Canada, G7 leaders, denounce Venezuela’s suppression of political opposition

OTTAWA — Canada is joining its closest allies in denouncing Venezuela’s crackdown on democracy — the first G7 foreign policy statement since Canada began chairing the group this year.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was inaugurated Friday for a third six-year term, after a July election widely seen as illegitimate.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado appeared at a Thursday rally and was briefly detained by security forces who coerced her into recording videos, according to her staff.

In a statement issued Friday, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven denounced the “lack of democratic legitimacy” in Maduro’s inauguration, calling it a “continued and repressive grasp at power” after the government refused to release polling station tallies.

The statement calls out “arbitrary arrests and other abuses of civilians, including children, youths and activists” at peaceful protests.

The statement says the Maduro regime has caused a humanitarian crisis and an exodus of refugees fleeing hunger and repression, accusations the Venezuelan government rejects as propaganda.

This year, Canada is chairing the G7, a group of wealthy democracies that includes France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the U.S. and the European Union.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre commended Machado and other activists Thursday, saying other countries must help restore democracy in Venezuela.

“Democracy is a sacred right that must be respected,” he wrote on the social media platform X. “The Venezuelan people are calling for the world to stand with them as they exercise their right to protest — free from violence and persecution.”

Last month, Venezuela accused Ottawa of being “a slave to the imperial interests of the United States” after another round of sanctions against Venezuelan officials.

The country’s foreign ministry said Canada is 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 to the U.S. government.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press