Ken Dryden, Minister of Social Development,
announced today that His Excellency, Robert Andrigo, Canadian Ambassador to Lithuania, has signed an International Social Security Agreement with the Republic of Lithuania, on behalf of the Government of Canada. The agreement was signed in Vilnius, Lithuania.
    Mrs. Vilija Blinkeviciute, the Minister of Social Security and Labour, signed on behalf of the Republic of Lithuania.
   Social security agreements between Canada and other countries help people who have lived or worked in both Canada and another country to qualify for old age, retirement, disability, or survivor benefits from both countries.
    The Agreement applies to Canada's Old Age Security program and Canada Pension Plan and the comparable Lithuanian pension program, which provides old
age, disability, and survivor benefits.
    Normally, to qualify for a benefit under the Lithuanian pension program, a person must have contributed to the program for a minimum number of years.
Under the Agreement, people can add together periods of social security coverage under the programs of both countries to qualify for Lithuanian social security benefits.
    In the same way, to be eligible to receive certain benefits under the Canada Pension Plan, a person must have contributed to the Plan for a minimum period. Under the Agreement, Canada will allow people to add periods of
contribution to the Lithuanian pension program to qualify for Canada Pension Plan benefits.
    Similarly, to qualify for an Old Age Security pension, people must have resided in Canada for a minimum number of years. The Agreement allows applicants in Canada to use their periods of contribution to the Lithuanian
pension program to meet the residence requirements for an Old Age Security pension.
    The Social Security Agreement between Canada and Lithuania also ensures that Canadian workers can continue to contribute to the Canada Pension Plan if their employer sends them to Lithuania to work temporarily. In this way, their
Canada Pension Plan protection will not be interrupted. The Agreement also ensures that Canadian companies and their workers are exempt from contributing
to Lithuania's pension program while they are working in Lithuania.
    The Agreement between Canada and the Republic of Lithuania will enter into force after both countries complete approval procedures specified in their legislation or constitution. It is anticipated that the Agreement will
enter into force in 2006. To date, Canada has signed social security agreements with 49 countries.