Both Canada and the U.S. are parties to the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations.
The Conventions apply to members of the staff of a diplomatic or consular mission,
including the diplomatic, consular, administration and technical staffs; dependents
of members of those staffs; the domestic service staffs of the missions; and private
servants employed by members of such missions.
The agreement provides that, in general, the categories of persons mentions in the
Vienna Conventions will not be affected by the coverage provisions of the agreement.
Persons mentioned in the conventions are exempt from social security coverage and
contributions under the laws of the host country unless they specifically waive their
immunity. Persons who waive their immunity or those not covered by the convention
would be subject to the coverage provisions of the agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, a person who is employed by the government of one
country and is sent to the other country would be covered by the country which employs
him or her. Persons who are hired locally to work for a government would generally
be covered in the country in which the employment takes place. However, a person hired
locally to work in Quebec for the U.S. Government would be subject to U.S. laws if
that person was a U.S. national or if that person had participated in a U.S. Government
retirement plan prior to the agreement and elects not to participate in the Quebec
Pension Plan.