Canada
A combined view of Canada's UN General Assembly speeches, treaty commitments, and voting record.
The narrative paragraphs below are AI-generated syntheses of the data shown — the tables and figures themselves come directly from the underlying records, not from the AI.
Compare with another country →Speech history
Canada's General Assembly rhetoric shows a marked shift from institution-centric multilateralism with strong emphasis on accountability (2008–2010) toward values-driven, emotionally charged appeals paired with declining concreteness (2011–2013), before stabilizing around 2015 as a more measured balance between multilateral commitment and concrete policy offerings. From 2018 onward, Canada has consistently championed multilateral reform with high emotional intensity, framing itself as an institutional champion, though recent years (2020–2023) show an inverse relationship between multilateral rhetoric and specific Canadian policy commitments—speeches grow more passionate about global crises and institutional renewal while offering proportionally fewer binding pledges or detailed implementation plans.
| Session | Multilateralism | Emotional intensity | Concreteness | Self-accountability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Very High | Low | Very High | Very High |
| 2010 | High | Medium | High | Very High |
| 2011 | Low | High | High | High |
| 2013 | Low | Very High | Medium | Medium |
| 2015 | High | Medium | High | High |
| 2016 | High | High | Medium | High |
| 2018 | Very High | Medium | Very High | High |
| 2020 | Very High | Very High | Low | Low |
| 2021 | Very High | High | High | High |
| 2022 | Very High | High | Medium | Medium |
| 2023 | Very High | High | High | Medium |
Treaty status
Full treaty record →Canada demonstrates strong, broad-based commitment to human rights and environmental governance treaties, ratifying all tracked conventions in both categories with the notable exception of withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol and no action on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Its ratifications span arms control (4 of 4 except nuclear prohibition), environmental protection (10 of 11), human rights (5 of 5), and trade governance (3 of 3), indicating a preference for established multilateral legal frameworks over emerging or more contentious instruments.
Arms control & security
- Arms Trade TreatyRatified
- Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban TreatyRatified
- Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their DestructionRatified
- Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear WeaponsNo action
Environment & climate
- Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their DisposalRatified
- Convention on Biological DiversityRatified
- Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone LayerRatified
- Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeWithdrawn
- Minamata Convention on MercuryRatified
- Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone LayerRatified
- Paris AgreementRatified
- Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International TradeRatified
- Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic PollutantsRatified
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in AfricaRatified
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeRatified
Human rights
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or PunishmentRatified
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against WomenRatified
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesRatified
- Convention on the Rights of the ChildRatified
- International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsRatified
International justice
- Rome Statute of the International Criminal CourtRatified
Trade & governance
- United Nations Convention against CorruptionRatified
- United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized CrimeRatified
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaRatified
Voting record
Full voting record →Canada votes affirmatively on the majority of General Assembly resolutions (53% yes votes) with a notable tendency to abstain (27%) rather than dissent, reflecting a pattern of selective engagement rather than bloc alignment. Its rare dissents cluster around financing for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and disarmament matters, where it has voted against near-consensus positions—suggesting principled reservations about certain peacekeeping assessments and specific arms control initiatives despite its broader multilateral positioning.
Notable dissents from consensus
Report of the Conference on Disarmament : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
2025-12-01 · voted N · 99% voted yes
Financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
2020-12-31 · voted N · 98% voted yes
World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1976-12-13 · voted N · 98% voted yes
Financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
2016-06-17 · voted N · 98% voted yes
Financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
2012-06-21 · voted N · 98% voted yes
Human development
Full HDI record →Human Development Index: 0.939 (Very High), ranked #16 globally in 2023.
Combines life expectancy, education, and income into one comparable score, 0 to 1. Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025 — deterministic figures, not AI-generated.
1990–2023