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Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion says Canada will be more constructive in its diplomatic dealings with Iran and Russia, but that caution and assertiveness will remain central to its approach.

In an interview with the Citizen on Wednesday, Dion said the new Liberal government also won’t shy away from criticizing either Israel or the Palestinians when it comes to actions that threaten Middle East peace. And he wouldn’t rule out Canada running for a seat at the United Nations Security Council.

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“I cannot tell you when we will ask to come back to the council,” he said. “But it is certainly something that we need to consider because the world needs Canada to be at the core of the decision-making process.”

One of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first promises after last month’s election was that Canada would have a more “compassionate and constructive voice in the world” under the Liberals after a decade of Conservative rule. As Trudeau’s new foreign affairs minister, it will be up to Dion to implement that vision.