It is a very special pleasure to address you on behalf of the Progressive Labour Party at this very special time of year. Whether you observe Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukah or anything at all, one thing that we all can celebrate is the need for all of us to be drawing closer together as opposed to being drawn further apart.

We all want a better Bermuda, we all want to provide for our families and we all want to build a better future for our children.

And while we may sometimes disagree on the best ways to do those things, at our core we all want the same things out of life — freedom, justice, equality and prosperity, for not just ourselves but for the people that we love.

Bermuda is experiencing difficult times and with many of us out of work or struggling to provide for our families, it is difficult to see that better days lie ahead.

Now more than ever we must tap into our deep, rich cultural heritage of coming together, supporting each other and displaying the friendly and charitable spirit for which Bermudians are known to possess, and to truly be our brother’s keeper.

We encourage you to reach out to your neighbours, support our local charities and do all that you can to make this time of year as joyful as it can be for all of Bermuda.

Let this season be the beginning of a new spirit of unity, charity and brotherhood that extends beyond December and into all the months and years to come.

We will pull through these difficult times. We will be the Bermuda that we all want to see become a reality IF we pull together, work together and struggle together to build it together starting NOW.

Happy Holidays and God bless the people of Bermuda.