The United Nations General Assembly elected five nations - Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal, and South Africa - as non-permanent members of the Security Council Tuesday. (United Nations/Associated Press)

By CBC News

Observers are blaming Canada's failure to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council on its foreign policy, not political division, after Tuesday's surprise loss in New York.

Paul Heinbecker, a former Canadian ambassador to the UN and a leading critic of the Conservative government's foreign policy, said many of its decisions -- including decreased African aid, support of Israel and its stance on climate change and peacekeeping -- have been unpopular in the international community.

Stephen Harper's Conservatives insisted that Canada's Security Council bid was "strong" and "principled," and blamed the political opposition -- Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff in particular -- for the defeat.

"I do not in any way see this as a repudiation of Canada's foreign policy," Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon declared. "The principles underlying our foreign policy, such as freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law, were the basis of all our decisions."

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