Members
Parliament
Transparency

Walton Brown

664
Speeches
103,662
Words Spoken
37
Sittings Active
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
303 words
Oh, without question, Madam Chairman. It is all about the clause. We have an opportunity, yet again, to create an en vironment in which there is less discrimination. When the Human Rights Act was amended, I guess three years ago now, I made the point then (and it certainly is relevant today), that you cannot grant pe ople partial rights. …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
43 words
I go to a lot of funerals and weddings. I have issues with the linkage between church and state because every session we begin with a Christian prayer. So we have a system in which the church and the state are intimately connected.
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
81 words
Madam Chairman, this is int imately connected to that clause. Now, I listened to the comments about acting on principles, whether you should listen t o what your constituents have to say; whether you should follow your conscience on such a matter. And if you will 2440 8 July 2016 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assemb ly permit me, …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
6 words
Yes, and I fully appreciate that.
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
222 words
I am speaking to this clause about marriage. And on the issue of same sex ma rriage I presented the issue to my constituents at the meeting. I asked each and every last one of them, What is your position on same sex marriage and civil unions? Every single member said they were against it. Every single member who was …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
227 words
I also have reflected on the comment made by the Honourable and Learned Member, Mark Pettingill, that we should allow the court to d ecide this matter. Madam Chairman, we are members of the Legislature. Our political system creates a separation of powers between the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary. They each have separate and respective powers. I do …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
157 words
Clause 2, which seeks to make an amendment to the Human Rights Act, is a flawed amendment. We are lacking in courage by us not wishing to properly consider it —the issue of same sex marriage and civil unions. If we do not do it, the Courts will do it anyway. Now how unfortunate would that be? That members of …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
45 words
I know. But, Madam Chairman, just out of . . . obviously, I would always defer to your decisions, but part of proper and fulsome debate is to make relevant comparisons. So all I am doing is for 30 seconds making a very brief comparison.
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
296 words
Very brief. That 80 per cent would support retention of the death penalty. Who in this Parliament would want to bring back the death penalty because the public want it? Our responsibility is to lead. Our responsibility is to examine issues, debate issues, and decide whether or not we need to make appropriate amendments to make Bermuda a more just …
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
45 words
Madam Chairman, I fully understand what is being contemplated. I am saying, let us stop it at this point. With that, I will take my seat and encourage other Members to have a full debate on such a cri tical issue. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
3 words
Point of order.
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
23 words
Just a point of order. The Honourable Member is misleading the House. As a matter of law, the referendum w as not answered.
8 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
486 words
Madam Chair, because my good friend the Honourable Sylvan Richards has decided to ensure that his comments are now enshrined in Hansard, I would like to make the following point in rel ation to the am endment so that we are clear on what we are doing. What we are debating here tonight is a question of minority rights. I …
1 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
70 words
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, given that this represents a new approach for doing a corporate structure in Bermuda, can the Minister confirm that the same dichotomy between local companies and international companies will pertain to this structure whe n fully developed; i.e., some will be able to operate in Bermuda, others will not be …
1 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
6 words
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
1 Jul 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
375 words
Mr. Speaker, I wish to be assoc iated with the c ondolences sent to the family of the late Honourable Ann Cartwright De Couto. In an era when more and more politicians seem not to act on a consistent set of principles, the Honourable Member cer-tainly did so on a consistent basis. Her action, I con-clude, regarding fish pots was …
24 Jun 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
134 words
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, on page 3, paragraph 3, of the Honourable Premier’s Statement, he states as follows: “Those who only possess a BOT Citizenship passport are not or dinarily granted the right of abode in the UK or EU.” Is the Honourable Premier aware that with the British Overseas Territories Act of 2002, …
24 Jun 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
2 words
Yes, supplementary.
24 Jun 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
42 words
Given that about 17 per cent of UK citizens do not have a passport, would you not agree that it makes a mockery to insist that people who are British citizens now need to have a British passport to prove their citizenship?
24 Jun 2016 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
5 words
This is my second supplementary.