Canada’s Bid for the UN Security Council: Why do they want a seat and do they stand a chance of getting it?
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been working to advance Canada’s international reputation since his election. In October 2015, Trudeau proclaimed that “Canada is back,” a statement that seemed to promise a future of Canadian forward thinking and constructive foreign policy. In December of the same year, Trudeau addressed the Paris Climate Change Conference and argued that Canada was “ready to do more” internationally. The desire to increase Canada’s global influence and reputation has culminated in the country’s bid for a seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC). But what are the broader implications of Canada’s (and some might argue Trudeau’s) ambition for a seat at the table, albeit one of the most powerful tables in the world? What are the Prime Minister’s aims in garnering a UNSC seat and does Canada have a chance of achieving its goals?
What is the UN Security Council?
The UN Security Council, one of the six main bodies of the UN, was formed in 1946 and is tasked with maintaining international peace and security. The SC’s power comes from its ability to compel action, or inaction, by UN members in cases of peace and security. The Council has 5 permanent members: France, the United Kingdom, China, Russia, and the United States of America. 10 non-permanent members are elected to the council in 2-year rotating terms. Elections for SC seats will occur in 2020 and Canada will need 128 votes from UN members to secure a council seat.[1]
What has Canada been doing to campaign for this seat?
PM Trudeau has been working to revitalize Canada’s image on the world stage and he has notably strived to rebuild Canadian’s reputation as peacekeepers. The Canadian government recently deployed troops and helicopters to support UN peacekeeping efforts in Mali. Considering that following 9/11, Canada abandoned its peacekeeping role in favour of military action to support its American allies, Trudeau has been able to position the recent deployment as a return to Canada’s peacekeeping roots and a commitment to the values of the UNSC. In fact, Trudeau has pledged $400 million and 600 Canadian peacekeepers for current and future peacekeeping missions around the world, presenting Canada as a global player in international peace and security.
Furthermore, the Trudeau government withdrew its support earlier this year for Michaelle Jean, the former Canadian Secretary-General of Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, a multinational group of Francophone nations. The Canadian government instead supported Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo citing a “consensus on the part of the African countries.” This decision could allow Canada to later lobby for Rwandan and broader Franco-African support at the UN. So, as we consider the international and political moves Canada is making to campaign for a SC seat, one has to wonder: why does Canada want a seat on the Security Council?
Why Does Canada Want a Seat on the UN Security Council?
On this topic, there is a distinct lack of information. There has been no clear agenda set forth by the Canadian government regarding what they seek to accomplish with a Security Council seat. Rather the seat itself is being treated as the goal and not the means to an end. This, in my opinion, is one of the greatest weaknesses of the Canadian bid. In previous successful campaigns, Canada sought to enact a series of concrete policy proposals. In 1998, under the leadership of Jean Chrétien, Canada used its position on the Security Council to ban conflict diamonds through the Kimberly process. Furthermore, in the lead-up to the Security Council elections in 1998, Canada spearheaded the process for banning landmines, allowing it to cultivate a strong reputation as an international leader and curate a number of allies, leading to its successful SC bid. It is this targeted and finite strategy that is lacking in the current campaign. By placing the Security Council seat as the goal itself, Canada contradicts its own word- Trudeau promises leadership but without an avenue to direct this authority Canada appears to be a rudderless ship: capable of accomplishing reform but unsure where to start.
What are the (other) major obstacles?
Even if Canada had a strongly focussed agenda it wished to accomplish with a seat on the SC, it is worthwhile to consider whom they are competing against for a seat. Norway and Ireland have both launched competing bids to Canada’s and both have demonstrated strong candidacies. Norway is one of the world’s most generous foreign aid donors. While Canada spends approximately 0.26% of its gross domestic product (GDP) a year on foreign aid, Norway donates more than one percent of its GDP. While Ireland is not as strong a competitor to Canada in foreign spending, it challenges Canada’s role as a peacekeeping nation. Ireland currently has eight times more peacekeepers deployed internationally than Canada, a staggering figure considering the nation has 1/10th the Canadian population. Additionally, Ireland has a much more consistent reputation as a peacekeeper, so while Canada must strive to rebuild its reputation as a peacekeeping nation, Ireland faces no such challenge, having never abandoned the post.
Canada faces additional challenges beyond the consideration of its competitors. Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the father of the current PM, was once quoted as saying that living beside the USA is like sleeping with an elephant; one feels every twitch and grunt. Canada is often defined in relation to its neighbour to the south, and it is my opinion that the association of the two nations will work to Canada’s detriment in its quest for a Security Council seat. Canada is often portrayed as being in political lockstep with the American administration and recent events have not altered this portrayal. When the Trump administration announced its recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, Canada stayed silent and made no attempt to sway the position of its southern neighbour. More recently, Canada moved to extradite Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of the United States, further evidencing claims that Canada would remain closely aligned with the US should it attain a SC seat. Ultimately, there is a strong possibility that Canada’s chances at a SC seat are negatively affected by the perception that it is “in the pocket” of the US.
What can Canada do to improve and secure its position?
So- if the country remains set on its quest for a Security Council seat, and considering it faces a multitude of challenges internationally, what can Canada do to secure its position? Canada needs to play to its strengths making concrete and specific policy proposals it intends to implement with its seat on the Security Council. Furthermore, to strengthen its position Canada should relate its policy proposals to its historic image.
For example, while Canada has often identified as welcoming to immigrants and refugees, this reputation has strengthened in the wake of the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Due to a well-timed and well-publicised pledge to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees, Canada, under Justin Trudeau, has only increased its reputation as a refugee advocate. To improve its SC campaign, Canada could trade on this reputation and advocate for further migration regulation and migrant protection. This year is an especially opportune moment as the Global Compact on Migration was recently ratified. Canada has an opportunity here to position itself as a leader on migration issues at the UN and build its image as a humanitarian leader. Not only would this strategy build upon Canada’s existing reputation and provide a platform for future leadership, but it would also work to differentiate Canada’s policy position from that of the US.
Climate change is a topic that similarly plays to both Canada’s national identity and is a political hot button issue. Having built a reputation as an international leader in climate change, it would be prudent for the Canadian government to incorporate climate advocacy and protection into its SC bid. Additionally, PM Trudeau was lauded domestically and internationally when he formed his cabinet in 2015 with equal representation of men and women. With a history of reforming the UN and with the image of Trudeau as a leader in gender advocacy, Canada could improve its bid by adding climate and gender advocacy components to its current campaign.
Ultimately, while Canada has a strong international reputation as a humanitarian and internationalist country, its current bid for a seat on the UNSC lacks focus and is hindered by the country’s proximity to the United States. However, by adopting positions related to migration, climate change, or gender parity, Canada could strengthen its bid by relating its platform to its national identity while differentiating its policies from that of the US. Essentially, while Canada has the potential to attain a seat on the Security Council, there is a lot of work to be done and a good deal of progress to be made if Canada is to truly be declared “back.”
[1]Canada is eligible for a seat within the Western European and other states category where there will be 2 seats available. The other 8 non-permanent seats of the SC are divided between African nations, Asia-Pacific nations, states from Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
