18th June, 2020
Canada has lost its second bid for one of the rotating seats on the United Nations Security Council.
The lost seat is one of the two seats available in the category for member states from western Europe and other countries.
The seats went to Norway and Ireland.
Canada first struggled for one of the seats in 2010. It failed.
Now, it has sought and failed to win the seat under two very different governments.
A total of 128 votes were needed to secure a two-thirds majority.
Norway secured 130 votes while Ireland got 128.
Canada received just 108 votes.
This was fewer than the 114 first round ballot votes that it received in 2010.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had frequently billed the seat as an avenue for Canada to exert greater influence on the world stage.
Trudeau considered the seat important at a time international institutions like the UN are under scrutiny.