A security zone is enforced near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on Jan. 3, after U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.FEDERICO PARRA/AFP/Getty Images
Canada is calling for respect for international law after the U.S. arrest of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand posted a statement on social media after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Mr. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured during a “large-scale” attack on Venezuela and had been taken to the U.S.
“In keeping with our long-standing commitment to upholding the rule of law and democracy, Canada calls on all parties to respect international law and we stand by the people of Venezuela and their desire to live in a peaceful and democratic society,” Ms. Anand said in a statement posted on X.
Ms. Anand said Canada is engaging with its international partners and monitoring developments closely.
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The minister noted that Canada closed its embassy in Venezuela in 2019, and the government has refused to recognize any legitimacy of the Maduro regime, which Canada has previously accused of criminalizing and silencing dissent by arresting and harassing political figures.
A Global Affairs factsheet described Venezuela as one of the “primary sources” of geopolitical tension and instability in the Western hemisphere, accusing the regime of developing illicit revenue sources with violent non-state actors, including transnational criminal gangs and foreign armed groups.
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It said Canada wants to promote a peaceful return to democracy in the country after Mr. Maduro claimed victory in the July 24, 2024 election despite credible evidence that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrita won by over 67 per cent.
Global Affairs has advised Canadians to avoid all travel to Venezuela and Ms. Anand said in her statement that Canada is ready to assist Canadians in need through consular officials and the Canadian embassy in Bogota.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre praised U.S. President Donald Trump for his actions and said Mr. Maduro should face a long jail sentence.
“Congratulations to President Trump for the arrest of the narco-terrorist and socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro, who should spend the rest of his days in prison,” Mr. Poilievre, the official Opposition Leader, said in a statement posted on X.
Mr. Poilievre said Mr González should take office alongside María Corina Machado, another opposition politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, for her work promoting democracy in Venezuela.
