QUESTION PERIOD — Foreign Affairs
United Nations Security Council Membership
June 22, 2020
My question is for the government leader in the Senate.
Senator Gold, we’ve already begun to see the political cost of your government’s dogged but doomed quest for a United Nations Security Council seat; Justin Trudeau’s failed legacy-building project. We have tarnished Canada’s reputation on the world stage as a defender of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and unless your government does the right thing and bans Huawei, we will also damage our relationship with our Five Eyes allies, which are so important for the security of this country.
My question to you is about the actual dollar amount so it should be a simple answer. How much of Canadians’ hard-earned money has the government spent since 2016 in pursuit of trying to secure the UN Security Council seat? How much?
I thank you for your question. Money was indeed expended. I don’t have the figures at hand, but I do recall reading in the press. The numbers have been made public. I will certainly get the number and provide it to you.
Government leader, unfortunately the amount has not been made public. The House of Commons has been asking for it, and now I’m asking for it. I’m looking for a precise dollar amount. At the end of the day, the government has spent a lot of money since 2016 to lobby for this seat. They organized a lot of snazzy events in order to persuade countries to support our bid. At the end of the day, we all know it was a partisan effort in order to grandstand and upstage former Prime Minister Harper, and I think Canadian taxpayers have a right to know the exact amount. How much has this government spent since 2016 in pursuit of this failed bid to gain a Security Council seat at the UN?
Thank you. Canadians indeed have a right to know how money is spent, and this government has been quite transparent in many respects. I do not accept the premise that this was grandstanding. Yes, the bid to secure the seat failed and I think we all, regardless of political partisanship or lack of partisanship, should be unhappy that Canada does not have a seat at that table where it could make an important contribution. But again to repeat, I will be glad to make inquiries and report back.
