1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:05,200 Welcome to special edition of the News Navigators with me, 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,800 Jeremy Deacon. And me, Jonathan Starling. 3 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:12,720 And delighted to have with us today Owen Darrell, the Minister 4 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,079 of Tourism, Transport and Sport. Is that right, Minister? 5 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:21,880 Jeremy, Tourism and transport, culture and sport. 6 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:24,200 Well, we got off to a really bad start. 7 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,480 Yeah, the, the, the, the people at the Department of Culture are 8 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,000 not going to be happy with you. But they're friends with 9 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:31,520 Jonathan, so I think you'll be OK. 10 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,560 Well, I'm, I'm, I'm OK. I'm in the UK so they can't. 11 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,040 They can't beat me up tonight. That's, that's probably why, 12 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,160 that's my excuse. I haven't been in Bermuda for a 13 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:40,840 couple of months so I forgot. Absolutely. 14 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:44,280 How are you doing, Minister? I'm doing well. 15 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,240 We just came off the CTO conference. 16 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,960 We, we hosted quite a bit of delegates from the Caribbean 17 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:53,720 region. CTO, it's a Caribbean tourism 18 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,560 organization. So as everyone knows, even if 19 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,320 you're just hosting a couple of family members at your house or 20 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:04,720 you're hosting 100 and and 70 delegates at Hamilton Princess, 21 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:06,640 you're going to be tired afterwards. 22 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:08,440 So I'm a little tired after the hosting. 23 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:12,240 Everybody started coming in Saturday and Sunday and the last 24 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,280 I think I left this morning so. We'll come on to that. 25 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,720 We we want to talk about that. Well, if you're tired, we'll try 26 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:20,800 not to give you too hard a time. Tell us. 27 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,520 We always ask, we always open with these kind of questions 28 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,280 because we like to get to know who we're interviewing. 29 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:29,520 Who is Owen Darrell? Tell us about Owen Darrell. 30 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:34,040 Yeah, I'm, I'm a man of service. You know, I, I went to school at 31 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:35,720 Harrington Sound. I went to the Berkeley 32 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:38,080 Institute, ran off to university. 33 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:41,280 So it's kind of like the standard traditional upbringing 34 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,600 of many Vermedians, you know, went to Saint Paul AME church 35 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,040 every, every Sunday. I was in their youth group. 36 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,840 So, you know, I, I do credit the AME church for a lot of my 37 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,720 training as far as protocols and, and decorum. 38 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:59,160 You know, from a young age I was able to go off to YPD institutes 39 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:03,320 and, and different church conferences, which, you know, if 40 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,080 anyone knows the Amy church, they, they go through strict 41 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,240 protocol procedures. So sometimes you, you, you 42 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,400 wonder, well, why am I in this? Why am I doing it? 43 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,680 And you know it, it comes with as a teenager, a lot of the 44 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,120 social elements. But as you get older, you, you, 45 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,480 you see that a lot of that training comes to the fore. 46 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:23,880 So that's where my, my roots were started. 47 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:27,480 I have to always put a shout out to my mom and dad, Marlette 48 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:29,920 Darrell and Oliver. Darrell, I have two beautiful 49 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:33,000 children, Tatum and Oliver and Oliver. 50 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,600 Yeah. Other than that, man, I just, I, 51 00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:40,040 I just, I'm here for service. And that's, that's been my 52 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,200 calling card. I was elected a year ago. 53 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,960 Before that, I was as, as you both know, long on the political 54 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,720 scene, started, you know, sorting Flyers in the backroom 55 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,520 of Alaska Hall. You know, you move to the 56 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:59,400 executive table, different committees, appointed politics 57 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,680 and and now elected politics. So that's a little bit of the 58 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:07,040 journey, but other than that, I like sports, I like sports, I 59 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,240 like getting into the community and I like having a good time. 60 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,600 But. You went to politics in the 1st 61 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:14,480 place. Is it through the AME or? 62 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:19,200 No, I, I, it wasn't, you know, I was a, a educator, happy, 63 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:21,400 happily educating Bermuda's youth. 64 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:23,880 And I got a call from a friend of mine. 65 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,280 I tell this story often and he says, hey, you know, Doctor 66 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:32,760 Brown and the PLP are having a, a youth, you know, get together 67 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,880 at BIU Hall. And I was just like, OK, why are 68 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:38,400 you calling me? And he was like, no, you don't 69 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,240 want to go check it out. And I was just like, all right, 70 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,800 well, if you want me to come. So when you're young and and 71 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,080 you're, you're working, you're always looking for something to 72 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,920 do after work, right? I don't get there free time. 73 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:52,160 Now we have, we have gym obligations and children and 74 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,200 having to cook dinner and, and meetings. 75 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:56,800 But back then your, your afternoons, your evenings were 76 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,120 free. So I went to this meeting. 77 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,440 It was organized by the then chairman of the party, who is 78 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:04,720 now, you know, the Honorable E David Burke. 79 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:06,840 But then he was a young chairman of the PLP. 80 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:08,920 He wanted to get young people involved. 81 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:11,080 I went, I enjoyed the presentation. 82 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:15,880 You know, I, I think I threw $5 at the lady standing at sitting 83 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:18,720 at the door to, to fill out a membership form. 84 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:20,839 And I thought that that would be it, right. 85 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:22,800 You know, you sign up to your member, they give you a card. 86 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,200 You, you, you could tell people that you're a member of a 87 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,800 political party, but it went further, you know, and the, the, 88 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,440 the Progressive Labour Party at that time was really good and we 89 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:33,560 still are good at getting people involved. 90 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,000 So they followed up, they said, hey, we'd like you to come to 91 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,440 your branch meeting. After I went to a couple of 92 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,920 branch meetings, they said, hey, we want you to come to Central 93 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,640 committee. And I started learning that, you 94 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:48,680 know, it's, it's better to be inside the room and, and knowing 95 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:50,960 about the policies that the government is putting in place 96 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:53,680 than hearing it second or third hand. 97 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:56,480 So that's how I got in. That's how I started getting 98 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:58,720 into politics. I tell everyone all the time, I 99 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:00,560 have no family members that are politicians. 100 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,160 My mom wasn't politicians, my dad wasn't. 101 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:04,960 We didn't really talk politics around the house. 102 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,960 We were civically conscious. I knew who my MP was. 103 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,040 I knew who John Swan is growing up in the 80s. 104 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:16,320 But I was not into politics. So that's how I got where I am. 105 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:20,000 You You were Debbie Bird's chief of staff for a long time, 106 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,480 weren't you? I was but but I'll I'll tell you 107 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:24,960 God, the history goes way back before that. 108 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:26,880 Well, that's that's what I was getting to. 109 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,440 So I think you will know him very well indeed. 110 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:33,400 Do you think that as party leader he's going to be greatly 111 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,760 missed? Absolutely, you know, but that 112 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,520 that's said the same with with with all PLP leaders. 113 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:42,320 I mean, I could remember, and you know, the late Lavarne 114 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:46,360 Farbert, she put her own campaign in place when Doctor 115 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:49,280 Brown said that he was going to leave. 116 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:52,920 I mean, it was a very public campaign that, that, that the 117 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,280 late Lamar Farbit had. And she was like, no, we really 118 00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:58,760 want you to stay. So you know, when, when you do a 119 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,400 good job and, and, and you've progressed certain areas, 120 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,920 everyone's going to have their, their areas where they say you 121 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:06,760 could have done more or you should have done something 122 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:08,680 different. But I think every leader that 123 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:14,360 has some significant, you know, wins under their belt is going 124 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,760 to be missed. So I, I think he will be, but as 125 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,160 you have seen in, in the last couple of days, I'm, I'm sure 126 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:24,760 you, you can see around the, the, the, the feeling of the 127 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:27,880 public as the election that we won a year ago, the election 128 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:32,800 that we won in 2020 and 2017. The public have confidence in 129 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:38,400 the leadership and all of the, the political team of the 130 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:40,480 Progressive Labour Party. So although you will be missed, 131 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:44,480 I I know that the Progressive Labour Party will step up as 132 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,640 leaders of this country. And he's only stepping down as a 133 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:49,960 leader in October. He's going to stay as an MPI, 134 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:52,000 understand. He will stay as an MP. 135 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:56,480 Yes, he will. Would would you, would you 136 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,680 welcome him to the Cabinet if he was asked to serve in the 137 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:04,000 cabinet? Well, I mean, I, I, I think I'm 138 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,920 on record as saying that I'm, I'm not intending to put my name 139 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,520 forward as, as leader. So that decision would, would 140 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,000 not be mine. You know, there's no guarantee 141 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,040 that that the next leader will put me in the cabinet. 142 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:18,440 So I, I'm Jeremy with, with, I know you, you're a seasoned 143 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:22,160 journalist, but you also know that that those decisions and 144 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:24,840 that decision will not be mine to make. 145 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,120 I do know that, Minister, but I still like to ask the question. 146 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:31,440 I actually am surprised. I thought you would be 147 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:32,720 interested in running for a leader. 148 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:34,600 Maybe not this time, but maybe in the future. 149 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:37,600 Well, I tell people I I feel like a leader every single day. 150 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:39,880 I am the leader of this ministry. 151 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:42,480 I'm the Ministry of Tourism and Transport, Culture and Sport. 152 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:45,640 It's not a small ministry, it has many departments. 153 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,680 I, I am the minister that appoints 27 boards. 154 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:54,840 You know, I, I lead a constituency that has 1150 155 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:57,560 constituents and all of them need my attention. 156 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:01,920 So I take that that very seriously. 157 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:07,880 You will find me in constituency 15 Pembroke East at least once a 158 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,720 week, sometimes for significant amounts of time to make sure 159 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:13,960 that I'm serving the people that elected me to serve. 160 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:18,360 So while I know your question is directed at the leadership of 161 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:21,920 the Progressive Labour Party at this time, I, I consider myself 162 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:26,200 a leader every single day and I'm happy with where I am 163 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:28,400 leading. And you know, I have a lot to 164 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:29,520 learn. I have a lot to learn. 165 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:33,240 I have a lot to, to to continue to, to achieve. 166 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:36,280 And maybe sometime down the line we will be having that 167 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,919 conversation. But As for now, I put my support 168 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:45,720 fully behind the leader who still has eight more months to 169 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:47,080 go. So everybody's acting like he's 170 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:48,560 going tomorrow. He's got, he's got some 171 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:51,800 significant time left. And as I, I've said and people 172 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:53,720 say, 24 hours is a long time of politics. 173 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:56,600 So I'm going. To when, when you kind of 174 00:08:56,600 --> 00:09:00,160 announce your retirement, if you like so early, there is a bit of 175 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:04,480 a vacuum and, and lots of speculation comes up. 176 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,760 What about the, the announcement from Jason Heywood and and Zane 177 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:10,520 De Silva? Were you pleased to see that? 178 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:11,920 Oh. It was bold, right? 179 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,920 And I remember giving a speech at the Progressive Labour Party 180 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,480 delegates conference some time ago and the title of my speech 181 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:23,440 was Be Bold. And I, I that, that used to come 182 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:26,640 up quite a bit over the last, I think it was four or five years 183 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:29,760 since I delivered that speech. And I was waiting to when are 184 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:34,280 we, you know, when does being bold raise its head? 185 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,880 Like, you know, and, and you can go back and forth as to say that 186 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:41,320 ministers make bold decisions every day, but sometimes they're 187 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:43,800 not picked up. This was a bold decision by 188 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:48,200 Minister Hayward. It was a bold decision by Zandy 189 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:50,640 Silva, who also was on record that's saying that he was going 190 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,360 to put his name into leadership. So it was bold. 191 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:54,240 He announced it on our podcast. Yeah. 192 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:57,560 It was it was a bold decision for him to come out and I think 193 00:09:57,560 --> 00:09:59,680 they did it at the right place. Why? 194 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:01,680 Why was he minister? Why is he bold? 195 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:05,800 Why was he bold of them? Well, because so many times in 196 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,680 these in, in, in these elections that are coming up, there's a 197 00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:11,360 cat and mouse game. Everybody's kind of jockeying 198 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:14,320 for position and it's will you, won't you? 199 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:18,360 And and you know that that's kind of the, if I may say this 200 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:20,960 around the world. This is not a Bermuda thing, but 201 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:22,520 that's the political playbook, right? 202 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,640 It's like, well, it will you, I mean, even, you would have seen 203 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:31,480 other party recently, they were clearly making moves behind the 204 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:34,600 scenes. You know, they, they clearly had 205 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,320 a plan in place that maybe didn't go how they wanted it to 206 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:40,760 go. So when I say it was bold, you 207 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:43,720 know, we talked a little bit that sometimes you can, you can 208 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:47,800 talk about timing. But hey, if, if those, my 2 209 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,600 colleagues decided that that was the time were right for them, 210 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:54,160 they boldly made a decision. They did it in the comfort and 211 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:59,240 and surrounded by the PLP family and I wish them all the best. 212 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:04,240 What what did you think when you heard that Zane de Silva on this 213 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:07,920 podcast had declared that he was going to run as leader? 214 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:11,560 Because it's I think we talked about this the other day, 215 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:15,520 Jonathan and I talked about the other day that it went round 216 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,840 like went down like the proverbial lead balloon because 217 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:20,600 it just wasn't the way to announce it. 218 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:25,080 And we were kind of speculating that that kind of bad blood, if 219 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:29,440 you like, had led him to rescind his leadership ambitions and to 220 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,680 team up with Jason Heywood. Well, I can tell you this, I 221 00:11:32,680 --> 00:11:35,280 didn't hear the initial announcement, I heard about it. 222 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:39,720 So I don't think I can get into the analysis of to how it was 223 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:41,680 done and if it should have been done differently. 224 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:45,440 I'm not really best position to make that decision. 225 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:48,520 But as they always say, like anybody in this position as 226 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:50,960 ministers of the government, anyone that puts their their 227 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:54,040 name forward to be elected, they are leaders. 228 00:11:54,280 --> 00:12:00,560 So if you're not at some point going to be OK with saying I can 229 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:04,440 lead or I wish to lead, then quite frankly, politics isn't 230 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:06,400 the business for you. Because I know everyone gets 231 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,920 stuck on the the pinnacle of leadership. 232 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:14,160 But if you don't have leaders throughout and and throughout 233 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:17,080 and assisting you in your leadership, then I mean, what 234 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:21,200 really do you have? I think Hayward and De Silva, 235 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:24,320 Minister De Silva and Minister Hayward, I think it's a 236 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:29,120 formidable leadership team. I'm not sure if anyone else is 237 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:30,240 going to put their name forward now. 238 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,120 Well. We will see, you know, like I 239 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,040 said, there's eight months and the Progressive Labour Party, 240 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:40,080 all of my colleagues are, could be well positioned if that's 241 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:43,520 what they wish to do. The party has a great mechanism 242 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:46,080 in place. I I would like to say, and this 243 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:49,400 is not a dig, but I'll say it. I'd like to think that that the 244 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:51,960 mechanisms that the Progressive Labour Party has, and it's tried 245 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:55,720 and true over time is a lot better than what we've seen in 246 00:12:55,720 --> 00:12:59,200 some other because clearly they got it wrong and had to go back 247 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:01,280 to the drawing road and try to fix it. 248 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:02,440 Why? Don't you just, why don't you 249 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:05,440 just name the Oba minister, No. We're not doing that. 250 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:09,640 You know, Jonathan and I were talking on the last podcast we 251 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:14,080 did, which was about Ministers Heywood and and De Silva 252 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,480 announcing their, their ticket, if you like. 253 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:20,760 And we kind of agreed that it would be good if somebody else 254 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:24,000 stepped forward because there'll be a proper debate. 255 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,800 We'd get to hear the party would get to hear the public would get 256 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,440 to hear exactly what those people thought. 257 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,200 And that's really important because they're going to be the 258 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:35,280 next premier. Would you welcome another 259 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:36,800 leadership candidate for that reason? 260 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:40,040 Like I said, we, we, we won't be able to have that conversation 261 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:42,760 until the timelines that the Progressive Labour Party 262 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:46,240 executive put in place. There's a nomination process, 263 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,840 there's eligibility processes. And then once that is in case we 264 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:54,040 will find out together who has their name in and you will get, 265 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:58,520 well, I'm not sure of you, but the party and the the membership 266 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:01,560 and the delegates who ultimately get that vote will get that 267 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:03,360 opportunity. But just just as a general 268 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:07,640 principle, do you think it's healthy to have more than 269 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,640 healthy not to have a simple coronation? 270 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:15,080 There's, there's been times that we've had almost like, kind of 271 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,280 like the wild, Wild West where, where there's multiple people 272 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:20,840 running and there's times that, you know, the, the vote has kind 273 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:22,680 of been almost like a coronation. 274 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:29,440 So like I said, I don't think I have an opinion at this time as 275 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:33,200 as of right now there are to one individual, sorry, that has put 276 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:36,600 their name forward to be leader and that is Jason Hayward. 277 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:41,160 And you know, he he is definitely suited to to do so. 278 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:45,520 Does he have your vote? That that time for that will be 279 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:50,440 October 22nd to leave. I love asking these questions 280 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,160 because I know I'm not going to get an answer, but it's still 281 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:56,120 good fun. Minister, you mentioned that as 282 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,160 part of your role you oversee, what was it, 27 different 283 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:01,880 boards? Yeah, those quite a bit. 284 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:04,960 I'd say the biggest 1 is probably the tourism. 285 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:09,280 Actually, it's it's it's important, but it's not the 286 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:12,240 biggest 1. So I think you're talking about 287 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,120 the board of the Bermuda Tourism Authority, interestingly enough, 288 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:17,680 and and you. What's the biggest hot potato? 289 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,760 Well, I will tell you this, but interestingly enough, that is 290 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:22,440 the board that I actually do not oversee. 291 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:24,400 The way the legislation is written. 292 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,640 I appoint that board and then once the board is appointed, 293 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:31,160 the, the board of, of trustees of the Bermuda Tourism 294 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:34,960 Authority, they operate and run the Bermuda Tourism Authority. 295 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:38,560 I cannot say how many times and you talk about hot potato, I 296 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:40,000 can, I cannot say how many times. 297 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:44,640 I've given the quote to multiple media outlets that you know, I 298 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:47,400 have no operational matters of the BTA nor the board. 299 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:51,280 I mean, I, I appoint them, I appoint the chair, I appoint the 300 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:55,400 the other board members to a certain time and then they go 301 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:59,680 along and do their work. It's, it's still the elephant in 302 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:05,160 the room though, because going back over about a year now, it 303 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,280 still hasn't been properly resolved, has it? 304 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:11,560 I mean, just for the listeners and, and, and viewers. 305 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:13,960 For the listeners and the viewers. 306 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:18,400 Just just to recap, there was the EY report, which Jonathan 307 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:23,520 and I discussed at length and we kind of came to the conclusion 308 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,280 that, well, we've worked in places like that, it's not 309 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:31,000 actually that bad. Yes, EY did find some bad 310 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,040 things, you know, talked about, they describe the culture as 311 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:37,760 being blunt and negative terms. Accountability was a major 312 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:40,320 weakness, integrity gap, etcetera. 313 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:44,000 But it also found a lot of positives, good work life 314 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,800 balance. There was a, a majority of 315 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:51,400 people, 60% of people who who came with more positive words 316 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:57,680 than negative words. I I'm just trying to understand 317 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:03,720 what was the point of ordering that report because it wasn't 318 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:09,079 that bad in our opinion. Jeremy, I'll say this, I started 319 00:17:09,079 --> 00:17:11,800 this conversation by saying that I'm here to serve. 320 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,119 And I also started this conversation by saying that I 321 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:16,599 get out in the community quite a bit. 322 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:21,280 I can tell you this when your phone, your personal phone is 323 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:27,200 ringing off the hook and people are crying and people have 324 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:32,520 family members that are in situations that are of far less 325 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:37,080 than ideal. It is my role as a servant of 326 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:40,520 the people, my role as the minister who carried the title 327 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,880 of tourism, to put it back to the board and say this needs to 328 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:48,040 be looked at. You were quite threatening. 329 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:51,640 Weren't you remember, remember I, I wouldn't use the word 330 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,920 threatening. I was firm and I needed to be 331 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:57,680 firm because, and, and we're not going to get into it, but there 332 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:03,960 were multiple times where I did not feel at the time that and 333 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:08,880 the individuals working in the organization did not feel that 334 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:12,520 they were being hurt. And it is not, it was not my job 335 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,400 at the time to investigate. It was not my time, my job at 336 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:20,000 the time to to make the the aspersions or, or come to 337 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,280 conclusions. It was my job as the minister to 338 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:28,200 give make sure that those concerns got where they needed. 339 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,600 I mean, at one stage he did threaten to dismantle the board 340 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:33,880 or value to have the legal power to do as you said. 341 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:39,240 As you said, that was pretty. Well, I, I will tell you this 342 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,920 when I say the, the, it was, I encourage the board that they 343 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:50,160 should look into these concerns because you know, it, like I 344 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:52,760 said, when you, when you're serving the people, I mean, one 345 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:54,720 of the number one things that individuals say about 346 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:57,200 politicians is what you guys know what it is that, oh, 347 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:01,200 politicians don't listen. So I mean, I say this all the 348 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:03,440 time. If if I say that it, I am here 349 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:08,520 for service, all right. And individuals, I feel they 350 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,640 feel they are not being heard, you have to go to the 351 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:14,560 individuals who have been appointed by the minister and 352 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:19,520 say please look into this. And it's interesting. 353 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:21,840 I mean, because you say and these are your words that the 354 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:28,120 PPWC report was not that bad. The board then decided that it 355 00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:33,560 was bad enough that they did a further internal audit on the 356 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:40,360 culture and I, you know, you know, the, the, the, the public 357 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:43,680 hasn't really heard much about that audit because it was an 358 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:44,920 internal one. However, we. 359 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:46,440 Haven't heard about that audit. Can you tell us? 360 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,680 What was it? No, it was an internal one, But 361 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:55,240 you've seen the results of that internal audit and I, I, you 362 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:57,040 know, I, I think it kind of speaks for itself. 363 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,440 But I mean, let's talk about where, where the BTA is now. 364 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,840 I mean, 170 people coming to this island. 365 00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:08,480 For a tourism conference that is far away from the Caribbean 366 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:13,640 region proper, that's organized and it's it's it's run and and 367 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:17,200 assisted by the people in the BTA, we should see we that that 368 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:20,520 they are doing good work. Their job is exactly that, sales 369 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,360 and marketing. You know, you you talked about 370 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,280 people, your phone ringing off with people complaining about 371 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:29,440 the atmosphere in the BTA, etcetera. 372 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:35,000 When Jonathan and I went into a great level of detail on quite a 373 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:40,400 few podcasts and we had an awful lot of people contacting us to 374 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:45,080 say there was nothing wrong with the BTA, that people were being 375 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,840 victimised. You know, the Tracy Barclays, 376 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:52,560 the CEO at the time, the Wayne Keynes is the chair at the time, 377 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:55,360 but being victimised and that actually wasn't that bad in the 378 00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:59,080 BTA. Maybe the board talked to those 379 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:02,080 individuals, I don't know. I was not in that investigation. 380 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:05,400 I was not in those those those interviews. 381 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:09,040 But there's nothing to say that those individuals did not get 382 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:10,640 their opportunity to speak as well. 383 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:14,960 I think Jeremy might have more. Questions. 384 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:19,080 I will put this on record now. As you say, we've been a year 385 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:24,000 past that the BTA, I've been very happy with where the BTA, 386 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,200 the new Chairman, some of the, the, the, the board, how they're 387 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:30,200 working now. And you know, we started by 388 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:32,640 saying, well, that that's one of my biggest boards. 389 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:38,200 And it's actually once it is working as it should, it's it's 390 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:43,080 it's actually not. I want to go back on this. 391 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:45,680 I'm not going to go that easily. I know you've got a relatively 392 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:49,800 tight time frame, but Wayne Gaines, former chair, came on 393 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:53,800 this podcast and just summarising what he said and 394 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,200 these are these are my words, but I think it's a fair summary. 395 00:21:56,520 --> 00:22:00,560 He was arguing that the public narrative about the BTA actually 396 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:03,720 ignored the positives, which we've touched upon, and became 397 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:05,800 about finding someone to punish well. 398 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:12,360 I mean, Mr. Keynes is, is entitled to that opinion and and 399 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:15,080 I'm, I'm not, I didn't come on here to to talk about what 400 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:18,440 anybody else said. I know you, you asked me to come 401 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:20,960 on, but you know that every, everyone's going to have their 402 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,080 opinion as to what happened. I'm, I'm happy as to where we 403 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:24,840 are now. I'm happy with the work that the 404 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:26,720 BT is doing. I've said that publicly, I've 405 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:28,880 said that privately. I've sent it to the board and 406 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:30,960 we're looking forward, we're looking to forward and continue 407 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,640 the work of selling and marketing Bermuda because what 408 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:36,840 the government's true role is, is to invest in the torso 409 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:37,880 product. And we are. 410 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:39,640 Doing more questions on your turn. 411 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:42,680 You were looking for a smoking. You were looking for a smoking 412 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:44,120 gun, weren't you? He didn't find one. 413 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:47,560 Absolutely not. I, I, I, I I would not say that. 414 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,600 Jonathan. I think it would be useful for 415 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:55,840 our listeners. I mean, we're the name of the 416 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,680 podcast is the News Navigators. We try to help our listeners 417 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:02,600 navigate the news and understand what actually is the role of the 418 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:06,640 government, the Ministry of the Department of Tourism and the 419 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:09,320 Bermuda Tourism Authority. How's that Division of Labor 420 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:11,960 work out? The The Bermuda Tourism 421 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:14,920 Authority focuses on the sales and marketing of Bermuda to 422 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:17,400 ultimately get visitors to the island. 423 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:22,120 And there is a portion of once visitors do get the island, they 424 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:25,640 assist with their own island experience for visitors. 425 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:31,400 The government's role is to invest and, and make the 426 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:35,520 investments possible. And you've seen through the TI 427 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:38,560 OS that the government has continued and we will continue 428 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:41,520 to invest in tourism properties and tourism products. 429 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,440 We've we've changed it a couple of years ago to even add 430 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,440 restaurants and experiences. So you'll have seen things like 431 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:55,280 the fireworks company and the drones and and other experiences 432 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:57,920 that have gotten assistant assistance from the government 433 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,520 to assist with when tourists do get here, they have good 434 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:06,520 experiences for their vacation. We've invested heavily. 435 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:09,080 You would have recently heard of the TIO for Hamilton Princess 436 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,000 where they renovated the much needed renovation of their 437 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:16,240 remedial ring. You would have seen TIO and and 438 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:19,640 subsequent acts, you know, enabling investment to take 439 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:22,360 place there at the Elbow Beach with the the Lauren moving up 440 00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:25,040 there. And there have been others, the 441 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:29,280 Azura that have greatly benefited from the investment of 442 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:31,720 the Bermuda Government. So I think once we're focusing 443 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:35,280 on the investments, the the VTA is focusing on sales and 444 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:37,680 marketing. They just hired a couple of new 445 00:24:38,120 --> 00:24:41,800 key members in their operations team, sales and marketing. 446 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:48,760 Also, they hired a, a human resource individual and they've 447 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:51,760 done some other experience team higher. 448 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:54,160 So, you know, I, I'm, I'm happy where we are. 449 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:58,960 And you know, 2026 is, is shaping up to be a good year 450 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,280 already, especially on the heels of what just happened this past 451 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:03,680 week. What's coming? 452 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:08,720 And we have a hotel opening also in 2026. 453 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:11,800 So at Fairmount Southampton. Absolutely. 454 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:17,120 You talked about the work of the BTA, still haven't got ACEO. 455 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:19,680 Can they give us a scoop as to who that's going to be and when 456 00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:22,240 that's going to happen? The CEO will be announced when 457 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,800 the board selects one. Clearly the board is going 458 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:29,000 through a, a process to get it right because we know that 459 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:32,240 Jeremy Deacon and Jonathan Stalin will be the first on 460 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:36,960 their podcast to, to, to go into detail as to whether they agree, 461 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,000 whether they disagree. And and as as you say, Jeremy, 462 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,880 maybe look for a smoking gun and I I don't know, but we'll leave 463 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,400 it to the BTA board of directors who are going through that 464 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:49,800 process. They are close. 465 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:52,680 And once they have ACEO, they will make their announcement. 466 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:54,520 Do you think it'll be a Bermudian? 467 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:56,040 Would you rather it be a Bermudian? 468 00:25:56,320 --> 00:26:00,560 I do not know. So the Caribbean Tourism 469 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,840 Organization, the CTO, you just had a was it the annual meeting? 470 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:08,160 No, actually the the CTO has about four Council of Ministers 471 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:12,040 meetings per year and what they do is 1 is standard. 472 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:13,680 They have it at Caribbean Week in New York. 473 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:16,800 We have a meeting there, we always have one in February, 474 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:22,560 call it the spring meeting and then they have a AGMA annual 475 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:25,520 general meeting which is in October and that's around so 476 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:29,320 tech and then they have a end of year meeting in December. 477 00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:35,360 So what typically happens is we have the Council of directors 478 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:39,200 meetings in the morning, on one day in the afternoon, the 479 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:42,960 councils of ministers meet on important topics and then we 480 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:47,200 always put an event or summit tagged on to the ministers and 481 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:50,440 the and the directors meeting. So this summit was the Air 482 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:53,200 connectivity Summit, which happened on Tuesday. 483 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:59,280 There was, like I said, a total of 170 delegates overseas local 484 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:03,000 that were at that summit and it was very well done. 485 00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:05,080 Some very good takeaways came from that. 486 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:09,080 So that was the spring meeting. The next one that the CTO has is 487 00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:11,640 in New York. They call it Caribbean Week. 488 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:15,120 It's in New York for obvious reasons, just a huge catchment 489 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,920 of individuals that they try to market to, to get to the 490 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:21,680 Caribbean. The same process happens and 491 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,200 Caribbean Week is a little longer where they allow 492 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:26,040 different destinations to showcase. 493 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:30,640 They have a next Gen. kind of debate for young people who want 494 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:35,560 to talk about tourism products and and marketing strategies and 495 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,760 also other engagements in the New York region in the summer. 496 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:40,680 It's state of the tourism industry. 497 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,000 So tech conference they they have last year it was in 498 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:46,840 Barbados, this year it is in Guyana. 499 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:51,680 So we do a good job of bouncing around the Caribbean region to 500 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,600 not only have a different location, but to also showcase 501 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,400 different regions. And I can tell you, even with 502 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:01,400 the weather that we had this week, the people of Bermuda, the 503 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:04,720 culture of Bermuda was definitely on, on display. 504 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:09,320 It was definitely on showcase. And you know, I thank everyone 505 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:10,880 that was a part of making that happen. 506 00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:14,600 Now we just, we just saw the conclusion of that CARICOM 507 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:16,600 meeting. I think it concluded yesterday, 508 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,160 right? And that was kind of 509 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:22,960 overshadowed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the 510 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:29,160 docking of the USS, I think it was the San Antonio in Saint 511 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:32,760 Kitts, just outside of where the Caracal meeting was going. 512 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:39,520 And I say that is because we've seen in the last year attacks on 513 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:44,680 Caribbean people in the oceans of the Caribbean Sea and we've 514 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:47,680 seen recent military action throughout the Caribbean. 515 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:50,840 How is that affecting tourism in the in the region? 516 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:53,960 Well, I would tell you we, we had concerns that our ministers 517 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:57,360 meeting the last three meetings, I believe we had a discussion 518 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:00,400 about it. And on Monday we had a 519 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,640 discussion about it at the meeting in December and we had a 520 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:06,240 discussion about it at SOTIC last year in October. 521 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:11,880 And there is a concern, especially for, you know, we 522 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:17,840 have a, a member that is part of the CTO that's from Tobago, but 523 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:22,160 you know, Trinidad does not. And you've been following you, 524 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:26,480 you know, Trinidad's position on this and Tobago's position is a 525 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:28,200 little different. And there's concern. 526 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:32,040 There's concern because outside of Carnival, Trinidad doesn't 527 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:35,240 really rely much, like I say, outside of Carnival time on 528 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:39,760 tourism, but Tobago does. So that's just one example. 529 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:42,880 You know that the islands that are close down there like a 530 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:47,640 Grenada, you know, would be very concerned simply because of 531 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:52,840 their geographical location. So we have had, and I'm, I'm not 532 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:56,200 going to get too detailed into the contents of those, but we 533 00:29:56,200 --> 00:30:00,520 have had geopolitical discussions at the CEO and you 534 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:03,600 know, we're, we're leaving that right now with CARICOM. 535 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:09,880 But exactly like you, you mentioned there are issues and 536 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:14,560 you know, there are effects that come due to tourism when you've 537 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:19,920 got destinations that have for years relied on US tourists and, 538 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:24,760 and individuals now are saying, well, we're not going to go 539 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:26,320 there. We, we have to look from, for, 540 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:28,000 for tours from other destinations. 541 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:31,840 So a lot of marketing from the CTO members are going into 542 00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:34,840 Canadian destinations. I, I know the Bermuda Tourism 543 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:39,280 Authority had a massive presence at World Travel market in, in 544 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:44,440 London. Many of, of, of our colleagues 545 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:46,160 are leaving here and going down to Brazil. 546 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,280 I am not giving by the way, we have budget debates. 547 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:53,800 So put that there. I will not be in Rio, Brazil. 548 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:57,480 So they are going down there because at the Roots conference 549 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:00,720 and this air connectivity summit that we have, we're realizing 550 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:04,280 and and the region is realizing that, you know, if we can't rely 551 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:08,280 on, you know, the same lift that we got from America or other 552 00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:11,280 places or you've got to go through America to get to 553 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:16,040 Bermuda, we really need to solidify their inter regional 554 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:21,360 travel and the air connectivity. So you see in Bermuda air link 555 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:25,240 up with Anguilla, we had inter Caribbean airlines that was here 556 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:28,360 for our air connectivity summit and and that's where they're 557 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:31,480 trying to go. So it is a concern. 558 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:36,720 But as if if you've heard of Minister Bartlett from Jamaica, 559 00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:40,040 the word that he continues to use over and over its 560 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,320 resiliency. And the Caribbean is a resilient 561 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:45,200 region. It's resilient people. 562 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:50,920 But even with that resiliency, we are taking steps to ensure 563 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:57,600 that tourism is remained able to to operate despite what is going 564 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:01,200 on with other countries. Is there the potential to get a 565 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:02,920 sorry? Go on, John. 566 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:05,440 I was just going to ask if there was a potential to get flights 567 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:09,440 from Bermuda F way to Nassau instead of going through Miami 568 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:11,840 to get to the Caribbean. I can't travel to the Caribbean 569 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:14,320 now unless I go to Canada do. You have interest, Do you have 570 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:16,520 interest in Nassau? I mean you was very specific. 571 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:19,360 Well, it's just the closest to the airport to South, South of 572 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:21,640 America. There are discussions, but you 573 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,160 know, there's other things that, you know, Bermuda has at play 574 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:25,480 here. I mean, we're, we're working on 575 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:29,120 getting our a bed supply up and, and you know, your Guado Bay is 576 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:31,240 expanding the fair amounts of Hampton's going to come on 577 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:33,400 board. You know, the, the Hamilton 578 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,200 Princess again, renovated Elbow Beach, it's a couple of years 579 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:37,480 away, but it is going to get there. 580 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:41,320 So once we're seeing our, our supply come back up, we will be 581 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:44,040 able to have better discussions with those airlines. 582 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:47,800 Have you seen them also on record of going to meet with 583 00:32:47,800 --> 00:32:49,480 these airlines? That's what ministers of tourism 584 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:51,640 and transport do. And they're very frank. 585 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,560 They're very frank and they say, listen, right now you can't 586 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,760 guarantee us the loads that we want because of what you know 587 00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:01,200 of, of the beds that you don't have. 588 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:06,560 However, they've said, you know, we, we will be back at the table 589 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,200 and ready to serve as Bermuda when necessary. 590 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:13,680 But with that, even with that said, they've been very gracious 591 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:15,880 in other things. If anybody's going to New York 592 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:18,600 recently or, or, or Miami, you'll realize that they will 593 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:21,680 find these a three nineteens, very, very small planes. 594 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:25,080 And I said in one meeting, I said, listen, Bermuda is a 595 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:27,400 destination where we have many business travelers. 596 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,960 I mean, you've got, you know, 8 business class seats that are 597 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:33,480 getting full. You've got business travelers in 598 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:38,680 the in economy seats paying business class ticket prices. 599 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:40,680 And I said, you know, what can you do? 600 00:33:40,680 --> 00:33:43,240 So a few months later, without much fanfare, but I'm going to 601 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:46,520 say it, you will notice that they're now flying the 3730 602 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:51,480 Sevens, which has doubled the capacity of the business class, 603 00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:55,000 which means that other seats on the flight remain at a lower 604 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,520 price for locals. So there were some things that 605 00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:00,160 we're doing quietly. I know you, you, you guys did 606 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:05,600 want to hammer me and about wait, that's my word. 607 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:07,240 It's come on. You're striking fear. 608 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:10,239 About, about some of the the other things, but there's some 609 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:13,120 some really good things happening in the ministry of 610 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:15,679 this side. And, and I would be remissed of 611 00:34:15,679 --> 00:34:19,120 me if I didn't talk about, you know, the directors, the 612 00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:22,239 permanent secretary and all the public offices that actually 613 00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:25,120 work hard to execute the policies that the government 614 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,000 puts in place. Oh yeah, I want to piggyback. 615 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:27,760 Oh, sorry, Jeremy. Well. 616 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:30,159 I was just saying we're on a bit of a tight schedule here with 617 00:34:30,159 --> 00:34:33,040 the with the ministers time and I did want to just come. 618 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,199 Back, We've got more minutes. That's exactly Let's make a 619 00:34:36,199 --> 00:34:38,040 1050. Rapid fire round. 620 00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:40,800 And I haven't had my rant on road safety and I need to have 621 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,040 that. I feel better with a rant on 622 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:46,800 road safety. But seriously, you've got an 623 00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:51,199 extra 15,000,000 in your budget this year, what are you going to 624 00:34:51,199 --> 00:34:54,719 spend it on? Well, I have not had my budget 625 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:57,280 press conference yet and I want to. 626 00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:02,880 Give us the scoop, Minister. There, there have been some, 627 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:06,440 some pressing needs in the, in the community that we've had to 628 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:09,320 address. You want to see the National 629 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,600 Sports Center that does come under my ministry is, is, is 630 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:14,280 starting to need some significant upgrades. 631 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:15,880 So we've put some additional money there. 632 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:21,280 We've put some additional money to the BTA with the, the, the, 633 00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:24,600 the, the opening of, of Fairmount Southampton and, and 634 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:28,360 we've been on record of saying we're expecting 2026 to, to kind 635 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:31,840 of be a, a bumper year. We've given them some more money 636 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:33,920 to do the work that they do in sales and marketing. 637 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,800 We've also taken some, some other funding and, and put it 638 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:41,400 into social programming like you've seen elite athlete funds. 639 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:46,480 We've increased that also the Summit E Camp program, very 640 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:50,440 happy to say that there were over 4000 spots available for 641 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:53,080 somebody camps and we're going to be tweaking the registration 642 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:55,720 process to make that less stressful because when you put 643 00:35:55,720 --> 00:35:59,040 something that good in place, sometimes there are unintended 644 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:01,760 consequences that come. Not everybody could get in The 645 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:06,160 vegetation process is is jammed. And then also the government 646 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:08,120 golf courses. The government golf courses has 647 00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:11,440 been work have been working hard to make sure that they are ready 648 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:14,400 every year for for Port Royal Golf course. 649 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:18,120 They're supplementing some of their funds to to to bring that 650 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:21,160 to bring that tournament to life. 651 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:24,680 And as a result, I'll be honest, like the the second golf course 652 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:26,000 has suffered. That's ocean view. 653 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:30,040 So we're putting more money into golf courses to be able to make 654 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:33,080 sure that, you know, the working class individual that doesn't 655 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:35,880 want to play at, at, at a championship course like Fort 656 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:39,840 Royal can, can have a decent round of golf at Ocean View. 657 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:44,120 You know, a year ago, I heard a lot of complaints about the, the 658 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:46,200 state of that. And I'm happy that the chairman 659 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:48,760 of the golf courses, Mr. Jason Reed, has, has done a lot of 660 00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:51,720 solid work. And, and that noise, you, you 661 00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:54,360 don't hear about people complaining as much about the 662 00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:55,760 state of the public golf courses. 663 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:59,480 So in order to make that work, people have to be the ones that 664 00:36:59,480 --> 00:37:01,000 are, that are, that are doing that work. 665 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:02,960 And if they're doing that work, you need to make sure that the 666 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:07,640 funding is there so that they have the proper tools to be able 667 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:10,240 to do so. I'm gonna, I'm going to park on 668 00:37:10,240 --> 00:37:13,080 my sports questions until we have you on another time or 669 00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:15,280 maybe we can dedicate a whole thing on sports. 670 00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:18,640 Absolutely. But I did want to touch on the 671 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:21,160 electric buses. We've got an increase on them 672 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:22,920 and road safety. Yeah. 673 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:25,920 Well, we, we, we call it modernization of transport in 674 00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:28,200 Bermuda and we've done quite a bit there. 675 00:37:28,240 --> 00:37:31,080 That's another thing I did miss. Significant funding is going to 676 00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:33,320 bring in an additional 20 electric buses. 677 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:37,680 You know, they've become, the bus service has definitely 678 00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:38,920 improved. There's a lot less 679 00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:42,880 cancellations. You know, we, we have the Shore 680 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:45,760 Link app where you now can have confidence in where your bus is 681 00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:48,240 and what time it's coming. And to complete that 682 00:37:48,240 --> 00:37:52,400 modernization, I will be tabling the Rideshare Act in Parliament 683 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:54,480 on Friday. Is that like Uber? 684 00:37:54,920 --> 00:37:58,000 It would be it's not Uber, it's it's rideshare, it's allowing 685 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:02,080 individuals and and all the the details will be in a statement 686 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:03,240 on Friday. So I'm not going to give too 687 00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:04,640 much. Oh, but I'm just saying that 688 00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:08,240 that completes the modernization of public transport. 689 00:38:08,240 --> 00:38:12,840 We've got 2 brand new 550 passenger ferries that are going 690 00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:18,040 to they're here and they're going to come come on board for 691 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:19,800 the start of the, the busy season. 692 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:24,080 But I, I, I'm not going to start around the elephant in the room 693 00:38:24,720 --> 00:38:28,280 as much as we are modernizing public transportation in this, 694 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:33,440 in this country, we still have a major culture issue with the, 695 00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:37,320 the roads and, and the behaviour on the roads. 696 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:41,000 And, you know, I, I can't put it all on the road safety console, 697 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:43,760 the road safety console every single month they're doing, 698 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:47,960 they're doing communications, they're going into schools. 699 00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:51,920 They have, you know, but it's, it has to be a culture shift. 700 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:55,920 It has to be individuals, but. You have to, but this is this is 701 00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:58,800 where I think big government works. 702 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:02,320 If people won't change their habits, they have to be forced 703 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:06,280 to change their habits. And it's always struck me that 704 00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:10,240 there's no appetite to force that to change. 705 00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:15,320 I mean, we've only just got legislation to get Project Ride 706 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:17,080 to be able to teach kids on the roads. 707 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:20,720 My kids went through Project Ride, and as much as I admire 708 00:39:20,720 --> 00:39:23,560 the instructors, it was a waste of time. 709 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:27,240 After my daughter had done Project Ride, I said, oh, no, 710 00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:29,480 you're not getting on the roads. You're coming with me on the 711 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:31,920 roads. Well, not every parent is going 712 00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:34,600 to do that. I don't understand why these 713 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:37,880 things take so long. We're on 4 deaths. 714 00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:40,680 It's February the 26th. We're on 4 deaths. 715 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:44,080 But why is there no impetus? Why? 716 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:46,560 Why? There's no desire, it seems, to 717 00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:51,080 actually do something. I will tell you this and again, 718 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:54,400 not to give too much away right now, but there has been meetings 719 00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:57,760 recently with another ministry and that is the Ministry of 720 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:01,320 National Security that, that does enforcement. 721 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:03,840 It was actually called by the governor. 722 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:06,360 So we, we are having discussions. 723 00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:10,160 So although I understand the frustration and you know, my 724 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:13,160 heart goes out to the families, not just these 4, but you know, 725 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:15,920 there's, there's individuals that have have gone through this 726 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:20,280 trauma 1020 years and it, it, it doesn't get any easier. 727 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:24,600 This is it, 1020 years doesn't get any easier. 728 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:26,960 But we still don't see things like roundabouts. 729 00:40:27,240 --> 00:40:30,320 I mean, T St. and Middle Rd. it's a notorious accident. 730 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:32,640 Black spot. We have a sign saying black 731 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:34,560 spot. And if you're driving there, 732 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:37,200 you're so busy looking at the draft, you're not going to see 733 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:39,760 that sign. Yeah. 734 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:41,440 Why not put a roundabout in? Why not? 735 00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:44,320 Infrastructure changes. You're right. 736 00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:45,720 And these are all things that we'll be looking at. 737 00:40:45,720 --> 00:40:48,080 It's. Just a bit late. 738 00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:53,800 Just noticing the Time Heritage months coming up in May from you 739 00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:55,320 today. Anything you want to say on 740 00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:56,720 that? Absolutely. 741 00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:00,960 You know, it's the, the, the theme this year is for the 742 00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:04,040 culture. And you know, it's, it's a time 743 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:10,880 that even now everyone talks about heritage month, everyone 744 00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:13,880 talks about the May 24th parade. And you know, there's, there's 745 00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:17,120 jokes that come out about, about tape and put in your spots and, 746 00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:22,720 and the things of that nature. However, even now, these groups, 747 00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:25,640 these community clubs are starting to prepare. 748 00:41:26,360 --> 00:41:29,000 So kudos to them. They're putting in their time. 749 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:30,800 It's labor of love for many of them. 750 00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:34,400 And the the department will will supplement some of some of their 751 00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:37,280 their costs that they need. Some of them need a rent halls 752 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:39,760 to get ready. They need infrastructure, maybe 753 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:41,720 a truck to carry their equipment. 754 00:41:42,720 --> 00:41:46,520 But I, I don't want to not acknowledge that the work has 755 00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:48,600 already started for many of the people. 756 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:51,960 For us, it's a matter of getting up in the morning, ripping up 757 00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:55,480 the macaroni salad, looting the car and dropping it off. 758 00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:58,160 That's, that's our extent. And, and, and then complaining 759 00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:03,800 about the gaps of the parade. But it's the individuals now 760 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:07,720 that are working and getting ready so they can perform for 761 00:42:07,720 --> 00:42:10,400 us. So I'm looking forward to the, 762 00:42:10,680 --> 00:42:14,800 the, for the culture. We will announce the grand 763 00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:17,680 marshals when Heritage Month starts. 764 00:42:17,720 --> 00:42:20,200 We will announce them and I'm sure that there will be some 765 00:42:20,200 --> 00:42:22,840 excitement over some of the individuals that we will be 766 00:42:22,840 --> 00:42:24,960 announcing. Everybody's looking forward to 767 00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:27,680 it. I'm sure you're running out of 768 00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:29,680 time, Minister. I've got one more question. 769 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:32,080 Promise. Tell us something about Owen 770 00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:33,720 Darrell that might surprise people. 771 00:42:34,360 --> 00:42:41,120 Oh, might surprise people. Well, you know, other than, you 772 00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:46,560 know what, what I like to do to relax is actually sitting on the 773 00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:49,040 couch and watching sports, just watching sports. 774 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:52,040 You know, some people, you know, they, they, they send me 775 00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:54,880 messages. And it's always starts with, I 776 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:57,880 know you're busy. And I'm like, yeah, I, I am very 777 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:00,640 busy. But when I just want to relax, 778 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:05,040 I, I like to sit on my couch. I'm a huge fan of the NFL Tampa 779 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:08,920 Bay Buccaneer fan. I'm a Manchester City fan, which 780 00:43:08,920 --> 00:43:12,280 always brings great debate. People think I'm a a bandwagon 781 00:43:12,280 --> 00:43:14,800 fan, but that's not correct. You're. 782 00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:17,600 Sitting with an Arsenal supporter and a Spurs supporter. 783 00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:20,200 Oh, here we go. And a Spurs supporter didn't do 784 00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:24,320 me any favours last weekend but. But that's I, I, I was there. 785 00:43:24,480 --> 00:43:26,320 I. Actually, some of some of the 786 00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:29,720 things that, that I do and people think I'm doing it for 787 00:43:29,720 --> 00:43:32,320 work is actually what I just enjoy to do. 788 00:43:32,560 --> 00:43:35,640 And if I was not a minister tomorrow, I would enjoy to do 789 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:36,960 it. And, and there's people that say 790 00:43:37,200 --> 00:43:38,800 you really look like you're enjoying it. 791 00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:40,880 You really look like you're having fun in this room. 792 00:43:41,120 --> 00:43:45,240 And I do, I, I really enjoy the work I do because, you know, 793 00:43:45,240 --> 00:43:47,200 it's, it's kind of always been in me, right? 794 00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:50,520 Always trying to help, always trying to be present. 795 00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:55,400 And, and so I'm, I'm a, I'm a community person, you know, kind 796 00:43:55,400 --> 00:43:58,440 of by heart, Those of you know it, if you've looked at my 797 00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:00,640 resume, you would know this. I, I was a teacher, I was an 798 00:44:00,640 --> 00:44:05,400 educator for, for 15 years. So when I go into community, 799 00:44:06,160 --> 00:44:08,880 those are not just constituents that I see, they're just not 800 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:11,160 residents of Bermuda. They're former students. 801 00:44:11,560 --> 00:44:14,040 And if they're not former students, it's a former 802 00:44:14,040 --> 00:44:17,320 student's mom or, or, or, or family member or grandmother 803 00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:21,760 that used to come and, and read to work to, to, to move in, you 804 00:44:21,760 --> 00:44:25,840 know, their child into, into the right place educational wise. 805 00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:30,400 So that's me, right? I mean, I'm, I am, you know, 806 00:44:30,480 --> 00:44:32,600 it's kind of what what you see is what you get, right? 807 00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:36,920 It's it's the real deal. And the last thing I'll say 808 00:44:36,920 --> 00:44:40,720 this, I think that people may not, might not like me as much 809 00:44:40,720 --> 00:44:43,920 as, you know, these headlines go up and I have to say it about 810 00:44:43,920 --> 00:44:47,320 travel, administrative travel and just any other, I can tell 811 00:44:47,320 --> 00:44:51,000 you this, I cannot stand being on a plane and going through 812 00:44:51,080 --> 00:44:52,840 airports. But I tell people, I have to 813 00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:56,520 remind people the nature of, of especially the portfolios that 814 00:44:56,760 --> 00:44:58,880 that I serve. It's work. 815 00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:02,000 It, it is work and it is hard work. 816 00:45:02,240 --> 00:45:03,840 Even the one here, it wasn't overseas. 817 00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:06,280 But when you're having these conferences and stuff, I mean, 818 00:45:06,280 --> 00:45:08,640 your meetings are starting very early in the morning. 819 00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:12,760 Their days are ending with a, a dinner and then a reception. 820 00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:15,480 And then somebody wants to have a follow up meeting at the end. 821 00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:18,080 So it's, it's, it's difficult, It's hard. 822 00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:22,960 And being away from your family. I've got two kids, a 14 year old 823 00:45:22,960 --> 00:45:25,240 and a nine year old. You know, you're missing 824 00:45:25,240 --> 00:45:28,960 football games, you're you're missing sometimes significant 825 00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:32,800 milestones, which is why I'll tell you guys, I do have to run 826 00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:37,520 because at 11 AM, my daughter is receiving honor roll certificate 827 00:45:37,520 --> 00:45:38,720 at her school, the Barclays School. 828 00:45:39,560 --> 00:45:41,200 I do have to go and get over there. 829 00:45:41,200 --> 00:45:43,720 But gentlemen, thank you for inviting me on. 830 00:45:43,720 --> 00:45:47,960 It's been a pleasure. Hopefully have you back one day. 831 00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:50,560 We have more questions, so we'll get you back sometimes. 832 00:45:51,120 --> 00:45:52,840 We didn't even get into tourism industry all. 833 00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:56,240 Right. Thank you, Minister. 834 00:45:56,400 --> 00:45:57,800 Appreciate your time. Thank you. 835 00:45:58,040 --> 00:45:58,320 Take care.