We are also redoubling our efforts to try to persuade the US government to reopen and renegotiate the clean-up of Morgan's Point. We will keep you apprised of our progress.

On another front, we are committed to working with the US State Department to get relief from what Bermudians call the "stop list". We believe that it is unfair and unjust for someone who committed a minor criminal offence 20 years ago to be prevented from travelling to the US, or to have to undergo the humiliating experience of being stopped and detained. We understand clearly that these laws affect people all over the world – they were not just written for Bermuda. But your government will be aggressive in seeking innovative solutions to prevent young people from ever getting on the so-called "stop-list". We shall also work on behalf of older people who have long-since paid their debt to society, and deserve to be able to freely travel.

Meanwhile, everyone in this community should be aware of Government's commitment to fight crime. The high levels of anti-social behaviour we have seen in recent times have got to stop, so addressing the misdirection of some of our young people and the trend toward gun crime are among our greatest priorities as we look ahead.

I now speak for Cabinet and all of Government when I state that we are deeply frustrated with the current approach to tackling crime. Constitutionally, we are hamstrung. We control the purse strings but have little or no say in how the fight is managed. That is why we took the opportunity in London as recently as a couple of weeks ago to leave the UK Government in no doubt that the people of Bermuda need operational control of the Bermuda Police Service. Increasing criminal activity threatens the very social and economic fabric of our island, and it must stop. We need solutions now. And we are going to find them.

On another note, tonight, you will be pleased to know that Government is delivering on our promise for Public Access to Information, or PATI, legislation. I am elated to inform you that a draft PATI Bill is now in the public domain for consultation, and is available on Government's website at www.gov.bm. Tomorrow, hard copies will be delivered to relevant stakeholders covered by a letter from me inviting feedback; and Friday's Official Gazette, The Bermuda Sun, will feature information on how you can provide us with your views.

We are now less than a month away from the Convening of Parliament. My hope is that your feedback will be provided in time for us to table this Bill in the House during the upcoming parliamentary session.

With all of the focus on Tourism, International Business and the other issues I have addressed this evening, it is important that I assure you that your Government considers the well-being of our people to be equally, if not more important, than anything else. We will continue to meet the needs of everyday Bermudians.

• Free and subsidised day care has been delivered.

• There are numerous senior citizens enjoying the benefits of FutureCare in spite of what you might hear. We will continue to refine this very worthwhile program for our seniors, to ensure that they will always have access to health care during their golden years.

• On Monday, we unveiled Bermuda's first 24-hour drug treatment facility. We expect that offering intensive drug rehabilitation on the island will help turn around the crippling impact of drugs in our community and go a long way toward curbing drug-related crimes.

• We are committed to providing shelters for people who are homeless, and further, to providing them with the supportive services that they need to become fully productive once again.

• We will continue to encourage entrepreneurial excellence through a vibrant Small Business Development Corporation and the creation of Economic Empowerment Zones in key areas around the Island.

• Finally, we will be even more aggressive in finding jobs for Bermudians. We will identify companies who violate immigration and employment laws, and we will force them to stop. We will not allow our fellow Bermudians to fall between the cracks.

We've come a long way. And we have a long way to go. As we have experienced challenging times and look forward to exciting times, my message to you with all that we do, is that we must come closer together as we forge ahead to what the future holds for us. We need to cease to be motivated by our differences of opinion, and start to be driven by our common love for Bermuda. As Premier of this island paradise, I am humbled, I am honoured and I am grateful. I am calling on all who live and love here to use this 400-year hallmark to begin a new paradigm – together focused as One People for One Bermuda.

Imagine. We only need to reflect momentarily to conclude that but for the unity of the people who landed on this then-isolated island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in 1609 – we would not be here today to celebrate this 400th year.

And what a fabulous celebration we are having! All Bermudians – old and young, black and white, rich and poor, pro-independence, loyalists, and royalists, and … believe it or not, both UBP and PLP — are looking forward to the honour of having Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip visit Bermuda at the end of November.

Whatever our persuasion or philosophies, we can unite and note that the visit of Queen Elizabeth to any country in the world is an extraordinary occasion. It is a particular honour for Bermuda to receive her in this, our 400th year of existence.

In conclusion, let us commit to embark upon our next 400 years the way our forefathers must have committed to our first. Let us be remembered as men and women who lived through challenging times with hopeful hearts and positive spirits. Let us together summon the strength of our Bermudian character, and fiercely resolve to help the less fortunate and make prosperity and success available to the many and not just a few.

Let us promise that day by day, year by year, with God as our witness and our guide, we will steadfastly move toward uniting as One People for One Bermuda — emboldened not by our differences, but by our common heritage and our shared hope for a prosperous future.

May God bless you and your families this evening! Thank you and Good Night!