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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been hobnobbing in Africa this week with the president of the Toronto Raptors, spending Canadian tax dollars to woo votes for Canada’s bid to get onto the United Nations Security Council. His roadshow follows another recent one by two cabinet ministers and a parliamentary secretary.

Last year, the Liberals blew $1.9 million on marketing costs for this seat, plus the salaries and expenses of the 13 government employees appointed to work full time on this bid. Undoubtedly, millions more will be spent until the June election in the UN General Assembly for a seat that provides zero benefits to Canada and, frankly, some serious potential downsides.

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The question for Canadians to ponder is why does Trudeau indulge in an inconsequential goal that confers no power, economic opportunities or benefits to Canada?

The Liberals want a seat at the big boy’s table and are spending millions to get it

The answer is that securing this seat would be touted by the Liberals as a foreign policy win of some sort following the “costume,” off-mic and Aga Khan fiascoes. This party has also tied itself to the United Nations’ hopelessly flawed, and unsuccessful, climate change processes, to the detriment of Canada’s biggest industries and living standards. Now the Liberals want a seat at the big boy’s table and are spending millions to get it.