Is This Seat Taken?

Every decade or so, Canada competes for a coveted spot on the fifteen-member United Nations Security Council. We have a respectable six-and-two record in these contests, which are organized on a regional basis, having last held a two-year term that ended in 2000 (we lost in 1946 and, most notably, in 2010). This year’s election will be held in June, at the General Assembly in New York, and national representatives — from Justin Trudeau to Masai Ujiri, president of the Toronto Raptors — have been spending lots of time championing Canada around the globe.

The prime minister and his Liberal government announced the current bid in 2016, building upon their “Canada is back” theme of 2015. At the time, UN secretary general Ban Ki‑Moon “enthusiastically” welcomed the news. Nevertheless, with Ireland and Norway also campaigning for the two openings assigned to the Western European and Others bloc, Canada faces stiff competition.

As if diplomatic darlings like...