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Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada stands by the Venezuelan people’s “right to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society” after U.S. President Donald Trump announced American forces captured Venezuela’s president early Saturday morning.
“Canada has not recognised the illegitimate regime of [Nicolás] Maduro since it stole the 2018 election,” Carney said on social media Saturday evening. “The Canadian government therefore welcomes the opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace, and prosperity for the Venezuelan people.
The prime minister added that Canada has “long-supported a peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led transition process that respects the democratic will of the Venezuelan people” and it calls on all parties to respect international law.
On Saturday morning, Trump said the U.S. successfully carried out a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela and captured Maduro.
Multiple explosions rang out overnight and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas, the capital of the oil-rich nation, as Maduro’s government immediately accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations.
Global Affairs Canada said in a statement to CBC News that it was not aware of any reports of Canadians being injured in the attacks. The agency urged any citizens in Venezuela looking for consular support to contact the Canadian Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, since its embassy in Venezuela has been closed since 2019.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a government-organized civic-military rally in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/The Associated Press)
In a social media post, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.
“They will soon face the wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Bondi said.
Later on Saturday morning, Trump told reporters at a news conference that the United States will “run” Venezuela “until such time that we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”
The situation marks Washington’s most direct intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
Earlier on Saturday, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand echoed the prime minister on social media, saying Canada has “refused to recognize any legitimacy of the Maduro regime and opposed its repression of the Venezuelan people.”
WATCH | What comes next for Venezuela?:
What’s next for Venezuela and its hard-hit oil sector after Maduro capture?
Roxanna Vigil, an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, says she has concerns about what comes next in Venezuela after the U.S. captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, early Saturday. Vigil says it will take years to reverse the long decline of Venezuela’s oil sector and that it’s not clear how the Trump administration intends to move forward.
“In keeping with our long-standing commitment to upholding the rule of law and democracy, Canada calls on all parties to respect international law and we stand by the people of Venezuela and their desire to live in a peaceful and democratic society,” Anand added.
In his statement, Carney said that “Canada attaches great importance to resolution of crises through multilateral engagement and is in close contact with international partners about ongoing developments.”
“We are first and foremost ready to assist Canadians through our consular officials and our embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, and will continue to support Venezuelan refugees,” the prime minister added.
Carney did not directly comment on the legality of the U.S. actions in his statement.
Opposition parties celebrate, condemn U.S. actions
“Congratulations to President Trump on successfully arresting narco-terrorist and socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, who should live out his days in prison,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said in a social media post on Saturday morning.
“Down with socialism. Long live freedom,” Poilievre added.
Congratulations to President Trump on successfully arresting narco-terrorist and socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro, who should live out his days in prison.
The legitimate winner of the most recent Venezuelan elections, Edmundo González, should take office along with the…
—PierrePoilievre
In a social media post, interim NDP Leader Don Davies said the U.S. “attack on Venezuela is neither an act of self defence nor does it have UN Security Council authorization. It is therefore totally illegal and a breach of the UN covenants the US has agreed to uphold as a Member State.”
He added: “The U.S. can have no credibility upholding international law and the rights of nations when it blatantly violates those principles itself.”
Earlier on Saturday, Davies said that “Canada must strongly condemn it and call for the immediate cessation of aggression by the U.S. against the sovereign state of Venezuela.”
WATCH | Former Canadian ambassador to Venezuela weighs in on U.S. actions:
End of one dictator but not beginning of democracy in Venezuela: former Canadian ambassador
Canada’s former ambassador to Venezuela, Ben Rowswell, talks about the United States hitting Venezuela with a large-scale strike and capturing its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said in French on social media that his party understands Maduro’s regime “defies fundamental freedoms” and faces drug-trafficking allegations.
However, Blanchet said, “it appears troubling” that the U.S. is “is positioning itself as the enforcer of these principles at the risk of disregarding international law, particularly by resorting to military force at the peril of civilian lives, and to the sequestration of a head of state, even if illegitimate.”
“The Bloc Québécois invites the United States to respect the sovereignty of states and peoples and to resort to international and multilateral instruments, first and foremost the [United Nations], to address the threats posed by the Venezuelan regime,” Blanchet said.
The Green Party condemned the strikes on Venezuela and “kidnapping” of Maduro, calling the acts a violation of international law.
“We can’t stand by while one man’s insatiable and violent thirst for oil makes an already perilous time in the world even less safe and even more unstable,” deputy leader Mike Morrice said in a statement.
