When will there be accountability in U.S. and Canada for policies and actions to overthrow legitimate governments of other countries?

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January 30, 2022
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“When will Canada Admit its Venezuela Coup Failed?”
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More important than ‘admitting failure’, the real questions are when will there be legal and political accountability in the U.S. and Canada for government policies and actions to illegally and violently help overthrow legitimate governments of other countries?
Below, an article by Yves Engler about U.S.-lead, Canadian-supported illegal ‘regime change’ polices and actions in Venezuela, including the formation of Canada’s ad hoc “Lima Group” of right wing, repressive governments in Latin America.

Hard questions that need to be asked about U.S./ Canadian aggression in Venezuela are 100% pertinent to Rights Action’s work in Guatemala in Honduras.

In Guatemala, the Canadian government endorsed the U.S.-orchestrated military coup in 1954, and formally opened diplomatic relations with the post-coup military-regime. This coup brought to power the same corrupt, repressive political-economic-military elites that carried out the U.S.-backed genocides and repressions of the 1970s, 1980s, and have kept in place exploitative, repressive ‘open-for-global-business’ policies ever since 1954.

In Honduras, the U.S. and Canadian governments supported the 2009 military coup that ousted Honduras’ last democratically elected government (until this year), that brought to power 12 years and 7 months of repressive, corrupt drug-trafficking regimes and their ‘open-for-global-business’ policies.

Both the Guatemalan and Honduran regimes (until Honduras’ recent transition back to democracy) were touted as staunch “democratic allies” of the U.S. and Canada, and members of Canada’s “Lima Group”.

More important than ‘admitting failure’, the real questions are when will there be legal and political accountability in the U.S. and Canada for government policies and actions to illegally and violently help overthrow legitimate governments of other countries – in this case Venezuela, or Guatemala in 1954, Honduras in 2009?

When will the citizens, the media, the courts and political process of wealthy, interventionist countries, like the U.S. and Canada, begin to stop our illegal, violence and destructive interventions in other countries?

Grahame Russell
Rights Action

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When will Canada Admit its Venezuela Coup Failed?
By Yves Engler, Jan. 17, 2022
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Three-years ago Sunday, Juan Guaidó declared himself president of Venezuela in a Caracas park. The same day Canadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland formally recognized ([link removed]) the little-known opposition politician. In subsequent days Canadian diplomats boasted ([link removed]) to reporters that they played an important role in uniting large swaths of the Venezuelan opposition behind the plan to ratchet up tensions by proclaiming the new head of the opposition-dominated National Assembly president.

They also told ([link removed]) the Globe and Mail and Associated Press that Canada played an important role ([link removed]) in building international diplomatic support for claiming the relatively marginal politician was president.

Amidst the exuberance the Liberals quickly organized a meeting of the Lima Group of states opposed to the Venezuelan government. At the February 4, 2019, meeting in Ottawa Trudeau declared, “the international ([link removed]) community must immediately unite behind the interim president.” The post Lima Group “Ottawa Declaration” called on Venezuela’s armed forces “to demonstrate ([link removed]) their loyalty to the interim president” by removing the elected president.

During these heady days Canada’s Prime Minister called ([link removed]) the leaders of France, Spain, Paraguay, Ireland, Italy and others to convince them to join Canada’s campaign against the Venezuelan government. When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Ottawa in April 2019 Canada’s post meeting release noted, “during the ([link removed]) visit, Prime Minister Abe announced Japan’s endorsement of the Ottawa Declaration on Venezuela.”

At the end of that month Guaidó, opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez and others sought to stoke a military uprising in Caracas. Hours into the early morning effort Freeland tweeted, “watching events ([link removed]) today in Venezuela very closely. The safety and security of Juan Guaidó and Leopoldo López must be guaranteed. Venezuelans who peacefully support Interim President Guaidó must do so without fear of intimidation or violence.”

She followed that up with a statement to the press noting, “Venezuelans ([link removed]) are in the streets today demonstrating their desire for a return to democracy even in the face of a violent crackdown. Canada commends their courage and we call on the Maduro regime to step aside now.”

Then Freeland put out a video ([link removed]) calling on Venezuelans to rise up and requested an emergency video conference meeting of the Lima Group. Later on April 30 the coalition issued a statement labeling the attempted putsch an effort “to restore democracy ([link removed]) ” and demanded the military “cease being instruments of the illegitimate regime for the oppression of the Venezuelan people.”

While this failed insurrection marked the end of any realistic chance Guaidó had at becoming president, Trudeau openly supported him for months longer. In January 2020 Guaidó was fêted in Ottawa, meeting the Prime Minister, international development minister and foreign minister. A picture of Trudeau and Guaidó taking a selfie together was released by the Prime Minister’s Office and Trudeau declared, “I commend ([link removed]) Interim President Guaidó for the courage and leadership he has shown in his efforts to return democracy to Venezuela, and I offer Canada’s continued support.”

Since then, Canadian support for Guaidó has become more muted. But they continue to recognize his representatives even though Guaidó’s term as a national assembly member ended and he has lost most of his domestic and international support ([link removed]) . Even Lima left ([link removed]) the Lima Group.

As we approach the three-year anniversary of Guaidó declaring himself president on January 23, it’s worth asking how long the Liberals will continue the charade. Another year? Five years? Or is the plan to just wait until Washington changes its position?

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