Thank you for asking this.
When it was time for my husband to retire, he opted for a reduced pension--I believe it was 10%--so that if something happened, and of course that was the case, I would receive a pension. As an old age pensioner I have Régie des rentes du Québec, but this survivor pension makes all the difference in the world.
He had 10% off his full pension. That was what we started with. When he passed away, I received 60% of the pension he was receiving at the time of his passing. We're talking about an extra 30%. This is a lot. Think about it: 10% meant 40% more off, and now over 30%, I believe.