Evidence of meeting #49 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was peru.
A recording is available from Parliament.
February 9th, 2023 / 11:45 a.m.
Liberal
Randeep Sarai Liberal Surrey Centre, BC
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for joining us here today and shedding light on the situation in your country.
Your Excellency, can you please share with this committee what the Peruvian constitution defines as “moral incapacity”? How was it used in the Peruvian vote on December 7, 2022?
Roberto Rodriguez
Thank you.
There is no definition. It says that you can be vacated because of “moral incapacity”. It explicitly says it that way in the constitution.
Liberal
Randeep Sarai Liberal Surrey Centre, BC
You're saying that the constitution doesn't actually have a definition of it, but the Congress felt that there was no capacity in the president to sustain and therefore he was asked to be removed?
Roberto Rodriguez
Former president Castillo attempted a coup d’état. That situation fuelled an immediate reaction from all of the democratic institutions, including the Congress. They immediately considered that it was right to vacate former president Castillo because of the attempted coup d'état and they used that article.
That's the answer I can give you. It was something that was within the power of Congress.
Liberal
Randeep Sarai Liberal Surrey Centre, BC
Okay. Thank you.
Next, can you tell us the steps that your government is taking towards reconciliation and working in partnership with indigenous peoples across Peru, especially during this current crisis and for the future?
Roberto Rodriguez
Yes. Thank you.
As I was saying, the priority of the government right now is to establish dialogue with all the parties. Second, it's to attend to the urgent social and economic demands. Those are the most important priorities for the government.
The current situation, which we've been facing for more than a month, is affecting my country economically. It's affecting the most vulnerable people. I mentioned the blockades. We had 78 blockades last week, and now we have 52. These blockades affect the most vulnerable people, because there's no possibility to do trade. The Peruvian economy, unfortunately, is 75% informal, and it is mostly encompassed by entrepreneurs. These are small microenterprises that live on a day-to-day basis. The effect of these blockades has been very hard.
Besides that, those blockades affect the right to education and health. It affects the current vaccination program that we are implementing. We have just received the bivalent vaccines. It is not possible to get vaccinations to the remote places where the most vulnerable people are, because the roads are closed. The right to education is also affected, because the school year begins in March. The education ministry needs to send new materials to the public schools, check on all the infrastructure and do renovations.
What I'm trying to tell you is that as a government, we're doing our best to attend to the urgent demands. President Boluarte has been very clear in saying that she considers her government a transitional one. The other political objective and priority is to try to hold an electoral process as soon as possible. At the same time, as a state, we have to function. We have to attend to the urgent demands of the people. I've given you two clear examples, which are health and education.
Liberal
Bloc
Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné Bloc Terrebonne, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My family name is Sinclair‑Desgagné, but it's also Villaran Calderon. My mother always called me Natalia Ines del Carmen Villaran Calderon.
I am Peruvian myself, and I must say the situation concerns me a lot. In fact, I had to cancel my trip to Peru, which was supposed to happen two weeks from now—I was taking my son there for the first time.
I just want to share my concerns with the committee.
As we speak, violent protests are blocking the country. Trade union associations and groups, such as the General Confederation of Peruvian Workers (GCTP) and the Unitary Union of Education Workers of Peru (SUTEP), which together represent approximately 800,000 workers, have called for a general strike.
The different cities and regions of Peru are uniting for the strike. At this very moment, some cities are completely blocked. Violent clashes are also currently happening in Arequipa, where the police and army are trying to keep protesters from blocking roads. I remind you that Arequipa is one of the richest regions of Peru for its minerals and agriculture, and it provides a huge amount of resources to all of Latin America.
Mr. Ambassador, I want to emphasize that I very much enjoyed your speech. In my opinion, your speech was nuanced, and nuance is much needed in such a heated context.
One thing stood out to me overwhelmingly. As a result of the coup, which you obviously called unconstitutional, President Castillo was removed through a constitutional process. I'd like to point out that countries like Bolivia, Mexico and Colombia expressed their support for President Castillo despite the coup.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
I apologize for interrupting, Ms. Sinclair-Desgagné, but you're out of time.
Bloc
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
You're out of time. You're over two minutes for your questioning.
We will provide the opportunity for a brief response, Mr. Ambassador.
Roberto Rodriguez
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs for Peru, Ana Cecilia Gervasi, stated at the 7th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of CELAC—the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States—that:
It is regrettable, therefore, that some governments, of particularly close countries, have not accompanied Peru in this difficult institutional situation and, rather, have prioritised ideological affinity over unequivocal support for the rule of law and constitutional succession, seeking to establish a distorted narrative that does not correspond to the facts.
It is surprising that in 2023, there is no unanimous rejection of an attempt to illegally close the Congress, a democratic institution, and to try to rule by himself by emitting decrees. The countries of the Americas have a deep vocation for peace and solidarity, and are committed to strengthening democracy. We ask the region to support Peru in channelling its destiny through free, open and transparent elections. Peruvians will decide the country's destiny in democracy, dialogue and peace.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.
We now go to Ms. McPherson.
You have two minutes.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Again, thank you, all, very much for being here, gentlemen. Thank you for sharing this information with us.
We have heard there has been excessive force used by the police and the military, that there has been tear gas fired indiscriminately and that there have been people being fired upon in their upper body region. One of the questions I want to ask a little more specifically is.... We've also heard that local journalists have been targeted. They've been assaulted. They've been stripped of their equipment by police, and they are not being respected. Of course, for Canadians and for parliamentarians, as we try to find out the information about what is happening on the ground, a press that can do its job is fundamental.
What can you tell us about that, please, Ambassador?
Roberto Rodriguez
What I can tell you is if you see Peruvian TV and you hear Peruvian radio—not just in Lima but in the regions—you will be able to tell that there is full freedom of speech and opinion. If you see what happened in the last days, there was coverage but the whole press....
What I'm telling you is that the government is not vocal just in promoting and protecting human rights, but also in protecting the freedoms of speech and opinion and the liberty of the press. There is no question about it. I can assure you of that.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Are you now saying that's not true, that there have not been attacks on local media and journalists?
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Attacks...that there have not been attacks against journalists in Peru.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
Thank you, Ms. McPherson.
We now go to Mr. Chong.
You have four minutes, Mr. Chong.
Conservative
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Your Excellency, thank you for coming to our meeting today. It's good to see you again. I have two quick questions for you.
My first concerns the election. One of the main demands of the protesters is for an immediate election. As you mentioned in your previous remarks, currently, there's an election that was moved up to 2024.
What's the likelihood of an election taking place sometime this year and, even more to the point, much more quickly, in the next several months?