Why Canada is losing at the United Nations
Last week, Canada lost a contest to Norway and Ireland for a rotating seat on the United Nations Security Council. It was a predictable outcome, though it seemed to catch the government off guard.
The result raises a big question. How can these small countries, with economies, populations and militaries a fraction the size of Canada’s, be chosen over us to sit on the UN Security Council? Why is Canada — a member of the G7 for 45 years; present at the creation of NATO; the inventor of UN peacekeeping; an architect of the World Trade Organization; and a founder of the G20 — losing out at the UN to smaller states that can only dream of such achievements? Why are we being rejected for the Security Council today, when in the past winning a place on that body was a foregone conclusion for Canada?
Simply put, we are losing because we are not what we once were, and we suffer an inflated sense of what we are.
More than a decade ago, the Harper government mounted a campaign for a seat on the Security Council. They lost to Germany and Portugal. No big deal, though, as Stephen Harper was never a fan of the UN, and he knew Canadians could not care less about a seat on the Security Council.
But Justin Trudeau is a big UN enthusiast. Since 2015, the prime minister has viewed a seat on the Council as a cornerstone of his foreign policy. Multilateralism, as embodied in the UN, has long been core to the Liberal brand, but presence on the Security Council is seen by Trudeau as a key part of his personal image. That is new for Canada.
Consequently, a big campaign to get that Security Council seat was mounted years ago. It began under Stéphane Dion, Trudeau’s first foreign minister, continued under his successor, Chrystia Freeland, and concluded on the watch of François-Philippe Champagne, the current minister. Yet, despite the priority the government attached to this file, Canada ended up with fewer votes at the UN this time around than under Harper’s half-hearted pursuit a decade ago.
Which begs another question: what does Canada need to do to win a seat on the Security Council these days?
To have any chance, we need to be heavily engaged in the world. This means our official development assistance needs to be significant and visible; the Canadian Armed Forces need to have lots of boots on the ground in global hot spots; and we need a creative and influential diplomacy.
Twenty years ago, the last time Canada won a Security Council seat, those conditions existed. The Canadian Forces were deployed internationally in large numbers and had been for years, notably with as many as 2,000 troops in the United Nations Protection Force, a UN mission trying to stabilize the former Yugoslavia. Canada was spearheading major diplomatic initiatives like the Ottawa Treaty on the banning of anti-personnel mines, the establishment of the International Criminal Court, and the creation of the G20. And we even spent more on official development assistance (as a fraction of national income) than now.
Today, Canada has fewer troops deployed internationally than at any time in 60 years. The government’s diplomacy is flaccid and aimed chiefly at domestic political gains. And we are a wellknown laggard on foreign aid. To be blunt, Canada isn’t that relevant globally these days, though many Canadians still harbour the illusion that we “punch above our weight.” In reality, Canada is great at moralizing on the international stage, but we live in a world that is pay to play. And we don’t pay.
When he was first elected, Trudeau triumphantly claimed “Canada is back.” Five years on, following this week’s events at the UN, we can adjust that slogan to “Canada is at the back of the bus, where we belong.”
Eugene Lang is adjunct professor, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, and a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He was chief of staff to two ministers of national defence in the Chrétien and Martin governments. Canada is great at moralizing on the international stage, but we live in a world that is pay to play. And we don’t pay