Experts say Canada should co-ordinate Western Hemisphere response to Maduro’s ouster

By Canadian Press on January 5, 2026.

OTTAWA — Foreign policy experts say Ottawa should reach out to nations threatened by the United States to co-ordinate a response to the Trump administration’s actions against Venezuela.

The U.S. shocked the world this weekend when it captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid that followed months of airstrikes on Venezuelan boats Washington said were trafficking drugs.

Max Cameron, a professor at the University of British Columbia who studies the politics of Latin America, says this could be the first step in Washington’s deployment of its new national security strategy, which calls for the U.S. to exert more control over North and South America.

Cameron says Ottawa should be reaching out to countries Washington has threatened to invade or purchase, such as Mexico, Panama, Cuba and the Danish territory of Greenland, and set out a strategy for preserving national sovereignty.

He also says Canada can play a leading role in helping to restore democracy in Venezuela, where Maduro’s regime is still in place and where political violence could break out if there is no path to a peaceful transition.

David Carment, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University, says Ottawa should seek clarity from Washington on its next steps in Venezuela.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press