Baird: No More Security Council Bids

If at first you don't succeed, why try again?

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has confirmed that Canada will not bid again for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council. Following Canada’s defeat to Portugal last year, where the country lost a UN seat bid for the first time ever, Baird says there is no need to run for something Canada will surely lose. He also repeated his position that he sees the loss of votes as something of a badge of honour, attributing Canada’s unpopularity at the UN to its principled stances on women’s rights in the Arab world, its support of Israel, gay rights in Africa, and the government in Sri Lanka. In an interview with the Canadian Press, Baird said the top concern for his department now is Canada’s economy. Since Harper came into power, the country has increased the Foreign Affairs Department budget by about $700 million and the Defence Department budget by nearly $5.6 billion.