Members
Parliament
Transparency

Walton Brown

664
Speeches
103,662
Words Spoken
37
Sittings Active
13 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
266 words
Yes, thank you, Madam Chairman. The Hague [Convention] list of countries, there are about 80 countries that are on the list , and it means that they are in compliance with internationally approved standards for adoption to ensure that there is parental consent, there is a proper vetting of the application, so that any adoption that will be recognised in …
13 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
39 words
Thank you, Madam Chairman. I just find it ric h when a lawyer says that a piece of legislation is cumbersome. I mean, I thought that was their stock in trade, to deal with cumbersome matters, because— [Inaudible interjection]
13 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
194 words
Okay. So I just found that interesting. But just for cl arification on the Honourable and Learned Member’s point, a lot of these cases are not actually a child who has been living with the prospective adoptee for long periods of time. These are situations, for example, and practical situations where someone has gone off to say another country and …
13 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
44 words
Right, I just wanted to give one example of how problematic that 18- to 22- year-old period is. I had a student, a very, very bright student, who for some reason decided to enter the Miss Bermuda contest. I forgave her for it. [Laughter]
13 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
125 words
She actually won the contest . She won t he contest and she was designated Miss Bermuda. At the age of 22 she was no longer deemed to be Bermudian and it took her a number of years to . . . I do not know, re- qualify or get that status back, but she is now a Bermudian. But …
13 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
414 words
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, 2534 13 July 2016 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, I think it is important for us to be compliant with international best practices regarding anti-money laundering and anti -terrorist financing, and it is all very well and good. But we should ensure that there is not a level of hypocrisy in how …
13 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
6 words
Is he still? [Inaudi ble interjection]
13 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
564 words
He is gone now . Right. So George Osborne, the Chancellor, the F inance Minister equivalent, he appeals to the United States Federal Reserve and Senate to say , Do not press charges against HSBC because they are too big to be charged. So when I hear all this rhetoric about our compliance with anti -money laundering policies , it …
13 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
11 words
Yes, Madam Chairman, I would like to speak to clause 8.
13 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
87 words
I listened to the explanation given as to why the Governor is included because he is deemed to be a competent authority in such matters. Can the Honourable Attorney General inform this House if there is any other jurisdiction that we r espect in which a confidential disclosure can be made to a Head of State, which the Governor is, …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
771 words
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and good morning, colleagues. One has to be swift in order to make progress at the appropriate time; would you not agree, Madam Deputy Speaker? Madam Deputy Speaker, I was struck by the Honourable Finance Minister’s comment that Ber-muda wants to be, and wants to always be, and is currently, regarded as having the gold …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
271 words
Thank you, Madam Chairman. I just wish to register my opposition to the provision that seems to be all -too-frequent and just accepted witho ut question that there always needs to be a lawyer or a barrister to chair one of these committees. I do not know if it is with the drafting people that they believe that they should …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
11 words
Have I r ead it? It is 2.4 million words! [Laughter]
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
114 words
So Madam Chairman, we need to do better. All we are doing is reinforcing a notion in this country, which other countries do not necessarily follow, that lawyers somehow have to have a place of prominence and a place of privilege in dealing with such matters. We have an abundance of talent. I hear the international business com munity say …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
185 words
I know you are not. I know he is not, Madam Chairman. But I am hoping that , on reflection, in your moments of quiet reflection you will know that i t is not necessarily the case that a lawyer needs to be both chair and deputy chair. And I am not interested in what people might say has been …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
208 words
Thank you, Madam Chairman. Just in relation to clause 58, and if you juxt apose clause 58 with clause 19 you can see the point that I was trying to make earlier , that clause 58, when Bermuda House of Assembly it comes to disclosure you make that a criminal offence. You have fines of up to $100,000. So you …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
552 words
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. This is an important step to take if we are really going to get some further development and advancement in St. George’s. And I am using the correct nomenclature, St. George’s, the Parish. Madam Deputy Speaker, the Government has approved the Town of St. George initiative, so it has to mean that they have seen …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
1 words
Seventeen.
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
5 words
I live in your constituency,
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
123 words
Thank you for recognising me, Madam Chairman. Madam Chairman, today is a difficult day for me to be extolling the virtues of us becoming a more just society, because today is the day in which I am also reflecting on the advocates of same sex marriage and civil unions being quite vociferous in their call for justice and for love, …