The hall of the security Council of the United Nations, New York
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17 June 2020 9h49
Updated at 14h13
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Canada will, regardless of the outcome of the UN vote, says Trudeau
Mike Blanchfield
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA – while Canada loses his bet to get a seat on the security Council of the united Nations, it will continue its international efforts to combat climate change, economic inequality and to preserve the institutions increasingly fragile in the world, said on Wednesday the prime minister Justin Trudeau.
Mr. Trudeau has made a final public plea while the voting was underway for two temporary seats on the security Council.
Canada faces Norway and Ireland to get one of the two seats available, and a hot fight is shaping up. These two countries are a step ahead since Mr. Trudeau announced his intention to attempt to obtain a seat only in 2015, when the liberals were brought to power.
Mr. Trudeau rejected the notion that a defeat of Canada would represent a political failure to his personal record, given the political capital that he has invested in the application – starting with its declaration that “Canada is back” on the morrow of his victory in the federal election of October 2015.
Since then, said Mr. Trudeau, Canada has engaged in a wide range of activities and international groups because it was, according to him, in the interest of all Canadians, who are in need of global trade and a thriving economy anywhere in the world to be able to succeed in them.
“These are the things that we will continue to do so in the future, regardless of what happens this week, supported Mr. Trudeau. But it would be certainly interesting to have this additional leverage that a seat on the security Council.”
The canadian campaign for a seat on the council primarily relies on the country’s contribution to the fight against the pandemic COVID-19. This includes convening of the countries ‘ points of view similar to ensure food security in the developing countries, the maintenance of supply chains vital open around the world and the development of new funding models to help the struggling countries whose economies have been decimated by the pandemic.
It is expected that the european countries unite around the two competitors from Canada, which has forced the Trudeau government to focus on Africa, Latin America and the arab countries, as well as the small island States of the South Pacific that may one day disappear due to rising sea level caused by climate change.
Mr. Trudeau has made criticisms thinly veiled with regard to the geographical distribution of countries at the united Nations that has placed Canada in a grouping against the european countries, which can never agree on the two candidates for the temporary seats on the council.
“I have nothing but respect for both our competitors, Ireland and Norway, who have demonstrated a commitment in the world,” he said. It is unfortunate that we are in a situation of having to compete with friends for this.”
Senator independent Peter Boehm, who has put pressure on small island States on behalf of Canada, asked whether Canada should be part of the “group of States western European and other States”, the power of geography in the UN to which Canada has been assigned.
This group is “a sort of solitude for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel. We do not adapt really,” said Mr. Boehm, who was the ambassador of Canada to Germany in 2010 where the european power had won a seat to the sides of Portugal, with the over the Canada in his last attempt to win a seat on the board.
Mr. Boehm believes that Canada should be part of the “group of Latin american and the Caribbean”, which is less competitive and is more logical geographically to Canada.
An analyst expressed concern about the fact that too much attention has been paid to the political importance given by Mr. Trudeau in this application un.
“This is not a popularity contest leaders; it is to perceive the effectiveness of Canada on the world stage compared to Norway and Ireland. Canadians can vote (on balance sheet) of Mr. Trudeau in the next federal election, and we need to remember that this is a vote for Canada and not for our prime minister,” said Bessma Momani, expert on international affairs at the University of Waterloo.
The voting began at 9 a.m., eastern time, of the 193 ambassadors of the united Nations with access in turn to the general Assembly hall to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.
The minister of foreign Affairs, François-Philippe Champagne, which went by car to New York this weekend, has recorded the vote in Canada in the middle of the day.
The polling period of history should last at least five hours – before the pandemic, it would have taken about an hour if the room was full – and the exercise could be repeated on Thursday if the two countries cannot raise at least 129 votes or two-thirds of the votes.
“I consider that it is useful and I know in my discussions with foreign ministers from around the world and the people with whom we discuss in Africa, the Caribbean and in the Pacific islands that many of them really count on Canada to participate in rebuilding better – the great reset,” said Mr. Champagne, in the interview.
Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, diplomat and university of nigeria who is the current president of the general Assembly, has overseen a trading careful which has led to the 193 UN missions accept the new format of staggered voting because of the COVID-19.
“We have agreed that in the 24 hours following the election, when we know that we need a second round, we will begin the process. The secretariat has worked very, very hard to plan if this is the case.”
Mr. Champagne stated that if a second round is necessary, he would call and send text messages, to get votes. It will be the same for the canadian diplomats who, according to him, have a game plan for all scenarios.
