 Mr. Speaker, I rise like my colleagues before me to express my support for the motion to adopt the report of the Standing Finance Committee on the estimates of revenue and expenditure. Mr. Speaker, I need to start by reflecting on the exercise we had earlier when the leader of the opposition spoke. I truly expected the leader of the opposition to take the budget, the estimates, dissect it, deconstruct it, and to expose any flaws that he could have found within the estimates. I must tell you, and in my judgment you don't have to agree with me, it was probably the worst performance ever by a leader of the opposition. The worst performance, Mr. Speaker. I kept wondering and I kept waiting and my pen was in my hand waiting to make notes on what he was saying so that I would respond to him and not have to allow the member from Castries to respond to all the criticisms that he boasts he had of the estimates. And I had two lines, so he was rather uninspiring, dull, and boring today. And therefore, Mr. Speaker, I'm not even sure I'm going to waste any time responding to some of the few comments he made. They were really almost inconsequential. But part of his problem, Mr. Speaker, is that he doesn't understand what it is to manage an economy. He doesn't. When he became Minister of Finance, he said he was going to manage St. Lucia and the economy like a CEO Prime Minister. And we thought this is bizarre. How do you manage an economy like a CEO looking to make profits and looking, you know, to act in the pursuit of creating surplus capital for the benefit of a few? And we said to him then that he was going on a path that would be disastrous to St. Lucia. And we explained to him that an economy is really about how people and organizations interact in the production and the distribution of goods and services in the country. And therefore, you needed a Prime Minister that was about people and not about figures. And you would notice that our Prime Minister, the member from Cassius, is not a man who dwells too much and boasts about figures. He deals with people. He focuses on people and not figures. He mentions figures because they are necessary. It's part of the tools of the trade. But nothing that he says is about a focus on figures. His focus is about transforming lives. It's about people. He's a Prime Minister who presents a budget for people and of people and not of figures. And therefore, there is a philosophical difference in the budgets of this side of the house and budgets of the leader of the opposition. So, Mr. Speaker, you will forgive me if I have very little to say in rebuttal to the leader of the opposition. There really was nothing of substance that I should even bother with. So I think I'll have a lot more time this afternoon to deal with other substantive issues. Not necessarily in the same vein. I have to respond to a couple of points made by the member from Vuford South. Of course, as you know, he's a backbencher. But he did raise a couple of points that it relates to tourism. And I think it's only fair and reasonable that I give him the assurances that he asked for. And he presented to us an idea that we should consider building a boardwalk from the fisheries complex in Vuford to the old market. And I think he presented that he did have some concept for the redevelopment of the old market. And I want to say to him, we will accept his invitation to visit Vuford South. And I trust he will host us for lunch and take us on a tour so we can be fully apprised of exactly what he wants done in Vuford. There was a time we used to enjoy lunch in Vuford, but it's been a while since he invited us to be done there. But I think for sure the prime minister has given his commitment that he would build the entertainment center for him. And I think once we can get a concept for the boardwalk, it is something that we will surely consider for him. I think he also raised the Boswell Williams lands, which I assume those are the lands by the entrance of Coconut Bay somewhere there. And I think we have been working on a concept to present to you for the redevelopment of that area and to ensure that it is suitable. I know he's a person who places a lot of store on design and character and personality and that it must reflect the nature of your portions and everything else. He's not one who's minded for monstrosities to be erected in his constituency. So we will surely consult him and make sure that such is done. So remember you can feel very comforted that your request will be considered and we shall proceed as suggested by you. Mr Speaker, I want to also start by expressing my appreciation to the staff at the Ministry of Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information and all the agencies that fall under the Ministry. The CIP, the CDF, SLTA, CTA, SLTA, NCA now and all the agencies and the staff that work in the various agencies. I'm extremely proud of the staff, the PS and all the members of staff I have at the Ministry and I'm sure the Parliamentary Secretary who is in the upper house will also concur that we do have a very hard-working staff in compliments and they have been seized of the vision of the government and they certainly are persons that I enjoy working with. And we have so much we can boast about and I'm sure when we do come to the policy statement we will present to you a very clear roadmap of where we are taking the agencies that fall under us and what our priority areas are. But as we reflect on the last financial year, Mr Speaker, there is so much that we can be proud of within the Ministry and if I quickly just go through some of the highlights of our achievement, Mr Speaker, I must start with the Community Tourism Agency. A lot has been done, Mr Speaker, in the CTA and you will see especially, Mr Speaker, our heavy focus and a philosophical underpinning of all the work we do in the CTA is about creating more opportunities for St. Lucian's to be involved in the tourism industry and importantly to own the tourism industry. For us this is a mantra that guides everything we do. We want St. Lucian's to be able to start owning the tourism industry, Mr Speaker. And the CTA, the Community Tourism Agency, is the mechanism, the vehicle for which we're going to push that agenda, Mr Speaker. So you can imagine, Mr Speaker, my delight when a couple weekends ago we launched the first of four projects, Mr Speaker, an ATV experience in Bosigio in the constituency of Grosjele, Mr Speaker, by a young entrepreneur, young man, again testimony of the success of the youth economy, although his financing came under the CTA. But it is the same spirit of promoting youth entrepreneurship, Mr Speaker. We've already commenced free other tourism accommodation properties, Mr Speaker. So far we have approved 12 partners for funding, Mr Speaker. And over the next two weeks we will launch another community experience in Dennery North. Another young man has started a community experience which involves an ATV component as well, Mr Speaker. So for us this is a tremendous success and you will hear over the next few months more community tourism projects been launched and more young St. Lucian's getting involved in the tourism industry, Mr Speaker. I must speak very quickly, Mr Speaker, of the work that we are doing. The container park at, you know, the market, Mr Speaker, is in the final stages of construction, Mr Speaker. And once it is completed, there will be 12 shops for operators and four drive, four dry good spaces, Mr Speaker. And we expect in next month to complete that structure. I must say, Mr Speaker, the entity that will take over the management of it, whether it is the marketing board, because we are actually taking over the marketing board lands, Mr Speaker, to build it on the extent to which the CCC will be involved the ministry. It will be quite a headache as to how we're going to occupy the space because it cannot be that this new project, this new offering will be the same old that we have before with the sale of fried chicken and, you know, retail of food and whatnot. We want more than that. We want a more enhanced offering in that place. And I know the member from Castles Central will have a headache because some of the persons we took off from there, they now buy the old fire service site, which is supposed to be developed very shortly, GPH. So we really have to sit and ensure we cover it well in terms of how we transition individuals back to the container park. But this is very advanced, Mr Speaker. And we're certainly looking forward to its launch. I must also speak about the Grizzly recreational beach park. And the member from Grizzly was very loud in his statement of anticipation of how this will enhance the experience in Grizzly. It is expected to be an event space and it's 80% completed, should be completed by May. And of course, like he explained yesterday, it would include vending spaces and also children play area and an entertainment area. So we're looking forward to the beach park and very shortly I'll be visiting, Mr Speaker, to see the progress that has been made. The Sturzel Arts and Craft Centre is moving again at great pace and will be completed next month in May. And this one is going to be real special because we have been working with a local creative, Mr Jalen Newdovey, who has curated what we call the Oof Tour, which will be a tour in Souffre, in Sturzel, where various artisans are visited to actually see them working in progress. So the visitor can actually witness the making of coal pots, can see somebody making baskets, another person, another piece of handicraft. So it would reflect the different components of the Sturzel community, different artistic and creative expressions, and of course it will be centred around the Sturzel Arts and Craft Centre. So the Sturzel Arts and Craft Centre will come alive once again as the centre of craft in St Lucia. And like I said, we're really excited about the Oof Tour and the possibilities that it has created. And the culture and creatives, Mr Speaker, we awarded 47 grants to support innovation and entrepreneurship within the creative sector. We offer financial assistance to artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians and other creative professionals, Mr Speaker. And for us that is really important to make sure that our creatives can come to the ministry and can get small grants to support them. And like I said, last year, for the financial year, we offered 47 grants. Again, we've placed special emphasis in the last two years on the La Rue's Festival, La Magrid Flower Festivals, the Creole Heritage Month, Emancipation Month, and all those events, Mr Speaker, are important in shaping the identity of St Lucia. And I'm sure all members here would agree that you would notice an enhanced emphasis, if one can say that, on those events to make sure we popularise them, we expose them to many more St Lucia. And we've taken a lot of pride in emancipation. From the time they're members from Catruz East give us a directive that he did not want emancipation celebrated in the same low-key manner that had been done in the past. We have seen a tremendous growth in the celebration of emancipation in St Lucia. And I know the last two years we celebrated August 1st, the event at the waterfront. And I'm hoping this year we can move to another district in St Lucia. I believe it might be Souffre this year. I hope that comes through, Mr Speaker. And what was really happening about last year was that so many communities got involved in host organizing and hosting emancipation activities. And I'm looking forward to this year for that to grow even further. And of course, the ministry is available to provide support to ensure that happens. Mr Deputy Speaker, last year the St Lucia Jazz Festival came back alive, Mr Speaker. You would have recalled when the government changed in 2016, the leader of the opposition was then Prime Minister announced that the St Lucia Jazz Festival is dead. He was very clear that it was dead and it was not going to be a feature on the St Lucia calendar anymore. What we did, what he did instead of introducing something called Soleil, which was supposed to be, I'm not sure the best way, the kindest way to describe it, but just a collection of activities with no sense, really. They really didn't have anything that really brought them together that couldn't create a sense of identity through them. But come last year, we reintroduced the Arts and Jazz Festival. We brought back, in particular, the arts component. And I can say to you, Mr Deputy Speaker, last year was phenomenal for us. We saw the largest crowds attending the shows at Pigeon Point, largest crowds, Mr Speaker. And our ticket sales were really beyond expectation, really, really beyond expectation, Mr Speaker. But what was also very exciting is that the communities came back on board with a bang. And in particular, we noticed in Babono, they introduced Rainforest Jazz and in Deriso. I'm not exactly how they describe it, but they had their own version of a fringe event for the Jazz Festival. And I'm certainly looking forward to this year, and I'll come to that later on, because already, we've seen the community of Bekso has come on board with inspirational jazz. And I was at the launch, and I can tell you the boost that the hills and the valleys will be flowing with creativity on that day. And they were inviting the Holos and Lucia to come to Bekso for that day. Deputy Speaker, for us in this government, events are important. Some people would argue we put too much emphasis on organizing those events. But we believe those events are important because they not only help create a sense of identity in the country, but they also create opportunities for our creatives to find space for their expressions, whether it is through their creativity or whether it is through the economic activities that take place. I must say, Deputy Speaker, that we are really happy with the city and what was done at Derek Walker Square for the Arts Festival last year. The Cassio City Council hosted the Junior Arts and Jazz Festival at Serenity Park. The member from Cassio Central just mentioned Serenity Park. And for sure, we're looking forward to that happening again, Mr. Speaker. I must also mention the GIS because last year, we attempted to bring back to the radius and Lucia as a radio department of the GIS. We first tried it online. It worked quite well. And then we moved on to our terrestrial broadcasts. And we are waiting the final licensing. And I'm sure the member from Cassius North will assist us in making sure that we get all the necessary approvals, Mr. Speaker. So, Radios and Lucia can be back on live on air as a radio department of the GIS. Last year, the Tourism Advisory Committee met every quarter. And I've insisted at the ministry that the TAC Tourism Advisory Committee must meet. And it must meet because we have to establish a culture of dialogue and discussion that will oversee the development of the tourism industry. We must always strive to bring all stakeholders and partners together to discuss the challenges and our best to solve them. If we do not create that culture of consultation, of dialogue, of discussion, we will always have the fear that we are not aligned, we're not working together in the best interests of Serenity Park. The tourism industry is critical. I had to laugh when I heard the leader of the opposition speak about only now we've discovered the importance of tourism. And I think it was so fascical, because my own recollection as a young professional, working with the speaker who was then Prime Minister, and when we moved from being a banana-based economy, you know, an economy that depended so largely on earnings from the banana industry. And we were shifting. And I remember that budget that was presented when the member from Vuefort South announced that the economy had to move from an agricultural-based economy to a services-based economy. He was vilified for saying so. So much was said that it got to a fig and all those things. And he said the future for us will not be there. He said it will be in the services. And the member from Catres East was given a responsibility. And I remember once teasing the member from Catres East, and I told him he didn't even have a ministry, because he had nobody in there. I mean, there was no ministry of tourism. There was a desk in the ministry of trade and commerce and industry. William George Mallett was minister, whatnot. There was no ministry of tourism. There was no department of tourism. I think there were about three persons working in somebody called Toussaint. Mack Norland. That's 1997. And I remember teasing him, and he wasn't very pleased I was teasing him that I was saying to him he doesn't even have a ministry. He was making a case to the member from Vuefort South that he needed more staff. And because, yeah, he wanted a consultancy to design a structure for the tourism industry, because we were very clear in our minds where the economy was going to go. He was also responsible for financial services to establish together with the member. So the very nurturing of the modern tourism industry in this country started then under the Labour Party government. Most hotel rooms that have been built since 1997 were built under the Labour Party government. But let's put that aside. We're looking forward and where we're going. So, Mr Speaker, I'm also very proud during last year we were able to have the Jimmy's, the hosting of the Jimmy's, the tourism awards programme. I'm very, very proud of it, Mr Speaker. And you might ask me, what is the Jimmy's? I'm sure you might have wondered, we did invite you, this speaker last year, you did not come. And I'm hoping that you'll give us your presence this year. The Jimmy's is named after Mon Jimmy, the highest pick in St Lucia. And in our view, it represents, it's in Soufre, I'm told. It represents, just like it is the highest pick, the highest level of achievement in this country, that we say to our persons in the tourism industry to strive to be the highest, the best. Just like Mon Jimmy is the towering heights of Mon Jimmy, stands over all of us, let your service delivery, let your commitment to the industry to be like Mon Jimmy, to be at that level, Mr Speaker. And somebody asked me, why do you want to spend so much money on the tourism awards? Why do you? I think we need to recognise the people that are making this economy work, Mr Speaker. The success of the tourism industry, the reason why so many of them we can boost of the revenue earned is because of the hard work of St Lucia's, Mr Speaker. We did not get a chance to really celebrate and recognise our farmers during the banana industry days, but surely in the tourism industry days and this government, we will recognise the solutions that are making a success of our tourism industry, Mr Speaker. So, I'm proud we started it last year and I can tell you that the planning is very advanced to host it again on April 13th this year. I know all members have been invited and I've always said to members, I see who's wearing the tourism pin because when people are asking for tickets and support for their activities, if you don't have your pin, you don't qualify for it, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, I'm also proud during the year that we were able to pass the Tourism Development Act. This is really, really important, Mr Speaker, because the Tourism Development Act is the legislative framework that will transform the tourism industry and during the budget debate, the debate on the bill, quite a lot was said on that and I just want to be very brief to say, Mr Speaker, that we now have a new framework, a new incentives regime. We have a new understanding of the standards that we have to set. We have a new understanding of the rule that sustainability plays within that industry. We have a clear understanding of how we're going to achieve resilience. We're going to achieve sustainability and how we're going to be inclusive because something what was so painful to us was that the concessions and incentives which existed in this country was for only the accommodation sector. In other words, the hotels and some of those other properties. Now, every single sector in the tourism industry can get concessions and incentives, Mr Speaker. And I think we're very proud of the fact and we really want to say thank you to the St. Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association, the Taxi Association and all the other stakeholders that worked with us for us to be able to achieve what we did. So, Mr Speaker, moving forward. I want to start off, Mr Speaker, by looking at page 391, Program 072, item 1501, grants and contribution where you will see $8 million for tourism marketing, Mr Speaker. As you know, the tourism levy was enacted to provide money for tourism marketing in St. Lucia. And for the last two years, Mr Speaker, the tourism levy has been providing the resources for tourism marketing. But last year, this government took a decision that despite having the levy, it was going to make allocation from central government of $8 million to allow the tourism authority to promote and support our festivals and events. So, the levy money goes to the direct marketing of the destination. And that's what it is for, primarily. But we felt we had to give extra support. So, our La Ruse, our La Margaret, Carnival, and I didn't say much about carnival as an achievement, Mr Speaker, but I can tell you, we had a phenomenal carnival last year. 18,000 visitors, 18,000 visitors came into St. Lucia in the first two weeks of July last year for carnival, Mr Speaker. And I'm told that most of the bands are already selling out, Mr Speaker. So, we expect an even bigger carnival this year. And I'm sure the member from Cassie's office and then Rinoff and all will be certainly on the road watching the carnival, Mr Speaker. That's how exciting that it will be, Mr Speaker. So, Mr Speaker, we certainly looking forward to the SLTA, the $8 million. And we've upset it very clear to the SLTA that money, the money must be used to support, you know, the fringe events in the communities for jazz, for carnival. You know, a lot of those activities that are happening throughout the communities, that that money must be used to support them to make sure that people know of their activities and that they can put on events that are viable and feasible, Mr Speaker. So, we are thankful for the $8 million. We wanted $10 million, but we didn't get all $10 million. We wanted it, but it is a tremendous, you know, allocation that is made to us. You will also see, Mr Speaker, on page 401, program 001, item 1209, a provision of under consultant services and commissions, $1.5 million for us to start implementing the Tourism Development Act. Now, this is important, Mr Speaker. And let me explain to you. You know, we want to say to the world that we have world-class standards across the tourism industry, world-class standards. In San Lucia, some properties already world-class in terms of the standards, but some are not. And we need, if we are going to boost in our marketing drives and in our promotions, that we are world-class, then we approximate world-class. And therefore, we need to start developing the capacity where we can go to the different stakeholders, we can provide the training, we can provide the support and to be able to certify them where they can boost that they have reached those standards. It is not, Mr Speaker, like the last government was thinking of in one instance, licensing people to operate. We're not licensing people to operate. We're working with you to certify your operation so you can boost of the levels that you have reached. So it's more of an enabling approach rather than a punitive approach. And for us, that's important. So that the ministry has to have the capacity to be able to provide tourism education and awareness, provide the training, provide all the different components that are needed, Mr Speaker, for us to reach that level of certification. So over the next few months, Mr Speaker, we will be rolling out a certification program, which we hope will be, you know, accepted by all tourism stakeholders as it is quite necessary for the development of the tourism industry. Again, I mentioned earlier, Mr Speaker, and you will see on page 397, that we've provided money again for the jimmies, the tourism awards. And again, I have invited all members to make sure that they are present and they are able to celebrate the contribution and the work of solutions in the tourism industry. On page 402, Mr Speaker, item 0043, you will see a total of $18,599,350, Mr Speaker. And that, Mr Speaker, is for the poor TCP, the tourism competitiveness project, the completion of the project. There's a lot that was done, Mr Speaker. And we need to complete the cash-free spark that I spoke about, the grossly recreational park, the canneries market, Mr Speaker, the member from Ansley Canaries is not here, but the canneries market is virtually completed now. And we have to say, Mr Speaker, it's made a huge difference to canneries and canneries will come alive when we officially launch it and we're waiting on the Prime Minister to give us a date when we can all and all colleagues can go down to Ansley and to launch the canneries market at Mr Speaker. So that, those monies will provide for completing the works on the boxpark, grossly, canneries and the Schroesel Craft Centre. Mr Speaker, we have also, Mr Speaker, under the policy based loan and the member from Ansley Canaries mentioned it, Mr Speaker, that under the Ministry of Finance, some of the projects which were not completed under the World Bank or our TCP, Mr Speaker, has now been placed under the Ministry of Finance on the policy based loan. And there are a number of very exciting projects, Mr Speaker, that will be completed, one of which is of very special to me along Millennium Highway, the Asfair, Mr Speaker, will be, you know, erecting a lookout at Asfair, Mr Speaker, and it will be a model lookout, Mr Speaker, and it will certainly be a place, an exciting place for persons whilst having this in the Millennium Highway, Mr Speaker, to stop and to enjoy that sunset and the view that will be there, Mr Speaker. So it's really going to be a special project. Also, Mr Speaker, the Bacai Beach, which is shared by Castery South East, the Kaldisak, the Baster Joseph, the Lacroix, the Ticcolo, the Cicero communities, the Bacai did organize a beach park there for the people of St. Lucia under the last government, but it was virtually abandoned. And in all that park you can get volleyball, small goals, barbecue pits, it's quite, it's probably the best beach park in St. Lucia. Bacai, but it was just allowed to be random. So we've taken a decision to restore it so St. Lucia can use it and to really enjoy the recreational facility. It's used for shows, for events, what not. But we also believe it can introduce a touristic element as well. And we've been told, for example, that all every cruise ship that comes has a couple thousand, at least, crew members who want places to go and spend the day. But they don't go the same places where the passengers are. But all the spots are crowded now from pigeonpoint all the way down to Vigie. So the crew really have nowhere to go. So they are looking for a place in St. Lucia where the crew can go and spend the day, have a barbecue, play some football with a local team, or have some recreation. So once we develop this park, restore it, for St. Lucia is an opportunity for us to put a few vending stalls there, create some economic activity. So who listens from Caldissac, from, you know, Basa Joseph, from Cicero, can also, you know, engage and have some kind of economic activity there. So we will look to, to upgrade it. The speaker I made mention in the last budget of the Marigou project, the Marigou Bay, is probably the second most beautiful spot in St. Lucia after the Peters. I have to say that, Mr. Speaker. It is a very special and enchanting place, Mr. Speaker. And we notice what has happened. It was neglected by the last government, Mr. Speaker. And we have, we are committed. We've gotten approvals, Mr. Speaker, to upgrade the waterfront in Marigou. We work in with a couple of the local persons in Marigou Bay and to really make it a special place. The silving of the beauty and the charm and the enchantment that Marigou Bay has. So that, Mr. Speaker, will fall under the policy based loans, Mr. Speaker. The next project this year, Mr. Speaker, is a really exciting one. It's under Ubeck. Ubeck is unleashing the blue economy of the eastern Caribbean. I'm sure the Minnesota Sustainable Development knows about it. But the three major projects we'll be doing under the Ubeck. One, we're going to develop a national tourism policy. We have to, with the new Tourism Development Act, we need to have a policy now as to how we're going to pursue the act and make sure that the act is implemented. So for the next five years, we'll have a very clear roadmap of where we are going in the tourism industry. The next one we're going to do is have a demand study to guide the expansion and development of tourism transportation. And let me take the opportunity to say a few words on this. For more than 15 years, not a single TX had been issued in this country. Not a single TX had been issued in this country, because there was chaos in that sector, the tourism transportation sector. With this government, we noticed that some work had started in the past on how to rationalize the sector. But it had not been completed. So we proceeded to take some decisive action and to make sure it is done. We met with all stakeholders, we built on previous discussions, and we came up with a free-phase approach to solving it. In the first instance, all individuals who had TXs were required to re-register. So you had to bring in your documentation, make sure you were of the right standing, and then you got reissued your TX. In the second phase, during the 15 years, persons got H-flits and were involved in tourism transportation using H-flits, which were illegal. So we then said to everyone who had an H-flit who are interested in getting the TX, can you make a request for it? And I think there were almost about 1,300 persons who wanted to transition from H to TX. So we have been going through the phase of making sure we transfer all the Hs to TXs, or these other Hs who are interested in getting the TX to transfer to a TX. The third phase now is what are the new TXs that we will issue. And we already have a long list of persons that have done the course, one of the requirements, and are waiting for TX plates. So then we have said to them, we need to know exactly how many new TXs to give. So we are going to do a demand study that will tell us exactly what the capacity is, and therefore where our shortfall is, so we will know how many new TXs to award. Now every day I get calls from parliamentary representatives, from persons out there that they want a TX, they want a TX, and I have to say to them just be patient, because the third phase has not started yet, and in this budget the money is provided for us to actually start the study. We have done the TORs, so it is a question now of we starting to do the study. And the third component under the U-beck is the most exciting one for me. It is to establish an underwater sculpture park. Now this one I'm really excited about it Mr. Speaker, because the underwater sculpture park will be telling the story of St. Lucia through having figurines, figures underwater. So it will be for snoklers, it will be for divers, it will also serve the purpose of attracting for fishing, for, you know, just so many different reasons. And just imagine Mr. Speaker that if you are a diver, I don't know if anybody in here can dive, some of us don't have beaches or sea bias, but some of us are snoklers, you can actually enjoy a representation of St. Lucia as captured underwater Mr. Speaker, and it's a fascinating experience. So very soon we will be announcing a competition for a narrative of what that park would be. So if you can just imagine, look at the motto of St. Lucia, the land, the people, the light. So you can have representations of what the land is, what the people is, what the light is. You can have, you know, representations of our folk dances and actually have figures representing the dance of our outstanding St. Lucia. You know, you could have representations of, you know, the famous, the Derek Walcuts and the Arthur Lewis and the Julian Alfred and, you know, the Darren Sammy. And we want to have actual representations of St. Lucia, actual representation. So you will actually see the representation. We might even do one of former prime ministers, no? The member from, the member from Viewford South might be next to the member from Miku South, you know, Mr. Speaker. You know, so, but we really want to make it a very special project that will become the envy of this region. I know Grenada has won, Matika has won, St. Martin has won, but you can imagine we want to make ours extra special in St. Lucia. And I must say, luckily, luckily or un-luckily, the shallowest areas to have such a park, actually you stretch from Anslerie to, you know, Marigo, just past Marigo. So somebody was saying to us, look at Savins Bay Area, look at Prowley Bay Area, what not. But we'll be looking at the different areas. We'll, we'll engage the experts and we'll be able to do so. Mr. Speaker, we, you will notice on page 402, how much time do I have left, Mr. Speaker? 45 minutes? 20 minutes? Mr. Speaker, the Community Tourism Agency, Mr. Speaker, on page 402, item 0045, you will see 3 million, $345,000, Mr. Speaker. And that will be used, Mr. Speaker, for us to have a number of projects, Mr. Speaker. Only recently we spent, Mr. Speaker, we signed a loan and a member from Anslerie Canaries was present, Mr. Speaker. And there are a number of projects that we will look to implement during the year, Mr. Speaker. The CMOS experience in Mikunov, in the Prowley Bay, Mr. Speaker, a fantastic product that Mikunov has in terms of the CMOS experience. And we've received money for us to be able to do so. We have the redevelopment of the fish fiesta in Denry, Mr. Speaker. You know, the member from Denry himself spoke about it, and he'll be getting the resources to do so. The Monley Bay, Mr. Speaker, a very important place. It is one of the most beautiful sites, sightings of castries that you can get, Mr. Speaker. It was unsafe. We had to break it down, so we need to rebuild it. And of course, the Matters Shrine, Mr. Speaker, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. And you'd remember recently the former member for Castries Central was critical and chastised me for wanting to build something in the church for tourists to come to see. I don't want to spend too much time on this, but it is something we're working with the church on. And I think it will be a fantastic, you know, edifice for us to have at the church where persons can visit it. Mr. Speaker, under creative industries on page 603, item 066, I'm really proud, really proud of my government, Mr. Speaker, because again this year, we're going to see an increase of $700,000 for the creative industries and culture in St. Lucia, Mr. Speaker. There will be more money, Mr. Speaker, for us to do more training for creatives from dance, music, art. The CDF will get more money, Mr. Speaker, for them to organize more training and development programs for our creatives in St. Lucia, Mr. Speaker. Carnival will receive its usual allocation. And the Prime Minister has always assured me, Mr. Speaker, of his commitment to Carnival and to jazz and to the festivals and he's always delivered when we went to him. So we're expecting this year, Mr. Speaker, for Carnival to be bigger, for Creole Heritage Month to be bigger, for jazz to be bigger, for Emancipation to be bigger, for Laos to be bigger. I know the member of the Henry North is always looking forward to Laos, Mr. Speaker. The drumming festival in Bellevue, Mr. Speaker, is poised to be even bigger this year, Mr. Speaker. In fact, the success of that festival has actually led to the Art Festival this year having the big drum project. And it is really a celebration of drumming in St. Lucia. And I'm sure the member for North, you have to take in that activity on the night. Oh, you'll be part of it. That's true, that's true. Well, if the member from Carnival is to give you permission to be a participant, Mr. Speaker. But this year, Mr. Speaker, we will see so much more being done for Creatives and Cultural Development in St. Lucia. And if I had more time, Mr. Speaker, and like the member from before the South, I believe you're in a conspiracy against me, Mr. Speaker, because there is so much I can see just about Creatives and Cultural Industry in St. Lucia. And the amount of money that we're now putting into that sector for it to develop, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, GIS will continue to get new equipment to develop and we're going to spend some money on making sure that Radio St. Lucia, like I said, develops as a radio department of the GIS, Mr. Speaker. The NCA, Mr. Speaker, has now been put under our ministry. And for us, it's really important. Initially, the NCA was under tourism, certainly when the member from Cassius East was minister and the member from Givort South was Prime Minister. It was removed and is now being brought back and we believe it's a better placement for it. So we will see some resources being put into the NCA to allow it to really achieve its objective. Just think about it. Why should our beaches in St. Lucia not provide basic facilities for St. Lucia when we are enjoying it? How many beaches do we have, toilet facilities and baths, Mr. Speaker, for St. Lucia to enjoy? So the NCA will get some resources this year to start a program of upgrading the experience for our people at our beaches, Mr. Speaker. And I think that's really important, Mr. Speaker. So some monies will be put in the NCA. NCA will also get some resources to enhance its patrol team to make sure we keep our beautiful beaches and lookout spots and other areas clean and tidy and well managed, Mr. Speaker. It cannot be that you pass at the lookout spots, whether above Dennery, above Ancillary Canaries on the beaches, and they are dirty and it's a very poor reflection of who we are and we're going to enhance the capacity of the NCA to be able to do so. Mr. Speaker, importantly, importantly, and I want St. Lucia and Sue to take note, we are going to bring back the rangers patrol team, Mr. Speaker. And we will be employing maybe about 70 officers in various shifts that will be able to patrol all those areas, make sure there is order on the beaches with vendors, make sure, you know, people are not harassing and there's not overcrowding and there is disorder in those areas. We need to ensure that the average St. Lucia, as well as the visitor, can go to the beach and have a fantastic experience. You don't have to be harassed, you don't have to feel intimidated that you cannot enjoy the beaches in St. Lucia anymore. Fifteen minutes left. Fifteen, you're sure, Mr. Speaker? All right. Mr. Speaker, let me, I cannot allow my time to end and not speak about Castery South, Mr. Speaker. This is a constituency, Mr. Speaker, of George Charles. As you know, George Charles represented Castery South and there has to be a special affinity between, you know, George Charles, the Labour Party, Castery South. And we have to always remember that we can say to the member of George Charles that we are still pursuing the dream that he had to make Castery South, you know, a place of choice to leave, Mr. Speaker. And I must say to the member from Castery's East and the Prime Minister, a very special thank you, and the member for Castery's North for some of the work that has happened in Castery South. Because the member from Castery's North stood here a few years ago and announced that in the upcoming financial year, the Marigold Road and the Basel Joseph Road would be reconstructed because they were of such poor quality, such poor quality. The board that was erected at the foot of the Marigold Hill announcing the commencement of the project is still there. The trucks reached there, the construction equipment region. Somebody told them, do not do it. And the road was stopped. Just think about that. That a board was erected. The company came with all its truck, all its equipment, and they were told do not start the reconstruction of the roads. And we had to wait about three years until the Labour Party came into power. And one of the first things we did was to actually implement this project. And Marigold and Basel Joseph got their roads reconstructed, Mr. Speaker. And I'm really proud of my government for this. But as it turned out, we did not have enough money to do the entire road. So from the top of Marigold down to the base, it still needs to be done. Mr. Speaker, we took a decision instead to spend some of the money to take the road into Chinatown, where most people leave Mr. Speaker, rather than keep it on that stretch. So I'm still hoping that the Minister of Finance and the Ministry of Finance who visit the area will ensure that we can complete that little piece. And also, Mr. Speaker, in the coming year, we can look at what's possible for us for the new development road in Marigold. The Marigold Early Childhood Centre also has an interesting story. John Audlam is associated many years ago in building a community centre in Marigold. Under the last Labour Party government led by the Member for the South, we started to build a new early childhood centre, which was in the previous old wooden structure that was there. And the upstairs had to be completed to serve as a community centre for Marigold. And that was never done by the last government. It's not completed. The upstairs is still not yet completed. So I'm hoping during this financial year, Mr. Speaker, we can get the resources for us to be able to complete the upstairs of the early childhood centre and the people of Marigold can have a small meeting area where they can congregate. Mr. Speaker, I was super excited when I heard the Member from Pifote North announced this morning that the Lacroix Health Centre will be relocated, Mr. Speaker, and that the works will start to identify a site where we can place that health centre. And I want to remind him that the Lacroix Health Centre is located in Cassie South. And therefore, when you are relocating, remember the jurisdiction that you have to observe. Please do not go and relocate it in Cassie South East, as the Member from Cassie South East was suggesting when he was, when he spoke. So that's his, that's his because his constituents had used it. Mr. Speaker, the Basel Joseph Community Centre is almost completed. And I must say a very special thank you to the Prime Minister and all my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, because Mr. Speaker, this was started under the last Labour Party government. It was half completed under the last government. It was stopped for five years. Nothing was done to complete the Basel Joseph Community Centre. Just think about that. Halfway built and abandoned for five years because people voted for the Central Labour Party. Well, it's almost completed. And in July, we will have a grand opening ceremony, Mr. Speaker. Ambassador Lewis, the former resident of Cassie South, I trust that he will be in St. Lucia for vocation around that time. So he can be present for the formal opening, Mr. Speaker. Goodlands, Mr. Speaker, we're continuing. The last piece of the BNTF road is being built in Goodlands, Mr. Speaker. We are hoping that we can get more of the roads built in the Goodlands area. There's a long history of this community. I don't have time tonight to say it, Mr. Speaker. But especially if land ownership, there are people who've been living on lands there for 40, 50 years. You have 10 more minutes. And they still don't have title, Mr. Speaker, for the lands that they live on. And I'm sure the members, you know, like the member from Cassie East, we fought south, and they would recall some of the issues of the cul-de-sac lands and the Goodlands lands and the geese ownership of those lands, Mr. Speaker. So it's something we will be working on assiduously during this coming year. Mr. Speaker, Cicero, feel, Mr. Speaker. Well, the member from Grossely said it, that Cicero is finally, finally, again, the member from you fought south when he was Prime Minister. Menace will approve, Mr. Speaker, to upgrade the Cicero playing field. It was top, Mr. Speaker, when the government changed, Mr. Speaker. Stop. Mr. Speaker, I even offered. I obtained the lights. I was going to put the lights and do some remedial work on the field. I was told I should not do it because I don't have the authority to do it. But two weeks before elections, the candidate of United Workers Party came up and put four electricity poles there and one light on each full and a generator, Mr. Speaker, and said he had put lights on the playing field. And then the generator disappeared. And then that was the story of the lights of the Cicero playing field. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, we've already upgraded the surface of the Cicero playing field. And if you go there now, we are finalizing the foundations and the arrangements to get sitting and lights, Mr. Speaker, at the Cicero playing field. So when completed, Cicero will have a small but a very attractive playing facility, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I heard the member from Gifot North again announced, and I'm again equally excited, page 518, item 0524, that the Cicero health center, Mr. Speaker, will be upgraded, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I get complaints from senior citizens who tell me when they get there, they have to wait for the health center to be open. If it is raining, they get wet because there's no place to shelter, Mr. Speaker. It is inadequate. Cicero is probably one of the largest communities in St. Lucia. Pauline Division F2 is bigger than Henry South, Mr. Speaker. Let's think about that. Yeah, it's almost big. Yeah, almost. Check the number of persons who live in F2. And how many live in Henry South, Mr. Speaker. It's a huge area, Mr. Speaker. And the health center is totally inadequate. And finally, we're going to get a new smart health center in Cicero. We don't need any big structure like Ancillary Health Center honourable member. But we need one which is certainly, Mr. Speaker, more functional. Mr. Speaker, the roads in Cicero needs major attention. Some of those roads were built in the 1950s also, Mr. Speaker. And we really need some attention. I'm not going to compete with my colleagues that I should get parity over them. But all I am saying, Mr. Speaker, is that in the year of infrastructure, I want some structure, you know, Mr. Speaker, in my roads, Mr. Speaker. So I'm looking forward. I can say, and I must be, I must express my appreciation to the member for Cassius North, for some of the remedial work that they have done in Seaview, in La Bellevue, some of the port rolling in Kuba Rail. I don't think the Kuba Rail road has ever been fixed in history, Mr. Speaker. And the residents quite rightfully are not very happy with me, but we've done some port rolling. And hopefully, we can get some work done there. I'm seeing a member from the North South is looking at me, as if to say that I have to come after him. But, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to make my kiss, Mr. Speaker, for the roads in Cicero to be given some attention, Mr. Speaker. The abandoned plain field. Oh, I must say, Mr. Speaker, Cicero needs a community centre. Cicero needs a community like Cicero cannot not have a community centre. It just doesn't make sense. There is no community centre in Cicero right now. You cannot have thousands of people living in a community and there's no community meeting space. But again, I'm not going to pressure the member from Cicero. He's, I think, you know, he's a very sensitive leader who understands the needs of the people. The abandoned plain field, Mr. Speaker, will be getting some attention with a nice little, you know, upgrade, what not. And we will see about this, Mr. Speaker. Fuwashu is going to get a multipurpose court, Mr. Speaker, ever since, again, the member from Vuefort South to get up the last rep acquired the lands for a multipurpose court in Fuwashu. Ever since I was a little boy, I dreamt of Fuwashu having a court, ever since I was a little boy. So I'll be the happiest man that they will open that court in Fuwashu, that the young people in Fuwashu will not have to play football on the road anymore in Fuwashu. So we, Mr. Speaker, that land has been acquired for almost seven to eight years. It was stopped by the last government. So I'm looking forward to somehow the other under the 80 million that we can get a small court for the young people to get off the road. Right now, they use the yard of the facility that's there, the toilet and the living facility. That's where they used to play their small goals. So they will get something. Mr. Speaker, the Wi-Fi, Mr. Speaker, Wi-Fi is really important for the young people and for students. Right now, in Kashmir South, we have Wi-Fi in Marigo by the HRDC, and we have Wi-Fi by the Banan Plain Field. But over the next few weeks, Mr. Speaker, we will actually, we're looking forward to the Wi-Fi, the GI-Net program, virtually providing Wi-Fi for the entire constituency. All the major clusters will be getting Wi-Fi, Mr. Speaker, from the Fuwashu Community Center, the Fuwashu Near the Nuns area, Fuwashu North. I'm sure the age you'll be happy to hear this, Mr. Speaker. Fuwashu by the Slasper Gate, Mr. Speaker, will get a point. The Mon Junction will get, the Mon Leibai will get, the Basel Shouzev Community Center will get, Monkitong will get, Mr. Speaker, Firehouse will get, the Gulf will get, Capital Management will get, Mr. Speaker, and our plan is to make sure all where we have clusters of houses where young people are, Mr. Speaker, that they will get Wi-Fi access, Mr. Speaker. The housing program, Mr. Speaker, has been a tremendous benefit, and the Member Hamcastle Central is not there, but we must say thank you to him and his ministry for the hard work that they've done to make sure that we get the resources to assist our constituents, Mr. Speaker. We, Catriceau is a very active constituency. We always have a vibe, we always have an activity, and over the next few days, Mr. Speaker, we will have numerous activities in Catriceau. Those of you who want to do some Easter reflections on Good Friday morning, we have a walk tomorrow at 5.30 from my constituency office to the Tapio Beach. You can join us. On Saturday, we have our senior citizens' Easter lunch. On Sunday, we have cricket all day in Cicero, and on Monday, we have our children, Easter, Egg Hunt, and Bonnet, in about four different communities. So, we'll be very alive and active on the Easter weekend, Mr. Speaker. I have to end, Mr. Speaker, by thanking my constituency group, my executive, and everyone who is out there with me. I always have a team with me going out, you know, mobilizing and touching base in the constituency. And we take tremendous joy in organizing our community activities. We'll be preparing for our pageant and our carnival, our domino competition, Mr. Speaker. But I want to end, Mr. Speaker, to thank all my colleagues for the support that they have given, the way we work together, and the way we support each other, Mr. Speaker, and to the Prime Minister, not just for a fantastic budget, Mr. Speaker, but that the sensitivity and the understanding of a people's politics, Mr. Speaker, putting people first, creating opportunities for our young people through the youth economy, the community tourism agency, the MSME grant facility, Mr. Speaker, the laptop program, the pass, Mr. Speaker, paying fees, Mr. Speaker, you know, the healthcare for pregnant mothers, Mr. Speaker. I can go on and on and on, Mr. Speaker. We're not only creating economic activity, we're taking care of the social existence of our people, Mr. Speaker. And it takes a leader who has a special understanding, somebody who is really nurtured and sculptured within the politics of the Labour Party to understand the importance of that, Mr. Speaker. And this budget takes that journey even further, Mr. Speaker. I don't know any grouping of parliamentarians can ever say they've gotten more than what we get to support our people, support our constituents, Mr. Speaker, and to make sure we put people first, Mr. Speaker. I think we're striving and we're approaching the right balance between ensuring we create an enabling environment for the economy to grow and for prosperity to thrive, but at the same time not leaving anyone behind, Mr. Speaker, making sure that those who don't have, those who are disadvantaged, those who are, you know, neglected can get support from us and we can also raise them, Mr. Speaker. So I'm very confident, I'm very excited about the coming year of the things we can achieve together and I still didn't look forward to implementing this budget. I wake up every morning excited to go to work knowing that there's so much we can do to transform lives, to change our country and to make it better. So wholeheartedly, Mr. Speaker, I offer my support for the motion. Thank you very much.