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| United Nationsmembership | |
|---|---|
| Membership | Full member |
| Since | November 9, 1945 (1945-11-09) |
| UNSC seat | Non-permanent |
| Permanent Representative | Bob Rae |
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 Category |
Canada was a founding member of theUnited Nations, and was an original signatory of theDeclaration by United Nations. At the signing of the Declaration by United Nations,Canada was one of four Dominions of theBritish Empire present, alongsideAustralia,New Zealand, and theUnion of South Africa. In 1945, Canada was present at theUnited Nations Conference on International Organization and signed theCharter of the United Nations.McGill University professorJohn Peters Humphrey was the principal author of the first draft of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights.
Canada has served on theUnited Nations Security Council (UNSC) as a non-permanent member 8 times, with the most recent beingin 2000. For its first 2 terms in the UNSC, Canada took the Commonwealth seat on the council, but in 1967, Canada has run for theWestern European and Others Group seat. Canada is a member ofUniting for Consensus, a group that opposes theG4 nations' bids for permanent seats on the Security Council.
During theSuez Crisis, Canadian delegation to the United Nations was instrumental in the creation of theUnited Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) to end the situation. In 1957, then-Secretary of State for External AffairsLester B. Pearson was awarded theNobel Peace Prize for his role in the creation of the UNEF.[1]
Canada was an original member of the United Nations, having previously served in theLeague of Nations prior to its dissolution.John Peters Humphrey established the Division for Human Rights in theUN Secretariat. Humphrey was also on the Drafting Committee of theInternational Bill of Rights. The Committee gave the Division for Human Rights the task of creating the first draft of the Bill of Rights, with Humphrey being the preliminary drafter of the document. Humphrey remained a champion of the Bill of Rights until its adoption by approval of theUN General Assembly in 1948.[2][failed verification]
In 1947, Canada played an important role in theUnited Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP). Canada was one of the 33 countries that voted in favour of the1947 UN partition resolution, which led to the establishment of the State of Israel despite heavy pressure from theUnited Kingdom on theCommonwealth of Nations
Secretary of State for External AffairsLester B. Pearson, having served asUN General Assembly President in 1952/53, proposed the concept ofUN peacekeeping forces as a means of dealing with theSuez Crisis. He was awarded aNobel Peace Prize for his efforts and the establishment of theUnited Nations Emergency Force (UNEF).[3]
Canada ratified theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and seven principal UN human rights conventions and covenants since then:[4]
Canada has served in over 50 peacekeeping missions, including everyUnited Nations (UN)peacekeeping effort from its inception until 1989.[5] More than 125,000 Canadians have served in international peacekeeping operations, with approximately 130 Canadians having died during these operations.[6] Canada's support formultilateralism andinternationalism has been closely related to its peacekeeping efforts.[7][8][9] Canada actively promotesits domestically shared values through itsforeign affairs engagements.[10][11]
Canada's role in the development of and participation inpeacekeeping during the 20th century led to its reputation as a positivemiddle power.[12][13] Canada's successful role in mediating the 1956Suez Canal Crisis gave it credibility and established it as a country fighting for the common good of all nations.[14][15] The Canadian public came to identify the nation's peacekeeping role as the country's top contribution in international affairs.[16][17][18]
Canada faced controversy over its involvement in some peacekeeping efforts resulting in a military reassessment in the late 1990s.[19] By the 21st century, Canadian direct participation in UN peacekeeping efforts greatly declined, with its military participation reallocated to UN-sanctioned operations through theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).[20] This military reallocation resulted in a shift towards more militarized and deadly missions, rather than traditional peacekeeping duties.[21]Canada has served in theUNSCfor 12 years, thus ranking in the top ten of non-permanent members. As of 2015, it shares the fourth place in the list of non-permanent members serving on the Council by length withItaly. This places Canada behindBrazil andJapan (first place),Argentina (second place), andColombia,India, andPakistan (third place). Canada was elected for the following six terms: 1948–49, 1958–59, 1967–68, 1977–78, 1989–90, and 1999–2000 - once every decade. It lost its bid for a seat in the2010 Security Council elections, toGermany andPortugal, and in the2020 Security Council elections, toIreland andNorway.
TheNational Film Board of Canada (NFB), Canada's state film producer, has produced several works about or on behalf of the U.N. The first, the 1944 short filmU.N.R.R.A. presents In the Wake of the Armies ... focused the work of theUnited Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. The 1945 filmNow — The Peace, on the formation of the U.N. at theDumbarton Oaks Conference, was produced by the NFB at the suggestion ofArchibald MacLeish, then-Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs for the U.S. government.[22][23]
A site onNavy Island which straddles the U.S.-Canada border was considered as potential site for the UN Headquarters.[24][25] As well as a subsequent proposals following the Iraq invasion to relocate toMontreal[26] in the Canadian province ofQuebec.
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