Liaison Newsletter > LIAISON Vol. 2, No. 4, July 1998 - Articles

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Will Canada Find a Place on the Security Council?
by Fraser King

October is going to be nail-biting time for Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs. That will be the month when Ottawa will know whether or not it has secured a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the years 1999-2000.

Canada has traditionally enjoyed a seat on the Council every ten years, but it would seem that traditions may be changing. Last year, Australia was surprised to have its seat pulled from right under its feet in a move that put Portugal in its place on the Council. This year Canada will be competing against both the Netherlands and Greece.

All three countries are vying for the two rotating seats allocated on the Security Council to the Western European and Other states. The remaining eight non-permanent seats are allocated as follows: five to the African and Asian states; two to the Latin American and Caribbean states; and one to the Eastern European states. China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States have all sat on the Security Council since 1945 as Permanent Members.

With a block vote in favour of the two European countries expected from the European Union, Canada is undoubtedly relying on the African, Latin American and Asian vote to play in its favour. The competition will be fierce, especially since Greece has not been on the Council since 1952, and the Dutch would already seem to be locked into the other seat. But a Canadian bid for a seat on the Council has never been denied, and Canada’s bid seems strong.

When electing non-permanent members to the Security Council, countries are asked to "pay due regard to the contribution of UN members to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the organization." Canada has a rich involvement with the UN, not only in its creation, but more importantly in its continuing evolution.

Several Canadians have distinguished themselves in their careers at the UN, and have played influential roles in its development. To name only a few:

Stephen Lewis, Deputy Director with the UN Children’s Fund, former Canadian Permanent Representative of the UN, and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on African Economic Recovery.

All the traditional arguments also play in our favour. Canada is a multicultural, non-threatening, non-partisan middle power, with ties—through our membership in every organization but the European Union!—to almost every country in the world. We are also the eighth largest contributor to the UN budget, and we always pay our assessment in full, on time and without condition.

If the cynics have long dismissed our self-categorization of "Middle Power" as a polite way of understating our lack of influence in the international community, they need to think again. Canada was a key supporter behind developing a Rapid Reaction Capability for the UN; we were instrumental in fast-tracking the process that lead to a global ban on anti-personnel landmines; and currently we are the Chair of the like-minded group of states that are pushing for the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court.

Canada’s traditional role, it would seem, is starting to pay dividends, and our place at the head of the table would seem no more fitting than right now. Despite our confidence, you can be sure that until the count is in, and Canada’s seat confirmed, there will be a few restless nights ahead for our friends at Foreign Affairs.