Harper dismisses “secret votes” at UN

The prime minister defended Canada’s foreign policy after an embarrassing defeat at the United Nations.

Canada failed in its bid for a temporary seat on the UN Security Council earlier this week because our foreign policy is based on integrity, not winning popularity, Stephen Harper told reporters yesterday. Immediately following the UN vote on Tuesday that awarded Portugal the council spot, Conservative ministers blamed the defeat on Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff for openly criticizing Canada’s foreign policy. But yesterday Harper said it was his government’s refusal to compromise on principled policy decisions that sunk Canada’s chances. He said policy wouldn’t change based on “secret votes” at the UN. Sources say Canada received written guarantees of support from 135 countries, but only ended up getting 78 votes in the secret ballot.