Freeland Says Canada Has ‘Serious Concerns’ About Venezuela Election Results

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland is seen during a news conference, June 4, 2024 in Ottawa. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the Canadian government has “serious concerns” about Venezuela’s recent election that saw both the country’s incumbent president and opposition party claim victory.

“Canada, like many of our other allies, like many of the world’s democracies, has serious concerns about the election in Venezuela, and we’re working closely with our partners,” Ms. Freeland said during a July 29 press conference.

The finance minister also expressed support for Venezuelans fighting for democracy under an “increasingly severe authoritarian regime.”

“I want the people of Venezuela, the democrats of Venezuela, to know that Canada stands with them and recognizes that they are fighting hard for democracy and freedom and they deserve it, just as all of us do,” she said.

On July 28, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez both claimed victory following a presidential election. While Mr. Maduro has been officially declared the winner, several countries like the United States, Chile, Peru, Italy, and Canada have expressed concern over the legitimacy of the results.

According to Venezuela’s electoral authority, Mr. Maduro won a third six-year term with 51 percent of the vote, compared with Mr. Gonzalez who won 44 percent of the vote. Several exit polls have indicated Mr. Gonzalez was in the lead.

The election results were also rejected by Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was banned from running for president in 2023 by the Comptroller General of Venezuela, a decision she says was unfair.

While Venezuela was one of the most developed economies in South America thanks in part to its large oil reserves, when Mr. Maduro’s United Socialist Party took power in 2013, the country has since seen a shrinking of its GDP and massive hyperinflation, while over 7.7 million people have fled the country. The Venezuelan government has also been accused of harassing and intimidating journalists, human rights defenders, civil society organizations, and political opponents, according to Human Rights Watch.

Sanctions Against Venezuela

Canada-Venezeula relations have been tense since the 2019 electoral crisis, which saw the National Assembly declare Mr. Maduro an illegitimate president and swear in Juan Guaidó as interim president.

Ms. Freeland released a statement on Jan. 12, 2019 endorsing Mr. Guaidó as leader and rejecting Mr. Maduro’s “illegitimate claim to power.”

In response, Canada also announced on June 2, 2019, that diplomats in Venezuela would no longer be able to obtain diplomatic accreditation and that operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela would be suspended. The Canadian government has sanctioned a total of 113 Venezuelan officials since 2017, and in collaboration with several countries has referred the situation in Venezuela to the International Criminal Court.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on platform X that Venezuelans had recently voted to “end socialist oppression” in their country but that Mr. Maduro had “rigged the results to stay in power.”

“Trudeau should immediately refuse to recognize this sham election & support the Venezuelan people’s struggle for freedom and democracy,” Mr. Poilievre added.