Hon. Chrystia Freeland, MP
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Global Affairs Canada
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON K1A 0G2
Re: Our opposition to Canada’s closing its embassy in Venezuela
Dear Minister Freeland,
We, the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW), have demonstrated outside your office and have delivered a letter to you every month this year to express our opposition to the Government of Canada’s illegal interference and sanctions against Venezuela. We strongly oppose Canada’s recognition of Juan Guaido as the unelected, self-declared interim president of Venezuela. We take note that 140 countries, the vast majority of the international community, do not recognize Guaido as Venezuela’s leader and he has very little public support in the country.
We are deeply opposed to Canada’s involvement in the Lima Group that is undermining the democracy and self-determination of the people of Venezuela. In the Lima Group, Canada is aligning with corrupt, right-wing countries such as Brazil, Honduras, and Guatemala. We know that the Lima Group is working closely with the United States, in particular hawkish officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton (who supported the US war in Iraq and is pushing for war against Iran). We are very concerned that you held meetings earlier this month in Ottawa with the United States’ Special Envoy to Venezuela Elliot Abrams. Abrams, as Assistant Secretary of the United States in the 1980s under the Reagan administration, financially and militarily supported brutal, authoritarian regimes and rebels in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, which committed grave violations of human rights. Abrams was later convicted of the crime of lying to Congress in the Iran-Contra Scandal, which involved a secret arms deal among the US, Iran, Israel and the violent Contras in Nicaragua. These are the people that Canada is currently and shamefully partnering with against Venezuela. We are requesting a copy of the notes and outcomes of your meeting with Abrams. Please send them to the address above.
We would also like to bring to your attention that the Government of Venezuela held the Foreign Ministers conference of the 120-country Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) last month. The theme of the NAM conference was “Promotion and Consolidation of Peace through Respect for International Law”. There were very strong statements given by government representatives for the elimination of the use of force or threat of the use of force, peace and disarmament. Venezuela also recently held the Sao Paolo Forum that was attended by thousands of government officials and civil society actors from across the region, some from Canada. The forum was themed “Peace, Sovereignty and Prosperity of Peoples.” During the forum, the Latin-American media reported that tens of thousands of Venezuelans marched in the streets of Caracas against the sanctions and the interference of the US and the Lima Group. The Government of Canada should have attended the conference and forum and listened to the people of Venezuela who are opposed to what Canada is doing in their country.
Finally, Canada, as a liberal democracy that purports to respect the global rules-based order, must adhere to international law and respect the sovereignty and self-determination of Venezuela. It is time to end the interference and sanctions against Venezuela and to apologize to President Maduro, the government and the people.
We look forward to your reply and a copy of your meeting notes with Abrams.
Sincerely,
Tamara Lorincz
Board member
On behalf of the National Board
cc:
Andrew Scheer, leader of the Conservative Party
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party
Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party
The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) was established in 1960 and is a non-partisan, non-governmental organization comprised of a network of diverse women across the country. VOW has consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and every year takes a delegation of women to the UN Commission on the Status of Women conference in New York. For almost 60 years, VOW has tirelessly advocated for a world without war. VOW stands for a feminist peace based on nonviolence, disarmament, diplomacy and common security with gender equality. For more information about VOW, please visit: http://vowpeace.org