Smith 'Decimated' Years of Trade Commission Work, BVI Paying the Price-Skelton Cline

The Virgin Islands has been left ill-equipped to respond to major economic challenges after the government dismantled the Trade Commission, political commentator Claude Skelton Cline has claimed.

Speaking on his radio programme on July 7, Skelton Cline singled out Junior Minister for Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation Lorna Smith, accusing her of undoing more than a decade of work that went into establishing the Commission.

He argued that the decision has left the Territory without the institutional framework needed to respond to issues such as United States tariffs, consumer protection and broader economic diversification.

“In one swoop, the At-Large member, Lorna Smith, dismantled, dismantled, decimated the Trade Commission,” Skelton Cline said.

He claimed the Commission was the product of years of work spanning successive administrations dating back to 2004.

“Almost 15 to 16 years of work, effort... in one swoop, one person, at the behest of the existing government (VIP), decimated it,” he said.

According to Skelton Cline, the absence of the Commission is now being felt as the Territory grapples with emerging international trade issues.

“That's why when this whole thing with United States tariffs [came], we're in no position, no entity, no proper system in position to address these matters and how they impact our Overseas Territory,” he argued.

He further contended that the Virgin Islands lacks a coordinated strategy for economic diversification.

“No programme, no plan, no agenda for the diversification of our economic agenda and our economic outlook. Then all we keep hearing is, 'This is coming, we're going to do this, we're going to do that,'” he said.

Admit A Mistake Was Made

Skelton Cline called on the government to reverse course if it believes the decision was wrong.

“We must demand that this elected government put the things back in place that are most useful and beneficial to us as a people. If you made a mistake, say, 'I made a mistake, I'm going to correct my mistake.' If I took a misstep, say, 'I took a misstep, I'm going to correct that misstep and put the steps back in place,'” he said.

The Trade Commission was conceived as an independent statutory body responsible for strengthening the Territory's trade and investment framework, while also overseeing business regulation, competition matters and consumer protection. The enabling legislation was passed in 2020 and the Commission was formally established in late 2022 following years of policy development by successive governments.

However, in 2023 under the leadership of Premier Hon. Dr Natalio Wheatley, implementation of the Commission was suspended while the government reviewed whether the model was appropriate for the Territory.

During debate on the Consumer Protection Amendment Bill, 2026 in May, Minister Smith defended the decision, saying the government concluded that the Trade Commission would have duplicated functions already being carried out by existing agencies. She argued that the administration instead opted to strengthen consumer protection through amendments to existing legislation rather than creating another statutory body.

The bill is still before the House of Assembly.