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Rolfe Commissiong

938
Speeches
232,890
Words Spoken
99
Sittings Active
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
94 words
Yes. If the Premier and his Government are not prepared to look into how [gang members] got there, who they are, what are the factors which are informing this phenomenon, which is disproportionately impacting the black community, how can we or the people of Bermuda have any co nfidence that we are going to have a long- term sustai nable …
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
188 words
Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, obviously, we have lost so many great Bermudians during our absence from this Chamber. And I am happy and pleased that Members were able to acknowledge the passing of these great Bermudians, and I associated with their remarks on behalf of individuals such as Mr. Benny Sousa, Dor othy Riley, and Marita Thompson, …
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
165 words
Okay, I missed that. I may have been out of the Chamber, and I am glad to know that my colleague, Ms. Lovitta Foggo, from constit uency 3, did acknowledge him. I had a conversation with one of my in- laws the other day, who grew up in that same era with him, to note that he actually followed on …
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
11 words
Point of order, Mr. Speaker. I believe the Member is —
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
31 words
The Member is misleading the House, in my opinion. The Minister himself said that you could also look forward to at least 200 gaining status per year. He said that publicly.
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
64 words
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was interesting listening to the colleague across the floor there. He is a very ardent defender of his Government and of his party. We expect no less. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to congratulate those brave Bermudian souls today who came to the House this morning. I was totally unaware of what was going …
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
272 words
I was. Honestly, I was. And to see the example of direct action on the part of those 20 or 30 Bermudians today in protest of the proposed changes to immigration policy around status and permanent residency certificates was something that I thought was very inspiring. Hopefully, they will continue with their advocacy and their oppo-sition to these measures which …
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
33 words
—in the modern era. Well, let us face it, for the last 30 or 40 years, minimum. I mean, you know, I am only 30 years old, so it has been— [Inaudible interjection]
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
336 words
Yes. Since the 1980s. But he ignores the fact that that occurred not as a result of privilege. That occurred as a cons equence of black educated Bermudians being excluded from taking their place in Bermuda’s private sector during the same era. Employment for those educated black Bermudians in the civil service was the default option. Certainly, Mr. Trevor Moniz …
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
485 words
The fact that you had (in that era) a largely white dominated private sector particularly in terms of the middle and upper manage-ment levels along with a black dominated civil service, again, it is not as a result of black privilege, but one could make the case on the other side of that coin that the fact that Bermuda’s white …
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
601 words
The Honourable Member and Junior Minister. Why is Dexter Smith the exception to the rule, as the editor of the Royal Gazette, in a country that has 65 per cent of its population as black Bermudians in 2015? Something is not right. Som ething has happened, and immigration has played a key role in that. Let me, Mr. Speaker, if …
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
16 words
Mr. Speaker, he said a point of order, but yet he confirmed my observation! [Inaudible interjections]
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
20 words
To de- legitimate these views you have said that we use race to exacerbate racial tensions. My brother! [Inaudible interjection]
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
11 words
Anyway, Mr. Speaker, I am going to ignore — [Inaudible interjections]
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
264 words
Mr. Speaker, I was just going to say that, again, we need to have an honest, honest conversation. I am so happy, for example, that we are seeing even to the west of us, even in the US, and places like South Africa, where the millennials now are jettisoning any notion of employing colour - blind rhetoric and avoiding dealing …
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
8 words
Tell him to keep going ahead. [Inaudible interjection]
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
7 words
The gift that keeps on gi ving.
12 Feb 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
98 words
Mr. Speaker, we look forward to that battle. Let it come because it will be a defining battle of this term here. I think it will show a clear distinction between a party that is determined to take care of the privileged at the expense of the many as opposed to a party that is trying to move Bermuda ahead …