Governor General announces enactment of several laws this parliamentary session

Monday, April 19, 2010 – Governor General Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy, says the government of Saint Lucia will aggressively pursue the enactment of laws aimed at bringing stability to the island’s financial sector.

In her throne speech at the commencement of the fifth session of the ninth Parliament of Saint Lucia, the Governor General revealed that the government will expedite the enactment of the remaining bills recommended by the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, to harmonise and consolidate the sub-region’s financial sector.

These bills include the financial services regulatory authority bill for the independent monitoring of the financial sector, the insurance bill, and the commercial code amendment bill.

“At the local level too, government has a duty to protect taxpayers from wastage and loss of public funds as a result of non-compliance with the country’s financial laws. Three bills will therefore be tabled government loans and guarantees, and to facilitate the recovery of debts to government.”

The Head of state says, a number of Acts that have been passed, but not yet implemented, will become operational in this parliamentary session.

Among them, the Labour Code which was passed in 2006, but to which some amendments have been proposed.

A commencement date will be set after these amendments have been passed in Parliament.

The Governor General says several other new pieces of legislation will be enacted during this parliamentary session.

“Among the new pieces of legislation which my government proposes to enact during this session are: The national symbols Act to engender national pride and national identity; a justices of the peace Act to provide a code of conduct and guidelines for justices of the peace; a forest Act to strengthen the protection of the forests; and the establishment of a law reform and review commission to develop local capacity to revise and update our laws.”

The Head of state says government will also seriously consider whether Saint Lucia should accede to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), as Saint Lucia’s final court of appeal in civil and criminal matters.

[ Home ] [ Up ] [Site Help]

Read our privacy guidelines.