Justin Trudeau says Canada to seek UN Security Council seat

Canada will seek a seat on the United Nations Security Council as part of the Liberal government’s efforts to re-engage with the international community, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, after meeting in his office with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

At a joint news conference with the top UN official, Trudeau said that Canadians wanted the government to play a more active role in multilateral missions and that this included taking on a role with the security council.

“We’ll have more to say when we have determined our approach on this,” Trudeau said.

The security council has a mandate to promote international peace and security, with powers to impose sanctions and binding resolutions on members as well as to authorize military action. It has five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.

Ban welcomed Trudeau's comments, while also praising the Canadian government for its recent work toward securing an agreement at the last international climate change summit in Paris in 2015, as well as Canada's recent efforts to welcome thousands of Syrian refugees.

Canada had previously lost its last bid to gain a seat on the security council in 2010, and critics blamed the failure on the international policies of former prime minister Stephen Harper.

At the time, the former Harper government defended its record, saying it was taking a principled approach to foreign relations.

Trudeau also expressed concerns about sexual assaults linked to recent international peacekeeping missions and said that Canada could help address this issue, by deploying more of its own peacekeepers, with a focus on sending more female peacekeepers.

“This is an area where we can help concretely,” Trudeau said. “It will also be a part of our reflection related to our armed forces and our engagement that is now led by our defence minister and other ministers.”