Canada loses out to Ireland and Norway in Security Council vote

Despite an ambitious and star-studded campaign, Canada has lost its most recent bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

It lost to Ireland and Norway for the two seats on the "Western bloc."

Premier Justin Trudeau has invested heavily in the program, hired 13 full-time employees, and welcomed diplomats to a New York Celine Dion concert.

Meanwhile, Ireland wheeled out U2 for a similar show but spent around half as much on its campaign, BBC reported.

Canada said it shelled out roughly $1.74m (£1.37m). As of late last year, Ireland spent a reported $800,000 and Norway $2.8m.

The Security Council has 10 non-permanent members, elected for two years each, in addition to permanent members the UK, China, France, Russia and the United States. All permanent members have the power to veto resolutions.

What happened in the vote? Norway secured 130 votes, while Ireland got 128 and Canada managed just 108. India ran unopposed to win in the Asia-Pacific region, while Mexico also ran unopposed. The terms for new members start on 1 January 2021.