Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on May 4th, 2010

[Alex Grant]

And that was rebroadcast by CNN and then the U.S. State Department. This was used as a justification for the coup of 2002, that the Chávez supporters were firing on unarmed demonstrators. The military moved in to bring order to the situation, apparently, and then the U.S. State Department recognized that coup regime, but it was overturned by the people two days later.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Given the time constraints we have, I think we'll begin the next question.

Is it you, Mr. Sweet, or Mr. Hiebert?

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Thank you.

One of the comments that was made was the suggestion that the illiteracy rate, if I heard correctly, had been reduced to zero as of 2008. That's an astonishing claim. I don't even think Canada can claim a zero illiteracy rate. Is there some evidence of that?

[Stéphanie Vaudry]

Actually, UNESCO said that Venezuela has eliminated illiteracy.

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Wow.

I should start by asking some fundamental questions, which are always good from the perspective of understanding where people are coming from.

You're a non-profit organization, is that correct? How many staff do you have?

[Stéphanie Vaudry]

We do not have any employees. We are just voluntary workers and activists.

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Do you have any source of income?

[Stéphanie Vaudry]

No, except when we organize various events, people work with us at the door. We are selling documents we write and various publications.

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Do you receive any government funding from Canada or any other government?

[Stéphanie Vaudry]

No.

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

There is no government funding, okay.

[Stéphanie Vaudry]

Are you offering?

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

No.

[Stéphanie Vaudry]

We have no money.

[Dr. Maria Páez Victor]

We have no money.

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Of course, the concerns we're hearing... Without seeing them first-hand, you have to take people's word, to some degree. Their credibility is at stake. You've made a lot of claims about human rights organizations not doing a quality job and about the media distorting the perspective. But some of the claims that have been made are hard to dismiss when they're coming from a variety of sources.

You talked extensively about revisions to the Constitution. I have from an apparently unbiased source here the claim that a new law has been passed that would punish individuals with 60 to 30 months in prison, without bail, for insulting the president.

[Stéphanie Vaudry]

I have the Constitution here if you want to check it.

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

No, this would be a new law, so it wouldn't be part of the Constitution. Are you saying that this law of punishment for insulting the president is a fabrication?

[Dr. Maria Páez Victor]

May I answer that?

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Is it a fabrication?

[Dr. Maria Páez Victor]

It is a fabrication.

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

I have a lot of questions, so I....

[Dr. Maria Páez Victor]

No, that is a fabrication. What we have now in Venezuela that we didn't have before, as I mentioned before, is the same law we have here: you can't incite to hatred; you can't say sexist or racist comments on TV... Right?

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Okay. I really have a lot of questions and limited time. I've heard your answer. You're saying that it's a fabrication, it's not true.

[Dr. Maria Páez Victor]

Yes.