The Canadian Lobby’s Deference on Latin America: Venezuela 1, Honduras 0

In making its case against the Honduran government, the CCIC claims that democratic legitimacy is determined as much by the integrity of the electoral process and the conditions under which power is exercised as it is by the results of any given electoral contest — which raises the question of why the Council is now urging the Canadian government to stand down on criticism of the Bolivarian government in Venezuela. Amidst growing international condemnation of state repression by Venezuela’s socialist regime, Embassy recently published an open letter by the CCIC Americas Policy Group to Canada’s Foreign Minister, John Baird. The letter demands that Canada demonstrate a “balanced and respectful approach” to the Venezuelan crisis. Specifically, the CCIC calls on the Canadian government to recognize President Nicolás Maduro’s electoral victory last year, saying “the legitimacy of the current [Venezuelan] government is clear.”More…