Mr. Speaker, subsequent to its tabling on February 6, 2009, by the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs it is my privilege on behalf of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development and the Government of Canada to table Order in Council P.C. 2009-535 authorizing the entry into force of the Agreement on Social Security between Canada and the Republic of Poland.
The Canada-Poland agreement is designed to coordinate pension benefits between the two countries. Upon its entry into force it is estimated that the Canada-Poland agreement will immediately benefit over 5,000 Canadian residents.
The agreement covers benefits for some of the most vulnerable groups in Canadian and Polish society: seniors, disabled individuals, surviving spouses and dependent children for whom income security is critically important.
With this agreement we are ensuring that hard-working Polish citizens and Canadians receive the social security benefits that they have earned.