[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
[March 3, 1997]
[Pages 229-230]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Message to the Congress Transmitting the Second Supplementary Canada-
United States Social Security Agreement
March 3, 1997

To the Congress of the United States:
    Pursuant to section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act (the 
``Act''), as amended by the Social Security Amendments of 1977 (Public 
Law 95-216, 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)), I transmit herewith the Second 
Supplementary Agreement Amending the Agreement Between the Government of 
the United States of America and the Government of Canada with Respect 
to Social Security (the Second Supplementary Agreement). The Second 
Supplementary Agreement, signed at Ottawa on May 28, 1996, is intended 
to modify certain provisions of the original United States-Canada Social 
Security Agreement signed at Ottawa March 11, 1981, which was amended 
once before by the Supplementary Agreement of May 10, 1983.
    The United States-Canada Social Security Agreement is similar in 
objective to the social security agreements with Austria, Belgium, 
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The 
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the 
United Kingdom. Such bilateral agreements provide for limited 
coordination between the U.S. and foreign social security systems to 
eliminate dual social security coverage and taxation, and to help 
prevent the loss of benefit protection that can occur when workers 
divide their careers between two countries.
    The Second Supplementary Agreement provides Canada with a specific 
basis to enter into a mutual assistance arrangement with the United 
States. This enables each Governments' Social

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Security agency to assist the other in enhancing the administration of 
their respective foreign benefits programs. The Social Security 
Administration has benefited from a similar mutual assistance 
arrangement with the United Kingdom. The Second Supplementary Agreement 
will also make a number of minor revisions in the Agreement to take into 
account other changes in U.S. and Canadian law that have occurred in 
recent years.
    The United States-Canada Social Security Agreement, as amended, 
would continue to contain all provisions mandated by section 233 and 
other provisions that I deem appropriate to carry out the provisions of 
section 233, pursuant to section 233(c)(4) of the Act.
    I also transmit for the information of the Congress a report 
prepared by the Social Security Administration explaining the key points 
of the Second Supplementary Agreement, along with a paragraph-by-
paragraph explanation of the effect of the amendments on the Agreement. 
Annexed to this report is the report required by section 233(e)(1) of 
the Act on the effect of the Agreement, as amended, on income and 
expenditures of the U.S. Social Security program and the number of 
individuals affected by the amended Agreement. The Department of State 
and the Social Security Administration have recommended the Second 
Supplementary Agreement and related documents to me.
    I commend the United States-Canada Second Supplementary Social 
Security Agreement and related documents.

                                                      William J. Clinton

The White House,

March 3, 1997.