Trudeau had a lot riding on this as he explains here.

Canada has lost its high-profile bid for one of the rotating seats on the United Nations Security Council.

The loss marks the second consecutive failed quest for one of the two seats available in the category for member states from western Europe and other countries, something Canada has now sought and failed to win under two very different governments.

A total of 128 votes were needed to secure a two-thirds majority.

Canada received just 108 votes, even fewer than the 114 first round ballot votes that it received in 2010 when the former Conservative government ran and failed to win the same seat.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had frequently billed the seat as an avenue for Canada to exert greater influence on the world stage at a time when international institutions like the UN are under significant scrutiny and international relations are anything but harmonious.

The Conservatives lost to Portugal on the second ballot in 2010 after support collapsed to just 78 votes.

In a statement issued following the loss on Wednesday, Trudeau congratulated Norway and Ireland and said Canada will continue its commitment to the values it has advocated throughout the campaign.

“Throughout every step of our campaign, and in a time of global uncertainty, we promoted the Canadian values of peace, freedom, democracy, and human rights,” he said.

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“We will continue to pursue this approach at the United Nations and in other international forums – because Canada does well, and Canadians do well, when we strengthen our international relationships and fully engage on the world stage.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne took questions from reporters and while he wouldn’t speculate on why Canada lost, he said there will be lessons learned.

He was asked specifically about whether he will consider a foreign policy review akin to the defence policy review undertaken by the Liberals in their last mandate, given the global upheaval and calls for major reforms to many global institutions.

“Will we be open to considering different things? Yes and we should as Canadians,” he said.

Trudeau has repeatedly pointed to the 2010 failure to win a seat as a sign the Conservative approach to more hawkish foreign policy was not as effective as his own focus on multilateral and quieter diplomacy.

But after five years of using “Canada is back” as a rallying cry on the world stage, it appears the major African, Asian and Caribbean voting blocs did not share his enthusiasm.

Trudeau had courted them heavily via foreign trips, phone calls and support for initiatives of shared interest at the UN, particularly with regards to improving the coronavirus response around the world.

But foreign policy experts say they suspect the “Canada is back” talk just didn’t square with the concrete resources that the Canadian government brought to the table.

“Trudeau may be the amicable poster child of multilateralism and diversity … but at the end of the day, that’s not enough,” said Bessma Momani, professor of international relations at the University of Waterloo and a fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation.

“Where’s the dollars? Where’s the troops? Where’s the presence that people expect?”

Despite pledging in the 2015 campaign to recommit Canada to traditional peacekeeping, Trudeau only briefly deployed Canadian troops as part of a limited contribution to the United Nations mission in Mali.

The total number of Canadian peacekeepers deployed fell this year to its lowest number in 60 years.“The Trudeau government, rhetorically, has been much more supportive of the United Nations, certainly hasn’t done the kind of criticism of it in the way that the Harper government did,” said David Perry, vice president and a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

“But if you look at the actual hard contributions — dollars spent, troops contributed — what’s remarkable to me is the degree of continuity. They were small numbers to begin with, but they went down even further.“

Voting took place under unprecedented new rules imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 193 ambassadors from UN member states cast their votes via secret ballot in staggered, assigned voting periods rather than at a UN General Assembly meeting.

The Greens in the Senate voted in support of comments to defund the police today. How crazy are these radicals! A police officer is injured every hour on average in Australia. Their sacrifice deserves our support and thanks. pic.twitter.com/hGrOEIfRc5

— Matthew Canavan (@mattjcan) June 18, 2020

pic.twitter.com/3lm1spbU8X

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020

Warning - this is quite disturbing video.

Thanks to Garry and Wendy Goldsworthy for the tip.

The Australian has excellent coverage here.

Tim Tam led.

There are few countries in the world who share a closer friendship than Australia and the UK.

Now, as an independent trading nation for the first time in decades, we have the opportunity to turn our shared history and friendship into a world-leading free trade agreement. 🇬🇧🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/PPWESs3aHq

— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 17, 2020

It's the simple things that can make one's day! ☺️ pic.twitter.com/xsBx1dPUiq

— Mojo Crowe (@MojoCrowe) June 15, 2020

Everyone emerged from this scene alive.

Just.

I can't imagine a court of competent jurisdiction finding other than that the police involved were in fear of their lives.

And by the way, where the hell is David Shoebridge and Maureen Muslim. The shit poor cops have got to deal with. 

Here's the police statement.

A man has been charged with multiple offences after allegedly assaulting two police officers during an arrest on the Central Coast last night.

About 10.25pm yesterday (Tuesday 16 June 2020), officers attached to Tuggerah Lakes Police District were called to a home on Buff Point Avenue, Buff Point, after reports of a domestic incident.

Upon arrival, police were approached by a 35-year-old man who allegedly became increasingly violent and resisted arrest.

A struggle ensued when the officers attempted to arrest the man; the man allegedly spat in the male officer’s face. The female officer was punched in the face several times before being dragged to the ground by her hair. A clump of hair was ripped from her scalp during the arrest.

The female officer became increasingly distressed when she was grabbed around the neck and choked.

The male officer was then allegedly elbowed in the face and had his genitals twisted by the man before additional police assisted and released him.

The man was taken by ambulance to Wyong Hospital before he was released and taken to Wyong Police Station.

He has since been charged with 13 offences, including:

• Assault officer in execution of duty (x2)
• Resist officer in execution of duty (x4)
• Affray
• Destroy or damage property <=$2000 (DV)
• Common assault (DV)
• Intentionally choke etc person without consent
• Threaten injury to person with intent prevent lawful detention
• Intimidate police officer in execution of duty without abh
• Sexually touch another person without consent

He was refused bail to face Newcastle Local Court today (Wednesday 17 June 2020), where he was formally bail refused to appear at Wyong Local Court on Thursday 25 June 2020.

Both senior constables were taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment to soft tissue injuries.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services, The Hon. David Elliott, said this is an appalling attack upon our first responders.

“This is an inexcusable attack on two officers who were simply responding to a call out to protect members of our community late last night following reports of a domestic incident,” Minister Elliott said.

“Last week, I referred the issue of assaults against police officers to the Law and Safety Parliamentary Committee to seek a better understanding of community attitudes towards police as well as an assessment of whether current penalties and offences are sufficient in light of the disgusting assaults that have been reported recently.

“We want to work out what the motives and attitudes are behind these awful attacks. Thumping police is just not on.”

Northern Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell APM, said there’s never an excuse for assaulting an officer in the line of duty.

“These two officers were attending this location after receiving a call for help – as thousands of officers across New South Wales do every single day – and this is what greeted them,” Assistant Commissioner Mitchell said.

“They were attacked, unprovoked, for simply doing their job.

“We are all thankful they only received minor injuries, and we will continue to monitor their welfare going forward.

“I want to reiterate – violence against police officers and emergency services personnel is completely unacceptable, and we will continue to do all we can to prosecute those responsible.”