Canadian Dimension a Trudeau Magazine: Leave the Lima Group and rescind the sanctions against Venezuela
On June 17, the Trudeau government suffered a humiliating defeat by losing the United Nations Security Council elections to Ireland and Norway. It was a strong refutation of Trudeau's policy of "colonialism at home and imperialism abroad." It should be obvious by now that serious questions need to be asked about Trudeau's foreign policy, particularly with regard to Venezuela and the Lima Group.
Canadian Dimension a Trudeau Magazine: Leave the Lima Group and rescind the sanctions against Venezuela
Over the course of the last few months, and faced with the prospect of the United Nations Security Council vote, an open, democratic and critical discussion on Canada's colonial legacy and the treatment of indigenous peoples — as well as on politics A foreign woman from Ottawa aligned with Trump — she practically disappeared from the mainstream media.
In the last federal election, Trudeau had to deal with some challenges coming from citizenship. Mockingly and insultingly, he evaded the protests of indigenous complainants suffering from mercury poisoning. He also avoided the peace activists who were questioning him, as well as ignored the double standards that the Foreign Minister, Chrystia Freeland, handles regarding sanctioning Russia for its annexation of Crimea, while passing unnoticed the illegal construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank that are taking place.
Canada immediately recognized the fraudulent election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil (after the judiciary incarcerated leader Lula da Silva on spurious charges), at the same time that it refused to recognize the constitutionally elected Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro. Trudeau and his cabinet also faced protests by activists opposing the sale of weapons from Canada to the notorious human rights violator Saudi Arabia and Ottawa's unconditional support for Israel at the expense of Palestinian self-determination. While the corporate media had no choice but to broadcast these protests, they soon returned to the normal course of business, meekly keeping all these vitally important issues away from public scrutiny.
For those of us in Canada who are involved in the campaign "NO to vote for Canada in the United Nations Security Council" (in English, "# NoUNSC4Canada"), with the inclusion of Canadian Dimension, it is evident that we managed to break the blackout of virtual corporate media. The main objective of this censorship was to end the indispensable debate on Canada's foreign policy and its notorious internal colonial practices against indigenous peoples.
# NoUSNC4Canada campaign takes shape
On May 19, this media position was forced to change course. That day, a letter signed by more than 100 Canadian, Quebecois, and indigenous personalities was published by the Toronto Star newspaper. The letter criticized the Canadian government's foreign policy and the continued intrusion of the Trudeau government into unauthorized indigenous territory to force the installation of gas and oil pipelines. The letter argued that Canada does not deserve a mandate in the United Nations Security Council due to the twisted angle of its foreign policy towards Venezuela, Haiti, Bolivia and other Latin American countries in favor of the United States, along with its ambitions. neo-colonialists in Africa, their open contempt for Palestinian rights and much more.
Following the publication of the letter in the Toronto Star, Trudeau was asked during his daily press round on the Covid-19 about divided public opinion around his candidacy for a term in the United Nations Security Council. Instead of broaching the subject, he arrogantly rejected the questions, as if they didn't exist, saying that in his opinion there was no division, and then pointed to Maduro to avoid the question.
Apparently thereafter, criticism of the Trudeau government over his candidacy for a mandate in the United Nations Security Council continued to mount.
On June 11, the Canadian organization Just Peace Advocates published an open letter about Palestine, which was then sent to the 193 United Nations ambassadors and signed by 100 organizations and dozens of personalities. This immediately impacted the Canadian political scene as Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, Marc-André Blanchard, was forced to write a response to all UN ambassadors, defending Canada's unilateral policy in Israel. This manifestly desperate move did not go unnoticed, even in the mainstream media, raising further doubts about the credibility of Canada's bid for a mandate in the United Nations Security Council.
Canadian Dimension columnist Yves Engler appealed to the Caricom nations to vote against Canada. This was followed by a similar appeal that I made and which was sent to each of the United Nations ambassadors representing the Caricom nations. The Canadian Foreign Policy Institute published my appeal on YouTube in English, French and Spanish. It consisted of a call that was widely disseminated to many United Nations ambassadors to vote against Canada for violating international law regarding its policy that advocates regime change in Venezuela, in support of the United States, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of the United Nations.
There are many other examples. Did our campaign inside and outside of Canada influence Trudeau's electoral defeat before the United Nations Security Council? We may never know for sure. But, what we do know is that since 2017, Trudeau has been calling and meeting with heads of state from all continents to address the issue of Venezuela. He has been urging them to side with Trump and his carefully chosen "interim president" Juan Guaidó. Trudeau did everything possible to give Guaidó an official reception in Ottawa during the month of February. In fact, the embarrassing selfie photo of the two, who were taken at that treat - since then removed from the Government of Canada website, has gone down in history thanks to activists - is emblematic of slavish Canadian foreign policy.
The cost of Trudeau's ties to Trump is very high
Canadian Dimension columnist Yves Engler appealed to the Caricom nations to vote against Canada. This was followed by a similar appeal that I made and which was sent to each of the United Nations ambassadors representing the Caricom nations. The Canadian Foreign Policy Institute published my appeal on YouTube in English, French and Spanish. It consisted of a call that was widely disseminated to many United Nations ambassadors to vote against Canada for violating international law regarding its policy that advocates regime change in Venezuela, in support of the United States, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of the United Nations.
There are many other examples. Did our campaign inside and outside of Canada influence Trudeau's electoral defeat before the United Nations Security Council? We may never know for sure. But, what we do know is that since 2017, Trudeau has been calling and meeting with heads of state from all continents to address the issue of Venezuela. He has been urging them to side with Trump and his carefully chosen "interim president" Juan Guaidó. Trudeau did everything possible to give Guaidó an official reception in Ottawa during the month of February. In fact, the embarrassing selfie photo of the two, who were taken at that treat - since then removed from the Government of Canada website, has gone down in history thanks to activists - is emblematic of slavish Canadian foreign policy.
The cost of Trudeau's ties to Trump is very high
Palestine Children in Pictures
Since the June 17 vote, the fact that Trudeau lost as a result of his close and public ties to Trump has been a matter of general recognition in progressive circles and now even in some corporate media, much to the chagrin of the latter. Probably the # NoUNSC4Canada campaign provided an additional boost to anti-Trudeau sentiment already brewing in the context of growing global resistance to western liberal hypocrisy, motivated by issues such as Trudeau's support for Israel and disdain for the rights of the Palestinian people.
It has also been noted, and with good reason, that Trudeau's support for Israel was a key factor in its defeat. However, one should not underestimate the Venezuela factor. Trudeau fell victim to his own mythical belief that "the world is against Maduro." In fact, it is enough to point to the Non-Aligned Movement, which groups 120 members that recognizes Maduro. The influence and esteem enjoyed by Venezuela and its leaders in the third world should not be underestimated. Former President Hugo Chávez is respected in many places to a degree that Trudeau cannot even begin to imagine.
In many ways, Maduro follows in the footsteps of her predecessor. Maduro reached an agreement with Iran for the Middle Eastern nation to send fuel ships to Venezuela to mitigate a collapse of refinery operations caused by the tightening of punitive sanctions by the United States. In defiance of the Americans, five Iranian oil tankers carried 1.5 million barrels of fuel to Venezuelan ports. On June 22, the Iranian ambassador to Venezuela, Hojjatollah Soltani, confirmed the arrival of the "Golsan" ship in Venezuelan waters with a load of food destined for the first supermarket in the Islamic Republic opened in Venezuela.
Venezuela's diplomatic work is also remarkable. Skillfully combining the revolutionary defense of its sovereignty founded on the civic-military union backed by a vertiginous body of young diplomats who move from all four corners of the globe. They have developed a tradition of fighting in every forum that the international community offers and they stand firm against all odds.
Some additional internal truths came to light in a June 17 tweet from Carlos Ron, deputy minister of Venezuela for North America. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza retweeted the message:
It has also been noted, and with good reason, that Trudeau's support for Israel was a key factor in its defeat. However, one should not underestimate the Venezuela factor. Trudeau fell victim to his own mythical belief that "the world is against Maduro." In fact, it is enough to point to the Non-Aligned Movement, which groups 120 members that recognizes Maduro. The influence and esteem enjoyed by Venezuela and its leaders in the third world should not be underestimated. Former President Hugo Chávez is respected in many places to a degree that Trudeau cannot even begin to imagine.
In many ways, Maduro follows in the footsteps of her predecessor. Maduro reached an agreement with Iran for the Middle Eastern nation to send fuel ships to Venezuela to mitigate a collapse of refinery operations caused by the tightening of punitive sanctions by the United States. In defiance of the Americans, five Iranian oil tankers carried 1.5 million barrels of fuel to Venezuelan ports. On June 22, the Iranian ambassador to Venezuela, Hojjatollah Soltani, confirmed the arrival of the "Golsan" ship in Venezuelan waters with a load of food destined for the first supermarket in the Islamic Republic opened in Venezuela.
Venezuela's diplomatic work is also remarkable. Skillfully combining the revolutionary defense of its sovereignty founded on the civic-military union backed by a vertiginous body of young diplomats who move from all four corners of the globe. They have developed a tradition of fighting in every forum that the international community offers and they stand firm against all odds.
Some additional internal truths came to light in a June 17 tweet from Carlos Ron, deputy minister of Venezuela for North America. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza retweeted the message:
Powerful as God to Commit Crimes Against Humanity: The Regimes on Duty and Child Aid Socities
"Carlos Ron @ CarlosJRonVE. I am not surprised by the electoral results of today's United Nations Security Council. A servile foreign policy may deserve favors from Trump; however, the peoples of the world expect an independent voice that defends diplomacy, respect for self-determination and peace. ” 6:54 PM - June 17, 2020.
To achieve positive results from Trudeau's electoral defeat before the United Nations Security Council, Canadians must demand a public debate on foreign policy. The Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, which initiated the petition # NoUNSC4Canada, continues this discussion by publishing articles in the mainstream media and holding virtual seminars during the pandemic.
Although progressives may be satisfied with the result of the June 17 vote, it is necessary that this rejection of Trudeau's foreign policy translate into Canada's departure from the Lima Group, in the rescission of its sanctions against Venezuela and in lobbying Trump to do the same.
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