Canada's UN Security Council Bid

Despite the increasingly glaring fact that the United Nations as an international institution allegedly geared to convincing its 192 member-nations that peace is far preferable to war, that human rights abuses do not reflect civil society, that clan and tribal antipathies lead to egregious social conditions of combat and suffering for people, that the wealthy, advanced countries of the world have an obligation to assist in whichever way possible, the greater balance of under-developed countries of the world, in reality it appears increasingly like a failed institution.

Its huge, unwieldy infrastructure and administration and related and affiliated groups have been ineffective in demonstrating a passion for human rights, have been singularly useless in their peacekeeping roles, have castigated the democracies far too often, while demanding of them sacrifices in treasury and volunteer work, while zealously overlooking the highly impressive failures of autocratic, totalitarian and theistic countries to pledge and follow through on social development and entitlements to freedoms.

This said, it still represents the interests of the world states, however imperfectly. And the wealthy, advanced countries of the world still feel obliged to acknowledge the potential that resides within that institution which operates as a law unto itself, and a guide in mannerly care and compassion for those of its members who might better benefit from firm remonstrations and civil expectations.

There is, therefore, some remaining semblance of trust and hope in the United Nations' ability to at least attempt to right the many wrongs that incessantly crop up in this world we inhabit. To that end, it remains incumbent on democracies - the majority funders of the United Nations operations, along with their generosity to underdeveloped countries, to seek a seat on the revolving Security Council.

Canada, once again, is campaigning for such a temporary seat. To enable it to pursue its vision of a better world, against all seeming odds. The distemper of the times within Canada is a current Conservative-led government assailed on all sides by the oppositional political parties and their Members of Parliament who aspire to take over the seat of government from the present one.

In their partisan zeal to cast a dim light on the current government, they do themselves no favours, nor do they appear to notice that they disfavour the country which they are so eager to lead. The leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, the unestimable Michael Ignatieff, went so far as to publicly state that Canada 'does not deserve' a seat on the Security Council - under the current government.

This blatant anti-Conservative stance, demonstrates aptly Mr. Ignatieff's cerebral disequilibrium, for by so stating he has done irreparable harm to the country he feels he has the right to govern. In an attempt to amend the harm done by Mr. Ignatieff Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs has had to plead with UN member-states to overlook that negative claim.

Next week's vote for five new members to join the 15-member body will be a telling one. The narrow-minded and self-serving, Canada-harming statement from the Leader of the Official Opposition points out his alarming incapacity, and ably illustrates that he is unfit to lead his own political party, much less the Government of Canada.