Mr. Speaker, three years ago I tabled a bill that would protect the rights of professionals and good Samaritans who risk contracting a disease when exposed to someone else's bodily fluids.
Isobel Anderson, an Ottawa police officer, was one of the bill's earliest supporters. At committee meetings, community events and press conferences she told the heart wrenching story of how she was stabbed with a blood filled needle. Yet there was and is no law that compels a suspect to give a blood sample to help determine a course of medical treatment. Her efforts helped push the good Samaritans act to the committee stage twice and onto the agendas of the Attorneys General of Canada and the Uniform Law Conference of Canada.
Like other police officers, Ms. Anderson does more than just enforce the law. Her colleagues look up to her and she is often a source of advice and comfort for others facing similar nightmares. Her outstanding achievements have been recognized by her peers and she has now been nominated for the Ontario Women in Law Enforcement Award.
We wish Isobel Anderson the best during the selection process, but more important, we thank her and thousands of other police officers who give of themselves every day to make our lives better.