They have Forgotten about Venezuela

Despite facing crises that affect millions of people, the ongoing conflict in Venezuela receives paltry attention in Canada.

From the Council on Foreign Relations.

By Isabella Coronado Doria

Despite Venezuela facing a major economic and humanitarian crisis that affects millions of people, the conflict does not receive the necessary attention in Canada. The characteristics of the Venezuelan diaspora, the nature of the conflict, and the impact of media coverage are largely to blame. However, it remains an important issue. The question then is: how can we ensure it starts receiving the attention it deserves?

Venezuela is an example of a petrostate failure and a victim of the resource curse. In 1999 President Hugo Chavez gained power and Venezuela began to take advantage of an increase in oil prices to develop economically. During this period, the Venezuelan government increased its social spending and investment in the oil industry which moved capital and labor away from other sectors of the economy, reinforcing its dependence on oil. While the oil boom boosted Venezuela’s economy it also made Venezuela sensitive to oil price fluctuations. Additionally, under Chavez's populist leadership, Venezuelan state institutions gradually transformed into a presidential system that favors a concentration of power in the executive branch; a shift away from more democratic forms of decision-making in the public sector facilitated corruption.

Venezuela was unprepared to respond to the sharp drop in oil prices in 2014, which plunged the country into a major depression with high inflation, job losses, and a significant increase in international debt. Despite the Venezuelan population’s uprising to demand a new government to address the increasing economic crisis, the government of Nicolás Maduro responded by repressing the protests.

The international community was genuinely concerned by the persecution of civil organizations, government opposition, and rampant human rights violations. Maduro's government continues to stay in power by manipulating the constitution, to keep the executive branch’s monopoly control of the media.

Venezuela is facing one of the worst socioeconomic crises in the world. 2 million Venezuelans live in poverty, and lack access to necessary goods such as medicine, food, clean water, and public services. Additionally, the loss of Venezuela’s state capacity has led to an increase in violence and organized crime, especially human trafficking. These conditions have pushed 7.7 million Venezuelans to leave the country and seek refuge in neighboring states.

Despite being the most significant socioeconomic crisis in the Western Hemisphere, with major repercussions on the economies of several countries across the Americas, the Venezuelan situation does not receive the same level of attention in Canada as other international conflicts in regions even farther away. Why have they forgotten about Venezuela?

The Venezuelan conflict, unlike other international conflicts, does not receive the same level of attention from Canadians for three reasons.

The first factor is the composition of the Venezuelan diaspora in Canada. Canada is home to approximately 1.1 million Latin Americans, of whom about 30,000 are Venezuelans. Despite being the fifth most represented ethnic group in the country, Latin Americans, on average, have lower income levels compared to Canadian nationals. This makes them less likely to engage in external issues, as they tend to spend more of their time and energy meeting their own needs as stipulated by behavioral economists. Additionally, Venezuelans fleeing the humanitarian crisis have not had as much time to establish themselves in Canada compared to immigrants of other nationalities, making it more difficult to achieve the social cohesion necessary to push certain topics on the agenda.

The second factor is the nature of the Venezuelan conflict. Unlike other ongoing conflicts, such as those in the Middle East, the Venezuelan conflict is primarily domestic. While the United States and Canada (to a lesser extent) have intervened through economic sanctions and as a mediator in negotiations between Maduro's government and the opposition, there is comparatively minimal direct or indirect involvement from other countries. This makes it less relevant to people in other regions of the world who do not experience the direct consequences of the Venezuelan conflict or at least are unaware of them. For example, Venezuelan migration makes it a pressing issue for countries like Colombia, Argentina, and Peru because the population is directly affected by the conflict whereas most Canadians who may be aware of the downstream effects of the situation, such as the rising global price of oil, without connecting it to Venezuela’s situation.

The third factor, which I believe has the greatest impact on this issue, is media coverage. Studies show that overexposure to bad news has made it harder for us to be emotionally moved by images or videos. This is why the media has progressively become more explicit in its content to elicit reactions, especially on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and other online spaces. People, therefore, become more interested in conflicts with greater media coverage because they manage to provoke these visceral reactions that awaken even the most indifferent individuals. This drives a positive feedback loop wherein audience members are driven towards high coverage conflicts, and then actively seek out coverage of those same conflicts, inspiring greater coverage.

One way to address this situation is by encouraging greater cohesion within the Venezuelan community in Canada to make collective efforts to raise awareness about their country’s situation and advocate for greater attention and involvement from Canadian society. This could be achieved through social media or by utilizing cultural and research spaces as platforms. Venezuelans have a role to play in redirecting the world’s attention to Venezuela by learning of the successes of other communities.

Isabella Coronado Doria is a Deputy Editor of The Bell. Born on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, she is an economist and professional in Government and Public Affairs from the Universidad de los Andes. Before joining Max Bell, she worked as a project assistant to the President of the Universidad de los Andes, where she implemented strategic improvement projects and managed communication between the president's office, students, and parents. Isabella's strong interest in evidence-based educational public policy has led her to work as a research assistant on various projects. Additionally, she has volunteered with education-oriented non-profit organizations in Colombia, supporting their initiatives to improve learning communities.