January 26, 1984
To the Congress of the United States:
Pursuant to section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)), I transmit
herewith the Agreement between the United States of America and the Government of Canada
which consists of five separate instruments negotiated and signed over a period of several
years.
The U.S.-Canada agreements are similar in objective to the social security agreements already in
force with Italy, the Federal Republic of Germany, and Switzerland and to proposed agreements
with Belgium and Norway which were recently submitted to Congress for review. Such bilateral
agreements, generally known as totalization agreements, provide for limited coordination between
the United States and foreign social security systems to overcome the problems of gaps in
protection, and of dual coverage and taxation for workers who move from one country to the
other.
I also transmit a comprehensive report prepared by the Department of Health and Human
Services. This report explains the provisions of the Agreements and provides data on the number
of persons affected by the Agreements and the effect on social security financing as required by
the same provision of the Social Security Act.
The Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services join with me in
commending the U.S.-Canada Social Security Agreement and related documents.
Ronald Reagan
The White House,
January 26, 1984.