Senator Farley formally elected President of the Senate

The Upper House today formally elected Senator Reginald Farley as the new President of the Senate.

The formal ceremony occurred just minutes before Governor General Dame Sandra Mason commenced her second Thorne Speech in the Senate Chamber this morning which was temporarily switched to the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St Michael, to allow for social distancing and other protocols associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The historic Parliament Buildings in Bridgetown are still undergoing environmental cleaning and upgrading, and Parliament has been shifted to Worthing Corporate Centre in Christ Church in the meantime.

Senator Farley, who up to earlier this month served as the island’s High Commissioner to Ottawa, was nominated by Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Senator Dr Jerome Walcott and seconded by Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn.

Before turning over the President’s chair to Farley today, Deputy President Senator Rudolph Greenidge warmly welcomed him back to the Upper Chamber, where he started in 1994 as a young Senator.

Responding to the welcome from his Senate colleagues, Farley said he was happy to serve in his last diplomatic posting but he was equally happy to be back home in Barbados and in the new leadership position.

In addition, the new President of the Senate said Barbados had done well in the management of COVID-19 including the testing process. He cited the fact that the results of his PCR COVID-19 test done in Canada took three days for the results to be returned, while the two tests he had undertaken in Barbados were back in 24 hours. This, he said, was testament to the quality of care and the hard work of public officers in the Ministry of Health and related departments. (IMC1)