Canada says will seek United Nations Security Council seat

Trudeau shared a podium with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as he spoke of his plans to rebuild Canadian ties to the organization.

The previous Harper government was criticized for failing to make a strong bid for a council seat in 2010.

“Since the United Nations was founded, Canada has always been one of our most important partners”, Ban said following a meeting on Parliament Hill with the prime minister.

The talks between the two leaders covered issues ranging from climate change to the resettlement of Syrian refugees and Canada’s return to major peacekeeping operations.

Trudeau, speaking to the French-language La Presse newspaper, also confirmed the budget deficit in the 2016/17 fiscal year would be larger than the $10 billion his new Liberal government initially committed to.

Part of that re-engagement process is an eventual bid for a rotating, non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, Mr. Trudeau said, repeating a promise he made during the election campaign. “Canada has completely changed – completely changed and shown leadership”, said Ban.

Last week, Britain came under renewed pressure to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over concerns the country was involved in indiscriminate bombing of civilians in the conflict in Yemen, following a speech by the secretary general in London urging United Nations permanent security council members to do more to halt the influx of weapons to the region.

“The weather here is quite cold”, Ban said.

The prime minister is then scheduled to meet with provincial and territorial premiers the next day in the city. “Mr. Trudeau has declared Canada’s recommitment to the United Nations”.

Was the thinly veiled criticism of the Stephen Harper years from the United Nations secretary-general inappropriate, given the maternal and child health program that Harper championed under the auspices of the UN?

“I reiterated the commitment of our government to strengthen the UN’s ability to maintain global peace and security, including by increasing support for peace operations and contributing more to mediation, conflict prevention and post-conflict reconstruction efforts”, Trudeau said.