Joly targets polarization in UN speech, urges liberals to reclaim the word ‘freedom’

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is asking members of the United Nations to counter growing political polarization abroad while taking shots at Conservative rhetoric at home.

Joly put women’s rights and international law at the centre of her address to the UN General Assembly, in what could be the Trudeau government’s last speech at the annual gathering of leaders and ministers in New York.

“Some of the loudest voices claiming to speak for freedom are the ones trying to redefine that word for their own purposes,” she told the assembly on Monday morning.

“They hide behind the word to tell us everything is broken,” she said, echoing the language of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre without naming him.

Joly called out leaders who seek to restrict people’s LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive choices “or even what they can wear,” though she did not specify restrictions on religious symbols in Quebec or France.

“We see it in our country; we see it around the world,” she told the assembly, before delving into a series of conflicts that she said can only be resolved by countries upholding rules on sovereignty and human rights.

She said that means challenging the Taliban’s “inhumane rules against women and girls” in Afghanistan that restrict their education and access to public spaces. It also means more countries supporting Haiti as it tries to end what she called the catastrophic situation of gang rule.

In the Middle East, a cycle of violence “requires both sides making real efforts” to end the war between Israel and Hamas, which has been going on for nearly a year. She stressed the importance of the UN in seeking consensus and ironing out profound differences.

“Polarization is a real problem and division is real. We have a collective responsibility to bring people together,” she said.

“People have the right to protest peacefully, but nobody has the freedom to intimidate others.” 

She similarly framed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as Moscow warping the concept of liberty to justify undermining international law. 

“No country has the right and the freedom to invade its neighbour, and there is no freedom to impose your will on others,” she said.

She added, “The Ukrainian people have the right to be free from fear and from aggression.”

Her speech noted Canada’s support of efforts to reform the UN, with countries arguing Western nations have outsized power that doesn’t reflect the population and economic growth of numerous states.

She reiterated a call from a group of female foreign ministers earlier this month for the next secretary-general to be a woman for the first time in the nearly eight decades the UN has existed, which she deplored as “unacceptable.”

The Monday speech came as Canada campaigns for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, and within a year of a likely national election where the Liberals are facing dire poll numbers.

Joly’s speech ended by noting there has been a rollback in rights for women, including access to safe abortions and contraception.

The speech did not mention climate change, but said the world has numerous problems that can only be resolved by working together.

“Canada will work with partners to move us beyond this moment of crisis,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2024