Immediate release
Just Peace Advocates was pleased to share this press release on behalf of Canadian Foreign Policy Institute.
January 21, 2022
Prominent musicians, authors and politicians criticize Trudeau’s Venezuela policy
To mark the third anniversary (January 23) of Juan Guaidó’s self-declaration as president of Venezuela with Canadian support, the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute is releasing a public letter titled “Trudeau’s Venezuela policy has failed. It’s time to reset relations.”
Initiating signatories include David Suzuki, Elizabeth May, rock legend Roger Waters as well as four former MPs, Linda McQuaig, Chris Hedges, Tariq Ali, John Pilger and Judy Rebick. The letter argues, “Canada should remove its sanctions, lay the Lima Group to rest and stop recognizing Juan Guaidó.”
“On the three-year anniversary of Juan Guaidó declaring himself president of Venezuela the Trudeau government needs to recognize that their coup attempt has failed”, noted Canadian Foreign Policy Institute director Bianca Mugyenyi. “It’s time to normalise relations with Venezuela.”
For more information:
Bianca Mugyenyi, Director Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
Phone: 514-436-7629 Email: info@foreignpolicy.ca
Trudeau’s Venezuela policy has failed. It’s time to reset relations.
Three years ago on January 23, a little-known Venezuelan politician declared himself president during an outdoor rally in Caracas. Canada recognized Juan Guaidó that day.
According to the Canadian Press, Canadian diplomats spent “months” coordinating the plan to proclaim the new head of the opposition-dominated National Assembly president. A Canadian diplomat told CP they helped Guaidó “facilitate conversations with people that were out of the country and inside the country” while the Globe and Mail reported that foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland “spoke with Juan Guaidó to congratulate him on unifying opposition forces in Venezuela, two weeks before he declared himself interim president.”
As part of Ottawa’s effort to oust the Venezuelan government Canada has blocked their diplomats. Ottawa also adopted four rounds of sanctions against Venezuelan officials. These moves reinforced and legitimated US sanctions that have devastated Venezuela’s economy and contributed to tens of thousands of deaths.
Alongside Peru, Canada launched the Lima Group in 2017. Canada hosted multiple meetings of this coalition opposed to Venezuela’s government and pressed others to join an alliance that violated the principles of nonintervention in countries’ internal affairs.
But, the Lima Group has effectively collapsed. Alongside a number of other countries, Peru withdrew from the alliance in August. The new Peruvian government’s foreign minister said, “the Lima Group must be the most disastrous thing we have done in international politics in the history of Perú.”
In another sign of the failing campaign to isolate Caracas, only 16 of 193 UN members voted recently against recognizing Nicolás Maduro’s government as the representative of Venezuela.
As his international backing steadily declines, Guaido’s influence among the Venezuelan opposition has greatly diminished. In December the self-declared president’s “foreign minister” Julio Borges resigned and called for his parallel government to “disappear completely”. Additionally, nearly all of Venezuela’s opposition parties participated in November’s regional and municipal election.
Canadian officials know their policy has failed. Last year, Michael Grant, the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Americas for Global Affairs, told the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development: “I would agree with you that, in the last few years, the international community has failed. We have put a lot of effort into this, and the situation in Venezuela has gotten worse. We are no closer to a political solution. I think we have to be honest about that.”
Preferring to minimize their failure, Canadian officials rarely raise Venezuela anymore. But, their damaging policies remain in place. Venezuelans continue to suffer under North American sanctions and the lack of diplomatic relations undercuts cultural, sports, health and business ties.
On the three-year anniversary of Guaidó’s self-declaration as president it’s time Ottawa re-evaluate its policy towards Venezuela. Canada should remove its sanctions, lay the Lima Group to rest and stop recognizing Juan Guaidó. It’s time to normalize relations with Venezuela.
INITIATING ORGANISATION:
Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
SIGNATORIES:
David Suzuki, Public Broadcaster
Roger Waters, Musician (Pink Floyd)
Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament
Linda McQuaig, Author
Libby Davies, former Member of Parliament
Svend Robinson, former Member of Parliament
Tariq Ali, Author, Political activist, writer, journalist, historian and filmmaker
John Pilger, Journalist and documentary filmmaker
Chris Hedges, Journalist
Paul Manly, former Member of Parliament
Jim Manly, former Member of Parliament
Sid Ryan, Former president Ontario Federation of Labour
Antonia Zerbisias, Journalist
Cy Gonick, former member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Vijay Prashad, Executive Director, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
Judy Rebick, journalist
El Jones, Professor, poet and author
Alain Deneault, professeur de philosophie, Université de Moncton
Carmen Aguirre, Author, actor and playright
Jord Samolesky, Propagandhi
Chris Hannah, Propagandhi
Todd Kowalski, Propagandhi
Joe Emersberger, Author, activist and engineer
Eva Manly, retired filmmaker, activist
Aaron Mate, Journalist
Ben Norton, Journalist
David Swanson, Executive Director, World Beyond War
Pablo Vivanco, Journalist, Former director of teleSUR English
Justin Podur, Author and professor
John Price, Professor emeritus University of Victoria
Pierre Jasmin, Secrétaire-général des Artistes pour la Paix
Rana Bose, Novelist
Matias de Dovitiis, Canadian Latin America Alliance
Dolores Chew, Professor, Marianopolis College
Dr. Maria Paez Victor, Sociologist, founder Louis Riel Bolivarian Circle
Theresa Wolfwood, Barnard-Boecker Centre Foundation
Kay Gimbel, Victoria Central America Support Committee
Yves Engler, Author
Claude Morin, Professeur d’histoire (retraité), Université de Montréal
Isabel Orellana, Professeure, Université du Québec à Montréal
Rachad Antonius, Professeur associé, Université du Québec à Montréal
Larry Hannant, historian
Alan Freeman, The Geopolitical Economy Research Group
Peter Eglin, Professor Emeritus, Wilfrid Laurier University
Alison Bodine, Fire This Time
Janine Solanki, Mobilization Against War and Occupation
Ken Stone, Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War
Tamara Lorincz, fellow, Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
Karen Rodman, Director, Just Peace Advocates
Bianca Mugyenyi, Director, Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
