PLP Blog | Bermuda Progressive Labour Party

Recognizing her leadership and tremendous advocacy on behalf of the people of Bermuda, Minister Paula Cox was presented with the prestigious Pathfinder Award at the 5th Annual Financial and Economic Development Conference in Miami. The event is being hosted by Atlantic Connection, an organisation which focuses on pension fund education and awareness for regions in the Caribbean. The award recognizes her leadership in guiding Bermuda’s signing of nearly two dozen tax information exchange agreements (TIEAs) with international jurisdictions.

Minister Cox, who received the award during a lunchtime ceremony today, said that she was extremely “humbled” at the recognition:

Firstly, I acknowledge how pleased and humbled I am to be accepting this award. Please know that in accepting it I recognise the contributions of those who have gone before in the Ministry of Finance, with reference to receiving this Pathfinder Award for the work done on Tax Information exchange Agreements. What is particularly poignant and significant for me is that that last man was the first Finance Minister the late Hon. C. Eugene Cox, CBE, JP MP.

He came before me and prepared the ground by his work with the OECD in Paris and the signing of the commitment letter to tax exchange cooperation and to transparency.

He and his team led the way. I was passed the baton and the Ministry of Finance team- specifically the Treaty Unit, under AFS Wayne Brown and Ms Laura Semos under the stewardship of the Financial Secretary, Mr. Donald Scott ably continue the work he commenced. My work has been an add-on in furtherance of his work and it is a singular honour today to accept this Pathfinder Award.

I accept this award on behalf of my father and the Ministry of Finance team in Bermuda and all those who continue to given of their time, diligence and hard work. I hope that we can continue to assist Bermuda to develop to the place we wish her to be and as we develop we have to lift others as we climb. That is our mission and our mandate and as the Vice Chair of the OECD Global Forum Steering Committee we intend to do just that and to represent the interests of others like Bermuda who are small international financial centres who need to also have their voices heard.

Congratulations to Minister Cox and her team.

The Progressive Labour Party is seeking talented men and women to apply to be candidates in constituencies 26, 2 and 4. Please submit your application to the party by August 13th at 5 pm.

We anticipate a by-election in constituency #26 later this year. Potential candidates and members of the affected branches are encouraged to ensure their membership is up-to-date.

Feel free to make recommendations for candidates in the comments!

One year ago today, Nelson Bascome entered our father's kingdom. Today, we remember and honour him with our thoughts and prayers. Read the condolences and feel free to share your own.

Nearly 3,000 of Bermuda's seniors are benefiting from FutureCare, a landmark programme that provides our elderly with the medical care they need after a lifetime of work. While providing this essential service isn't cheap - it's the right thing to do. And, as Minister Walter Roban confirmed on Sunday, it's within budget. Minister Roban:

Therefore, the issue is the overall sustainability of the healthcare system and not just an issue related to FutureCare. The reforms proposed by the Bermuda Health Council seek to address some aspects of that sustainability. This is clearly evident in the last sentence of their paragraph 26 which states, “Reforms proposed in the consultation paper seek to diversify private insurer risk pools to ensure all payers share an equal responsibility in financing healthcare for the population as it ages.” It should also be noted that additional reforms being considered by the Ministry of Health and to be released as part of the Government’s National Health Strategy will seek to address other aspects of this issue.

FutureCare has performed as expected, within budget, and provides for the needs of a key segment of our population. As has been stated from the inception of FutureCare, the Government is taking proactive measures to ensure FutureCare’s long term viability and sustainability. Some of these measures are built into the FutureCare Plan design and we will enhance these as necessary to satisfy the needs of our seniors. Ultimately, the Government will work with its stakeholders to seek an equitable distribution of funding for the healthcare needs of our population.

No matter how you slice it, healthcare is costly. But, we also believe that the lives and livlihood of our seniors are of the utmost importance. FutureCare is performing as expected and within budget. It's working.

Looking for opportunities in the IT sector? Join us this Wednesday from 5:30 - 8 pm at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess for a special networking event. We're committed to providing cutting edge opportunities for young Bermudians and this event is a can't miss! We hope you can join us.

Mirrors is looking for Edu-Mentors to get involved and make a difference in the lives of our young people. If you've lamented the crime situation in Bermuda, this is your opportunity to take action. When it comes to cracking down on crime, complaining and lamenting only goes so far. Help us take back our streets by volunteering with Mirrors now.

Mark your calendars for the weekend of September 10-13. The Premier's Farewell Gala Weekend is going to be quite a celebration.

Martin Luther King once said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

While his critics were indeed ferocious, there's no doubt that Premier Ewart Brown delivered for Bermuda. In just four short years, he worked to bring us a landmark FutureCare programme that is already providing thousands of seniors with healthcare security after a lifetime of work. His work resulted in our DayCare programme which allows for working families to pursue career and educational opportunities. He championed and won free public transportation for students. He ushered in a Platinum Period for Tourism, and, after the global economic crisis ravaged our tourism sector, he was the primary architect of a tourism turnaround that is just beginning. And, he made advanced education more accessible for our young people by making Bermuda College free.

September 10-13th will be our time to celebrate these, and many more landmark accomplishments. It's also time to celebrate a leader who stood tall and strong against powerful and entrenched forces that sought to tear him down at every opportunity.

Please join us for the following events:

• Friday, September 10th: Green & White Beach Party
• Saturday, September 11th: Golf Tournament or First Lady's Luncheon Gala Reception & Banquet
• Sunday, September 12th: Morning Church Service
• Sunday, September 12th: The Premier's Platinum & Gold Dinner
• Monday, September 13th: Premier's Sponsor / Celebrity Brunch Cruise

For more information, please call 292-2264 or email us at gala@plp.bm.

Today, Minister Glenn Blakeney announced that Bermuda won the right to host the 2012 CARIFTA Games noting that the last time we hosted the games, a young Usain Bolt set the junior world record a tour very own National Stadium. Minister Blakeney:

I am thrilled to announce that Bermuda will once again host the CARIFTA Games. The last time we hosted the games in 2004 was hailed a tremendous success by organizers, participants, coaches and visitors. And who can forget seeing the young Usain Bolt light up our local track at the National Stadium when he was just 17 years old setting a Junior world record in the 200 metres in a time of 19.93 seconds which still stands today. Perhaps we will see the next track and field superstar grace our shores in 2012.

The BTFA are to be commended for having the vision and the courage to host the event again, especially during these difficult economic times and more importantly during an Olympic year. This means that our promising young athletes will have an opportunity to showcase their talent on local soil whilst striving to qualify for the Olympic Games which will be held in England. As Minister I can assure the BTFA and all sports fans in Bermuda that the Government will do all it can to ensure that CARIFTA will be a success and the perfect launching pad for the Olympic Games.

It's a testament to the hard work of the BTFA and the PLP Government that we once again win the honour of hosting these games. We look forward to welcoming the athletes to our island in 2012.

Yesterday, Minister Paula Cox outlined measures the PLP Government has taken to strengthen government accounting and satisfy the requirements outlined by the Auditor General. Minister Cox:

As Government we have expended considerable effort to address the outstanding recommendations of the Auditor General. We have set a realistic timetable for action and committed to effecting systemic improvements to Government's accounting and financial control systems.

Mr. Speaker, before I go into my formal response I would like to highlight some of the progress that the Government has made in improving the financial and accountability framework relating to Public Financial Management. These will be detailed in the body of the Response. While overall the progress is satisfactory though, as always, more remains to be done.

Some of the very positive measures Government has undertaken to enhance Public Financial Management are as follows:

• The Accountant General has concluded the implementation of a government accounting infrastructure that involved placing qualified accountants throughout Government at the departmental or Ministry level, to ensure financial controls are improved and accounting needs are met;
• Co-ordination of Government‟s financial direction by bringing together key accounting personnel within government and in the QUANGO‟s for quarterly strategy meetings;
• Providing additional resources within the Accountant General‟s Department to improve operations, accounting systems and the internal control environment across Government;
• Re-establishment of the Internal Audit function;
• Executing a risk assessment of the entire Government of Bermuda to identify, categorise and to prioritise the risks;
• Updating of Financial Instructions;
• Establishment of the Debt Enforcement Unit;
• Timely completion of the Consolidated Fund Financial Statements (the Fund through which Government conducts the majority of its transactions);
• Focus on bringing various Public Funds and Government related entities‟ financial statements up to date in an auditable condition.

After clearly articulating the work the PLP Government is engaged in to improve accounting, Minister Cox went on to comment on the budgeting process. She noted that budgets are dynamic documents that sometimes have to be revised to address emerging realities. She also noted that the government sector in Bermuda remains relatively small as compared to our competing jurisdictions, indicating the strength of our economy even in these tough times. Minister Cox concludes:

The Government is committed to strengthening the way in which it manages and controls Bermuda’s public finances and I have every confidence that continued improvements will be achieved. Under this administration, there is every expectation that Government’s financial reporting and stewardship will reach the highest possible standards.

As many of you know, Premier Ewart Brown is in South Africa (on his own dime) attending the World Cup. Earlier this week, he expressed the belief that Bermuda and her athletes could benefit greatly from embracing the national pride the countries have shown for their teams and for the work ethic, commitment and dedication displayed by the players participating in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Premier Brown:

Wanda and I have had a tremendous opportunity to see the world’s top football players compete on the world stage for the FIFA 2010 World Cup. For many countries international competition has replaced the nationalism that led to war with an exciting sense of unity and national pride as their people unite behind their teams. In Bermuda we have seen our people rally around the teams representing the various countries of their choice and we have seen a level of excitement that is welcomed in the midst of the global recession. It is my fervent wish that our people will one day have the same level of enthusiasm for our national teams when they strive for glory in international competition.

We must no longer be content to be the best athlete between Dockyard and St. George’s, we must strive to be the best period! While it is unlikely that Bermuda will ever produce a World Cup or International Test Match champion we must begin to consistently emulate those things that create competitive success; hard work, dedication and commitment. We must train, prepare, compete and play like world champions.

Don't settle. Work hard. Compete. Win. Those lessons are applicable to sport just as they are applicable to life.