2021 Legislative Luncheon - President Michael Gibbs Opening Address

Opening Address by President Michael Gibbs at the 2021 Legislative Luncheon, July 8, 2021, Aurea Ballroom, Kimpton Seafire Resort and Spa Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to begin my comments by first thanking the Governor, the Premier, members of Cabinet and Parliament and senior Government officials for taking time from your busy schedules to participate and attend this annual Chamber luncheon. Each year Chamber members look forward to meeting and interacting with their elected and official representatives and senior public servants, as demonstrated by today’s soldout audience. I sincerely hope you will all find today’s luncheon informative and interactive. As this is the first opportunity we have had since the election, I would also like to publicly thank the members of Parliament who participated in the Chamber’s Candidates Forums in March and April. The Chamber has been hosting these forums each election and by-election since 1988, as a non-partisan platform to provide voters with an opportunity to compare the candidates’ positions on the key issues. We received very positive feedback concerning the online format of this year’s forums and I trust that they helped voters to decide their preferred candidates in this year’s election. My final expression of appreciation on behalf of Chamber members goes to the Governor, the past and present elected Governments, public sector officials and public and private health care professionals for keeping our islands safe during the global pandemic. Your efforts, from swiftly securing our borders to quickly obtaining a steady supply of vaccines from the United Kingdom, have been truly heroic and we will be forever grateful. Thank you for your ongoing efforts. Reopening our borders The topic at the forefront of most Chamber members’ minds is the safe reopening of our borders, and this has been vigorously debated for several months. Marc Langevin, President of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, serves on the Chamber Council and he has been