US Venezuela blitz spooks some Canadian officials

MILAN — The U.S. administration’s proclaimed takeover of Venezuela has renewed concerns in Canada over President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and Ottawa’s deep military dependence on Washington.

Following the weekend military operation capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a number of Canadian officials were spooked by the U.S. administration’s talk of reordering the Western Hemisphere to Trump’s liking.

“It confirms the new U.S. National Security Strategy, particularly towards the Americas and, therefore, Canada — Canadians should be concerned that for Trump, force is now a sufficient reason to impose his will on other countries,” Jean Charest, former deputy prime minister of Canada, wrote on his X social media platform on Jan 5.

The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yve-François Blanchet, said his party was especially troubled that Washington “is positioning itself as the enforcer of principles at the risk of disregarding international law, particularly by resorting to military force at the peril of civilian lives.”

The American president has previously expressed his ambition to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.

Mike Morrice, the deputy leader of the Green Party of Canada, said Canada “cannot stand by while one man’s insatiable and violent thirst for oil makes an already perilous time in the world even less safe and unstable.”

Absent from the list of commentators was Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose muted response was criticized by some policymakers for failing to condemn the neighbor’s actions.

“The Liberals [Party] have been weak and afraid to call out illegal U.S. actions — they are putting economic interests ahead of truth, values and law, and it’s time for us to take principled positions,” Don Davies, the interim leader of the New Democratic Party said in a post on X.

Charest urged Ottawa to lessen its economic and military reliance on the United States.

A large portion of the Canadian defense procurement budget is spent on American equipment, with approximately 75 cents of every dollar allocated to U.S. technology, according to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Some Canadian politicians expressed support for the U.S. Venezuela takeover. Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party, congratulated Trump on “successfully arresting socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro,” adding: “Long live freedom.”

Canada is currently at a crucial stage in deciding whether to proceed with the order pledged in 2023 for 88 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin. So far, it has only committed to buying 16 and is assessing other foreign aircraft models, such as the Swedish Gripen, which has an American engine.

Minister for Economic Development Mélanie Joly stated this week that the final decision will be made this year.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——美国政府宣布接管委内瑞拉，这再次引发了加拿大对唐纳德·特朗普总统吞并威胁以及渥太华对华盛顿的严重军事依赖的担忧。

在周末军事行动抓捕委内瑞拉总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗之后，美国政府声称要按照特朗普的意愿重新划分西半球的格局，这让一些加拿大官员感到不安。

“这证实了美国新的国家安全战略，特别是针对美洲，因此也包括加拿大——加拿大人应该担心，对特朗普来说，武力现在足以成为将他的意志强加于其他国家的理由，”加拿大前副总理让·沙雷于1月5日在他的社交媒体平台上写道。

魁北克集团领导人伊夫-弗朗索瓦·布朗谢表示，他的政党尤其感到不安的是，华盛顿“将自己定位为原则的执行者，却有无视国际法的风险，特别是诉诸武力，危及平民生命”。

美国总统此前曾表达过让加拿大成为美国第51个州的愿望。

加拿大绿党副领袖迈克·莫里斯表示，加拿大“不能袖手旁观，任由一个人对石油永无止境的暴力渴求，使本已危机四伏的世界局势更加危险和动荡不安。”

评论员名单中没有加拿大总理马克·卡尼，一些政策制定者批评他反应冷淡，没有谴责邻国的行为。

新民主党临时领导人唐·戴维斯在 X 网站上发帖称：“自由党一直软弱无力，不敢公开谴责美国的非法行为——他们将经济利益置于真相、价值观和法律之上，现在是我们采取原则立场的时候了。”

查雷斯特敦促渥太华减少对美国的经济和军事依赖。

加拿大总理马克·卡尼表示，加拿大国防采购预算的很大一部分用于购买美国装备，每1美元中约有75美分分配给美国技术。

一些加拿大政客对美国接管委内瑞拉表示支持。保守党领袖皮埃尔·波利耶夫祝贺特朗普“成功逮捕了社会主义独裁者尼古拉斯·马杜罗”，并补充道：“自由万岁。”

加拿大目前正处于决定是否继续履行2023年向洛克希德·马丁公司订购88架F-35战斗机的订单的关键阶段。迄今为止，加拿大仅承诺购买16架，并且正在评估其他外国机型，例如配备美国发动机的瑞典“鹰狮”战斗机。

经济发展部长梅拉妮·乔利本周表示，最终决定将在今年做出。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。