The Senate passed the bill to make Portmore, Jamaica’s fifteenth parish today.

It will go next to the Governor General for his assent.

Before passage, the bill entitled “An Act to Amend the Counties and Parishes Act to Declare the City Municipality of Portmore the Fifteenth Parish of Jamaica” was debated by both Government and Opposition Senators.

Government Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, who opened the debate, noted that transitioning Portmore to parish status is a monumental and beneficial move.

She also lamented that the last parish was declared during the British colonial rule.

Senator Johnson Smith also sought to again dismiss claims that not enough consultation was had with stakeholders about the parish status.

This process, she said, started in 2020.

However, Opposition Senator Peter Bunting doubled down on the argument that the move to transition Portmore to a parish was undermining the electoral process.

He also described the move as deceptive.