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TORONTO — Canada’s foreign affairs minister says the government is calling on “all parties” to respect international law after a shock U.S. military operation in Venezuela overnight captured the country’s president.
US military forces evacuated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from Caracas on Saturday morning and escorted them out of the country’s capital.
They are set to appear at an indictment in New York, where US Attorney General Pam Bondi says they will face multiple drug-related charges after Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted on “narcoterrorism” conspiracy charges.
It was not immediately clear what provided the legal authority for Saturday’s attack on Maduro and Flores.
In a statement posted on social media, Anita Anand says Canada has refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Maduro regime and has protested the persecution of Venezuelans since 2019, when Canada closed its embassy in the South American country.
She says the government is calling on all parties to “respect international law” as the situation unfolds and that Canada “stands with the Venezuelan people and their desire to live in a peaceful and democratic society.”
Anand says Canada is ready to help Canadians in need through consular officers and its embassy in Bogota, Colombia.
– With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2026.