PLP Highlight Initiatives To Support Parents

Tinee Furbert and Crystal Caesar held a press conference this afternoon [Sept 1] to highlight initiatives designed to support parents.

Tinee Furbert said, “Good afternoon, The family is the cornerstone of our community. That’s why over this term, the PLP government has brought forward a number of initiatives designed to support parents, reduce some of the burdens being carried by our families and protect our children.

“Recognizing the importance of parents bonding with their newborn, we extended paid maternity leave to thirteen weeks and introduced paid paternity leave for 5 days.

“We extended rights for new employees by providing one week’s vacation leave after the first six months of employment. Now workers have greater flexibility, and the opportunity to take time off to be with their children, support family members or simply have a few days off.

“On the legal front, the PLP introduced tougher penalties and broader protection for our children from exploitation and abuse with the Child Safeguarding Act

“We created a Sex Offenders Registry to notify the public when potentially dangerous offenders had completed their sentences and created a stronger, more aggressive monitoring regime.

“We increased penalties for those found guilty of child sexual abuse and have made rehabilitative and therapeutic programs mandatory for incarcerated sex offenders.

“We created the Child Care Standards for daycares giving stronger guidelines for keeping children safe while at daycare.

“We also installed fitness equipment at public parks across the island to promote healthy lifestyles.

“Each of these policies have a real and positive impact on people’s lives. Now, mothers can spend more time with their newborn babies and not have to worry about losing pay or losing their jobs.

“Fathers can now help to care for their newborn and the mothers during the first days without loss of pay or fear of losing their jobs.

“Our daycare centres are safer and children are safer from exploitation and abuse in our community because of the successful implementation of these family and community-focused policies

“While there is more work to do, we have demonstrated strong leadership and have made steady progress for Bermudian families.

“Crystal will now speak to a few more of our accomplishments and our families-first agenda for the future. Crystal…

Senator Crystal Caesar said, “Thank you, Tinee. At the core of our beliefs is the preservation of our Bermudian families and reducing the burden that so many of our families face. While we have indeed made some progress, we certainly have more work to do. We ask for your support and a mandate to move ahead with an agenda that benefits all of us

“First, we seek your support on the implementation of the living wage. We believe that no one should work a full-time job and still be struggling to survive. Raising the take-home pay for Bermuda’s hardest working, lowest-paid workers while protecting jobs and opportunities for Bermudians is critical.

“Second, we seek your support on the creation of a Victim’s Compensation Fund where those found guilty in our courts will be required to contribute a portion of their earnings to support the victims of their crimes.

“Third, we believe that Financial Assistance should be about moving people back to work, not keeping them on assistance. That’s why we will no longer penalize FA recipients that obtain part-time employment.

“Fourth, through the BEDC, we want to make it easier for Bermudians to start caring businesses. That is, caring for the elderly in our community or caring for young children through day cares. We seek to help Bermudians that want to start up these important ventures in our society that will take care of those who need it and reduce the cost of care while ensuring that there is high-quality care given. This is also a critical jobs program.

“As we look at what’s needed in the economies of the 21st century, in the age of automation, it is important to understand that the human touch is something that will never go away. Investing in certification programmes for nursing, rehabilitation, care for the differently-abled and home health is critical toward both the strengthening of our society and the creation of jobs.

“This forthcoming election on October 1st is about which team of leaders has their heart in the right place. And, which team has the vision to see us through these difficult times. And, I want everyone to know that Tinee and I, and many many others are advocating on these issues internally even if you don’t hear about them every day in the news. This election is about leadership, and, the issues discussed today, while they rarely make headlines, are what improve peoples’ lives.”

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