OBA Calls For Explanation From Former Minister

December 5, 2018

OBA Leader Craig Cannonier has called for a “personal explanation” from former Minister Michael Weeks about the allegations that children in care were mistreated, while the PLP has said they “support the government’s commitment to a thorough investigation that ensures that the interests of our children are protected.”

OBA Statement

Craig Cannonier has called for a “personal explanation” from former Social Development Minister Michael Weeks into “allegations that children in care were mistreated by Department of Child and Family Services staff.”

The Leader of the One Bermuda Alliance spoke in the House on Friday when he said: “We were supposed to have a report of an external review into what happened in the Department. It would be nice if we could get a personal explanation from the former Minister about that report. It would also be nice if the Government allows him the opportunity to speak on some of these issues.”

After speaking in the House he added: “As well as an external review, we have been told that we now have a review being conducted by the Department of Internal Audit. We have been told that that review ‘will follow the professional standards for internal audit and the necessary agencies will be notified as required, based on the findings.’

“The external review report should be made public and the Internal Audit inquiry must be conducted with the utmost urgency as this involves some of the most vulnerable people in our society who rely on authorities to look after them,” Mr Cannonier added.

PLP Statement

In response, a PLP spokesperson said, “The only Premier to ever resign in disgrace and who alongside Michael Dunkley oversaw a government that lost 2000 jobs, doubled the debt and allowed our buses, school and infrastructure to crumble has still not kept his promise to reveal all about the Jetgate Scandal which remains under police investigation.

“We support the government’s commitment to a thorough investigation that ensures that the interests of our children are protected,” the PLP said, adding that they “encourage the former Premier to assist the police in their ongoing investigation” into the JetGate matter.

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Comments (34)

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  1. DeOnion says:

    Plp deflecting as usual – they are still stuck in opposition mode. And why raise this anyway – what on earth has this got to do with the way we care for children.

    Shoildn’t The plp statement have been: we welcome open discussions on this issue. The well being of our children is of paramount importance ….’

    This government is very juvienile

    • Infidelguy says:

      You are absolutely correct!

      This government pays only lip service to issues that involve the protection of vulnerable groups of individuals such as children. They put their political reputations above everything else. As far as I’m concerned David Burt and company are a disgusting group of political opportunists who will stoop to the lowest levels to ensure their political survival.

  2. Red rose says:

    So this is the best the plp can do???!!!! Wow – shoildn’t they be more interested in what our children have had to suffer?!
    Wow, wow, wow.

  3. Red rose says:

    This ‘doubling the debt’ claim needs addressing – the plp would have doubled the debt as well because of the ongoing need to pay off the huge deficit they created!
    As to jobs – joke. What have they created? Nothing. All we have is a worsening economy and lots of new taxes.
    Schools – the plp has been in power almost 18 months and have bragged about how they have fixed it!
    Buses – not a day goes by under the plp without cancellations – almost 18 months after they won the election!
    How many civil cases are there against current ministers – maybe they will make a full statement about those?
    And – $60 million in overspends that could have fixed the buses AND schools – not to mention the 1.2m friends and family payment!
    Plp: there so much for you to answer for – address these issues and then I might take you seriously!

  4. Question says:

    The PLP refuse to answer the question then.

    Why? What is wrong with finding out what happened to vulnerable children?

  5. LaVerne Furbert says:

    Why doesn’t Craig Cannonier just ask a Parlaiamentary Question if he really wants an answer. Michael Weeks was speaking as a Government Minister when he made the statement. Surely someone from the Ministry can shed light on the situation. And speaking of “personal explanations”, what happened to the one from Trevor Momiz which was on last week’s Order Paper?

  6. Lol@The OBA says:

    Ouch….that was a powerful right hook from the PLP…well Mr. Cannonier please do explain since you said you was going to…the people are waiting..

  7. Lol@TheOBA says:

    Ouch…that was a powerful right hook from the PLP…well Mr. Cannonaire please explain…we have been waiting for years for your explanation…or are you going to deflect like you have been all this time?

    • Jamal says:

      A Hahahahahahahahahahahah! Are you kidding???? This is TOTAL deflection! DREB bankrupt Bermuda, yet you are ok to totally ignore that right? What CC did pales in comparison. Give me a break…..

    • Question says:

      Juvenile response from the PLP. Grow up.

      • Avg Bda Male says:

        Just as juvenile as the former Premier as well. But I have to ask you, why does he get a pass and not the PLP?

        • Double S says:

          The same question can be asked of you. Why do you give the current Deputy Speaker and Minister of Tourism a pass and even cheer their appointment back into positions of power? They both have ongoing investigations into alleged malfeasance of our (ie taxpayer dollars).

          And I can’t recall one OBA rebuttal whilst in power that was as juvenile as the PLP one above. It is especially wrong given teh subject matter at hand.

        • question says:

          His point is not juvenile at all. He is asking a serious question related to the welfare of vulnerable children. The response was nothing but an ad hominem attack on him, bringing up an irrelevant non-issue from years ago, like it has some bearing on this issue at all. That’s why he gets taken seriously, and the PLP response gets met with derision. He raises a serious point: the PLP utterly fails to address it.
          In fact, reading this, the PLP has no concern at all for the welfare of the vulnerable children.

        • Lol@TheOBA says:

          I find it funny that all of a sudden he cares about the kids but the oba had no problem taking money out of the school system to fund a sail boat race. Hypocrisy at its finest.

          • Question says:

            The biggest Education budget cuts came under Cox.
            Still hilarious how you lot won’t answer the questions. Obviously you have no interest in the welfare of vulnerable children.
            You’re apparently busy sending millions of dollars to PLP ex-ministers. And spending another $23m to try to tart up the Grand Atlantic you already wasted $60m on.

    • Double S says:

      You laugh at pathetic response unfit for any Government (even a Trump one) on a topic that is of national importance (protection of our children). You and your Party are just straight up nasty people. And I have no doubt you will finish this island off once and for all.

  8. Phillip Wells says:

    What an excruciating statement from the PLP. First, they are the Government, so talking about them as if they were some separate entity sounds bizarre. Second, why open and close with an attack about a completely unrelated matter?

    • sandgrownan says:

      Because they’re morons?

      Out of ideas, out of their depth and clueless. 15 years of failure.

    • Double S says:

      Because they are a hate group masquerading as a political party. And as history has shown hate groups are unable to provide rational or intellectual rebuttals. They just attack, because that;s all hate groups have in their locker.

  9. High road says:

    Where would the ppl be without jet Gate?…

  10. Obnoxious. says:

    Totally inappropriate and juvenile response from the PLP.

    • sandgrownan says:

      Gotta have a bogeyman. Without that, they are nothing.

      • Double S says:

        Absolutely correct. They thrive of off boogeyman politics. But given their poor Governing and subsequent results distractions are what is needed. Economy is back in recession. Employment income is down. Business confidence is flat. Real estate value are plummeting again. But they still cheer them on like their favorite football team whilst more than likely it is to will be them that suffer the most from their incompetence and hate. It is mind boggling.

  11. Correct says:

    Jetgate will sink OBA forever! Let’s get that done once and for all!

  12. Sister Grace says:

    Why is everyone surprised by the PLP response. They say and do as they feel no one hold them accountable. They ran this island to the ground spent all our money and continue to lie there way out of everything. Yet they were voted back in.nothing they say or do surprises me anymore. Remember they are the people’s part. NOT.

  13. Sister Grace says:

    You all voted them back in. Change is needed sooner than later.

  14. MM says:

    We know that an investigation is presentl y being carried out into various matters regarding the vunerability of our children. At some stage government needs to make a statement , it has been about a month , it don’t take seven or eight months to check put child abuse and neglect. Accountability and protection of persons at risk is priority , tons of tax dollars we’re spent on America’s Cup , tax breaks payroll relief , custom duty have been proposed for the next ten years for the Warwick hotel , which was a housing development across from Swizzle Inn , but no proper response for our children. The government needs to say in a brief statement , some might say a measured response.

  15. DeOnion says:

    Can we have a full statement on poet royal?

  16. Fool me once says:

    to think they represent us when going abroad, nice.

  17. Goose says:

    Who cares about Jetgate when our children aren’t secure at nursery school, have their primary school teachers staging sickouts over conditions in schools, have no legal advocate in court and have no jobs to go to when they leave school. The very watchdogs may have been complicit in the abuse of children and all we get from the Gov’t is “but Jetgate so shut up.”

    I’m more than happy for Jetgate to be investigated. Both parties should produce lists of every donor and the amounts donated for public record. If favours are for sale let’s see who’s buying them and who’s playing both sides. The COI found evidence of criminal behaviour causing massive cost overruns that drained the public purse. This caused cuts to public services and increases in taxes that lowered all of our standard of living. Can we look further into that too?

  18. Absurd says:

    Juvenile response from the PLP

  19. OMG says:

    I can’t believe the PLP actually released that press statement which completely ignores the issue at hand. We’re obviously back in the days of “We don’t care want you think” but also now “we don’t care about the fate of our children”. Sad times. “You knew I was a snake when you let me in.”

  20. Deep Throat says:

    Dear me, what a remarkably juvenile response from the PLP. Who wrote this? Whoever it was really needs to grow up.