Ceremonial Opening of Parliament for February 14

The 2023/2024 Parliamentary Year will begin on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 with the traditional Ceremonial Opening of Parliament at Gordon House. Governor General Sir Patrick Allen will deliver the Throne Speech which will outline the Government’s legislative agenda for the upcoming parliamentary year.

Unlike the Openings in 2021 and 2022, which were curtailed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s will see a return to the full slate of invitees. In addition to parliamentarians and their guests, state officials, custodes, mayors and representatives of the diplomatic corps will be invited. This year’s ceremony will also see the ‘March to Gordon House’ led by the prime minister and the leader of the opposition being done in the traditional manner.

In commenting on the ceremony, Minister of Tourism and Leader of the House, Edmund Bartlett, said:

“This year is significant, as we seek to recapture the grandeur of the ceremony prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jamaicans are resilient and we believe in properly celebrating the significant milestones in the life of our nation. With our jubilee celebration still fresh in our minds, we should mark this Ceremonial Opening with the same gusto and pride we demonstrated when we celebrated our first ceremonial opening in April 1963, mere months after becoming an independent nation.”

After the ceremony, the House of Representatives will reconvene at 2 p.m. for the tabling of the 2023/2024 Estimates of Expenditure.

The event will be broadcast live via the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica, the Jamaica Information Service, and other platforms.