Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  On behalf of our Venezuelan people, thank you very much.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Maybe in that hypothetical situation he could recover a little bit the people's approval of the regime, but there's another factor. Maduro is not charismatic as Chávez used to be. That, in my opinion, is a recovery.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  But the situation is so devastating right now. We're talking about 300,000 people dying because of the violence, or—

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  It's interesting, because with the oil situation in Venezuela, just decorum lost the capacity to buy the consciences of many neighbourhoods in the region. You can see already in the OAS how the declaration of power changed things. We already have easily 20 votes in the OAS, and t

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, that's why we've come to this committee many times. Again, in my experience approaching institutions around the world, Canada has been recognized as one of the champions of human rights. Canada has a history of negotiation and dialogue. Canada is a peace-making country and

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, let me divide my answer into three bottom lines. Is it the beginning of the end of Maduro? I can tell you something. I have been writing to the public opinion in Venezuela to say, “Listen, don't try to say that the opposition in Venezuela is weak because they started a dia

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'm going to tell you something. The first decision I would take in Venezuela at the time when the power changes is to suspend giving oil to Cuba. The energy agreement with Cuba in the last 13 years cost the country maybe more than $100 billion. We took about 150,000 barrels of o

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Irresponsible. You can be generous, but not irresponsible.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  It is part of the situation. I think it is important to make an investigation about what is going on with this kind of operation in Venezuela.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  We have to remember that until recently, Brazil had been governed by allies of Venezuela, first by Lula da Silva and then President Dilma Rousseff. The situation changed. The political situation changed even in Colombia and has been changed in the sub-regions. The real opportunit

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Of course. Venezuela is an oil country, and it is a significant part of the story. However, let's try to review quickly what has gone on in the last 15 years. Venezuela used to be a country with about 250,000 companies and corporations. Now in Venezuela, 75% of such companies

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Which part?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  That is why the chief prosecutor decided to maintain a situation that differs from the decision of the Supreme Court of Venezuela. I agree that the chief prosecutor's position is legitimate, but that position is a departure from the government's position.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  To try to understand what has been going on in Venezuela over the last 18 years, let me show you a little comparison of what's going on in the United Arab Emirates with the same amount of money that Venezuela received during that time. Venezuela under the Chávez government and

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, that is a very interesting question. This is the attorney general, Luisa Ortega Diaz. All of you may note also that she had been acting like another arm of the government in Venezuela and has been involved in many accusations against the opposition. For me there's no doubt