Video: Craig Cannonier Sworn In As Premier
[Updated with video] One Bermuda Alliance leader Craig Cannonier was officially sworn in as Premier by Governor George Fergusson this afternoon [Dec 18]. His family, friends, and numerous OBA members were present for the swearing in ceremony held at Government House.
The OBA denied the Progressive Labour Party a fourth consecutive term last night [Dec.17] when they claimed a 19-17 seat majority, picking up 52% of the popular vote to the PLP’s 46%.
Born and raised in St David’s, Premier Cannonier attended St Georges Preparatory school, the Bermuda Institute and obtained a BSc in Industrial Psychology from Towson State University in Maryland.
He began his career by working for the MarketPlace Group where he was responsible for human resources, training and purchasing. Premier Cannonier served as the General Manager of People’s Pharmacy for some ten years, worked as a Relationship Manager for Cable & Wireless, and he currently runs Esso City Tigermarket, Collector’s Hill Esso and Warwick Esso.
He began his political career as the leader of the now defunct Bermuda Democratic Alliance, and became the leader of the OBA in September 2011. Two months later he won a by-election in C#12 Devonshire South Central and became a Member of Parliament.
Premier Cannonier becomes the 12th Premier of Bermuda, following after Sir Henry Tucker [1968 - 1971], Sir Edward Richards [1971 - 1975], Sir John Sharpe [1975 - 1977], Sir David Gibbons [1977 - 1982], Sir John Swan [1982 - 1995], Dr. David Saul [1995 - 1997], Dame Pamela Gordon [1997 - 1998], Dame Jennifer Smith [1998 - 2003], Alex Scott [2003 - 2006], Dr. Ewart Brown [2006 - 2010] and Paula Cox [2010 - 2012].
Update 1.25pm: Speaking at the ceremony, Premier Cannonier said: “I am both humbled and excited, excited for my country and our people. Because the election expressed their desire for a fresh start For change toward a new future together, a future that embraces everyone, and overlooks no one. This is the future we can all believe in.”
The Premier continued: “We are going to use this election to bring about two big changes to Bermuda. First, we are going to get this economy working again for people. There is no more important task right now than to grow jobs to end the hardships felt by thousands of families. And second, we are going to bring people together.”
Premier Cannonier’s full remarks follows below:
Your Excellency, Colleagues, family members, Friends and fellow Bermudians,
Thank you all for this moment.
I am both humbled and excited;
Excited for my country and our people.
Because the election expressed their desire for a fresh start
For change toward a new future together;
A future that embraces everyone, and overlooks no one.
This is the future we can all believe in,
Building together,
Supporting each other for the benefit of all.
This is the work we begin today.
This is the work we believe in.
This is the work we are committed to…
Building a Bermuda that works for all our people.
My Friends,
We are going to use this election to bring about two big changes to Bermuda:
First, we are going to get this economy working again for people.
There is no more important task right now than to grow jobs to end the hardships felt by thousands of families.
And second, we are going to bring people together.
We’re going to reach out to everyone, building cooperation and support.
Eliminating all forms of discrimination
Extending the absentee ballot to our students abroad, making this the last election they are denied a voice in the decisions of this country.
And to the many Bermudians living abroad, who left for a job or who fled intolerance, I want to send a simple message:
‘Come back to us. Come back to build the better Bermuda we know we can build. Your country needs you. Your country needs all your skills, and all your dreams, right here at home, where they can flower best.’
Let this be the start of Bermuda’s renaissance,
With trust and cooperation
With people working together
Moving forward, arm in arm, as one people, one Bermuda.
My friends,
It is time to believe in this great country.
It is time to believe in each other.
It is time to pick up the tools to build anew.
We have so much within our grasp, so much talent, so many good people.
Let’s seize this moment for a better Bermuda.
To make this a country that works for all our people.
This is the moment. This is the day, to start moving forward together
For a Bermuda that achieves social and economic equity for all, leaving no one behind.
That’s the promise of this election. That’s the change we need.
And now it is up to us to make it happen.
On behalf of my colleagues, that is my commitment to you.
Thank you all. Thank you Bermuda.
God bless you all and God bless our beautiful Island.
-
Update 2.14pm: The new Premier was in good spirits as he left Government House in GP1.
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- Cabinet, Senate Appointments Expected Soon | Bernews.com | December 19, 2012
Step One: form Cabinet
Step Two: fire entire Civil Service Executive (CSE)
Why fire the entire Civil Service Executive? Please elaborate!
@George. The Government of Bermuda is not a merit-based organisation. The Cabinet Secretary, Assistant Cabinet Secretaries and most of the Permanent Secretaries are patronage positions of former party insiders who do not have the skill sets, education, or backgrounds to carry out an effective mandate. They oversaw the explosion of Government workers, plethora of untendered contracts and cash distribution, mismanagement and poor performance/alignment of the civil service, and failed in collusion with their Ministers to offer us any form of accountability or transparency. They have underhandedly wasted precious resources to the detriment of us all and have been spoiled by the exploitation of the public purse.
I totally agree! Get rid of the and save millions! This was something PLP govt put in so more of their friends can have power.
As far as I understand the Government hiring process (a PS job was advertised just two weeks ago using it) Permanent Secretaries jobs are advertised and positions are vetted through the Dept. of Human Resources and appointed accordingly through the Public Service Commission with the Governor’s endorsement, a merit based system!
You obviously know that this system has not been adhered to in the past and there has been a “plethora of untendered contracts and cash distribution, mismanagement and poor performance/alignment of the civil service, and failed in collusion with their Ministers to offer us any form of accountability or transparency”. As there is a ‘sheriff’ in Town I would encourage you to disclose this to the powers that be!
Let’s work for the Mutual Benefit of Bermuda
It is obvious that the writer is not aware that the CSC (that composes senior civil servants) serves the Government of the day. There is an annual performance appraisal that reflects the senior civil servant’s perforamce for the year. There should be meaningful input from the senior civil sevant’s Minister to the Cabinet Secretary to aid him in conducting an objective reveiw of performance.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) which is appointed by the Governor, is responsible for ensuring there is a clear separation of the politcial arm of Government (party) to that of the hiring and firing of Civil Servants. Contrary to popular belief, civil servants have been disciplined or fired based on proven sub standard performance.
My experience has been that persons hried from the private sector do not understand the ordered structure of global civil services.
This Union has advocated for a productive, efficient and quality civil service. It is my hope that this will still be achieved.
The challenge I have is there are some private businesses that are not productive and efficent but are critical of the civil service. As examples laying off staff or asking staff to reduce their hourly rates while bonuses are still paid to senior management staff? There have been many examples of some private companies illeglally hiring consultants on a three month contract but still working beyond that time frame or the scope of work is different to that stated in the work permit; treating their staff with such disdain that bullying and harassment is the order of the day?
A New Look, New Mindset for 2013
I would suggest that all Bermudians need to have a new outlook for the New Year -2013. That we all work for the mutual benefit of Bermuda such that all citizens have hope.
The OBA’s platform attests to inclusiveness, than the writer should ensure he/she encourages everyone to be the best they can be for 2013.
Private Citizen.
Ed Ball Jr
Let’s work for the Mutual Benefit of Bermuda
It is obvious that the writer is not aware that the CSC (that composes senior civil servants) serves the Government of the day. There is an annual performance appraisal that reflects the senior civil servant’s performance for the year. There should be meaningful input from the senior civil servant’s Minister to the Cabinet Secretary to aid him in conducting an objective review of performance.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) which is appointed by the Governor, is responsible for ensuring there is a clear separation of the political arm of Government (party) to that of the hiring and firing of Civil Servants. Contrary to popular belief, civil servants have been disciplined or fired based on proven sub standard performance.
My experience has been that persons hired from the private sector do not understand the ordered structure of global civil services.
This Union has advocated for a productive, efficient and quality civil service. It is my hope that this will still be achieved.
The challenge I have is there are some private businesses that are not productive and efficient but are critical of the civil service. As examples laying off staff or asking staff to reduce their hourly rates while bonuses are still paid to senior management staff? There have been many examples of some private companies illegally hiring consultants on a three month contract but still working beyond that time frame or the scope of work is different to that stated in the work permit; treating their staff with such disdain that bullying and harassment is the order of the day?
A New Look, New Mindset for 2013
I would suggest that all Bermudians need to have a new outlook for the New Year -2013. That we all work for the mutual benefit of Bermuda such that all citizens have hope.
The OBA’s platform attests to inclusiveness, than the writer should ensure he/she encourages everyone to be the best they can be for 2013.
Private Citizen.
Ed Ball Jr
First of all I’d like to thank all the Black Swing Voters.
Thanks suckers. Now OBA shake up and transfer the entire top Civil Service.
@Vip: you always get that one race comment it never fails.
Why not say young swing voters….Please!
Maybe the Civil Srvice needs a “shake up”.
Fire all the useless police from the top down
Congratulations Premier and may God continue to guide and direct your path. It is a good day in Bermuda to see you as the Premier.
The OBA ran a successful OBAma style campaign by stealthily getting in touch with their voter base, focusing on the swing voters and catching the government on the back foot as they were sipping their koolaid basking in their arrogance.
Well done. Now the work BEGINS.
To The O. B. A. WELL DONE. AND all the best and you must work hard for all of us. God Bless the O. B. A. AND BERMUDA!!!!!!
Looks like the black surrogate advice worked. $$ well spent on that report UBP/OBA! Poeple have been fooled big time…
Race baiting and divisiveness is so yesterday. It lost you the election.
We must work together for a better Bermuda for Bermudians to move forward.
Just you a$$…cry me a river! Haha
the country will now be open for sale to the highest bidder in the name of “jump starting the economy”. Term limits will be removed and property sales will open up. End result – the rich get richer. everyday bermudians who already can’t afford housing aren’t benefited. More expats will be shipped in to take the best jobs at the new companies and will never leave, but don’t worry we’ll do our part and give bermudians the menial positions.
“everyday bermudians who already can’t afford housing aren’t benefited”
If you can’t afford a house after the PLP tanked the economy, I don’t think it was a realistic possibility anyway. And uh.. I don’t think people from overseas that can afford a piece of the rock are going to want to drop 600k on a seaside (-> waterside) view at Grand Atlantic.
All you surrogates that voted oba are so screwed. Wait till all the expats get those nice office jobs, term limits LOL out the door. Either way I still have my sweet a$$$ job. Craig made all these promises, in a few years the real ubp will take of their mask and remove Craig as Premier and call him negative names just like they did all the other blacks that didn’t perform as Master wanted. For now I’ll fake my cheers for ubp/bda/oba like all the other snakes in the pit/party, thanks for the invite to Vasco. It was members only last night. Thank my mate who’s a black puppet for getting me in. Craig soon you will say yes master no master.
Ya as fake as a $3 dolla bill bra!!
Wow personal agenda of hate alert!! Go see a shrink, before it rots you from the inside out.
“It was members only last night”
That’s a complete lie. I was there, and anybody was allowed to walk in off the street. You’re bitter, full of $h&t and need to take your anxiety medication.
Wow So Sir John Swan didn’t perform, where were you living then?
Doomed – Bermuda was already pre sold in the form of debt. Paula Cox presided over the most fiscally irresponsible regime this country has ever seen. Both as finance minister and subsequently as premier.
The only way to negate liabilities is with assets. You can thank Paula Cox and the PLP for that. Don’t blame the person paying the bill for the feast you let them eat!!
Been doing it for decades. It does work! Character assassination does pay it seems. Amazing how all of the OBA supporters who had nasty things to say about Paula are now extending a hand of good sportsmanship. But that won’t remove their guilt of knowing that they’re chicanery and subterfuge rewarded them with power they so hungrily wanted by any means. Well congratulations! This isn’t a new Bermuda, this is UBP hegemony all over again. Its a revolution not an evolution. See you in 5 years when the rich are richer.
I’d rather the rich get richer than the middle class get poor and the poor get desperate which was what was happening under your beloved PLP. At least when the UBP were in power, we all ate. Yeah, some of us had caviar while the rest of us had to make due with chicken and the occasional leg of lamb, but you know what – there are always going to be different social classes in a society. That’s just how it works. Get over it.
I’m sorry, but the rich getting richer means, by extension, the middle class will get poorer…and when the UBP was in power, maybe you ate, we didn’t!!
I don’t agree. The rich may get richer but if there are plentiful jobs, then everybody benefits because of the trickle down effect. They provide jobs, you get a wage and are able to pay your bills. People were able to take three and four vacations a year, cars were selling. Under the PLP, no one benefitted. Don’t tell me you ate better under the PLP because your nose may grow and break the screen you’re looking at.
The rich getting richer does not mean the poor getting poorer. If the economy grows, the pie gets bigger, and there’s more to go around. For everybody.
That’s the mistake the PLP made. They thought shrinking the economy, forcing the country into recession, was a good idea. It wasn’t.
@ umjusssayin. I sure ate. I wasn’t rich back then, but I certainly wasn’t this poor. OBA ALL THE WAY!!!
Paula listened to advisors, she never checked beyond her inner circle. She failed us. We are human, and when another human is hurting we give a damn. Sorry for being human
So I guess you are a “black” Bermudian first, instead of just a Bermudian. Couldn’t you see the road the PLP government was sending the island? Give the OBA a chance, the PLP effed up and now there is a new boss in town. Let’s see how it goes.
Congratulations Craig, remember to “take everything to the Lord in prayer” again congratulatons and the very best to you and you cabinet.
Wonder how long it will be before the people turn on you and your party…1 year…2?
Incredibly negative on the dawn of a new Bermuda.
How long did it take for the ‘we had to deceive you’ comment, again?
wonder how long til Dunkley ousts Cannonier.
For your own well being, don’t hold your breath.
Not very long trust me OR he’ll be running the show from behind #realtalk
You mean like how EB has been pulling the strings?
Maybe… but it will happen lets not fool ourselves
He’ll be cool Craig is a good puppet. In 2 year he’s out. That’s the real talk going around Bermuda. They love you today and will hate you tomorrow, they will blame everything on you. Because you are the front man.
just keep talking among yourselves fool
not long
Change your Selfish I to an E, and be bEtter.
According to you you lot, it should already have happened. It isn’t going to happen. But keep saying it if you want to. Waste your time all you want.
Ain’t happening…sorry.
Just a matter of time. I predict 18 months then a vote of no confidence!!!!
Yeah, well you also predicted a PLP landslide.
Well Done Mr. Cannonier and to the entire OBA People.
I feel delighted and refreshed as a Bermudian. Lets build together. I want my fellow Black Friends and White Friends to UNITE and Bring my island out of the GUTTER.
All you RACIST PEOPLE ( White & Black ) can catch a plane and GTFOH
As a Young Bermudian I will do my part and Work VERY HARD on Fighting againts Racism
Oh yawn yawn already!!! How about the expats get on a plane so I can see these 2000 promised jobs created!
Ya not qualified fa der jobs so f#$k off
You don’t really understand how the economy functions, do you?
Send all the expats home, now there’s a great idea! How many are there? 10,000? That’s 10,000 Bermudian jobs, not 2,000!!!
I am, of course, joking. Send any more expats home and only the whistling frogs will have a guaranteed job.
Why do ya think stores & restaurants are closing and rental properties are sitting empty? Cause the expats are leaving, brother. Saying they should be sent home only shows a complete lack of understanding of how the economy works.
Here’s hoping Mr Cannonier can get everything on the right track, start promoting a business-friendly environment, and get more IB back onto the island. More business = more jobs for everyone. Bermudians and expats alike.
Hey without some of these expats you so freely refer to there would be alot less jobs so be careful what you ask for
Define racism please
Easy ready …… Judge Dredd and the sour group posting with you on this thread.
LOL what was the report on the PLP statigies for the last 5-8 years. Riggggghhhhhtttt
All you haters out there…GO SUCK A PLP LEMON!!!
So you don’t need experience to run a country? Really, since when? Didn’t he recently used to work at Esso Tigermarket stocking shelves? Even Obama was groomed for leadership at birth. Good thing Craig’s got education on his side…. Laughing all the way to the bank with your money, ha good one Craig, they never saw it coming, but they will see it go…. Only in Bermuda could this happen. At least it won’t be had to look good after that last government, lucky you.
We wont see it “go” dopey because its already gone thanks to the previous pillaging. Snap out of the trance, the green bus has left the yard.
read his resume……and by the way we are in Bermuda a small town on the world’s stage not Washington…..
Its a new season, its a new day. A fresh anointing is coming my way. Its a season of power an prosperity. Its a new season, coming to me.
Best Wishes and Best of Luck in getting on with it!
Congratulations OBA and Bermuda. Good things will happen when we all pull together.
BERNEWS. YOUR THE BEST KEEP THE GREAT WORK UP. GOD BLESS YOUR HARD WORK !!!!!!
I think OBA should change their colors from Red to Gold and Blue – St. Davd’s has gone and dund dit it – a Premier, who would ever have thought. A St. David’s Islander as a Premier and it isn’t a lie, it’s transparent, it’s honest to goodness real. All people who have said and hear that St. David’s people are worthless and igrant and all the rest – WRONG!!! May the Lord continue to bless you Craig and your family and let us as a Country applaud, encourage and support him. Aunt Ethel is truly one happy Angel today. Let us become one People who are willing to give their all to take back what the devil thought was his. Congratulations Cousin
WATCH WHEN THEY STOP HELPING WITH CHILD CARE AND Y RENT 4 THOSE OF U WHO NEED IT! THEN YOU WOULD BE COMPLAINING YOU HAVE 2 MOVE BACK HOME 2 YA PARENTS. JUST HOPE THEY HAVE THE 2000 JOB THEY SAY THEY HAVE!
ARE ALL THE PLP SUPPORTERS SO MAD THAT THEY NEED TO TYPE EVERYTHING IN CAPS LOCK?!
Good. If you can’t afford childcare you shouldn’t have children. Most of these hood-rats are abusing the free childcare anyway. And newsflash most people can’t afford rent and are living with their parents already!
Excuse me….hoodrats???!!! What about the white trash (just stooping to your level for a second) who go to financial assistance with their 2 and 3 kids for their monthly cheque and take advantage of free healthcare????
Where did I say that hood-rats was a term for black people? Hood-rats is any girl who is out there sleeping with every and anybody, doesn’t know who the father of her children is, keeps having children when she can’t afford the first one, etc. You made it a race thing. Not me.
Umjusssayin – stop havin kids it aink a good look!
people like you need to know what it means to work for what you want and not expect a handout. Ask yourself, why are there so many buses out of service. well the govt don’t have the money to fix them, why? because PTB run a deficit. why? because kids don’t pay 30cents and seniors don’t pay 50cents. If you lay down to make babies, take care of your damn children like everyone else. what’s 100 dollars per week, 20dollars a day? Ewart brought his slick talk cali style social services programs here and turned many of us into dependants of the state….very unbermudian lifestyle
Adios Sister ms.,
you should wonder about the 600 mill that disappeared!
There is your rent and food money.
Congrats Craig and the OBA team. We now have to roll up our sleeves to start the hard work to make this Island a place that is the envy of all.
PS – can all the outgoing MP’s please leave their GP car keys in the box before they head home.
Congratulations !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mr. Cannonier and the OBA Party, please don’t let all this negative behaviour from any member of the public distract you from getting on with the very important busy of getting Our country back on Track, a victory well deserved, for any one who feels that he isn’t the person to lead, hold your comments to a later date and give him a chance, after all not everyone that wins has experence at first ,they learn as they go from other Parties ( PlP )mistakes and will make the changes as they go. So lets stop it Bermy at let Mr. Cannonier do his job and LEAD this Country FOWARD. To all the PLP candiates, learn from this and move on, maybe you should form another PARTY, you all have to many HATERS in your mix, you need to get over it. To Mr. Kenny Bascombe Congratulations, you finally put Ms. Jennifer’s breaks on, she has done nothing for St.Georges for years, you only see her down here on Sundays for church and then she’s gone, what’s with that, you worked hard Kenny and you deserve this chance. To Nandi Davis, Well Done !!!!!!!!!!!!what can I say there except WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a shake up, congratulations. And to all the OBA job well DONE.
my son said one of his friends posted the following status:
(P)lease (L)eave (P)olitely
I TOTAL AGREE WITH EVERY WORD PROUD BERMUDIAN SAID, THEY HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. CONGATS CRAIG AND HIS OBA TEAM.
Get a real university on the island. Pay the cost to maintain the low enrolment, subsidize the tuition and jump start and educate the youth so they can complete and take the jobs. Let the expats open offices for tax havens and staff it with a set percentage of qualified Bermudians. There is no excuse be realistic, there are not enough qualified Bermudians in the numbers required to get you out of this mess. History will repeat and expats have to move it to support expat companies in that way they are accustom to competing globally. But if you think you are entitled by birth to compete in the global marketplace and command jobs from overseas employers then it’s wishful thinking. You also are not big enough to support home grown businesses to sustain. If you don’t believe me move overseas and complete for jobs, you will run back home with your under qualified experience and education. Right now the BDA college is not enough and the enrollment is mostly women because men are not raised or afforded the privilege to compete, compliments of ignorant parenting and lack of government support. It starts at home it’s easy but ignored because you don’t believe, you want it the easy way and it doesn’t work like that in the real world.
Bermuda get smart the rest will fix itself. Not everyone can afford overseas education and that’s the problem. Sucks to be a teenager in Bermuda who’s family is struggling like everyone else. And you wonder what went wrong? Make the government invest in education or your doomed to rinse and repeat.
All this negative vibe, geez how will we move forward if all we will get is cynicism….. I guess it was ok for us to continue on the path we were heading which was certainly the wrong path @ CS oh so you think it is our responsibility to help with your rent or children, if that is your thought process aw well, Gotta pick up yourself by your boot strap it’s a new day no time to sit down and depend on taxpayers to fund your past fun. There are programs out there to help you to get ahead, contact Labour and Training on Reid St. Come onnnnn BDA lets go…. Leave all the negativity behind time to rebuild.
Congratulations Premier Cannonier. To all the PLP haters on here; blah,blah,blah,blah. I know it’s going to take some time for you (at least some of you) to accept it was the doing of Bermuda in a Democratic fashion. An election was held and your party lost. Simple.
Continue trying to discredit only make the venom and hurt build up more. As in 1998; give the new Government a chance and work together to better ALL of Bermuda.
Your comments sound pathetic.
Firstly congrats to the new Government.
I am a loyal PLP supporter but I would agree we lost our way and need to revamp the party which includes getting rid of some of the party faithfuls. I am optimistic about the future. Bermuda has a lot of work to do whether we are OBA or not. The issues we are experincing require unity. No matter the Government there will always be a divison of some kind. I am not sure that I would not want to be in the shoes of the OBA they will need to deliver or in 5 years time they will also be kicked out.
No matter what decisions are made all of us will be affected so good and some bad so get ready for what is about to come your way Bermuda. Let’s work together to save this island for the future.
Why s it that a certain segment of the population always have race on their mind? Its like a virus that they can’t seemed to shake off. Good Grief get over it so we can move forward a s a country together. It is so easy to point fingers and blame the problems on race. Because they cannot. Think of any other solution. There’s is strength in numbers and we can be a great example to the rest of the world who have people who continue to turn every issue into a race issue. Good help us all.
Sir John Swan for Speaker of the House.
Good idea.
Oh no, we are in trouble now. We have a St Davids Islander in charge now. Who would have ever thought???? Gotta admit, he does look diplomatic in that Beemer. Hope it is running on ESSO gas.
Congratulations Craig Cannonier & the OBA. Can’t say you deserve the mess you have in front of you to clean up but you worked hard for it.
Lets hope the PLP quietly goes back to its hole in the ground to lick its wounds & lets you get on with the job for awhile.
Oh happy day.
I’m even more pleased – he’s left handed, got to be good.
I would just like to thank Bernews for their marvelous concept. It has been many years since my family and I left St Georges. I had almost lost touch until Bernews.
I really do hope and pray that the change of government will find a way to get the island back on track.
Lets hope that everyone can look back and say that Christmas 2012 was the start of the healing process that Bermuda needs and deserves.