Justin Trudeau will lead delegation to UN General Assembly opening next week
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will address the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, underscoring Canada’s commitment to multilateralism as it vies for a coveted seat on the Security Council.
He addressed the opening of the General Assembly last year as well, making for a perfect attendance record since taking office in late 2015.
That’s in stark contrast to former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, who only attended UN events sporadically, famously choosing in 2009 to attend an opening of a Tim Hortons innovation centre in Oakville rather than speak to the General Assembly.
Harper’s thinly veiled disdain for the world body has been widely blamed for Canada’s failure to win a seat on the Security Council in 2010. Until then, Canada had won a council seat every decade since the UN’s inception.