Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.
No matter where in the world a reservist or a member of the regular forces is deployed, the family and those left behind go through a great deal of stress. Of course, the Canadian Forces can help out, but being separated from one's family for six months and often more is extremely stressful. The financial benefits are there to ease the burden.
These folks do not have the same salaries we have. They might earn $50,000, $60,000, or maybe $70,000 a year. When they are deployed, at least they earn this financial benefit and can tell their family that they can splurge a bit in life and that this extra income will help them.
As I said in my speech, the spouses who stay home can rarely get a job to earn extra money because soldiers are often deployed all across Canada. These benefits do not cost the government much and they go a long way to putting our troops' minds at ease.