Anand to give Canada’s UN speech this afternoon

OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to address the United Nations General Assembly today.

Anand has said her speech will touch on support for Ukraine, the Middle East and Arctic sovereignty.

She said it will also touch on the middle-power strategy Prime Minister Mark Carney outlined at the start of this year.

On Friday, Anand said Canada does not lean back from uncomfortable conversations, saying if people “hide under a rock until conflicts disappear, you’re not doing the work of diplomacy.”

Anand will deliver the speech instead of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was there from Monday to Wednesday but whose officials said could not deliver Canada’s address due to scheduling issues.

Anand is slated to address the United Nations around 5 p.m. local time, following her counterparts from Oman and Tunisia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2026.