[Union and Socialist Autocratic Regimes] Solidarity Forever

"The Canadian government was one of the first governments in the world to declare support for Juan Guaido [Venezuela's head of the opposition-controlled Legislative Assembly]. In doing so, they have chosen to side with a self-declared leader over President Nicolas Maduro, who was duly elected by the people of Venezuela."
"They have also chosen to side with Donald Trump and U.S. foreign policy."
"[CUPE] rejects any attempt by the Canadian government to interfere with the democratic processes and sovereignty of the Venezuelan people."
Canadian Union of Public Employees [CUPE]

The ongoing political crisis in Venezuela has divided the international community - some back President Nicolás Maduro and others support the man challenging him. Getty/EPA

Hugo Chavez's socialist revolution he so fondly referred to as the 'Bolivarian' revolution, for the people, by the people, of the people, succeeded in beggaring a once-prosperous nation whose endowment of natural resources in the petroleum industry bought support from other Latin American countries and Cuba through his largess. When Chavez and Venezuela were still prosperous, his government ignored the need to upgrade vital petroleum infrastructure and the Venezuelan industry began to crumble. With that went inflation, unemployment, a fall in the standard of living and desperation.

When Nicolas Maduro, the Chavez-groomed replacement took the helm of government on Chavez's death, the country's situation descended into chaos reminiscent of what happened to Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe when the currency became worthless, unemployment soared, violence was rampant and inflation beggaring. All that and more has assailed Venezuela under its socialist government of Nicolas Maduro who may have been a better bus driver than a leader of a country. Millions of Venezuelans have fled to neighbouring countries for refugee haven and hopes for the future.

Opposition supporters during a rally against President Nicolas Maduro's 

government in Caracas on Jan. 23, 2019.  

Adriana Loureiro—Reuters

The situation is Venezuela is so dire that world leaders have pleaded for Maduro to step down following the much-disputed election that returned him to power. Those world leaders do not include Russia, China, Turkey and other anti-West, non-democratic countries ruled by autocrats, however and what has resulted is a division of world leaders, half supporting the Maduro regime, the other half demanding his departure and in support of Venezuela's leader of the legislative assembly temporarily in his place pending another election.


Australia, Canada, Israel, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Peru alongside the United States have all demanded Maduro's resignation, and support Mr. Guaido who declared himself interim leader of Venezuela. The European Union issued an ultimatum that free, transparent and credible presidential elections be called; in the absence of which, within a short period, it is prepared to join the other countries recognizing Mr. Guaido's interim leadership.

And while Canada is preparing to host a meeting of the Lima group (Canada, Brazil, Argentina and eight additional Latin American countries) in support of Mr. Guaido, the European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to recognize his temporary leadership in view of what they recognize as the fraudulent re-election campaign. The humanitarian crisis that has overtaken Venezuela, the desperation and the protests, the lack of basic foodstuffs, the millions of refugees and the vindictive attacks against Maduro's rivals is seen by democratic nations of the world as untenable.

An expert panel of the Organization of American States has recommended that the Maduro regime be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Yet despite all this, CUPE, representing 700,000 government employees has come out in support of the Maduro regime, and has condemned its own government for espousing his removal. This is, in fact, the same union that has called Israel an 'apartheid' government and is supporting the Palestinian call for Boycott and Divestment against Israel.

President Xi Jinping pledged to help Venezuela   Getty Images

And then there is the Canadian Labour Congress, a larger umbrella group with over three million unionized workers, calling on Canada to "abstain from seeking regime change and intervening int he sovereign affairs of Venezuela". Socialists to the core, uniting in union against any criticism of a socialist government no matter where, no matter the particulars, much less the desperate plight that government has imposed upon its people. So much for principle.

And Canada's political parties? Both the ruling Liberals and the opposition Conservatives are in firm agreement that any government capable of so diminishing the human rights of its population, reducing a once-wealthy nation to an impoverished, feeble ghost of itself, must be repudiated in the strongest possible terms.

And then, there is the New Democratic Party, Canada's own inimitable socialist political party whose leader feels that Canada should not "simply follow the U.S.'s foreign policy", as though Canada is incapable of forging its own policy which happens in this instance to align with that of its neighbour.

President Vladimir Putin met with Mr Maduro only last month   AFP