Prime Minister Trudeau seeks to re-establish Canada’s international standing
On a two-day visit to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City from March 15 to March 16, 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would attempt to seek a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 2021.
The bid is an effort from the new Liberal government to shore up Canada’s reputation internationally.
The 2021 endeavour follows Canada’s previous 2010 attempt to seek a seat on the UNSC and the subsequent first-ever failure to secure that seat. Former prime minister Stephen Harper received criticism for the failed bid, with opposition parties decreeing that the Conservative government had ruined Canada’s brand internationally. Many observers claimed that Canada’s reputation as a peacekeeping nation and as an advocate of human rights around the world had been tarnished.
Yves Fortier, Canada’s former ambassador to the UN from 1988 to 1991 said that the vote could “only be interpreted as a slight to Canada by the international community and is a reflection of things that Canada has done or not done that a majority of nations disapprove of.”
Prime Minister Trudeau seems set on restoring Canada’s reputation.
“These core values not only lead to greater equality among citizens, but also play a pivotal role in ensuring peace and security within and between nations,” said Prime Minister Trudeau at a press conference in New York City. “This is the Canada of today, this is how we will build the world of tomorrow.”
It should come as no surprise that Canada’s reputation as a leader in peacekeeping has all but disintegrated. Between the years of 1990 and 2006—often viewed as the golden years of Canadian peacekeeping—the Canadian military engaged in a total of 23 peacekeeping missions across the globe. Since the Conservative party under the leadership of Stephen Harper was elected in 2006, Canada has only partaken in a single peacekeeping mission. Anti-terror and other pro-combat missions have taken priority since then, including efforts in Afghanistan, Libya, and the current Iraq/Syria mission.
At the same press conference, foreign affairs minister Stéphane Dion broadly signalled his intentions for Canada to make the move back to peacekeeping, but mentioned little detail of how that would be carried out.
“We are in discussions with the UN and our allies and partners to see what would be the optimal way for Canada to re-engage itself in peacekeeping missions,” said minister Dion.
If successful in its bid, Canada would not be a permanent member of the UNSC. Only China, France, Russia, the U.K., and the U.S. are permanent members that do not need to seek election to the council. There are 10 seats available for non-permanent member nations, which are voted on by the UN General Assembly, for a term of two years.