OBA Initial Response To The Throne Speech
While “there is a lot that the OBA welcomes” in the Throne Speech, there was” no real mention of creating jobs or economic development,” Opposition Leader Craig Cannonier said today.
His comments follow after the Throne Speech was delivered this morning, revealing a number of initiatives including social insurance contribution reform, eliminating most paper forms and single-use plastics by 2022, transforming existing post offices into customer service centres, along with initiatives dealing with immigration, housing, health insurance, banking and more.
Mr Cannonier said, “There is a lot that the One Bermuda Alliance welcomes in the Throne Speech, such as the effort to reduce the use of single use plastics and the increase in paid maternity leave. The idea of an arbitration centre is also something we would support.
“It’s theme of focusing on the cost of living and economic inequality is also laudable, however there was no real mention of creating jobs or economic development – which is the best way of helping people cope with the cost of living and inequality.
“Government appears to have all its eggs in the fintech basket, so to see no over-riding emphasis on improving the job prospects for Mr and Mrs Bermuda was concerning. We saw some mention of support for technology-based businesses and vertical farms, but plans for economic development were limited to two paragraphs.
“There was also nothing to offer small and medium sized businesses many of whom are just managing to survive and I am concerned they may be further disadvantaged by the plans for progressive social insurance payments.
“A progressive tax based on energy consumption could also affect businesses and further push up their operating costs which either get passed onto the consumer or which force the business to make redundancies.
“While we would all like to see lower health care costs, there are a lot of questions about the plan to have one or two health insurance pools. This could have very negative effects on employment for our insurers.
“Economic indicators are all down, the date to balance the budget has been pushed back and Bermuda is still borrowing more.
“Imagine a Bermuda today, therefore, that did not have the jobs that the airport created, and will continue to create, imagine if we did not have the economic input of the America’s Cup, imagine if we did not have the Bermuda Tourism Authority – how much worse would Bermuda be today?
Utterly amazing and MOST unfair. This man is reporting on the THRONE SPEECH and has not come clean on JETGATE. This man and others like him, continue to be a divisive element in BORN BERMUDIANS’ lives.
Hypocritical to those who look like him.
Your works, whatever they are, continue to fall on stony ground.
Ridiculous involvement in politics.
YOU need to give it up. Also, YOU at the helm of the oba, will not bring YOU honest votes.
Heeheeheehee!!
The OBA will not win the govt again under the present leadership
TO Dready:
Precisely!!
He has conveniently FORGOTTEN to talk about the JETGATE issue. Later for ‘em!!
You mean the PLP’s own Jetgate ? ? The one that you and no-one else will talk about ?
And Zane won’t talk about Port Royal Gate. The difference is that one cost us $24m, and the other one cost us nothing.
All Pee El Pee government’s have been bereft of basic economics. Either that or they just can’t get enough of pandering to their base. They think people don’t have options…
Just waiting till we start exporting titty milk as a new economic stimulus!! Ha ha ha!!
You conveniently forget the importation of immigrants by ewart in a clandestine operation
You also conveniently forget all the over runs by your beloved friends and family government
Have you given tweed status yet?
The PLP presented some new ideas , plans and a vision going forward . In one year and two Throne Speeches they have shared nothing with Bermuda that the OBA could have done had they had the WILL. So what went wrong ? We tried to run a country while leaving behind 50% of the population . And as a result we suffered the worse defeat in the history of Bermuda .But we still don’t get it .
They should have just ran the country but instead they went on personal vendettas/wasted a great deal of money. In the end they targeted black Bermudians in investigation that went down HILL.
Now they have a black leader that has also been accuse of the same. With his track record they will never win. All he’s doing is collecting a fat check and probably LOL at the Milkman and his team.
Very easy to create jobs in Bermuda. If all Bermudians would submit support (before Nov 30th when the opportunity window closes) for the Better Bermuda Energy Plan to electricity @ rab . bm and ask for mass renewable energy (wind farms, solar farms, battery storage farms), we would create many new jobs.