Canada at the Opening Sessions of UNO
| Author | Beth Tomalin |
| Published date | 01 July 1946 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070204600100306 |
| Date | 01 July 1946 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Canada
at
the
Opening
Sessions
of
UNO
Beth
Tomalin
Sanadian
representatives
shared
continuously
from
August
16,
1945,
until
February
18,
1946,
in
the
work
of
translating
the
blueprint
of
the
San
Francisco
Charter
into
the
working
reality
of
the United
Nations
Organization.
Canada was
one
of
the fourteen nations
represented
on
the
Executive
Committee
of
the
Preparatory
Commission,
which
was
at
work
in
London
from August
16
to
November
12,
when
its
report
was
ready.
The
Executive
Committee
prepared
recom-
mendations in
detail
on
rules
of
procedure,
the
administration
of
the
Secretariat, the
co-ordination
of
the
activities
of
the
organs
of
the
General
Assembly,
and
their
relations with
each
other
and
with
other
international
organizations. Canada
was
repre-
sented
on
the
Committee
by
the
Hon.
L.
B.
Pearson,
Canadian
Ambassador
to
the
United States,
the
Hon.
W.
E.
Turgeon,
Cana-
dian
Ambassador
to
Belgium,
and
Messrs.
Escott
Reid
and
J.
W.
Holmes
of
the Department
of
External
Affairs.
The
Preparatory
Commission,
on
which
all
the
United Nations
were
represented,
also
met
in
London,
from
November
24
to
December
24.
Its
work
entailed
the
scrutiny,
and
acceptance
or
modification
of
the
report
of
the
Executive
Committee.
In ad-
dition,
the
Commission
prepared
a
provisional
agenda and
a
score
of
other
technical
recommendations for
the
General
Assembly.
The
General
Assembly
of
the
United
Nations
Organization
met
on
January
10,
1946.
The first
business
to be
transacted by
the
General
Assembly
after
the
opening ceremonies, was
the
election
of
Mr.
Paul
Henri
Spaak,
foreign
minister
of
Belgium,
as
its
president.
The
election
of
the
non-permanent
members
of
the
Security
Council
followed
on
January
12.
On
the
first
ballot,
Brazil,
Egypt,
Mexico,
Poland,
and
the
Netherlands
were elected
with
the
required majority
of
thirty-four
votes.
Canada
came
sixth
with
thirty-three
votes,
and
Australia
next
with
twenty-eight.
243
International
Journal
One
paper
proved
invalid.
On
the
second
ballot,
in
which
the
voting
was
between
Canada
and
Australia
only,
Australia
se-
cured
-twenty-seven
Votes,
Canada
twenty-three,
with
one
invalid
paper.
A
third
ballot
with
fifty-one
valid
votes gave
Australia
twenty-eight
and
Canada
twenty-three.
At
this
point
Mr.
St.
Laurent
rose
to
announce
that
Canada
would
stand
down
in
favour
of
Australia,
in
order
to solve
the
deadlock.
He
said:
"The
members
of
the
Canadian
delegation
fully
realize
how
embarrassing
it
must
be
to
their
fellow delegates
to
go
on
balloting
between two
of
the
Dominions
of
the
Commonwealth,
with
each
of
which
they
have
always
had
such
cordial
and
mutually
satisfactory
relations.
I
would
therefore
beg leave,
Mr.
President,
to
propose
that
no
further
ballots
be
taken,
but
that
the election
of
Australia
to
the
Security
Council
as
the
sixth
non-permanent
member
thereof
be
made unanimous."
Referring
to
the
rules
of
procedure
which
made
it
obligatory,
the
President
called
for
another
ballot,
which
resulted
in
forty-
nine
valid
votes,
forty-six
in
favour
of
Australia, and
three
in
favour
of
Canada.
Canada
was
one
of
seventeen
nations
elected
to
the
Economic
and
Social
Council
on
January
12
on
the
first
ballot.
The
majority
required
was
thirty-four
votes,
and
Canada secured
forty-six.
On
a
simple
majority
vote,
Canada
with
twenty-nine
votes
was
one
of
six
nations
elected
to
this
office
for
three
years.
Following
the
establishment
of
the
Security
Council
and
the
Economic
and
Social
Council,
the
General
Assembly
proceeded
to
the
discussion
of
the
report
from
the
Preparatory
Commission.
There
were
forty
lengthy
speeches
in
all,
including
that
of
Mr.
St.
Laurent
on
January
18.
Mr.
St.
Laurent,
who
delivered
the
first
part
of
his
speech
in
French,
and
the
second
part
in
English,
paid
tribute
to
London
as
the
appropriate
site
for
this
first
meeting,
since
with
its scars
of
war,
it
afforded
a
reminder
of
the
background
of
the
concep-
tion
of
the
Organization.
He
paid
tribute
to
the
President,
Mr.
Spaak, and
the
sufferings
of
Belgium, and
to
the arduous
work
of
the
Preparatory
Commission
under
its
president, Dr. Zuleta
Angel
of
Colombia.
Referring
to
the
principles
of
the
San
Fran-
cisco
Charter,
Mr.
St.
Laurent
declared
that
there
was
a
firm
basis
for
the
extension
of
the
rule
of
law
throughout
the
world,
and
that
already,
in
the
Security
Council
and
the
Economic
and
Social Council,
there
was
some
measure
of
accomplishment
in
244
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