Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says today鈥檚 inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has entrenched him as a dictator.

Freeland鈥檚 remarks align Canada with the international community in condemning Maduro鈥檚 recent election victory as fraudulent and illegitimate.

She says the suffering of Venezuela鈥檚 people will only get worse the longer he is in power.

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Canada has downgraded diplomatic relations with Venezuela and imposed sanctions on 70 officials in the regime.

Venezuela鈥檚 political and economic crisis has forced three million people to flee the country in search of food, health care and other basic services since 2015.

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Canada has provided $2.2 million in humanitarian assistance to Venezuela and is a member of the Lima Group of countries that is trying to bring international pressure to bear on the South American country.

The Canadian Press

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