Good evening.

Let me begin by thanking the team at the Canadian Mission for hosting us today.

Canada’s new government has a mission to strengthen and diversify our partnerships and to lead global efforts to rebuild a rules-based international system guided by principles.

This mission is being led by dedicated, hard-working people, here in this room and in our embassies around the world.

For decades, Canada’s foreign policy relied on a set of premises.

First, the rules-based multilateral trading system.

Second, our collective security anchored by NATO.

Third, our enviable geography, which has shielded us from distant conflicts while connecting us to the world’s largest economy to our south.

And an expectation that the world would converge toward free markets, open societies, and democratic values.

Now the world is undergoing a fundamental shift.

New technologies have brought distant threats to our door. Power has become multipolar. Authoritarianism is resurgent. Consensus within many democracies has fractured.

These developments are reducing the effectiveness of global institutions, on which middle powers, like Canada, have long relied.

This isn’t a transition, it’s a rupture.

Yet, after my time here in New York during the United Nations High Level Week, I am even more certain that in this new era, Canada won’t just endure this shift, we will prosper.

We must build a new era, and in that era, Canada will prosper. 

First, we have what the world wants. 

Canada is an energy superpower in clean and conventional energies.

We are among the top five producers of the most important critical minerals.

We’re a leading developer of artificial intelligence (AI), and we have the world’s best talent in quantum and computer science.

Second, we embody the values to which much of the world aspires.

Canada has always been, and always will be, committed to fundamental human rights, human dignity, individual freedom, and sustainability.

We are a pluralistic society that works – we practise collaboration and partnership.

Lastly, Canada has the objective clarity and the determination needed to meet this moment.

Canada’s new government is responding to this profound shift with determination and strength. 

We’re building our strength at home, diversifying our partnerships abroad, and building a web of new connections to pursue our interests.

This is what we have been focused on this week in New York.

To build a stronger economy, I have met with business leaders from around the world to discuss investment in Canada, as we accelerate major projects, double the pace of homebuilding, and scale up our defence spending in ways that build our economy.

I underscored Canada’s strong and stable business environment, highly skilled workforce, and leadership in the emerging areas of AI and quantum computing, clean energy and clean technology, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, and digital infrastructure.

I outlined our government’s new industrial strategy to transform the Canadian economy so it can be more resilient to global shocks and help all Canadians get ahead.

I highlighted the recent launch of the Major Projects Office, which will fast-track projects in Canada’s national interest.

To diversify our trade and security relationships, I met with leaders from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean – seeking new export markets and new opportunities for Canadians.

Tomorrow, the President of Indonesia will visit Ottawa. Our work together will expand Canada’s commercial markets with Asia and empower Canadian workers with new opportunities.

On Thursday, I will host the Irish Taoiseach as we continue to deepen our commercial, cultural, and security ties with the European Union.

And to build a new resilient web of global connections, we’re working with the United Nations and other partners to find collective solutions to the most pressing challenges the world faces today, from Ukraine to the Middle East.

This week, Canada provided $207 million in new funding to improve global nutrition, address climate change, and reduce poverty. This includes new initiatives with partners in Africa, South America, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.

As part of a collective, coordinated international effort, Canada recognised the State of Palestine.

We offered our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel.

To that end, Canada will also contribute $47 million in new funding to Gaza and the West Bank to strengthen judicial systems, governance structures, and democratisation efforts.

This brings Canada’s total contributions in assistance to Gaza and the West Bank to $402 million, including humanitarian supports, health and recovery efforts, and development aid.

In parallel, we continue to pursue justice and lasting peace in Ukraine.

As Co-Chair of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, Canada convened leaders this morning, to spotlight the tragedy of Ukrainian children illegally abducted by Russia and to catalyse a stronger international reaction.

And finally, as part of Canada’s ongoing efforts to stabilise the security situation in Haiti, we are deploying $60 million in new international funding.

This funding will reinforce the Multinational Security Support mission,expand maritime security in the Caribbean, and impede gun and drug trafficking.

These efforts will contribute to building a safer and more secure world.

They will strengthen our institutions like the United Nations through increased co-operation.

Where there is trust, there is the potential for collaboration.

And with collaboration comes new opportunities for Canadian workers, business, and industries.

I would like to conclude with a few words about Bob Rae, Canada’s outgoing Ambassador to the United Nations.

Bob has represented Canadians at the federal, provincial, and international level for almost five decades.

He is a stalwart. A steady hand. Because he is guided by principle, he is so often Canada’s voice of conscience and conviction.

Recently, as we corresponded on the many daunting challenges facing Canada, the United Nations, and the world, Bob reminded me of Leonard Cohen’s words in the song Anthem:

“Ring the bells that still can ring / Forget your perfect offering / There is a crack, a crack in everything / That’s where the light gets in.”

In every moment of rupture, there is possibility.

And our responsibility in this moment is to find it.

After my visit to the United Nations General Assembly, I can assure Canadians that there is light, there are many possibilities.

We know nostalgia isn’t a strategy. We cannot rebuild the world that was. We can build something better.

The work we are doing here, at the United Nations, is part of a transformation of our economy and our approach to global engagement.

Canada is a determined and ambitious nation that is rising to the challenges of a new age, that is helping build a world where prosperity is shared, where security is collective, and where peace is lasting.

In this new era, our partners will no longer rely only on the strength of our values, but also the value of our strength.