Canada’s voting history at the United Nations since 1947
An overall analysis since 1947, has now been completed of Canada’s United Nations voting record, by Just Peace Advocates, and it is a reminder of the longer picture. A picture that speaks to Canada’s at best conditional support regarding Palestine.
This pulling together of data from the United Nations database is revealing of a strong and consistent pro-Israel vote by Canada over the last seventy years.
While the shift to voting NO consistently began in 2011 onwards, Canada cast its first NO vote on the Question of Palestine in 1949, and moved following 1967 towards many NO votes.
In the 1970s and 1980s, often a YES vote is misleading as these resolutions were not specifically focused on the rights of the Palestinian people, but rather were related to increasing peacekeeping or other issues that served the occupier at least as much as the occupied.
Analysis of votes in the period after the 1993 Oslo Accord, shows the international community was voting YES more consistently on UN resolutions related to Palestine, and that Canada joined in that regard in casting YES votes within the context of Oslo language, voting in support of motions that condemned aspects of the occupation. In which prior to 1993, Canada had either voted no or abstained.
Media coverage
Canadian Dimenson, November 29, 2020, Don’t be fooled by Canada’s recent pro-Palestine UN vote
Crescent International, November 30, 2020, Canada’s less than sterling record in support of Palestine rights at the UN
The following provides a summary of Canada’s vote during the 20th and 21st century at the United Nations on the Question of Palestine.
Photo Credit: Andrew McNaughton https://www.1000towns.ca/andrew-mcnaughton-minister-defence/
Andrew McNaughton: General Officer Commanding-in-Chief First Canadian Army from 1942 to 1943, Minister of Defence from 1944 to 1945. Permanent Representative to the UN from 1948 to 1949, then between 1950 and 1959.
