July 10, 2012
Not long after Stephen Harper snubbed the UN and instead went to New York to collect a “Statesman of the Year” award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation—handed over tellingly by Henry Kissinger—John Baird mounted the podium at the UN General Assembly. Finally getting a slot late in the queue amidst other second stringers like Oman, Djibouti, The Holy See and Palau, he told the nations of the world that in their collectivity, they are simply no good.
His ...
Continue Reading →December 12, 2010
Moving to the centre in order to get elected is a time-honoured tradition in Canadian politics. That’s basically what Stephen Harper did recently when he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in October in an attempt to shore up Canada’s bid for a seat on the Security Council.
His speech was, well, almost Pearsonian, replete with references to “the sovereign equality of countries,” justice and human rights, and its affirmation of Canada’s role in UN peacekeeping and aid efforts. ...
Continue Reading →October 4, 2010
Canada is lobbying hard to win a seat on the UN Security Council for a two year 2011-2012 term. The competition for this non-permanent seat on the Council comes from two member countries of the European Union, namely Germany and Portugal, and Germany is all but confirmed. It has been a decade since Canada was last a member of the Council.
With its spotty record of late in international affairs, should Canada be taken seriously as a helpful, responsible ...
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