Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698076252316.pdf (Saint Lucia)
THRONE SPEECH “SECURING THE PILLARS FOR SUSTAINABILITY” Presented By HIS EXCELLENCY MR. CYRIL ERROL MELCHIADES CHARLES Acting Governor General of Saint Lucia On the Occasion of the Opening of the Third Session of the Twelfth Parliament of Saint Lucia Tuesday, 25 April 2023 Parliament Building Laborie Street, Castries Madame President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, Members of the House of Assembly, fellow Saint Lucians, let me first acknowledge that I open this Third Session of the Twelfth Parliament of Saint Lucia in the name of His Majesty King Charles 111, the successor to Queen Elizabeth 11, who reigned for seventy years as Head of the British Commonwealth, of which Saint Lucia is a member.
On behalf of the government and people of Saint Lucia, we wish the new King a healthy and successful reign as Head of the Commonwealth.

Madame President, Mr. Speaker, in my last address to you, I made a call for unity and the need for all Saint Lucians to work together for the good of our nation.

This call for unity remains as essential today as it was then.
Having successfully stabilized the public finances of the country, my government in this session of parliament will give additional and special attention to the safety of citizens, improvements in the delivery of health care, and support for the vulnerable.

The pace and effectiveness of improvements in these areas will be buttressed by sustained economic growth, which is already showing encouraging signs.
Barring major natural or man-made disasters, this new fiscal year should provide growth in all major sectors of the economy.

Where We Are Today Over the past twelve months, my government has made fundamental constitutional changes and adopted a bold legislative agenda to create the legal enabling environment for the implementation of remedial and developmental policy measures.
Since April last year, my government enacted new legislation and amended existing laws to enhance our citizens’ security, reform income tax administration, improve health care delivery systems, enhance the ease of doing business, strengthen community economic empowerment, promote good governance, and created the Youth Economy.
Madame President, Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, my government proudly made a significant and progressive shift in enhancing access to justice for its people by replacing the Judicial Committee of His Majesty’s Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as Saint Lucia’s final Court of Appeal.
By this move, Saint Lucia has deepened its 1 participation in the Caribbean regional integration process and has further consolidated its political independence and confidence in the jurists of the region.
Madame President, Mr. Speaker having witnessed the abuse of our constitution to appoint and suddenly remove the Deputy Speaker without replacement during the last parliament, my government has amended the constitution so that the House of Assembly will now be properly constituted with the appointment of a Deputy Speaker.
Madame President, Mr. Speaker constitutional changes will continue to be made, in keeping with the promises of my government, to undertake constitutional reform for the restoration and maintenance of good governance in Saint Lucia.

The need to make our Constitution truly reflective of the ideals and aspirations of our people will be continued this year through the activation of a committee to review Parliament’s consideration of the recommendations of the Constitutional Reform Commission Report.
Protecting Those in The Most Need & The Small Business Sector Madame President, Mr. Speaker the public health concerns surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic have abated since September 2022, with the removal of Covid-19 restrictions.

Despite the uptake in economic activities, led in the main by a robust recovery in the tourism sector, the prevailing economic environment continues to be challenging as the Russia-Ukraine war continues, with little sign of abatement.
The war has disrupted global supply chains and created inflationary pressures on the price of essential commodities such as basic foods, fuel, household items, and building materials.

Imported inflation has been impacting the ability of our people to provide for themselves and their families.

My government will therefore continue supporting households, in particularly vulnerable groups, by subsidizing essential goods like flour, rice, and cooking gas.
In addition, my government will continue to assist the most vulnerable through its public assistance programme.

2 In support of post-Covid-19 business recovery, the MSME Loan-Grant Facility, which was launched last month, will be fully rolled out to provide very generous and direct financial assistance to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

Over 500 business enterprises are expected to benefit from this facility.
Government Priority Areas Citizens Security Madame President, Mr. Speaker, it is with a deep sense of regret that the scourge of violent crime has continued to afflict our country.

It is of no comfort that this surge in crime has been affecting the entire Caribbean region.

The seeds of violent crime have been incubating for years and have now grown into a despicable and shameful image of disregard for human life.
Those shocking images of gun violence must end, and my government is determined to do so within the ambit of the law.

The homicides taking place in the south of the island cannot be allowed to continue, and so my government is determined to end it, lest it begins to spread and threaten the social and economic life of our country.

My government has already made legislative changes, by the enactment of the Suppression of Escalated Crime (Police Powers) Act, No.
6 of 2023 to enable the police to suppress the escalation of crime.

In addition, it has secured the services of the Regional Security Service to assist the local police in this fight and will continue to engage their services for as long as it is necessary to do so.

In the spirit of collaboration, given the shared crime challenges within the region, my government will be working with CARICOM Member States to stop the smuggling of guns and drugs into and across the region.
Madame President, Mr. Speaker, my government continues to provide the police with all the required equipment for the effective execution of their duties and remains committed to providing the necessary assistance to the police until the scourge of violent crime is brought under control.

3 The Police will continue to work closely with and within communities, by engaging meaningfully with community leaders and civic groups in the fight against crime.
In support of a multi-disciplinary approach to crime fighting, a National Security Council will be re-established to coordinate crime reduction efforts undertaken by government agencies, the private sector, and the Police Force.

Madame President, Mr. Speaker, my government takes this opportunity to thank all its regional partners who assisted during the escalated period of gun violence in our country.
We shall continue to collaborate with other countries in the region to fight the scourge of violent gun crime.

In enhancing the security of our citizens, my government in this fiscal year 2023/2024 will start, the now overdue, construction of the Halls of Justice in the latter part of 2023, which is expected to take thirty months to complete.

This will be part of several initiatives aimed at addressing the backlog of cases that are currently impeding the administration of justice in our country.
This new facility will consolidate the magistrate’s court, the family court, the commercial court, and the High Courts, and other administrative support services, including the civil and criminal registries.

Several other initiatives aimed at reducing the backlog of cases and reduction of the remand population at Bordelais will be continued this year.

Improving Healthcare Outcomes Madame President, Mr. Speaker the second major priority area this year is healthcare.
I am pleased to report that work is progressing well on the St. Jude Hospital Reconstruction Project, and my government is confident that the people of Saint Lucia and especially residents in the south, will be given the long overdue St. Jude Hospital before the end of this Parliament.
Additionally, my government remains committed to improving the public health infrastructure at both the primary and secondary levels by equipping the Health & Wellness Centers Island wide with advanced technologies and improved medical 4 resources.

The pursuit of universal health care coverage remains the framework within which my government seeks to provide quality, affordable, accessible, and equitable health care.
In this fiscal year, Madame President and Mr. Speaker, special focus will be given to reducing our infant mortality rate under the Universal Health Care (UHC) initiative.

This will begin with the implementation of the Mother and Child Health Services Programme, which will allow for the registration of all pregnant mothers to ensure they receive the necessary primary antenatal and postnatal health care.
The Ministry of Health will also commence the issuance of Health Cards to citizens as soon as the UHC’s Health Information System is completed this year.

My government will also secure additional financial support for the health services provided by OKEU and St Jude Hospitals.

Madame President, Mr. Speaker, the Covid-19 pandemic, which registered its first case in March 2020, has exposed several gaps in our healthcare system, which requires remedial action.
My government will, therefore, be strengthening the health system with additional resources to ensure that it is in a state of preparedness in the event of any future health pandemic.

Economic Sustainable Development Madame President, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that foreign investor confidence in Saint Lucia has returned, with the tourism sector being the largest beneficiary.

In 2022, the United Nations listed Saint Lucia among the top-five destinations in World Tourism Recovery.
Stay-over, Cruise, and Yachting sectors all recorded significant increases over last year.

Already government-approved Hotel projects will provide a huge boost to the construction sector, with plans for additional hotel rooms this year.

Madame President, Mr. Speaker, my government intends to leverage the opportunities presented by the anticipated growth in this sector for locally-owned tourism businesses, 5 by providing them with grant and loan funding, under its Community-Based Tourism programme.
In keeping with the new opportunities presented by changes in the Tourism Industry, my government will enact a new Tourism Development Act during the first half of this fiscal year.

Regional Air Transportation Madame President, Mr. Speaker, the absence of adequate traveling options within CARICOM since Covid-19, continues to undermine the economic and regional integration of the region.
My government intends to play a leading role, at the OECS level, to improve traveling among countries within the sub-region.

My government views regional air transportation as a public good and will do all that is possible, in conjunction with its regional partners to ensure the return of a viable regional airline, which has the support of governments in the Eastern Caribbean sub-region.
We believe that the sustainability of regional economies depends very much on the ability of our people and goods to move across the CARICOM economic space.

Tax System Encouraged by the effectiveness of changes in the Income Tax system last year that resulted in easier collection and payment of taxes, my government will persist with these changes in 2023/2024.
My government remains committed to restoring our country’s financial health through prudent financial and fiscal management, fueled by economic growth and diversification.

My government will continue to create the enabling environment to facilitate business development for the youth, women, and communities across the country.

It will continue to facilitate the development of tourism products and services aimed at spreading the benefits of the tourist dollar.
6 Other Sectors: Youth Economy Madame President, Mr. Speaker, my government has now honoured its promise to create a space for young people in the economic landscape of Saint Lucia.

Access to economic opportunities for young people is now real, with more grant and loan funding being made available in this fiscal year.

To avoid the bureaucracy of government, a Youth Economy Agency, with its own Board of Directors, has been formed, to support young entrepreneurs in the running of their businesses.
Young entrepreneurs now have a realistic chance of providing for themselves by monetizing their talents in popular areas like sports, music, the arts, and information technology.

Agriculture Madame President, Mr. Speaker, diversification efforts have been aimed at food security, reducing our import bill, and securing new regional markets for our agricultural products.

Fuel relief, a promise made by my government, for fishers will start in the early part of this financial year.
My government will, also, continue to provide support for the growing and promising sectors of Sea Moss and Honey production, with a view to increasing our exports.

Blue Economy Madame President, Mr. Speaker, our economic sustainability depends very much on the management of our coastal waters, and so my government shall provide the necessary assistance to the relevant agencies in the management of Soufriere, Anse La Raye, and Canaries, Vigie Peninsular and Pigeon Point coastal areas.
7 Climate Change Initiatives: Madame President, Mr. Speaker, my government remains committed to the gradual move from fossil fuels to renewable energy and will be accessing climate financing, now being provided by the German government.

Efforts to encourage the shift to Electric Vehicles have started.

My government will further incentivise the transition to electric vehicles, and the establishment of the necessary infrastructure.
During this year it is expected that an enabling environment will be created for the supply of renewable energy with the amendment of the Electricity Supply Act.

Legislative Changes Madame President, Mr. Speaker, in addition to the intended legislative changes already mentioned, the Tourism Development Bill and Electricity Supply Act, my government has identified fourteen [14] other Bills for consideration for this new session of parliament.
These include the Criminal Code (Amendment) Bill, Real Estate (Brokers and Agents) Bill, Controlled Substances Bill, Non-Governmental Organizations (Amendment) Bill, Witness Protection (Special Measures) Bill, and Cooperatives Societies Bill.

Many of those Bills are in keeping with the legislative structure of modern society.
Conclusion Madame President, Mr. Speaker, my government remains steadfast in its commitment to the people of Saint Lucia and calls on all Saint Lucians to work for the good of the nation.

We can achieve more together than we can individually.
This need for togetherness as a nation is required now, more than ever, as we are faced with a more uncertain world, with the collapse of significant financial institutions in major economies like the USA, political tensions between nuclear-power countries, war between nations, rising inflation in major industrialized nations and shifts in political alliances among countries in search of protection of their economic interests.
8 As a small nation, we have much to be proud of; many visitors continue to visit our shores for recreation and relaxation.

We have developed a world-class destination for honeymooners, a status we have enjoyed for many years.

Our economy is on the rise again, foreign and local investor confidence is back, and the future looks brighter.

I call on all of you to embrace the new economic opportunities as they present themselves and give your best to the country that gave you birth.
With all our challenges, we are still a relatively peaceful and loving nation.

And so, we must not allow the ruthless, uncaring, and heartless few to sully the image of our country.

This is why we must lend support to our law enforcers in fighting the scourge of crime, especially violent crime, which has been visited upon us.

When the Covid-19 pandemic reached our shores in March 2020, like most countries, we were unprepared to handle a health pandemic of such magnitude.
Nevertheless, we came through the pandemic, showing our resilience as a nation.

Madame President, Mr. Speaker, soon we will be much better placed to handle challenges like Covid-19 as we seek to close those gaps in our healthcare system, which Covid-19 has exposed.

Madame President, Mr. Speaker, there are no challenges we cannot overcome if we remain together as a people.
Our politics should be seen within the context of different routes but to the same destination: a peaceful and happy place to work and relax.

So, let not party politics divide us, because its divisiveness will weaken all of us.

With this parting message of putting the good of our nation first, I now declare the third Session of the Twelfth Parliament of Saint Lucia opened.

May the Almighty God bless and protect Saint Lucia and its citizens both here and abroad.

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