Canada humbled in Security Council vote

Finishes third in fight for seat behind Norway and Ireland

OTTAWA — The Liberal government lost a four–year bid for a UN Security Council seat Wednesday, a humbling experience after a high-profile campaign led by the prime minister.

Canada finished third, behind Norway and Ireland in the race for two seats on the Security Council.

After the vote, Justin Trudeau, who had embarked on securing the seat with a “Canada is back” rallying cry, said it had been a worthwhile exercise.

“We listened and learned from other countries, which opened new doors for co-operation to address global challenges, and we created new partnerships that increased Canada’s place in the world,” he said.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer called the loss a foreign policy failure.

“He sold out Canada’s principles for a personal vanity project and we still lost,” he said. “What a waste.”

The final tally had Canada losing with 108 votes. Norway was first with 130 and Ireland garnered 128 votes. Countries needed two thirds majority support — 128 votes of the 192 ballots cast — which meant Ireland reached just the necessary number of votes to prevent a second ballot run-off on Thursday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, who drove to New York to help with the vote, said the campaign raised Canada’s stature in the world.

“We are proud of the campaign we conducted over the last four years,” he said. “This campaign allowed us to renew and strengthen many of our bilateral relations.”

Champagne declined to point to specific factors for the defeat and applauded the diplomatic staff who worked on it. He said Canada’s foreign policy goals, including a focus on climate change and gender equality, were well received at the UN.

Canada’s UN ambassador, Marc-Andre Blanchard, said the group Canada competed in was always competitive and Ireland and Norway were specifically strong.

“It is always very competitive, the races are tight and this year was no different,” he said. “We were working against two countries that had a strength and had something to offer.”

NDP foreign affairs critic Jack Harris said the defeat was further proof that the Trudeau government was not living up to international expectations.

“Prime Minister Trudeau announced in 2015 that ‘Canada is back!’ but there is little to show for it,” he said.

Harris said the Trudeau government had failed to commit to international aid or peacekeeping efforts and had routinely failed to condemn human rights abuses.

“We need to show Canadians and the world that we can have the kind of impact that Canadians expect and the world needs.”

Conservative foreign affairs critic Leonna Alleslev called the vote a repudiation of the government’s entire foreign affairs policy.

“Clearly this Liberal government’s failure to pursue a principled foreign policy by abandoning our allies and cozying up to dictators has left Canada alone on the world stage.”

The bid for a Security Council seat was one of the top priorities of Trudeau’s foreign policy, and winning, not just campaigning for a seat, was listed among the top items on Champagne’s mandate letter.

The loss on Wednesday is the culmination of a four-year campaign that cost Canadians at least $2 million directly related to the bid.

Trudeau’s trip to Africa earlier this year was seen as part of the bid and the government has increased foreign aid commitments and sent Canadian troops to participate in a UN mission in Mali to garner support. Canada’s campaign started later than either Norway or Ireland’s efforts.

In addition to Norway and Ireland, Mexico and India also garnered seats and two African nations, Kenya and Djibouti will go to a second ballot to determine a victor. The new members will start two-year terms in January.

Trudeau announced in 2015 that ‘Canada is back!’ but there is little to show for it.”

Jack Harris, NDP foreign affairs critic