We have paid special attention to the situation of the Jewish community in Venezuela, which numbers about 12,000 people. As I mentioned, we do assist that community from a consular perspective in facilitating departure in some instances. We've also encouraged the Government of Venezuela to follow through on the commitment to reject anti-Semitism in all forms and to ensure that the Jewish community is protected, including its religious and cultural centres. We would note that President Chavez met with leaders of the Jewish community in late 2010 and reaffirmed his support for their community.
There have been concerns in the past in relation to comments made on state television, for example, that were of an anti-Semitic nature, and when I was in Venezuela I actually raised this particular case with the authorities and they assured me they took the matter seriously. There have also been a couple of instances where we've been able to intervene after comments of an anti-Semitic nature were made in public media.
So we're very apprised of the situation. We've asked our ambassador to give it special attention and to intervene where appropriate—and this is not only Canada but is common to other countries in Venezuela who continue to monitor this.