Question Period Note: Venezuela's Political and Economic Crisis

Venezuela's political, economic and humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

• Canada is deeply concerned about the worsening political, economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, which is a direct threat to the peace and security of the Americas.
• Canada remains committed to supporting Interim President Guaidó and the National Assembly in their efforts to achieve a peaceful democratic transition through free and fair elections in Venezuela.

• We are deeply troubled by the suffering of the Venezuelan people at the hands of the Maduro regime as highlighted by the human rights violations outlined in the UN Human Rights Commission report.

• Canada will continue to work with our international partners, in particular through the Lima Group, to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Venezuela.

• Canada announced almost $53 million in 2019 in stabilization, humanitarian and development response to support those most affected by the Venezuela crisis.

Venezuela's ongoing political, humanitarian and economic crisis is worsening- now a global concern with destabilizing effects on the region. The security situation is dire with the state involved in illegal activities, including drug and people trafficking, illegal mining, corruption, and cross-border smuggling. As of November 2019, 4.6 million Venezuelans have fled the country, which has put significant pressure on neighbouring countries, notably Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile. Venezuelans face widespread shortages of food, medicine and staple goods, prompting malnutrition, rising infant mortality and incidence of disease. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves; but due to gross mismanagement, years of underinvestment and corruption, production has collapsed. The IMF estimates that GDP has halved since 2013, hyperinflation is projected at 500,000 percent in 2020 and unemployment will reach 50.5% by 2020. To date, 58 countries recognize Juan Guaidó as Interim President of Venezuela. On November 16, Guaidó announced a series of protests across the country over the course of coming weeks in an attempt to regain momentum. Mass protests between January and April 2019 did not prove effective, and turnouts for subsequent protests steadily declined. Despite the world's increased expectations for change earlier this year, Maduro remains entrenched. Military and security forces remain loyal to Maduro and the regime has criminalized opposing political views, arresting and harassing opposition political figures. Russia, China, Cuba, Turkey, and Iran, continue to offer financial, commercial, security, and political support to the Maduro regime. Canada supports a peaceful democratic transition in Venezuela. Canada plays a leadership role in the Lima Group and in raising international awareness of the situation through international outreach. Canada has also engaged Cuba, encouraging it to play a constructive role in Venezuela. In 2019 alone, Canada committed almost $53 million in stabilization, humanitarian and development response to support those affected by the Venezuela crisis. Since 2017, Canada has imposed four rounds of targeted sanctions on 113 Venezuelans

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