Reply to the Throne Speech 2016 OUR PLAN FOR A BETTER BERMUDA vision2025.plp.bm Delivered by: The Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION November 14, 2016 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2 A Tale of Two Bermudas ................................................................................................................. 2 Lessons Learned in Opposition ....................................................................................................... 4 The One Bermuda Alliance Record ................................................................................................. 5 Creating Jobs, Opportunities, Wealth and Prosperity for Bermudians .......................................... 5 Agenda for Growth ..................................................................................................................... 6 Economic Diversification Unit ................................................................................................. 6 Creation of a Bermuda Fund ................................................................................................... 6 Establishment of a Technology Incubator .............................................................................. 7 Doing the Right Thing for Bermuda’s Workers ........................................................................... 7 Promoting Entrepreneurship ...................................................................................................... 8 Growing International Business .................................................................................................. 8 Reducing the Cost of Living ......................................................................................................... 8 Fiscal Prudence ........................................................................................................................... 9 Quality Education for All ................................................................................................................. 9 Quality, Affordable Health Care .................................................................................................... 10 A 21st Century Approach to Tourism ............................................................................................ 12 Comprehensive Immigration Reform ........................................................................................... 13 Healing our Social Fabric ............................................................................................................... 13 Dealing with the Root Cause of Violence ................................................................................. 14 Tackling the Scourge of Addiction ............................................................................................ 15 Financial Assistance Reform ..................................................................................................... 15 Supporting our Youth, Seniors and Families ................................................................................. 15 Reducing Child Poverty ............................................................................................................. 15 Extending Maternity and Paternity Benefits ............................................................................ 16 Decriminalisation of Cannabis .................................................................................................. 16 Caring for our Seniors ............................................................................................................... 17 Innovative Solutions to Make Bermuda Better ............................................................................ 17 Create A Fair Government Travel Expenditure Plan that Gives Back to Students ................... 17 Work With Bermuda College to Make Government More Efficient ........................................ 17 Creation of a New Type of Dwelling Unit to Stimulate Construction ....................................... 17 More Work for Public Service Vehicles..................................................................................... 18 Protecting our Environment ..................................................................................................... 18 Investing in the Green Economy ............................................................................................... 18 The OBA’s Airport Privatisation will Cost us More than Building it Ourselves ............................. 19 Good Governance & Better Government ..................................................................................... 20 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Introduction Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour and privilege to address this Honourable House on the occasion of the Progressive Labour Party’s Reply to the Throne Speech. I am aware that this may be the last Throne Speech Reply before a general election, thus the responsibility falls to me to ensure that the people of this country understand what a future Progressive Labour Party government will bring. The people of this country have endured four years of broken promises; four years of a government that has not put Bermudians first; and four years of a government that takes care of its friends before it takes care of its people. The one thing that the One Bermuda Alliance seems successful at doing is getting Bermudians to pack up and leave the country. A far cry from their “we will leave no one behind” mantra from their 2012 election campaign, it seems that the Bermudian people have voted with their feet and are leaving our country behind. This measure alone should be a stinging indictment on the One Bermuda Alliance’s term in office — a term that will soon come to an end. It is time to build a Bermuda where the people can have faith in their government to look out for their interests. It is time to build a Bermuda where the people are not mere spectators but are active participants in their democracy. It is time to build a Bermuda where the words “transparency” and “good governance” are not just ploys to win votes, but are the actual bedrock and foundation of a government that is truly representative of the people. A Tale of Two Bermudas Mr. Speaker, as Charles Dickens once wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”, but while he wrote A Tale of Two Cities, the OBA Government has instead written, over the past four years, A Tale of Two Bermudas. While one Bermuda enjoys wealth, privilege and security, the other Bermuda is living from pay cheque to pay cheque — if they are fortunate enough even to be collecting a pay cheque. In one Bermuda, jobs for non-Bermudians are growing, while in the other Bermuda, Bermudian jobs continue to be lost and Bermudian businesses continue to close their doors. In one Bermuda, permanent residents enjoy full employment, while in the other Bermuda, Bermudian unemployment continues at unacceptable levels. In one Bermuda, the quality of our children’s education is determined by how much money their parents have, while in the other Bermuda, students attend schools without wireless Internet and where the infrastructure is substandard. In one Bermuda, the elite and the privileged enjoy their golden years, secure in the knowledge that their children's future is itself secure, while in the other Bermuda the senior citizen needs to go back to work to help support her children and grandchildren. 2 Bermuda Progressive Labour Party - 2016 Throne Speech Reply Mr. Speaker, these are the facts that confront Bermudians every day: diminishing opportunities, an ever-increasing cost of living and shrinking pay cheques. This is the Bermuda that has driven so many of our families and friends away and that causes so many of our young people to view anywhere but Bermuda as a land of opportunity. This is the Bermuda that most of our voters live in. Mr. Speaker, the OBA consistently says, in a display of mock empathy, that they know the recovery has not reached everyone. They are right. The recovery, such as it is, cannot reach everyone because it is not designed to do so. What we see is what we get. This is it. The reason the recovery is not reaching everyone is because these policies from a bygone era are designed to recreate a Bermuda that existed during what some refer to as the glory days. Sometimes we pretend that hard times are new, that they are a product of the 2008 recession. For many in this country they are not. The recession received so much attention because it made have-nots out of those who were used to having. For many people, though, the recession simply deepened what they had been experiencing already. This recovery is the extent of what the OBA’s policies can produce: there is no second act in this OBA drama. Mr. Speaker, these are yesterday's ideas from yesterday's men and women, who are trying to fit them into today and tomorrow, and the people know it, they feel it and they are living it. The people realise the OBA is not acting in their best interests, and are not doing the work necessary to bring the transformation that Bermuda requires. The OBA sees only one Bermuda, while we in the PLP see what our people see and experience everyday: two Bermudas, separate and far from equal. In the PLP, we seek an end to the two