MPs from the governing party list achievements, respond to critics
Hosts of today’s press conference: Jason Hayward, Jache Adams and Emilygail Dill. Image: Bermuda Broadcasting
“Bermuda, the choice before us is clear”. Progressive Labour Party MP and candidate for Constituency 36 Sandy’s North, Reverend Emilygail Dill, addressing the country at a press conference today.
Ms. Dill, along with Junior Minister of Finance Jache Adams and Labour & Economy Minister Jason Hayward, listed their party’s achievements. They cited post-pandemic economic growth, expedited access to financial assistance, the development of low-cast housing, tax breaks for lower earners and increased rights for workers such as a statutory minimum wage.
Mr. Hayward, MP and candidate for Constituency 17 Pembroke Central, highlighted the strides made in the realm of labour protections. “Our record of accomplishments has been clear, and our actions demonstrate our commitment to advancing workers rights.” Ms. Dill spoke about the party’s gains in the areas of women’s safety, including the criminalisation of revenge porn and harsher penalties for sex-offenders. “This is the record of a party that believes in fairness. A party that believes in justice. A party that knows that when we support women, we support our entire society.”
Bermuda Broadcasting’s Gary Foster Skelton posed the following question to Mr. Hayward: “You’ve shared a list of achievements with regard to benefits afforded to employees and tax breaks for low-earners. Is it your sense that everyone is feeling that benefit? And if so, why is it that we continue to hear that the cost of living remains too high and Bermudians can’t afford to live in their own country?”
Mr. Hayward says that the high cost of living remains a social reality, but his party has worked to relieve that pressure for families: “We’ve reduced taxes in a number of areas, including payroll tax…We’ve reduced taxes on staple items … There is a number of things that the Progressive Labour Party has done, and will continue to do, to ensure that we ease some of the pressures on families in Bermuda based off the cost of living.
“But the cost of living, to be clear, is a global challenge. It is not unique to Bermuda, but our response to that particular challenge I believe is something that we should applaud…”
The MPs were also challenged about what appears to be a lack of tangible progress on developing casinos and vertical farming, as ways to diversify the economy.
You can view the full PLP press conference, below:
