Mr. Speaker, yesterday in Washington, D.C. a three-day world microcredit summit came to a close. Three thousand delegates from around the world took part in this historic event. Through promotion of microcredit policies, organizers hope to reach 100 million of the world's poorest families, especially the women of those families, with credit for self-employment.
I had the opportunity to attend this summit as a member of the Council of Parliamentarians. I firmly believe that microcredit can be used as a powerful tool in the struggle to end poverty and economic dependency both in underdeveloped and industrialized countries.
I want to congratulate the efforts of Results Canada and particularly the members of Results Canada in my riding of Annapolis Valley-Hants for their work in promoting microcredit lending. I want to call upon our government to promote the microcredit concept as an important means of eliminating poverty and creating opportunities for a sustainable future.