The Communist Party of Canada denounces the declaration by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly, that “Nicaragua’s November 7 elections do not reflect the will of the Nicaraguan people.” Likewise, we demand an end to all sanctions against this Central American country. Canada increased its sanctions on November 15 with the clear aim of demonizing the democratically elected Sandinista (FSLN) government.
With voter turnout of more than 65 percent, the FSLN presidential candidate Daniel Ortega won more than 75 percent of the vote. His closest competitor Walter Espinoza received only 14.15 percent. Clearly, the Nicaraguan people have made their choice and they did it in a sovereign way – this is precisely what Canada, the United States, the OAS and European Union fault them for doing.
Even before the elections were held, and undoubtedly with the aim of intimidating the Nicaraguan people, the US House of Representatives passed the RENACER Act with the support of both Democrats and Republicans. This legislation commits the United States – as well as the European Union and Canada – to not recognizing the November 7 elections to imposing a series of new sanctions targeting people who allegedly participated in the organization of “fraudulent” elections.
Mélanie Joly and Canada don’t care about democracy when it is not profitable – in greenbacks, preferably. Joly’s predecessor Chrystia Freeland had no qualms about recognizing the clearly fraudulent Honduran election in 2017 which denied Salvador Nasralla the presidency, to the benefit of the oligarchy’s chosen successor to the 2009 coup d’état which Canada supported.
Canada is hypocritically posing itself as a champion of human rights, under the pretext of defending imprisoned “independent” journalists and opposition political leaders. These personalities are in fact imperialism’s hired guns, working through CIA-linked agencies such as USAID. Sovereignty and the right to self-determination are fundamental human rights, as stipulated by the UN Charter. This is precisely what Canada denies to the people of Nicaragua, whose government is trying to prevent provocations by foreign agents.
Western imperialists and big monopolies, be they Canadian or American, have a common interest in stopping South and Central American governments who defy their exclusive control. So, they scream bloody murder when Ortega is re-elected in Managua and try to install a puppet government which is subservient to Washington, from among the comprador bourgeoisie.
Nicaragua’s problem is that it refuses to be part of free trade agreements that are tailor-made by the North American monopolies, and prefers mutually beneficial trade agreements like ALBA. It also supports socialist Cuba and the Palestinian resistance. But above all demonstrates the possibility for sovereign development in Central America.
The attacks on Nicaragua go beyond this single country. They are part of a larger campaign by North American imperialism trying to regain a foothold in the region. The Communist Party denounces Canada’s participation in this campaign and calls on the labour and progressive movements to do the same. It is critical to deepen international solidarity and the struggle to defend the right to sovereignty for the peoples of Latin America and the world.
Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada