. She was sold about three or four times during her life. She says, “The house was large, and built at the bottom of a very high hill; but I could not see much of it that night. I saw too much of it afterwards. …

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

58 words

So not just what she did for us, but now it can be acknowledged and remembered throughout time what she did in her effort to combat the evil of slavery throughout the Britis h Empire. Abol ition was not just the abolition of Bermuda’s persons who were in bondage, but all of those in bondage throughout that empire.

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

126 words

Mr. Speaker, lastly, I would just note that there is another part to this Bill. I want to quickly commend our colleague, Mr. Michael Weeks, for his unstinting advocacy to have the Bermuda hol iday shift in terms of its timeline so that it can occur more in sync with the Memorial Day holiday in the US. I think it …

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

5 words

Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

14 Feb 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

714 words

The point of order is I think the Member is misleading this House with respect to myself and perhaps Mr. Famous as well. It was recorded that Sir George Somers was part of a fleet of English privateers that attacked one of the chief Venezuelan ports. They took a significant amount of booty whi ch included the slaves of the …

31 Jan 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

4 words

Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

31 Jan 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

137 words

Mr. Speaker, I ask this House to send condolences to the family of Agnes Virginia John, a former constituent of mine and also a good friend of my family, particularly my mother. She passed away recently. So my heart goes out to Kim and Kyle, her children. Ms. John was one of those women, strong black women who were at …

31 Jan 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

568 words

Mr. Speaker, thank you for acknowledging me. I want to just touch on the comments made by the Honourable Member who is the Whip, MP La wrence Scott, in terms of the recent preoccupation on the part of the Opposition and others with the sugar tax. But let me say this here in response, firstly in r esponse to what …

31 Jan 2020 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

886 words

Even the issue raised by my honourable colleague, MP Lawrence Scott, r eflects the deep structural issues. When he talked about the fact that one of the major business owners told our Premier that he could bring down, we could bring down or they could bring down rather (sorry) prices considerably, but they have a long- standing multi- decade commitment …

13 Dec 2019 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

31 words

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not know if anybody conveyed condolences to the family of Ms. Marcelle Clamens. The Speaker : Yes. It was done . . .

13 Dec 2019 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

1 words

Okay.

13 Dec 2019 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

149 words

Well, I would just like to associate with those condolences. She was som ewhat of an icon in the regard of ––with respect to exponent of classical music as a s oprano, of course, taken in the footsteps of —walking in the footsteps of her mother, Ms. Powell of legendary Powell’s Nursery. She taught also many of Bermuda’s greatest talents …

13 Dec 2019 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House Of Assembly

89 words

A stylist, that is right (thank you, Minister ), around a film that has been highly, highly acclaimed, critically acclaimed, which is out in the theatres now, called Queen and Slim. So, certai nly, her name now is really getting around in those ci rcles. And she is avidly sought after. And we all can be proud of the achievements …