Stephen Lewis slams Canada’s UN bid

Canada's former ambassador to the UN says the Prime Minister’s Office “didn’t know what it was doing” when it tried for a seat on the Security Council.

Lewis was part of Canada’s bid to win a seat on the UN’s Security Council in 1990, and said that at that time Canada mounted a successful campaign by identifying and addressing key global issues. Canada lost a vote for the temporary council seat to Portugal last week, the first time the country has failed to win a seat on the council in the UN’s 65-year history. Lewis told CTV News yesterday that it was Stephen Harper’s failure to commit to tackling climate change and his decision to cut foreign aid that likely soured UN nations on Canada’s bid. Lewis said he got the impression Harper was “too arrogant” and treated the vote like a popularity contest.