 Well, the committee has completed their preliminary report on the minimum wage, and the prime minister has also coined livable wage. And some people ask the difference between minimum wage and livable wage. The minimum wage is what we will consider as the minimum pay that an employer will have to pay any employee depending on the category of work. But that may not be enough for somebody to survive. Even though it is the minimum wage, the person may need a little more money in order to live a decent life, and that is where the livable wage will be. And that we have to decide how do we augment that minimum wage to make it a livable wage depending on the circumstances of the employee. The committee has submitted this report to cabinet, and we are deliberating on it. And they are also waiting for them to go out in the public domain. So you will be given the information as soon as it has left cabinet. So you will be able to discuss it in the public domain because the minimum wage has serious implication, financial implication, for government as well as the private sector. It is one where once you up the wage, then it means everything else will go up, even cost of living will go up, cost of things in the public domain in terms of the supermarkets and everything else will go up because people will argue, well, people are getting a little more money now, so why don't we ask more for our items? However, the minimum wage is not a flat wage across the board. It is a wage based on sectors. So farmers will know what is a minimum wage for a farmer, what is a minimum wage for a mason, a carpenter. You know, different categories of workers will have the different wage level, which will be worked out by an hourly rate, x amount of hours, 8 hours per day, multiplied by how many days for the month will give you what your minimum wage should be like. We have received a lot of complaints that persons who work in the service industries, the wages that they take home is just not capable of supporting them. Those in the hotel sector, those who work in the supermarkets and in the dry goods stores, if you hear what they take home at the end of the month, it is not something that can help them survive. But are the employers paying them the right rate? Once they are paying them the right rate and they work it out, it should give them what we call the minimum wage in that sector. So we are hoping that the prime minister will, it will have serious financial implications for government too, because there are people who are working for government who may not be at the minimum wage level and persons who work in the hotels and in the different sectors. So that we hope in the coming months. And I think it would be timely too, because we are also looking at the issue of negotiations for public sector workers. So if all that come together at the time that government is willing to look at the salaries for public sector workers, then we can do the same for everybody across the country. Madam Minister, you mentioned that there is an anticipated cost increase to goods services, of course, with a livable wage or minimum wage change. The consideration for a livable wage came on the heels of inflation and everything else. With that, doesn't that put us back at square one? Will there be an increased period? Because give it knowledge, okay, the minimum wage has increased to be now at the livable wage, but then the prices of everything continues to go up. What we can control, will that be a risk period? Well, you see, that's where price control will come in. Government has to monitor that very carefully so that business places do not just mark up on goods because they hear that people are getting a little more money, that now they try to take it from them through rising cost of living. So that is the responsibility of government to control that. So it is not something that will automatically happen, but it can be one that would tempt some persons to increase costs of things, knowing that, especially when the government has an increase for public servants, people in the private sector and in the public domain want to increase prices, I think, because they feel that government employees are getting more money now. So why not up the price for my, what you call the low part act and your this and your banana, but it is not right because there was no additional cost to produce these goods. So why should you increase the cost? So price control has to step up on that. The point is that, let's say an employer says, well, I didn't have enough money to afford the stuff that I have now with the livable wage. I'll send, let's say, four of them home. So really the fears of, you know, one or two people being let go from companies with the introduction of that. Well, again, it is left to government will enforce. Once we put on a minimum wage, government will enforce it. However, it is left, there are people who work below the minimum wage, but it is at their own will. Government cannot tell you not to work for less money if you want to. But if you come and complain that they are not paying you the right wage, it is government's responsibility to ensure that you are paid the minimum wage that you are supposed to get. But some people agree to work for an employer less than the minimum wage. So it means once you agree, then you do not have a grievance. You cannot come and complain because you agreed to work for less money. But these are the persons who did not agree to work for less money. And we find that the employers could pay them a little more than we have to ensure that they pay them. And the minimum wage is not something that we come up with out of the blues for St. Lucia. It is compared with what happens regionally and how do they arrive at the minimum wage in the different islands in the Caribbean? You know, I'm happy when that wrote in my mind, minister. What does it speak to about the government finally ushering St. Lucia in a time and a era where Salary people will be able to get competitive salaries that will be able to or should be able to help them support their lifestyles, their families? You are a member of a cabinet that is about to introduce that to St. Lucia for the first time. Yes, I think it is a positive sign. And having worked and deal with the trade union movement for decades, when we used to compare salaries of teachers in St. Lucia and the other islands in the Caribbean, St. Lucia was doing very well. So we knew when we compare regionally. So the same way in St. Lucia, if we come up with a livable wage for the St. Lucia public, we can compare with what's happening in the other islands and we can speak to it that we are not treated, we are not treating our employees here unfairly. So it would be a positive sign for the government to see that we are apart with other Caribbean islands or even better off than some of them. So to make the report included consultation with the labor unions and of course private sector representatives, this is not an autocratic report. I'd say, hey, take it, shove it down your throat, no. OK, well, what the committee did? The committee actually went through a very scientific way of arriving at a minimum wage. And they actually used the international labor organization's standards to arrive at what should be a minimum wage for somebody living in St. Lucia. Now, some people may not like the recommendation. So right now, this preliminary report is now going into the public domain. So that is where we are engaging now. It is not the final report yet. It's going in the public domain where you will have copies of it. You will criticize, you will comment. The employers will do the same thing and the employees will complain or they'll talk, you know, until we arrive at what is acceptable. So it is not the final report yet to say this is it and nothing more. But it is promising that people will get a better wage than what some of them, especially those in the lower bracket. Last question. How accepting do you think the business community will be of this, considering in the past few years the operating costs and such have gone up, whether it's inflation or taxes or whatever, the operating costs have gone up. So how welcoming do you think the business community may be to that arrangement at this point? Well, I don't want to read the minds of any business owner, but a business is one that is set up to generate profit. And once you come up with a minimum wage that will erode some of that profit, I don't expect any business owner to smile and see it's a very good idea. However, what is important is to ensure that the employees give the employers a fair day's work for the salary that they will pay them. We do not want to fight to give people a more decent wage and then they try to rob the employer by cutting their performance short, not reporting on time, not giving quality work and everything else. So this is something that we may have a little challenge with, but no employer who has to find more money to pay the employees will be smiling about it. I don't expect them to smile, but the factory means that government will want the St. Louisian public to have a more decent way of living and if they are giving their employer a fair day's work, they have to get a fair day's pay for the work that they do. Since you mentioned back to school, all the efforts in your constituency, like the use by heading or what, what towards did you guys have to ensure that students are ready to go back to the classroom today? Well, today to be quite honest, I'm very excited because I had in excess of 250 children come to my office for assistance, for back to school assistance and I can say proudly that not one child was or missed the opportunity to benefit from the back to school program. So every child who came into my office, every single one of them were able to get some sort of assistance, especially with their books, the book component, every child was able to benefit. Also, quite a few children who made it to Saaf were also able to get some support from my office. Some students in certain instances were able to apply to Saaf, not to stand in the fact that they know very well that their parents are not in a position to be able to afford it. We're able to guarantee that once they're able to make it, once they're accepted, that I was going to see as their parliamentary about make it my business to see to it that they got the tuition paid and I can tell you about nine or 10 students from my community who on a normal day would not be able to attend Saaf given their current family circumstances, the financial circumstances of their family. Today they're going to school and they're going to school proudly and I can assure you that they're not just going to school proudly this semester, we're going to provide them with the necessary support throughout the rest of their tenure at Saaf and Louis or at Posec to make sure that the two can be, they can benefit as all the students would not be standing in their background. Just I guess one last question. Last month at the, I think it was the two year rally, you had made some announcements for your constituency like the expansion of the cemetery and some of the things that you want to place, I know the jetty, are there any sort of updates on that as yet? Yeah, definitely, at the two year anniversary I announced that we were going to put lights on the past year's playing field that has actually started. The construction has already started, the implementation of this is already, we're expecting to finish that project before end of October. As I also mentioned the when playing field, I'm happy that the minister of sports asked when am I ending my cricket competition, which made me very anxious as to why you want to know and then he said he needs to know when I'm ending so he too can mobilize his team so he can start the work on the when playing field. The expansion of the Monropole Cemetery also that is also a very interesting project given what it means to the people of Mikunof. Quite a few of our people after the past have to be buried at their so or few fort and that is not something that sits very well with the community. However, the minister of local government and his team were down there with me about two weeks ago and we engage persons living even close proximity. We have already acquired the lands, that process is completed and there are funds in the budget. So minister for local government has given me the assurance that we're going to mobilize equipment and start in a phase process. We're not going to complete it overnight but we're going to start in a phase process so that persons can now be buried in Monropole once again. So quite the jetty, I'm happy to mention that the jetty plans for the jetty, yeah. I want to say well on the way, we're almost in the stage where we can actually see what's happening on the ground. I mean, you know that there are some administrative things that you have to deal with before you actually get to that process. You have to get this year approval. Quite a few things that have to happen. We've been actively working towards these things and we're well on the way. I foresee that when Christmas come, I may spend my Christmas on the jetty. So with that, I can say a lot of things are happening in Mekunof. Who are no longer acting because the Commissioner of the Post and the Commissioner of the Police and the person of the Police, receive the best capital. Well sure, okay. Well I'm very pleased that Ms. Paulius has accepted to be the new Commissioner of the Police. She's actually on a one year contract and we need to have in the force, there was literally no succession planning. We have a call of young officers, young officers who are very capable, but we needed some time so that they could get in there as a training. They could get the required training and the experience. So Ms. Paulius is there for one year. So they can be a smooth transition into new leadership in the force. So she's there for one year and after this year, the force is going to be on the new younger leadership. But we needed that training, that period of transition for training, et cetera. Yes, Jerry. You're jumping from the jumping. Mr. Philip, I just said so. Mr. Philip was acting Commissioner and I just said that Ms. Paulius is the new Commissioner for one year to allow us time to usher new leadership into the... Yes, go ahead. Mr. Philip, because we know there have been other... Mr. Philip, there are still in job as acting Commissioner of Police. Mr. Philip was responsible. I know this, you know a lot of complain about passports again. That's happening. That is happening at a much quicker pace. You may know that we're going to be moving into a new building for the passport office. That is happening. So you'll also know that during the suppression of crime act, Mr. Philip was the one responsible for the majority of ensuring that that act came into being. But as I said, we thought that there was need for more training. There was need to usher new leadership. So Ms. Paulius is there for one year, so that new leadership can come to the... Okay, yes, sir. The leadership training is for... Well, if you're going to like who are the participants... All senior officers, everybody, all senior officers. In fact, we are going to have, in fact, we've written some friendly governments for leadership because, you know, in the force, there was something you must remember. The training vote was zero. We seem to have forgotten that. That the training vote for the police force was zero, nothing, not a cent. You also know that maintenance for police stations, police stations were maintained by dinners and lunches. You also know that the view fought police station, the roof was in a complete mess. If that roof had been fixed, it would have cost $300,000. You have to spend nearly $3 million. You also know that the grocery police station was in a complete mess, complete, and there were plans already in 2016 to construct new grocery police headquarters. That was bad, you understand? You also know that we have bought nearly 30 vehicles in the last two years. You also know that right now we are recruiting more than 70 new police officers, you understand? So it's a work in progress. This is the problem of crime and crime suppression in San Wichita. Did not start in July 26th. It didn't start that. It's been a recurring problem. So it's a recurring problem. But what I will never see, and no matter how you prompt me to say it, I will not say this person can't, but I can't. I don't know if you recall these words, Kenny can't, but I can't. I will never say that. What I will say is I will give resources because there are many people. In fact, the former prime minister promised to solve crime. He said, Kenny can't, but I can, or I will. I will never say that. I think the former prime minister tried. As all prime ministers, no prime minister wants a country with crime, no prime minister. And I will say that he tried. Of course he tried. Kenny Anthony tried. Every prime minister, why should a prime minister own a crime minister country? Let's be logical about it. Why should a prime minister want to administer a country where there is rampant crime? But what I will never say is that Sharsley could not, but I can. I'll never say that. What I will say, I'll give the police the resources. We'll put the policies in place. We'll try the best to give them the resources that they need to help in the fight against crime. Two questions for me. One, you did mention that at the end of the one year of Ms Descartes' failures that we would see a younger leadership. Is it very possible that Mr. Philip could? I never have a crystal ball. I'm not even sure what will happen in a few seconds. I can't say that. Okay, the UWP made some recommendations last year, December, and I think they submitted it again to you and they're calling on you to, I guess. When the UWP wants to make recommendations to me, they'll make them in the proper way. They'll make them with a view for discussion. I have asked, in fact, when I call for support, I'm ridiculed. So the UWP suggests I'm not in good faith. My opinion is that the UWP wants a country to be in chaos. My opinion is that the UWP wishes bad. I believe that every morning when the UWP wake up, they want to be wronged to have the same mission. That's my belief. That's my good belief. Because you can't have a country when the opposition party is actually glorifying crime, actually hoping that there are 100 million in the country, actually hoping and praying for it, actually looking to say that killing Saddam St. Vincent is because of St. Lucia, highly irresponsible. The United Lukas Party, what they are trying to do, they are trying to create chaos, disorder, disunity, confusion in this country because they have lost elections. The government will remain focused. The government will do what we have to do. We're gonna be focused, and again, I'm making the plea. I'm asking everyone, churches, civil society, let us get together to deal with the crime problems in this country. Let's get together. But I don't believe that an opposition party should deliberately spread chaos and misinformation only because they believe it will assist in the quest for power. The people of St. Lucia have taken a decision and this government is going to be a government for everyone, everyone. We've just spent nearly $8 million in education support for the students of this country. We've given every child a laptop, every child, in spite of political affiliation going to go to laptop. The opposition parliamentarians were given educational support for their constituencies and they were given similar support. The opposition parliamentarians, the two of them, I was in opposition for six years. I never got any support. This government is doing it for everyone. So the opposition politicians, they got support to buy things for school and they also got duty-free concessions. The opposition, so that they could import school supplies for the constituents. So we believe that this country belongs to all of us. We believe this country can be divided by selfish political motives and while it's your end government, we're going to be focused on developing this country for the benefit of all. This morning, school has reopened. 26,000 students are going to school. These students, we wish them the best. The government is making it all in its power. The teachers, every teacher was given $600 more as material allowance. Every teacher, the teachers who were temporary, they will be getting paid in September. We've increased it from $800 to $1,400. We never said we give it to some teachers. Every teacher got it. We increased it. It is something that we initiated by the Lair Party when we were in government. We've increased it this year. Every teacher. Schools, schools, we understand that there is need for general repairs in all the schools. Within our fiscal constraints, we've tried to repair as many as possible, but that is work in progress. In fact, I am seeking some funding so that we can do major repairs in the schools that need it. We understand that the conditions in the schools are not perfect and I'm thanking the teachers and the students for bearing the first. But there must be some responsibility. We can't continue to vandalize school furniture. We can't continue to vandalize the school equipment, but I'm gonna show you that we are trying our best. We are trying our best to ensure that schools are repaired. But it's holistic. Every child got $500 when they passed to go into secondary school. Every child, every child got a laptop computer. Every teacher got the increase in their material allowances. And every school, regardless of the constituency, in terms of priority, there was repairs in every school. Further, we have a one-university graduate. We have, the government has a policy that will try to get every household to have one student going to a university. Because I'm sure you know about students who are very capable, but because their parents could not afford it, because their parents or they could not get a scholarship because the limited number of scholarships, they could not go to university. We have something called the first generation scholarships where households where children, neither the parents or the grandparents ever went to a university, they will be going now, we will try to get them now. We've done a hundred of them. Don't get me wrong, everyone can get it at one time, but it's a work in progress. We also have never before are so many solutions going out to study at university. And further, we have a grant program which is going to be administered by a separate board to give financial support to students to get university education. Not everybody. Everybody can get it at one time. Everybody will never go at one time. And further, for those students who are not, it's a word I don't like to use, academically qualified, I don't like to read at all, they're going to, we're expanding TV, technical vocation and education. So these students can get, can learn skills that they want to learn. So many things are happening in education. Many things are happening. So I just hope that the students make use of the opportunities that are available to them. And I want to thank the teachers for their dedication to the cause of education in this country. Mr. Prime Minister, next week we'll be having a curriculum meeting. One of the issues is Haiti. Will Senators be sending any translation to Haiti? No. Well, there is, we have been asked to do that. I've discussed it with my cabinet. As you know, Dr. Kenya Anthony is part of a group of wise men who are, you know, Dr. Kenya Anthony is part of a group of wise men who are right now in Haiti who are doing some work to see they can work with the different groups in Haiti but it's a decision that I have not taken. But there's some sort of monitoring situation. We continue to monitor, but we're working with curriculum as far as this is concerned. We are taking the curriculum position. We're working with curriculum. And I suppose climate change will be under agenda. In fact, there is a meeting at the end of September in, in, in Guinea-Lam, climate change. And I've said to you, to you before, every time I get up, I listen to the weather forecast. This is one of my biggest concerns. That's one of my biggest concerns. The threat of a major hurricane hitting, hitting, hitting our region, particularly San Ocean. It's one of my biggest concerns. This, I lose sleep over that. Something we have no control over but something that is reality because of climate change. This is one of my biggest concerns. Earlier in your, I guess, response to the crime situation in relation to the opposition, you said that you don't think that they're using the best means of I guess, putting forward their recommendations. So what would be... I don't do the recommendations, you know, honestly. I read it and I didn't see the recommendations. I saw statements. I didn't see let's do this and that will happen. I saw statements. Statements, statements. The opposition, I'll tell you something. The opposition ridicules me. When I come and speak, when I say, let us sit together to work on it, they ridicule me. They try to. I mean, I can't be ridiculed but they ridicule me. I'll tell you something. I have to be so careful what I say. Do you know I can't say the word tall or short? I can't say these words. I mean, this is really rough on me. I cannot say tall. I can't say it. If I say it, it's a whole story. I mean, this is so unfair but I will never tell any of you. I will never, and that you are against me or you just support me or I'll invite the entire public to listen to all the press. I will never say that I will never single out any of you to tell people don't listen to your love or I'll never do that. I am from a whole era of free press. I'm from an era where people, I lived the time, you young gentlemen, I lived the time when radio stations were closed. It wasn't a Labour Party. I have lived a time when radio stations were closed by governments. You know? The history, you know, there are some people who know the history very well, but they very conveniently forget it and use it at some point when they want to, you understand? I will never make these statements. I will never tell you that I'll never tell the public don't listen to you. I'll let the public judge for themselves what they must listen to. No will I ever call you a hyena if you laugh. I'll never do that. But you know, there is one rule for me and one rule for somebody else. I will never say the things that I hear. I will never blanketly blanket call people corrupt and I won't do that. You understand? But, no will I ever, ever engage. I'm no one. You know? Sometimes I laugh because when people accuse me of things I tell them play the tip. Like the $1,500 they accuse me of saying no one can produce a tip to say why I said so. You know? When they say I'm against investment nobody can ever have Philip Joseph Pierre in any platform. Political platform. Parliament. Or any speech ever criticized for investment. Never. The most investment in this country came when I was a minister of investment under the Kenny Antony government. There is no one who can produce any tip that can ever see I ever criticize for investment or I haven't made any racial statement. No one. The only statement I make is myself. I say what I look like and I say who I am. So all these produce a tip produce it. I can produce tips. I can produce tips of medicans and backing dogs. I can produce these tips. I can produce them. I can produce things of mass. I can produce these tips. But produce mine. Bring anything I am accused of. Bring the tips that say what they say I said I have never I have said to the whole world that I was born with a disability. You know that I said to the whole world I said to the whole world I said to the whole world that I started I said to the whole world I'm not ashamed of that I've never been ashamed of God has been good to me and the people of Cassis Ease have been good to me and the people of the Labour Party have been good to me. So I have never been ashamed of I know that this job is temporary and at some time it's going to end and I live that every day. So I'm very pleased with the Labour Party, the Government and how we are promoting Senoksha. sure. Again, you see, again, that's another story. The youth economy is a success story that everyone, everyone seems to have forgotten. This is the first government. I don't really recall when we spoke about the youth economy. Remember what the opposition was saying? Do you remember? And then again, you can quote it. These are quotes. When we decided the youth economy now has doled out a million dollars in grants, not even loans as yet. And the Caribbean Development Bank has injected, will inject, the process of injecting over $14 million, $16 million of loans and grants into the youth economy. And absolutely no politics. In fact, I get criticized for not being more involved in the youth economy. An idea I just let the people handle. Absolutely no politics. You saw who got the grants. I never knew that, nor will I ever oppose it. Because I believe that there are certain things where the people of the country must benefit. Sports, education, economic empowerment can have no political colors. Yes. Last, you see. I was asking about, you mentioned cash release. I think over the weekend, you're supposed to have your 15th annual academic honouring ceremony. I think that's great. So what was, I guess, already outcomes of that, how do you feel, I mean, for the 15th? I invited you, I thought you'd come, but you didn't come. I expected the press to attend. I mean, I invited the press. It was wonderful. Six young people, they answered the free rounds of questions. It's the 15th time I've done that. The prices were a laptop computer for the students who wins a monetary prize and a bag full of school supplies. And every child who topped their class in the combination examination, I think there's a new word for it now. They got school supplies and they also got a tablet. So the prices were good. And then there was a motivational speaker, some young lawyer, a young lawyer, his name is Peter Marshall, spoke to the people. And then it was very, very, very interesting. The young people enjoyed themselves. Again, there was absolutely no political color. The students are not chosen by me. They're chosen by the school. And you see the difference between me. I will never go on Facebook. And you know, in my constituency, I gave out tons of exercise books and school bags. But I wouldn't, okay, that will not be on Facebook. I've done that for so many years. And the people who sell notion understand that. The people of my constituency understand that. So they know that the parliamentary rep will never go on Facebook and see what he did for them. They, they, they reward me by giving me 2000 votes majority and thing. That's how they reward me. So I don't have to do this kind of thing. Yes. Yes, I am. Because they are dividing country, by misinformation, by going abroad with misinformation, by saying things that are completely not true, by trying the best to stop the good name of St. Lucia, by trying the best to make investors get disinterested in this country, and I am putting it, and if you look at the utterances, I make no apologies for it. If you look at the utterances, if you look at what they say at their turn-hold meetings, you will see a straight division, divisiveness, all because they want to halt the progress of this country. And I make no apologies for saying that. I understand criticism, I've been involved in opposition politics. I know opposition politicians want to get back into government, but you get back into government by a process. You get back into government by giving ideas, not by blatant lies and things that are obviously not true, no proof. And what they do, they move from one lie to another. So they say something, it wasn't true, they drop it. I'll tell you something. Look at the accusations that the opposition has made on this government, and have you heard them ever come back and say, that's not true? Just say a lie, drop it, say, oh, oh, give some misinformation and drop it. And the same thing is that people do not want the government to defend itself. People get annoyed when the government defends itself. We can't allow people to just say things that are obviously not accurate and can be proven not to be accurate. They're not true. I'm not just saying, and I ask, bring the proof. But what the opposition does is that they try to spread discontent. They try to spread disunity, all because they want to hold the progress of the people of this country, because they've lost elections. I understand criticism. I was in opposition. I understand it, and I welcome criticism. But do it not with things that are obviously misinformation. So I stand by my statements, and I make no apologies for it. I think the opposition is trying to destroy St. Lucia because they've lost elections. And I have made no apologies for it, and then I am not seeing all the members, I'm not seeing all the U.S. supporters. I'm seeing the leadership of the United States party, the leadership, because I'm sure that there are U.S. supporters who want to see St. Lucia progress. But the leadership of the United States party, they are the ones who are trying to create mayhem and destruction in this country because they've lost elections. And I make no apologies for saying that. Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. Thank you.