Canada Closes Its Embassy in Venezuela
On June 2, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that Canada was temporarily closing its embassy in Venezuela. In her statement Freeland said, "Unfortunately at the end of this month, the Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire. Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operation at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela." Freeland also stated that Canada will be "evaluating the status" of Venezuelan diplomats in Canada appointed by President Maduro. This aggressive action of the Canadian government is a continuation of its participation in the illegal U.S.-led attempt to bring about regime change in Venezuela. During the February 4 meeting of the Lima Group held in Ottawa, Canada put forward a proposal to use diplomatic means to force regime change and overthrow the democratically elected government of President Maduro. To pretend that this is defending democracy in Venezuela is a farce. To pretend that Canada has no choice is being less than honest. According to information from the Embassy of Venezuela in Canada, Global Affairs began denying visas in January of this year by refusing to renew the visa of the Consul of Venezuela in Vancouver. This is part of a systematic plan to interfere in the legitimate activities of Venezuelan diplomats in Canada by forcing the closure of consulates in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. This new crisis in diplomatic relations between Canada and Venezuela is clearly part of the U.S.-led assault against Venezuela and is a prelude to the use of force. To claim that it is the "Maduro regime that has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela" is hypocritical to say the least.
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