Canada was humbled on the world stage Wednesday when it failed to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council, losing to Norway and Ireland on the first ballot.
The loss was Canada's second consecutive defeat in a bid for a seat on the world's most powerful body, and stood as a stark reminder of the country's diminishing influence. The defeat of the Liberal government led by Justin Trudeau followed the loss by the former Conservative government of Stephen Harper in 2010.
Harris cited low spending on international development assistance and the decline of Canadian contributions to UN peacekeeping missions to historic lows -- two criteria that were widely seen as essential in winning a seat on the council. Trudeau dismissed suggestions that a loss for Canada would be a political failure for him personally, given the capital he has invested in the bid -- starting with his "Canada is back" declaration the day after he won the October 2015 federal election.
But it "should be seen as an indictment on our lack of spending, attention, and engagement with the world," she said. "These are the things that we will continue to do into the future, regardless of what happens this week. But it certainly would be nice to have that extra lever of a seat on the Security Council," Trudeau said.
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