While Canadians suffer from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the Trudeau government is seeking to use the crisis to win a seat at the UN Security Council.
Canada’s campaign for the seat has carried on despite the ongoing global disruptions, according to CBC News.
With the increased restrictions brought forth by the coronavirus pandemic, Trudeau is hoping that Canada’s role in organizing and leading international virtual conferences will give Canada’s bid a better chance.
“The best campaign is when we don’t need to campaign, when we just show our leadership, that this is the type of voice that you would want at the Security Council,” Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne told CBC News
“We do a lot of things virtually these days, so it allows us to reach more people without having to go very far.”
In March, as the coronavirus pandemic was accelerating in Canada, Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne and International Development Minister Karina Gould confirmed that Canada’s campaign would continue as planned despite the virus.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been seeking to secure one of two seats currently up for grabs for some time now. Prior to the pandemic, Trudeau toured throughout Africa in order to garner support from other world leaders ahead of the vote.
Among those courted by Trudeau while abroad was Senegalese President Macky Sall.
Trudeau was able to secure Senegal’s vote for the seat, despite the country’s abysmal human rights record.
During Trudeau’s visit, Sall defended his country’s criminalization of homosexual acts, claiming that it has nothing to do with homophobia.
“The laws of our country obey rules that are the condensation of our cultural and civilizing values. This has nothing to do with homophobia. Whoever has the sexual orientation of their choice is not the target of exclusion,” said Sall.
While in Germany, Trudeau was also caught on camera bowing before Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif despite Iran’s role in killing 57 Canadians after shooting down an airliner.
“I went by to impress upon the foreign minister of Iran how important it is that we work together,” said Trudeau about the interaction.
