Ben Rowswell is convenor of the Circle for Democratic Solidarity. From 2014 to 2017 he served as Canada’s ambassador to Venezuela
In 1988, Chilean President Augusto Pinochet’s hold on power seemed unassailable. After 15 years of brutal repression, political parties had been driven underground, free media suppressed, and the prisons were filled with the regime’s critics. When Mr. Pinochet called a plebiscite to justify an extension in office, the main voices that called on Chileans to vote “No” belonged to non-partisan civil society organizations.
But civil society had a place to meet: the Canadian embassy. As in many countries in the Americas, our embassy was a natural gathering place for human rights activists. They would attend receptions hosted by ambassador Michel de Goumois alongside Pinochet government officials and Chileans of every political stripe. The embassy created enough space for the kinds of conversations that could only happen in person.
The countries of Canada and Chile had shared international commitments to protect our citizens’ rights to political participation, among other human rights. Our diplomats were savvy enough to manage relationships with a wide diversity of political actors, both the regime officials who acknowledged these rights and the civil society actors working out how best to exercise them.
Those meetings at the Canadian embassy helped a coalition take shape which would unite civil society and convince a majority of Chileans to reject an extension of the strongman’s mandate. To this day, Chilean civil society leaders express gratitude to Canada for lending a room in days where there was so little space for democratic activity.
Unfortunately, in Latin America’s latest struggle against dictatorship, Canada has no space to offer. In 2019, Canada closed its embassy in Caracas after the government of Nicolas Maduro stopped issuing diplomatic visas to Canadian officials.
Canada has stood by Venezuela’s human rights defenders for decades. Former Ambassador Perry Calderwood initiated an annual human rights award, hosting ceremonies that drew activists of every conceivable stripe alongside President Hugo Chávez’s officials. During my tenure as ambassador to Venezuela, we branched out into the most deprived neighbourhoods, incorporating the concerns of the urban poor into this work. Even while operating at a distance today, Canada supports free expression online and other digital rights.
Democracy, human rights and the rule of law are values shared across the Americas. It was Canada’s consistency in supporting these principles that led Latin American countries to invite Canada into the Lima Group, the collection of Venezuela’s neighbours created to coordinate international reaction as the Maduro government transformed Venezuela into a full-blown autocracy in the late 2010s.
The Lima Group endorsed the calls of Venezuela’s elected legislature to recognize its speaker, Juan Guaidó, as interim president after the stolen election of 2018. Canada stopped issuing diplomatic visas to Mr. Maduro’s diplomats as the two rival presidents jostled for power in Caracas. Mr. Maduro prevailed and consolidated power into the fully authoritarian system currently in place.
Canada’s decision to recognize Mr. Guiadó had consequences. Without staff from Canada, our embassy remains closed. Caracas has joined the list of world hotspots where Canada is no longer present, including Tehran, Damascus and Kabul.
Meanwhile, human rights abuses have accelerated in each of these countries as global norms upholding the dignity of the individual erode in the face of a resurgence of populist, nationalist and authoritarian ideologies. The surge in human suffering in these countries has generated a tidal wave of global migration.
For Canada to resume its role as a champion of human rights, we must find ways to reopen our embassies.
Granted, the rise of digital diplomacy has expanded our ability to make statements about any country on Earth. But there is no substitute for physical presence when it comes to advancing human rights and supporting democracy. Our diplomats need working relationships with those who have power and with those on whose behalf it is exercised. When present on the ground, talented diplomats can find ways to engage both and support efforts to help the former become more accountable to the latter.
Following yet another stolen election in Venezuela, the streets of Caracas are once again filling up with hundreds of thousands insisting on a return to democracy.
As Canada watches on from a distance, our government should balance a requirement to send clear messages to Venezuelans with a need to return diplomats to the field.
Five years ago, Canada took a stand on behalf of the people of Venezuela. The people lost on that occasion, as an authoritarian government managed to stay in power against their clear preferences.
But as two peoples with profound commitments to democracy, Canada’s long-term relationship is as much with the people as with any government. We should send back our diplomats to resume the relationship and accompany Venezuelans on their long path back to democracy.