On this Global Day of Solidarity with the People of Venezuela the Communist Party of Canada condemns the ongoing imperialist interference in Venezuela, as part of the plan to destabilize the country and provoke “regime change.” We stand in unwavering solidarity with the Venezuelan people, the Bolivarian revolution and its elected President Nicolàs Maduro, and our fraternal party, the Communist Party of Venezuela. The CPC calls upon all peace and progressive forces in Canada to express their active support for the Venezuelan people, who alone have the right to determine their political, social and economic future, free from foreign interference.
The Communist Party condemns the March 3, 2016 decree by US President Obama, in which he declared Venezuela to be “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States. We also denounce the statement from Chief of the US Southern Command, John Kelly, that the US would be prepared to take military action against Venezuela under the pretext of a “humanitarian crisis” caused by high inflation. These statements reflect the escalating imperialist drive to destabilize the popular developments in Venezuela and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, in an attempt to reconstruct US control over the region.
Venezuela, which has the largest known oil reserves in the world, is of tremendous strategic importance to imperialism’s plans for Latin America and the Caribbean. Despite consistent election victories and popularity among the majority of Venezuelans, the Bolivarian government, led by Hugo Chavez and Nicolàs Maduro, has been constantly targeted by the elites in Venezuela and the United States government, with support from Canada and other imperialist governments, to facilitate the plunder of the country’s resources. The US currently maintains 74 military bases throughout the region, including 13 that surround Venezuela, and has directed its weapons of mass destruction against the sovereignty and self-determination of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Communist Party of Canada reiterates our demand that the Government of Canada:
- Withdraw from and denounce all foreign interference in Venezuela, including economic sabotage;
- Genuinely recognize and respect the Venezuelan people’s right to determine the course of their social, economic and political development;
- Denounce the March 3, 2016 interventionist decree from US President Obama;
- Pursue a foreign policy of peace, solidarity and international cooperation in its relations with Venezuela.
The CPC encourages all labour, peace and progressive activists in Canada to build strong and active solidarity with the people of Venezuela and the Bolivarian government.
Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada ~ April 19, 2016