Among the benefits of the agreement is that workers will be able to access retirement.
Ecuadorians who reside in Canada and Canadians who work in Ecuador will be able to add the social security contributions they make to the systems of the two countries and thus be able to access benefits such as retirement for old age, disability or death. This is part of the agreement signed on Monday, June 24, in Quito, by Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld and the Canadian ambassador to Ecuador, Stephen Potter.
Present at the event as an honorary witness was Eduardo Peña, president of the board of directors of the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security (IESS), the entity that in Ecuador will be in charge of the application of the agreement.
The chancellor explained that the agreement will benefit the Ecuadorian community living in Canada, which numbers around 25,000 people. Sommerfeld specified that the agreement comes into effect upon signing; that is, since June 24. The years of work and contributions of the citizens of both countries will be recognized, he explained.
Eduardo Peña said that the agreement has been in the works for more than four years. He described that the main benefit “is the totalization of contributions to access retirement for old age, disability and death; each social security will pay its corresponding part of that retirement.”
The head of the IESS highlighted that this is “a great achievement” because Canada is the fourth country in the world in which the most Ecuadorians reside.
He explained that the other benefits that people who contribute will enjoy are: funeral assistance, widowhood and orphanhood benefits. And in case of temporary displacement of workers, that is, when Canadian workers come to Ecuador to work for a Canadian firm, they also have the benefits of Ecuadorian social security.
“We are convinced that the adoption of instruments such as those signed today with Canada contribute to improving the working conditions of our migrant workers,” said Peña.
According to information from the IESS, Canada is the fourteenth country with which Ecuador can total contributions to receive social security benefits. In addition, the IESS is working to sign similar agreements with Italy and Switzerland.
