As the twentieth century ended, Canada was completing its sixth term on the UN Security Council. 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. Canada on the United Nations Security Council 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. Impeccably researched and clearly written, this is the definitive history of the Canadian experience on the world’s most powerful stage.

Un-Canadian: Prejudice and Discrimination Against Muslims in Canada is a provocative warning to Canadians that the values they cherish are being eroded through a pattern of political, legal and social prejudice directed towards Muslims in Canada since September 11, 2001. Featuring never-before-published interviews with key politicians and journalists, influential Muslim leaders and ordinary Canadians who have suddenly found themselves thrust into what might become a full-fledged culture war, this book sounds the alarm about our politicians, our commitment to the rule of law and the changing value of our citizenship. Spanning settings from dark prison cells in Guantanamo Bay and Syria to the gilded corridors of power on Parliament Hill, this book centres on fundamental notions of social cohesion and the value of Canadian citizenship—issues which continue to make headlines. Canadians who are worried about the direction our country is headed will consider this a must-read.

The Charter of the United Nations was signed in 1945 by 51 countries representing all continents, paving the way for the creation of the United Nations on 24 October 1945. The Statute of the International Court of Justice forms part of the Charter. The aim of the Charter is to save humanity from war; to reaffirm human rights and the dignity and worth of the human person; to proclaim the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small; and to promote the prosperity of all humankind. The Charter is the foundation of international peace and security.

In 1960 the Republic of Congo teetered near collapse as its first government struggled to cope with civil unrest and mutinous armed forces. When the UN established a peacekeeping operation to deal with the crisis, the Canadian government faced a difficult decision. Should it support the intervention? By offering one of the first detailed accounts of Canadian involvement in a UN peacekeeping mission, Kevin Spooner reveals that Canada’s involvement was not a certainty: the Diefenbaker government had immediate and ongoing reservations about the mission, reservations that challenge cherished notions of Canada’s commitment to the UN and its status as a peacekeeper.

A nation of peacekeepers or soldiers? Honest broker, loyal ally, or chore boy for empire? Attempts to define Canada’s past, present, and proper international role have often led to contradiction and incendiary debate. Canada and the United Nations seeks to move beyond simplistic characterizations by allowing evidence, rather than ideology, to drive the inquiry. The result is a pragmatic and forthright assessment of the best practices in Canada’s UN participation. Sparked by the Harper government’s realignment of Canadian internationalism, Canada and the United Nations reappraises the mythic and often self-congratulatory assumptions that there is a distinctively Canadian way of interacting with the world, and that this approach has profited both the nation and the globe. While politicians and diplomats are given their due, this collection goes beyond many traditional analyses by including the UN-related attitudes and activities of ordinary Canadians. Contributors find that while Canadians have exhibited a broad range of responses to the UN, fundamental beliefs about the nation’s relationship with the world are shared widely among citizens of various identities and eras. While Canadians may hold inflated views of their country’s international contributions, their notions of Canada’s appropriate role in global governance correlate strongly with what experts in the field consider the most productive approaches to the Canada-UN relationship. In an era when some of the globe’s most profound challenges – climate change, refugees, terrorism, economic uncertainty – are not constrained by borders, Canada and the United Nations provides a timely primer on Canada’s diplomatic strengths.

The Middle Power Project describes a defining period of Canadian and international history. During the Second World War, Canada transformed itself from British dominion to self-proclaimed middle power. It became an active, enthusiastic, and idealistic participant in the creation of one of the longest lasting global institutions of recent times – the United Nations. This was, in many historians’ opinions, the beginning of a golden age in Canadian diplomacy. Chapnick suggests that the golden age may not have been so lustrous. During the UN negotiations, Canadian policymakers were more cautious than idealistic. The civil service was inexperienced and often internally divided. Canada’s significant contributions were generally limited to the much neglected economic and social fields. Nevertheless, creating the UN changed what it meant to be Canadian. Rightly or wrongly, from the establishment of the UN onwards, Canadians would see themselves as leading internationalists. Based on materials not previously available to Canadian scholars, The Middle Power Project presents a critical reassessment of the traditional and widely accepted account of Canada’s role and interests in the formation of the United Nations. It will be be read carefully by historians and political scientists, and will be appreciated by general readers with an interest in Canadian and international history.

A Canadian architectural and cultural marvel, Canada's Parliament Building, or Centre Block, has been the focal point of Canadian parliamentary democracy for much of the past century. As the Parliament Building, with its iconic gothic revival Peace Tower, approaches its 100th anniversary, it will be closed for a decade or more for much-needed renovations. Although an entire generation will miss the opportunity to see this building's wonders, A Portrait of Canada's Parliament provides a permanent written and illustrated record of it at this watershed moment. With spectacular photographs by William McElligott and inspiring thematic articles by established professional subject specialists, this volume collectively paints a portrait of one of Canada's greatest symbols from its origins into the present and on to the plans for its future. The Parliament Building, which contains both the Senate and the House of Commons, is unveiled from various angles: the astonishing history, the visionary architects, the lofty aspirations, the democratic functions housed within, the urban features, the picturesque landscape, the powerful architecture, the engineering ingenuity, the decorations' symbolic meanings, the harsher memories, the evolution echoing a growing nation, and the challenges, opportunities, and technological innovations for the most ambitious architectural renovation in Canada's history - a revitalized Parliament Building fit for the twenty-first century and beyond. This portrait provides, for the first time, an intimate analysis of the character and spirit of Canada's Parliament, and how the building's design, contents, and setting have performed their role so successfully for successive generations of Canadians.

Air power for warfighting is a story that's been told many times. Air power for peacekeeping and UN enforcement is a story that desperately needs to be told. In rich detail this volume describes: aircraft transporting vital supplies to UN peacekeepers and massive amounts of humanitarian aid to war-affected populations; aircraft serving as the 'eyes in sky' to keep watch for the world organization; and combat aircraft enforcing the peace. Rich poignant case studies illuminate the past and present use of UN air power, pointing the way for the future.

For the first time, the history, current listing and grading information of all Canadian and UN stamps to date are assembled in one easy-to-use volume. The collector-friendly format of this volume guides collectors through 3000 listings in two grades of condition and is identical to the format of The Krause-Minkus Standard Catalog of U.S. Stamps. Detailed stamp stories and histories are featured. Color reference, design descriptions, plate and perf information, transfer methods, identification aids and supplemental commentaries are included. All stamps are listed chronologically, and special sections cover postcards and stationary.