This is the definitive history of the Canadian experience, both its successes and failures, on the world’s largest stage – the United Nations Security Council.

As the twentieth century ended, Canada was completing its sixth term on the United Nations Security Council, more terms than all but three other non-permanent members. A decade later, Ottawa’s attempt to return to the council was dramatically rejected by its global peers, leaving Canadians – and international observers – shocked and disappointed. This book tells the story of that defeat and what it means for future campaigns, describing and analyzing Canada’s attempts since 1946, both successful and unsuccessful, to gain a seat as a non-permanent member. It also reveals that while the Canadian commitment to the United Nations itself has always been strong, Ottawa’s attitude towards the Security Council, and to service upon it, has been much less consistent. Impeccably researched and clearly written, Canada on the United Nations Security Council is the definitive history of the Canadian experience on the world’s most powerful stage.

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Full of insights and surprises, [Canada on the United Nations Security Council] is a welcome addition to Canadian foreign policy.

"Chapnick carefully and methodically documents Canada's six terms on the UNSC." - The British Journal of Canadian Studies

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This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Canadian foreign policy and global engagement and will be a useful resource in graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses on these topics.