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“There’s people in Venezuela who are being abused, who are dying, or are being fired because they think different (from the government),” added Sarfatti.

Political scientist Angel Alvarez fled to Canada from Venezuela four years ago because, he said, he no longer had the academic freedom to teach.

Photo by Lars Hagberg/AFP/Getty Images

The Canadian unions are undermining the international momentum that is required to force Maduro to step down and make way for peaceful elections, said Alvarez, who received his doctorate at Notre Dame University in the U.S. and was a department head at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas.

“I think that they (the unions) are biased by ideological prejudice about previous experiences of the U.S. intervention in South America,” said Alvarez.

While he agrees the American history of intervention in Latin America has given rise to dictators and led to much bloodshed, he said the current situation is much different.

“They do not take into account the current situation in Venezuela needs strong diplomatic pressure on the government of Maduro and the military in order to find a peaceful solution.”

Hassan Yussuff, the president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said he understands how hard the crisis is for the Venezuelan people, and how important it is to find a peaceful, negotiated solution.

“I’m not approaching this from an ideological (perspective). I can’t speak for others; I’m speaking for myself,” said Yussuff, who is also the president of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas, which has members in Venezuela.