Check against delivery. This speech has been translated in accordance with the Government of Canada’s official languages policy and edited for posting and distribution in accordance with its communications policy.

Mr. President, 

Excellencies, colleagues, and friends. 

I was born in Nova Scotia, on Canada’s East Coast, and grew up there, the daughter of immigrants. 

Nova Scotians all know the same thing: the tide does not wait. You must move with it. 

The tide has turned in the global order as well. 

As Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan has observed, “we have arrived in a new age of disorder.” 

We are facing a rupture, not a transition. 

Great powers are walking away from global economic cooperation, and dismantling economic integration. 

Great powers want the rest of us to accept what we are offered.

And too often, state sovereignty – the cornerstone of the UN Charter – has been treated with disdain. 

We are facing serious challenges in the global order. 

But at their core, Canadians – and billions of others around the world –want to live peaceful, prosperous, and predictable lives. 

That’s why, in the face of this rupture, Canada’s goal is to achieve greater strategic autonomy. 

Greater autonomy to make our own choices, and to determine our own, sovereign future. 

We can no longer afford to be overly reliant on any one partner. 

Instead, we are diversifying our ties, and building stronger relationships with new and old partners alike, so that our people can enjoy peace and prosperity. 

We will prioritize decisive, effective action by forging issue-based coalitions of nations that share a sense of urgency on common challenges. 

We believe that these coalitions are the most flexible, effective and immediate way to address emerging global challenges. We are already forming these coalitions with small states, middle powers, and great powers alike. 

Through the Coalition of the Willing, Canada is working with over 30 allies and partners to bolster Ukraine and defend against further Russian aggression. 

And, in regional groupings like the Arctic Seven and the Nordic-Baltic Eight, Canada and our Arctic allies are cooperating to keep our region stable and secure. 

To this end, I welcome Secretary Rubio’s convening of the Arctic Seven earlier this week. 

As we build new coalitions, we must also strengthen the multilateral system. 

That is why Canada, along with global partners, has launched a new initiative called Partners for Multilateralism. 

Its purpose is to support the reform of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions to make them more representative, effective, and trusted. 

Canada will pursue a policy of values-based realism. 

Understanding the world as it is, we will make the right choices for Canadians, while being guided by our values. 

We will diversify our ties. 

We will work with trusted partners to strengthen our strategic capabilities, especially in emerging technologies, critical minerals, defence production, and clean and conventional energy. 

And we will lead other middle powers to act collectively and decisively. Because middle powers are playing a key role in building the framework for the new international order, which is being established as we speak. 

In the economic realm, Canada is focused on what we can control: building a stronger economy, diversifying our trade and catalyzing a trillion dollars’ worth of investment in Canada over the next five years. 

We are exploring new opportunities with partners in the Indo-Pacific, the Gulf, and Latin America. This includes building renewed partnerships with large economies, such as India and China. 

We are building ever-closer bonds between Canada and Europe. Together with the European Union, we are building an alliance for the future. 

Through our Africa strategy, we are increasing our commercial ties with African partners. 

We are making tangible progress. 

Canada’s exports to markets outside North America have risen sharply. 

In the past year, Canada has secured more than 20 new economic and defence partnerships. 

And at the first-ever Canada Investment Summit earlier this month, we secured nearly 500 billion dollars in new financing commitments to investment in Canada. 

As an energy superpower, we are providing energy supplies to many of our partners around the world, while supporting the transition to a more environmentally sustainable future. 

Because, in a rapidly changing world, Canada is a reliable partner. 

And we are ready to work together. 

We are also ready to work together on enhancing international security. 

Canada is stepping up and taking greater responsibility for our own defence. We are making the largest defence investments in generations: allocating over 80 billion dollars in last year’s budget. 

We are now spending over 2% of our GDP on defence and we are building toward NATO’s 5% pledge by 2035. 

These investments are strengthening our ability to protect Canada and to contribute to peace and security around the world. 

Canada is an Arctic nation. And the Arctic is central to our identity, our security and our future. The Arctic is a region of growing competition, but for many Canadians, it is simply home. 

That is why we’re investing in Arctic security in consultation with Indigenous Peoples. Their participation is an essential part of our commitment to reconciliation. 

As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Arctic Council, we continue to strive for a region of cooperation. To this end, Canada has opened a new consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, and we are strengthening our ties with our Arctic partners. 

Canada welcomes the recent agreement between Greenland, Denmark and the United States to strengthen security in Greenland and the High North. 

This agreement is yet another reminder that North America and Europe are stronger together. And as a founding member of NATO, our commitment to the trans-Atlantic alliance is ironclad. 

Alongside our NATO Allies, Canada remains resolute in our support for Ukraine. 

We share Ukraine’s commitment to restoring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace—one based on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Canada is also dedicated to advancing the unconditional return of all Ukrainian children, unlawfully detained civilians and prisoners of war. Next week, I will co-host a conference on this urgent issue in Toronto, alongside Norway and Ukraine. 

And, Canada and Ukraine will work together to support safe and secure navigation in the Black Sea, by strengthening Ukraine’s port infrastructure and disrupting and deterring the illegal activities of Russia’s shadow fleet. 

Canada is also a Pacific nation. 

And we are committed to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. 

We have increased our naval presence in the Indo-Pacific and are offering the Dark Vessel Detection program to our partners. 

We will continue to implement UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea. And by working with our regional partners, we are cracking down on transnational crime, including scam centres. 

Canada’s position on Iran is unequivocal: Iran is the principal threat to peace and security in its region, and it must never acquire a nuclear weapon. 

Iran’s threats to navigation rights in the Strait of Hormuz are a direct affront to international law – and we join our Gulf and European partners in strongly condemning Iran’s attacks in the region. 

And Canada is deploying every available tool, including targeted sanctions that I announced this week, to confront the Iranian regime’s abhorrent behaviour. 

Here at the United Nations, Canada will again lead the resolution in the General Assembly on human rights in Iran. 

Because we stand firmly with the Iranian people against repression, and for human rights, dignity, and aspirations for a better life. 

Closer to home, the people of Haiti deserve stability, security and the chance to build a brighter future. 

We recognize and thank the many countries who have come forward with contributions to the Gang Suppression Force, including the United States. 

Although the Haitian people continue to face fundamental challenges, we are encouraged that the Government of Haiti is taking steps toward holding elections—a sign of progress and of hope. 

Around the world, Canada will remain a trusted voice for the defence of maritime security, international law and the responsible development of artificial intelligence. 

And we will continue to speak out against the unacceptable rise in hatred, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, which are plagues that our countries must fight together. We were tragically reminded of the scourge of antisemitism again when a gunman carried out an attack on a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. 

As Canada navigates this global rupture, our response is grounded in our highest principles. 

Canada is an open, pluralistic society with a public square full of robust and civil debate. 

Our success is underpinned by our democratic institutions and respect for our differences. 

As Prime Minister Mark Carney recently observed, “We are a steady partner when predictability is at a premium.” 

Canada’s candidacy for the Human Rights Council for 2028 to 2030 is a testament to our values. 

And, to the nations represented here, we would be honored to count on your support. 

The rule of law is one of the pillars of our society at home, and it guides our actions abroad. 

Canada’s commitment to human rights and international law is strong. This includes our support for the institutions that uphold these principles, such as the International Criminal Court. 

Canada remains unequivocally committed to the Charter of the United Nations, which Canada helped to shape. 

Article 1(2) of the UN Charter underlines a foundational principle of this institution: the self-determination of peoples. 

And let us be clear: self-determination is a right to which both Israelis and Palestinians are entitled.

Canada firmly believes that lasting peace and security can be achieved only through a negotiated two-state solution. 

That means a Palestinian state living alongside Israel in peace, security, and dignity. 

Israel’s right to exist is not up for debate. And the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in a state of their own is also not up for debate. 

The two-state solution remains the guiding principle of our Middle East policy. And our actions are calibrated to support this outcome. 

Alongside our partners, we will continue to target those who lead, arm, and finance Hamas – and other terrorist organizations who threaten the security of Israel, and the broader region. Hamas must play no role in the governance of Palestine. 

Israel’s settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. That is why Canada announced earlier this month that we intend to restrict trade in goods with illegal Israeli settlements.

We will also continue to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in need. 

In response to the pressing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, we recently announced 120 million dollars to help the people affected. 

From Lebanon to Haiti, to Gaza and elsewhere, we are supporting efforts to reduce poverty, strengthen resilience, advance gender equality, defend the rights of LGBTQ2I individuals, and create economic opportunities. 

The United Nations system plays a crucial role in this work. 

But the UN is not—and should not be—a static organization. 

As the UN undergoes a period of significant change, we must ensure that the UN is ready for the future. 

We thank Mr. António Guteres for his efforts over the past decade, and we look forward to collaborating with the new Secretary-General. 

Mr. President, excellencies, colleagues: 

The world looks very different today than it did when I was growing up in Nova Scotia. 

The tide has turned. 

We could spend our time wishing that it had not. 

But to indulge in nostalgia or give into despair, would be to let our people down. 

That is not an option. 

Instead, Canada chooses to move – with confidence and strength. 

Though some would build higher walls and retreat from international engagement, we believe that long-term partnerships are the way to prosperity and security.

Though some are turning away from the principles of the United Nations, we remain committed to them.

And though some would rather ignore the rupture that we see before our very eyes, we are willing to see the world as it is.

Rather than yearn for days gone by, let us, together, take this opportunity to do right by our people – and build together.

This is the path that Canada will take.

And we invite you to join us in partnership.

Thank you. Merci. Miigwech.