In a scathing critique of the current administration’s legislative conduct, Ralph Gonsalves has accused the government of undermining parliamentary integrity by circulating “doctored minutes” that omit critical proceedings from the House of Assembly.
Gonsalves’ allegations center on the draft minutes of the April 21st parliamentary session, which he claims purposefully exclude a pivotal statement made by Prime Minister Friday regarding contentious constitutional amendments.
According to Gonsalves, during the April 21st sitting, the Speaker called on the Prime Minister to address items five and six on the order paper the Constitutional Amendment Bill and the Representation of the People Amendment Bill. Gonsalves asserts that Friday explicitly stated he would not proceed with the bills at that time, characterizing them as “proposals” subject to “widespread consultation”.
However, Gonsalves points out that the 30 pages of circulated minutes contain no record of this exchange. The minutes reportedly show the passage of the Advanced Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record Bill 2026, followed immediately by a motion for adjournment.
“Is this what we’re going to have now? Doctored minutes,” Gonsalves questioned, describing the omission as a “slight of hand” intended to hide the history of the legislation. He noted that while the proceedings were allegedly removed from the Agency for Public Information (API), they remain preserved on YouTube as proof of the Prime Minister’s statements.
The dispute over the records is tied to the substance of the bills themselves, which seek to retroactively allow citizens with dual nationality to run for office, backdating the legality to 1979. Gonsalves argues these bills are “self-serving,” designed specifically to protect the eligibility of Friday and Bramble, whose Canadian citizenship is currently the subject of an active court case.
Gonsalves characterized the government’s attempt to legislate on a matter currently before the judiciary as:
- A misuse of parliamentary power and an encroachment on the judiciary.
- Undemocratic and “anti-democratic” in nature.
- A “totalitarian act” seeking to circumvent the rule of law.
“They want to use the majority in parliament to circumvent the court. This is very dangerous,” Gonsalves warned, adding that the bills were brought “almost like a thief in the night” with only seven days’ notice.
With the bills reappearing on the order paper for the July 2nd sitting—despite no public consultations having taken place—Gonsalves has issued a direct challenge to the Speaker of the House, the Clerk, and the Prime Minister to correct the draft minutes.
He urged civil society, including the Christian Council and trade unions, to denounce what he termed a “subterfuge” and warned that any attempt to push the bills through during the carnival season would result in a “big fight” and “political bakanal”.
“The minutes have to properly reflect what took place in Parliament,” Gonsalves insisted, stating that trust is the essential tie between a government and its people, and that trust has now “broken down completely”.