Canada plans to make a bid for a seat on the UN Security Council, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday as he hosted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

At a news conference in Ottawa, Trudeau said he has indicated to Ban that Canada wants to 鈥渞e-engage robustly鈥� with the United Nations and the global community.

That includes 鈥渓ooking towards a bid for the UN Security Council," Trudeau said.

In 2010, Canada lost its bid for a two-year council term to Portugal, even though it held a seat at the table off and on for six decades. Critics blamed the historic loss on Stephen Harper鈥檚 Conservative government, saying that it failed to make a strong bid.

Paul Heinbecker, a former Canadian ambassador to the UN, said Canada鈥檚 frosty relationship with the organization dates back to 2006 when a Canadian peacekeeper was killed during the Israeli-Lebanese war.

鈥淭he loss of the Security Council seat, I think, was indicative that the contempt that the Canadian government was manifesting for the UN was being reciprocated by the UN members,鈥� Heinbecker said on CTV鈥檚 Power Play Thursday.

鈥淭hey preferred a bankrupt Portugal -- a country they knew was bankrupt -- to a solvent Canada,鈥� he said.

Heinbecker said former prime minister Harper 鈥渂asically snubbed鈥� the UN multiple times by choosing to not show up to events.

鈥淚 think what we saw today with Ban Ki-Moon and Prime Minister Trudeau in their press conference was a much warmer relationship, a much more enthusiastic relationship.鈥�

Ban said he welcomes Trudeau鈥檚 plan and called Canada 鈥渙ne of our most important partners.鈥�

He credited Trudeau鈥檚 leadership with helping secure the 鈥渂reakthrough鈥� global agreement on climate change reached at the Paris summit in December.

Ban also 鈥渉ighly鈥� applauded Canada鈥檚 ongoing efforts to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees.

Ban said he and Trudeau had a 鈥渧ery constructive exchange鈥� Thursday on a number of issues that also included global security and Canada鈥檚 contribution to UN peacekeeping missions, which has fallen from around 3,300 troops in 1993 to just 113 today.

The UN chief also seemed to nudge Trudeau to boost Canada鈥檚 international aid spending for poorer nations.

鈥淚鈥檓 sure that Prime Minister Trudeau and his government will pay more focus on this matter,鈥� Ban said.

Both Ban and Trudeau expressed their outrage over hat UN peacekeepers sexually abused underage girls in the Central African Republic.

With files from The Canadian Press