Their homework should have been done before this flawed legislation was passed. Every year hundreds of Canadians gather in the nation's capital to honour these men and women who gave their lives in the line of duty. The murder of a peace officer is tragic and unacceptable. It is for this reason that I recently introduced Private Members' Bill C-344 which would end any chance of early parole for those convicted of the first degree murder of a peace officer in Canada. This measure is supported by the Canadian Police Association and over 1,200 Canadians from every part of Canada who have signed a petition.
Police deserve our support.
Bill C-344 acknowledges that those who died and are honoured on this Hill shall never, ever be forgotten. Twenty years ago Dr. Yunus founded the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and began to lend small amounts of money to those who had never been considered acceptable credit risks before, mainly impoverished rural women. These women invested the loans with spectacular returns, thus benefiting all members of their families and the economic health of their country. Microcredit is now included in development projects worldwide, in developed countries as well as poor ones. The Calmeadow Foundation in Toronto is a pioneer in Microcredit in this country, making small loans available to the inner city poor and to aboriginal groups throughout Canada.