SAGE To Hold Public Meetings Next Week
Public meetings will be held next week by the Spending and Government Efficiency [SAGE] Commission to provide an update on progress the Commission is making as they formulate their recommendations for their final report.
The meetings will feature presentations by Chairman Brian Duperreault and by the chairs of the Commission’s committees: Dame Jennifer Smith [Streamline]; Tom Conyers [Measurement & Metrics]; Martha Dismont [Performance]; John Burville/Kim White [Pensions]; andNathan Kowalski [Economic Analysis]. Committee members Craig Simmons/Sheila Nicoll/Donnie Francis will present on behalf of Privatisation& Outsourcing Chair, Henry Smith, who will be off the Island.
“We’d like to outline some of the issues we’ve been grappling with as we consider our recommendations,” said Mr. Duperreault. “The SAGE Commission Act prohibits us from sharing any recommendations with the public before the final report is submitted to Finance Minister Bob Richards in mid October and then tabled in the House of Assembly when it reconvenes in November. But we feel it would be helpful to discuss the components of the major challenges we face, explain our thought process based on our analysis to date, and get some feedback from the community.
“This is a final chance for the public and private sector to have their voices heard, and we’re hoping our meetings will be well attended. Bermuda is at a financial tipping point, and the more the community understands the depth of the challenge, the more we’ll be able to support each other as tough decisions are made.
“At the end of the day, what we present to Minister Richards should be a reflection of what the Bermuda community feels is the fairest way to create the government we need and can afford.”
Three public meetings will be held next week. They will begin at 7:00pm and conclude at 9:00pm:
- Monday, September 16 – St. James Church Hall, Somerset
- Tuesday, September 17 – Penno’s Wharf, St. George’s
- Thursday, September 19 – Mount Saint Agnes Auditorium, Hamilton
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This is all simply for face value. Host a meeting, see what the people say, but we will do what we want anyway. Thats the thought behind it.
I hope they and the OBA government realize that you can’t simply cut jobs to solve the financial crisis. That will cause more financial and social chaos.
Why hasnt the government created a committee to explore sources of new revenue? Why haven’t they explored any of the suggestions by the PLP?
Premier Cannonier keeps speaking about collaboration and working together – is it genuine or a bunch of hot air?
Debt first, then revenue.
How do you know they haven’t explored – and then dismissed – the suggestions of the PLP?
Surely even you see that the suggestions of the folks that got us into this mess aren’t necessarily going to be taken as seriously as, you know, people appointed by the duly elected Government.
(Oh, and… um… Dame Jennifer is the Chair of one of the committees. She’s pretty PLP, no?)
Then perhaps in the interest of transparency, they should say that they explored the PLP suggestions and they are not viable. Rather than just ignoring.
I won’t get in a back and forth with you today, your lack of objectivity to anything political is so clear.
Nice ad hominem to avoid the point.
They’ve said what they’re planning on doing and have been implementing them. That’s pretty transparent.
Just because it’s not going how YOU want it to go doesn’t mean that it’s bad.
And you accusing ANYONE of lack of objectivity is ridiculous.
Seriously.