(Ottawa) Canada joins its closest allies in denouncing the repression of democracy in Venezuela – the first foreign policy statement from the G7 since Canada began chairing the group this year.
Published yesterday at 7:45 p.m.
Dylan Robertson
The Canadian Press
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term on Friday, following a July election widely seen as illegitimate.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado appeared at a rally Thursday and was briefly detained by security forces who forced her to record videos, according to her staff.
In a statement released Friday, Group of Seven foreign ministers denounced the “lack of democratic legitimacy” of Mr. Maduro’s inauguration, calling it a “continued and repressive hold on power” after the government refused to release vote tallies.
The statement denounces “arbitrary arrests and other abuses of civilians, including children, youth and activists” during peaceful protests.
The Venezuelan government rejects these accusations, calling them propaganda.
-This year, Canada chairs the G7, a group of wealthy democracies that also includes France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, reiterated Thursday “Canada’s support for all those who fight so that the will of the Venezuelan people is respected.” In a message on the X platform, she indicated that Canada recognized “Edmundo González as the winner of the July 28 election and the president-elect of Venezuela.”
The same day, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre congratulated Mr.me Machado and other activists, saying other countries must help restore democracy to Venezuela.
“Democracy is a sacred right that must be respected,” he wrote on »
Last month, Venezuela accused Ottawa of being “a slave to US imperial interests” after a new round of sanctions against Venezuelan officials.
The country’s foreign ministry said Canada was trying to blackmail Venezuela, “demonstrating the humiliation and international discredit of the Canadian government, which is reduced to acting as a diminished and subordinate pawn of the U.S. government.”
