Trudeau (L) and Maduro (R).
Most Canadians think of their country as a force for good in the world, but recent efforts by Justin Trudeau's government to overthrow Venezuela's elected government have once again revealed the ugly truth about the Great White North. We are
an important partner in imperialism, willing to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, up to and including the use of military force, to benefit the perceived self-interest of our elites.
Over the past two years Canadian officials have campaigned aggressively against President Nicolás Maduro. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has repeatedly criticized Caracas' democratic legitimacy and human rights record. Recently she said, "
the Maduro regime is now fully entrenched as a dictatorship" while in September Ottawa
asked (with five South American nations) the International Criminal Court to investigate the Venezuelan government, which is the first time a government has been formally brought before the tribunal by another member.
In recent weeks
Canadian diplomats have played an important role in uniting large swaths of the Venezuelan opposition behind a US-backed plan to ratchet up tensions by proclaiming the new head of the opposition-dominated National Assembly, Juan Guaido, president. The Canadian Press quoted a Canadian diplomat saying they helped Guaido "
facilitate conversations with people that were out of the country and inside the country" while the
Globe and Mail reported that "
Freeland spoke with Juan Guaido to congratulate him on unifying opposition forces in Venezuela, two weeks before he declared himself interim president." Alongside Washington and a number of right-leaning Latin American governments, Ottawa immediately recognized Guaido after he proclaimed himself president on Wednesday.
Canadian officials are lobbying European leaders to recognize Guaido as president as well.
Comment: This is a dangerous move on the part of YouTube, although it's unlikely many will see it as such. At the end of the day, who decides what is labelled as 'conspiracy'? Any opinion expressed that counters the mainstream narrative is often labelled as such, even when accompanied by established facts. More and more, those who aren't fully supportive of the views of 'the party' are being marginalized and silenced. There won't be much left of the internet once the opinion-shapers are done with it - just an infinitely deep echo chamber with dissent nowhere to be found.
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