Ottawa's ties with far-right Colombian president undermines human rights rhetoric on Venezuela

[Judi Lynn]

Yves Engler / May 14, 2020

One week ago, a former Canadian soldier instigated a harebrained bid to kidnap or kill Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Launched from Colombia, the plot failed spectacularly with most of the men captured or killed.

Still, the leader of the invasion, Jordan Goudreau, a veteran of the Canadian military and US special forces, has been remarkably forthright about the involvement of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó. A leaked contract between Guaidó’s representative in Florida and Goudreau’s private security firm Silvercorp USA describes plans for a multi-month occupation force, which after ousting Maduro would “convert to a National Asset Unit that will act under the direction of the [Guaidó] Administration to counter threats to government stability, terror threats and work closely” with other armed forces. Apparently, Goudreau was hoping for a big payday from Venezuela’s opposition. He also had his eyes on the $15 million bounty Washington put up in March for Maduro’s capture as well as tens of millions dollars for other members of the government.

Even though the plot failed, Ottawa has refused to directly criticize the invasion launched from Colombia. The Canadian Armed Forces has also refused to release information regarding Goudreau’s time in the army reserves. What’s more, since the plot began, Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne has reached out to regional opponents of Maduro and reasserted Ottawa’s backing for Guaidó. The prime minister also discussed Venezuela with his Colombian counterpart.

The Trudeau government’s reaction to recent events suggest the global pandemic has not deterred them from brazenly seeking—even through surreptitious back channels—to overthrow Venezuela’s government. In a bid to usher regime change, Ottawa has worked to isolate Caracas over the last couple of years by imposing illegal sanctions, taking Venezuela to the International Criminal Court, financing an often unsavoury opposition and declaring Guaidó as the legitimate president.

More:
https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/ottawas-ties-with-far-right-colombian-president-undermines-human-rights-rhetoric-on-venezuela

[abqtommy]

1. This is what happens when any government tries to emulate the U.S. government. At least

that's what a friend told me...