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Villegas Solano, Ricardo

University of British Columbia

Canada's Liberal government has worked alongside the international community to respond to the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis per proclaimed domestic values and international objectives. The project examines the domestic and international factors that shape Canada's response to Venezuela's political and economic crisis and the exodus of approximately 7.7 million migrants and refugees. It argues that Ottawa's proclaimed internationalist foreign policy serves as a tool to mask the factors guiding the formation and implementation of Canada's response to the crisis, including its economic and security dependence on the U.S. and shared ideological interests with Washington. It also suggests that the limited capacity of the Venezuelan community in Canada restricts their ability to influence policy formation in Ottawa. The study uses information from eighteen semi-structured interviews with government officials, non-governmental organizations, academics, and Venezuelan community leaders in Canada to uncover the rationale behind the government's response. In addition, the project draws from the Venezuelan experience to offer a critical analysis of Canada's immigration policies, especially its refugee protection program, to examine the characteristics underpinning the program. The study challenges Canada's global humanitarian reputation by investigating the formation and implementation of policies that constrain the Venezuelan refugee crisis within a specified zone. It offers an opportunity to assess Canada's foreign policy, immigration policies, and role in the global system.

Text

2024-11-04

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89593

Interdisciplinary Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/