To our Party Chairman, Dawn Simmons; our Secretary General Patricia Basden; Assistant Secretary General Iesha Musson; Party Executive; Members of Parliament and Senators; former party Leaders and party stalwarts whose shoulders we stand on; to our union partners and community leaders; to branch chairs and delegates from every branch; to the Progressive Minds & the PLP Women’s Caucus; and to Bermudians here in this auditorium and those joining us online – welcome home.
To our MC Nadanja, Rev. Dr Wendell Christopher, tonight’s performers United Dance Productions, and Serilina Fisher, our Attorney General, Sen. Kim Wilkerson, Minister of Public Works & Environment, the Hon Jache Adams, and our guest speaker, Aaron Crichlow, thank you for your powerful performances and speeches. You have set the tone for this evening.
Earlier this evening, we honoured members who have given their lives to the service of this great party. They do not ask for recognition, yet without their work, the PLP could not deliver for the people of this island. I pay tribute to them – Sister Leleath Bailey and Brother Roddy Burchall – congratulations, well deserved. We also must pay tribute to those stalwarts who are no longer with us. It is up to the next generation to both honour that sacrifice and carry the torch forward.
Our theme for this conference, “Leading for the Next Generation”, is not just a slogan; it is part of the ethos of the Progressive Labour Party. We have always understood that if our children are to inherit a fairer Bermuda, they must be involved in building it today. And for that to happen, we must make room for them. We must not only give them a seat at the table, but also empower them and encourage them to share their ideas, concerns, and hopes for the Bermuda they envision.
Family, the story of our party, is one of generations leading for the next. It’s the story of the Progressive Group who, in secret meetings, planned a boycott that brought segregation to its knees.
It’s the story of 1963, when a group of determined Bermudians gathered in a humble garage in Pembroke to form the Progressive Labour Party.
They didn’t have great wealth. They didn’t hold power. And in fact, they knew that the journey they were about to embark on would likely lead to economic hardship from the powers that be..
But they had vision, courage, and an unshakable belief that Bermuda could be fairer for working people, for Black Bermudians, and for everyone who had been locked out and left behind. They were working for solutions and changes that would benefit Bermudians for decades to come. They were leading for the next generation.
And that legacy lives in this room tonight. It lives in our branches. In every person who gives their time and talent to this movement and this party, because they believe in fairness, justice, and equality. When I became Party Leader, I inherited not just an office, but a proud legacy and a solemn responsibility: to lead through some of the most challenging times our island has faced in modern history. Together, we risked arrest and being pepper-sprayed to fight an OBA airport plan that still costs this country today. Together, we surrounded Parliament and forced the OBA to drop their Pathways to Status scheme, protecting Bermudians through the collective power of the people.
Together, we organised, registered, and voted to rid Bermuda of a government that put everyone but Bermudians first. Together, we led Bermuda through a once-in-a-century global pandemic. We kept people safe. We protected jobs. We rebuilt our economy while delivering the first budget surplus in 23 years.
Unemployment is at its lowest level since the 1970s. That’s not a fluke; that’s what happens when you have Ministers like Jason Hayward, who fights for Bermudians and implements policies like the youth employment strategy to help create more opportunities for young Bermudians. Last year, at this annual conference, I said that if we allowed ourselves to be divided, we could lose the election. We did not fall into that trap. We worked together as a unified Progressive Labour Party, grounded in our manifesto, which was shaped by this membership, led by young members, and we won more seats than we did in the 2017 landslide.
Some have tried to dull the shine off of OUR victory – to cover up their own shortcomings – but the reality is simple: more Bermudians voted for the Progressive Labour Party to lead this Government than for any other party.
With that mandate, we presented an ambitious Throne Speech and Budget to build a more stable and affordable Bermuda.
And this Government got to work………..
We raised the minimum wage.
Capped pension fees to ensure you have more money in your account when you retire. Increased seniors’ pensions by the rate of inflation, as we have done since returning to office. Strengthened support for seniors and the disabled.
We are tackling the cost of living, not just with slogans, but with action:
•Duty on car parts? Eliminated
•Mobile phone tax? Cut in half
•Building materials? Duty reduced to 10%
•Land tax for homeowners? Slashed the base rate by 50%
•Energy taxes? Down by 80% in 2 years
Duty-free allowance for returning residents? Raised for the first time in a decade.
But family, we are not stopping there.
Next year, we will reduce vehicle licence fees by 10 per cent. We will reduce payroll taxes for Bermudians over 65. And we will raise the local dividend threshold so small business owners can keep more of what they earn.
The Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Alexa Lightbourne, has secured a 20% reduction on select national brands, to be implemented over the next nine months. Products include baby formula, rice, dairy products, toiletries, and cleaning supplies – the everyday items families rely on.
We will expand prescription benefits and introduce covered annual exams for FutureCare and HIP, while eliminating the waiting period for home care benefits – on our way to delivering universal healthcare.
We will toughen sentences for violent offenders, tighten bail conditions for those who cause havoc in our community, and implement stronger measures to deter knife and gun crime. At the same time, we will invest more in rehabilitation, counselling and mental health, as both are necessary to reduce violence in our community.
The Fairmont Southampton will re-open next year, bringing hundreds of jobs, training opportunities, and a clear career ladder in hospitality, from the front desk to management.
We are investing more money in affordable housing than has ever been invested in Bermuda’s history. New homes. Refurbished homes. Affordable homes – with more to come from our Deputy Leader.
And, under the leadership of Minister Tinee Furbert, we will introduce the “Plan to end Homelessness” – a vision for a Bermuda where everyone has access to shelter – as that is what fairness demands.
Finally, the PLP is the only party that has always stood for a more democratic Bermuda, and the party that brought Bermuda “one-man one-vote each vote of equal value”, the Ombudsman and Public Access to Information will deliver comprehensive electoral reform to strengthen our democracy while keeping our election promise to introduce absentee voting for students.
These plans are not the end goal; they are the foundation for a fairer Bermuda today and for the next generation.
●A child in quality care today becomes a teenager well-prepared for the opportunities that will come their way.
A graduate in a paid apprenticeship steps into a trade career and stays here to build a life in Bermuda.
A first home, courtesy of our mortgage guarantee programme, becomes more attainable for a young family, creating generational wealth that Bermudians deserve.
A safer community becomes a place where ambition takes root because young people do not have to worry about violence, and have the social support and programmes to help them thrive.
This is not just what we hope to give to the next generation; this is the work we are engaged in daily. Work that is being led by the next generation in Cabinet, which is the youngest ever, and in our Caucus. We are preparing this party to lead for the next generation, and we welcome more Bermudians to step forward.
To young & not so young Bermudians, your country needs you. We need your talent, skills, ideas, and voice to be part of the work that makes Bermuda the country you want it to be. This is not about politics for politics’ sake; this is about service. If you can lead a team, write code, manage a ward, run a classroom, deliver a project or build a crew, bring that experience home to help us build a better Bermuda for you and your family. This Government and this party understand that leading for the next generation means building with them now.
So PLP family, we must be ready, disciplined, and present branch by branch, door by door. Recruit new members. Train volunteers. Listen to every voter, especially those who did not vote for us, because we serve them too. We must be ready to invite first-time voters, returning students, young professionals, and those who have never joined a party before. When we do this, we honour our roots and prepare a stronger future.
The chair of Progressive Minds came to me with an idea: He asked if the Party would sponsor persons under 35 to become PLP members. I accepted his mission, recalling the pride I felt when I joined the PLP at the age of 24. For this month, until October 31, any young person who joins this great party will have the cost of their membership underwritten by us.
And when you join, make sure that you also Get Involved. Attend branch meetings, walk the streets with your MP or PLP candidate, sign up to Minister Mondays, to hear directly from Ministers on the work being done in their ministries, and to learn what your Government is doing. Put forward policies for consideration in the Central Committee.
Over the next year, our members, new and old, will choose the next Party Leader and, in our system, the next Premier. The most important thing for this party over the next year is to ensure that the next generation is present, prepared, and participating; not watching from the gallery or posting from the sidelines, but involved in the debate.
To the young Bermudian who wonders whether politics is worth it… take it from me – it is because this is where you can bring about impactful change. It is worth it when your committee meeting ends with a decision that helps a child you will never meet; when a neighbour’s struggle becomes a community solution; when a policy you helped shape becomes law and changes lives for the better. If you give yourself to changing public policy, I promise you that you will find purpose in it, as I and so many others have.
The policies of the future must reflect the people who will live longest with the result of the decisions we make in Government.
In 2007, when I was interviewed by the newspaper after being elected chairman of the PLP at the age of 28 – I said the following: “as a young person I am not fully comfortable in ceding decision making that will affect my kids to those people who are a lot older…. It disturbs me when young people don’t get involved in politics because the decisions today affect them more.”
I am not asking the youth of today to do anything that I didn’t do. Four years ago at this conference, I shared my journey into the PLP—a story that I will share again tonight, as I’m sure that it will resonate with some listening tonight.
An Invite…
In 2004, at the invitation of my next-door neighbour, who was tired of listening to me talk about what I thought should change in Bermuda, I joined the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party to play a role in bringing about the change I wished to see in my island home.
As a young Bermudian returning from university, I faced an obstacle that some of our young people still experience today: a lack of opportunity. Despite my qualifications and best efforts, I was unable to find an IT job in Bermuda’s private sector. I know what it’s like to look for work and lose hope, wondering whether your country wants you. I applied for entry-level roles, management trainee programmes, any opportunity I could find – with no success.
Getting involved…
I still remember my first PLP meeting, six months after I returned home. I used my voice to put forward ideas for how immigration policies could work better for young Bermudians, given my experience. It is a powerful thing to be able to speak directly to the Leader of the country as a young person – but that is what the PLP is about: an inclusive, grassroots party that allows members to put forward policies that can change the lives of our neighbours.
How Change Happens…
Today, many of the changes I recommended then have been implemented, not by accident and not by typing on social media, but because I chose to get involved. I did not sit on the sidelines and hope someone else would use their voice to press for the changes that were needed for our country’s future.
The principles instilled in this party by Walter Robinson, Dr Paulu Kamarakafego, Dame Lois Browne Evans, and L. Frederick Wade laid the foundation that made the Progressive Labour Party the party of transformation. They built a party that was not afraid to stand up for what was right for the future of this country, even when it was not popular.
This party’s first election platform, introduced in 1963, called for universal health insurance, quality taxpayer-funded public education, and more affordable housing. Those were not popular policies at the time, but they were the right policies for Bermuda’s future. What many called radical then is common sense now.
So, for those of you wondering if the PLP is the right movement to join, do not be deterred because you think your idea is too bold. The PLP was born from radical thought; that spirit is woven into the fabric of this movement. Bring forward the ideas that you think will make Bermuda fairer, safer, and more prosperous for those who will live with today’s decisions the longest.
That is what Leading for the Next Generation means: not waiting until tomorrow, but inviting the next generation to help shape the agenda today, so that what seems ambitious now becomes common sense for their children.
Family, we have made progress, but there is much more to be done. The cost of living still squeezes families. For many, affordable housing is too hard to find, our public education system needs more improvement, and the recent spate of gun violence are issues that we must address together.
So let us continue to lead in the best traditions of the PLP. Let us speak with honesty, decide with courage, and deliver with care. Let us make room at the table, share the tools, and pass on what we know. That is how a movement renews itself; that is how a country grows stronger, that is how this party will lead for the Next Generation. Before I close, there are some words I must say to people who are dear to my heart.
None of us in leadership does this work by ourselves; we all have support at home. To my father, my mother, my brothers, sisters, and my extended family – thank you for your constant support and affirmation. You have been there in the quiet moments and the long nights, standing in the gap when we needed support.
To my children, Nia and Ed, you keep me grounded. I treasure the simple things: helping you with homework, supporting you in your sports competitions, the impromptu dance shows at home, and the little notes you like to write to me that say “I love you daddy”. On the days when the schedule runs long, your innocence resets my spirit. Thank you for your understanding, your laughter, and your
honest questions that make me a better Dad and a better leader. And last, but certainly not least, to my wife, Kristin, the first lady of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party: you are the rock I depend on, the calm in our storm, and an example of a powerful Black woman, serving your adopted home in so many ways, while also advancing your own career. Kristin, I admire you, I cherish you, and I love you. On behalf of this great party, thank you for the sacrifices you make so that I can do this work.
To all the families of our MPs, Senators, Party Officers, branch executives, and volunteers, thank you. Your support makes our service possible, and your sacrifice of time with loved ones is part of every achievement that this Government has made over the last 8 years.
Family, tonight carries special meaning for me. Next year will be my last Annual General Conference as your Party Leader.
I still remember the first time I stood before you as Party Leader. I remember looking out and seeing the faces of elders who had built this movement – men and women who had sacrificed so much that I could stand on this stage. I remember feeling the weight of that history. And I remember promising that I would do everything in my power to honour their legacy.
Leading this Party has been one of the greatest honours of my life. But leadership is not a possession… it is a trust. It is a baton, passed from one generation to the next.
And Family, when I hand over that baton next year, I will do so with pride. Because I know that the strength of this movement has never rested in one leader, it has always rested in all of us.
Just as I was supported and lifted up, it is now my responsibility, and our shared responsibility, to prepare and support those who will lead next. Over the next year, I will focus not only on ensuring that more Bermudians are included, empowered, and thriving, but also on empowering the next generation of PLP leaders to thrive and be ready to take this movement forward.
As we look to tomorrow, let us continue to honour those who came before us.. Our founders, the elders, the activists who led with courage and vision. And let us also celebrate those stepping forward… the young organisers, the new candidates, the new ministers, junior ministers, senators and MPs – the future leaders already among us… who will write the next chapter of the PLP story.
Because this theme, “Leading for the Next Generation,” isn’t just about young people. It’s about each of us playing our part, passing on knowledge, opening doors, and creating pathways. It’s about ensuring that the flame of this movement never dims.
Family, this is our moment.
Our history is proud.
Our mission is clear.
Our future is bright if we lead boldly, together.
We have inherited a legacy built by those who led for us. Now, it is our turn to lead for those who will come after.
Together, let us continue the work.
Together, let us build a fairer Bermuda.
Together, let us lead for the next generation.
PLP ALL THE WAY! ALL THE WAY! PLP!
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