Moldova secures social security for 35,000 citizens in Canada
Moldovan citizens who have worked legally in both the province of Quebec and across the entire territory of Canada will be able to receive pensions and social benefits under new bilateral agreements.
The Moldovan Government, based in Chișinău, approved two projects on Wednesday, December 10, designed to expand social protection for its diaspora in Canada—a group totaling over 35,000 potential beneficiaries.
The first project initiates negotiations for a dedicated Social Security Agreement between the Government of Moldova and the Government of Quebec.
“The agreement provides the legal basis to guarantee the rights to social benefits for our citizens who have worked legally in Quebec. We currently estimate there are approximately 15,000 potential Moldovan beneficiaries in this province,” stated Dumitru Pîslaru, Secretary General of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection.
The second project authorizes negotiations and the signing of an Administrative Arrangement between Moldova’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and Employment and Social Development Canada. This Arrangement establishes the crucial procedures necessary to implement the existing overarching social security agreement between the two states.
Mr. Pîslaru noted the scale of the need: “Canadian authorities report over 20,000 of our citizens reside in the rest of Canada. This Administrative Arrangement sets out concrete collaboration procedures, information exchange, and the specific method for establishing foreign workers' rights to benefits.”
He added that negotiating this deal is part of the Moldovan Government's ongoing effort to expand pension access for citizens who have worked abroad.
The Republic of Moldova currently has about 20 Social Security Agreements signed, mainly with European Union members. Eighteen of these are already in force, facilitating the setting of pensions and other benefits. In the last four years, key agreements have been activated with Spain, Greece, and Italy—countries with large Moldovan communities—further safeguarding the social rights of thousands of Moldovan workers.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
