By Canadian Press

Norway and Ireland get seats

Canada loses bid for seat on the United Nations Security Council on first vote

Jun 17, 2020 | 3:32 PM

OTTAWA – Canada has fallen 20 votes short in its bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Canada lost to Norway and Ireland on the first ballot.

The loss came in the first round of voting today in a secret ballot of 192 member states of the United Nations General Assembly for two available seats on the council for a two-year term starting next year.

It follows the loss by the former Conservative government of Stephen Harper in 2010, and after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared Canada’s candidacy once the Liberals came to power in 2015.

Canada needed 128 seats or two-thirds of the voting members of the assembly.

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Norway passed the threshold with 130 and Ireland garnered 128 votes.

Canada fell short with 108 votes.

Norway and Ireland had an advance start in campaigning because Trudeau only announced Canada’s intention to seek a seat in 2015 after the Liberals were elected.

Trudeau has said even if Canada lost, it would continue its international efforts to fight against climate change, economic inequity and preserving the world’s increasingly fragile institutions.

Canada’s campaign for the council focused heavily on what it has been doing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That has included convening like-minded nations to ensure food security in developing countries, keeping vital supply chains open across the globe, and working on new financing models to help struggling countries whose economies have been decimated by the pandemic.

But Norway and Ireland both spend more on international aid and contributions to U-N peacekeeping missions — two criteria that were widely seen as essential in winning a seat on the council.