    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 10 (Monday, March 10, 1997)]
    [Pages 276-277]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    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 Supple

    [[Page 277]]

    mentary 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 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.