Thank you very much.
I find it remarkable that Mr. Comartin would try to somehow compare people in prison with long-term-care people or veterans. I think the very important distinction is that they have not committed a crime against others in society.
I'll ask you whether there are any international precedents. You could maybe mention that.
I do want to read from a letter from a constituent of mine, who wrote from Redvers, Saskatchewan, and perhaps summarized it well:
The taxpayers of this country are providing room, board, and medical care for these people, (and that's part of the premise, I take it, behind the bill), who have chosen to disregard the rules of our justice system and the rights of those they have acted against. We should not be providing pensions.
In other words, this is not meant to be a savings account or a way of saving, particularly for those who have committed offences.
Is that the general principle behind this bill? Secondly, is there precedent for this on an international basis?