Dr. Yvon Grenier, professor emeritus in the Political Science department at STFX University, recently spoke about the situation in Venezuela and the potential ramifications on Canada.
In describing Venezuela Grenier said it is socialist and communist in style and propaganda, but it is not a country where the economy is completely nationalized and owned by the state. In reality, he said it is a mafia state and what you have now is exactly the same regime that was in place before the raid that resulted in removing former president Nicolas Maduro and his wife and replacing him with someone very similar.
Dr. Yvon Grenier (St. FX Univeristy photo_
Grenier called it a bizarre situation, with the US stating they are running the country while the Venezuela government disagrees.
As for possible effects on Canada, Grenier said there are several. For one thing, he feels the chances of getting a new free trade agreement negotiated this year is even more remote than before the Venezuela situation.
Grenier said for a number of years Canada held the position that Venezuela should be a democratized, noting both the Liberals and Conservatives pushed for the idea of putting pressure on the Maduro dictatorship and support the democratic opposition.