Madam Chair, a number of years ago, the Auditor General talked about how the reserves had not been supported because of the neglect by the previous government, cutting the recruiting and funding. We take recruiting and retention very seriously. This four years of guaranteed summer employment is having a tremendous impact, something I hear quite regularly across Canada about the reserves. It is not only being able to recruit more, but it is about retention as well.
I talk to reservists directly. We are giving them the certainty that the reserves are going to be well looked after, not just as a sideshow because they did not have the proper resources in the past. We are actually utilizing the reserve. We have seen a direct impact on domestic operations. When a dike broke in Montreal, members of the reserve helped evacuate families, in 50 minutes. If it were not for them, things would have been much worse.
We can all be proud of the great work our reserve members.