Venezuelans in Manitoba quietly celebrate capture of Maduro as others question legitimacy of U.S. intervention

Some Venezuelans living in Winnipeg say American strikes and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday have stirred up a complicated mix of emotions, from worry to hopefulness for the future.  

Cristina Rodrigues Bonito, who came to Canada in 2014, said she wanted to scream with joy when she found out early Saturday morning — but she didn’t want to wake others. 

“We were happy. We cried, we hugged,” she said, adding her excitement was also tinged by skepticism. “All I can say is that I hope that things develop quickly and peacefully and we’re looking forward to what’s yet to come.” 

“We’re still praying that everything goes smoothly … we’re happy, but with caution,” she said.

A slew of explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas early Saturday morning after months of stepped pressure between the two countries that led to what the U.S. was the capture of Venezuela’s president and his wife. 

Trump said Washington will “run” the oil-rich South American country until a “proper transition can take place “as Maduro awaits charges for allegedly running a “narco-state” and rigging Venezuela’s 2024 election.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada supports the Venezuelan people’s “right to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society.”

Carney called Maduro’s regime “brutally oppressive and criminal” in a post on X on Saturday, stating Canada has seen Maduro’s leadership as “illegitimate” since the 2018 election. 

“The Canadian government therefore welcomes the opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace, and prosperity for the Venezuelan people,” he wrote, adding Canada “calls on all parties to respect international law.”

Several international leaders shared mixed reactions to the U.S. intervention, with some celebrating — including politicians in Argentina, Peru and Ecuador — and others condemning it — including those in Brazil, Russia, Iran and China.

Jeanette Pantin Pérez, a Venezuelan living in Winnipeg, questions Washington’s “real intentions” underlying its intervention in the oil-rich country, which she said had been operating a “completely broken system.”

Trump mentioned oil multiple times during a press conference on Saturday. While speaking about his ambitions to rebuild Venezuelan infrastructure, which he called “old” and “rotted,” Trump said he’ll get the oil flowing and will sell it to several countries.

He said the wealth would “go back to the people” of Venezuela, as well as to the U.S.

Pantin Pérez watched the address hoping Trump would talk about restoring the respect of human rights in Venezuela. She said she comes from a generation that watched the country’s resources be exploited by international businesses — sometimes to the detriment of Venezuela.

“This is again, the actions of a country who wants to take advantage of the resources of this country, not necessarily the well-being of the people,” Pantin Pérez said. 

“It seems to me that these actions [are] setting a precedent for powerful countries to disregard the principle of sovereignty and interfere in weak countries,” she said.

Luiz Antonio Rodrigues Bonito, Christina’s brother, said he’s aware Venezuela’s oil resources may have played a part in the U.S. intervention — but he’s hopeful it will bring positive change because he remembers life being better when American companies had a larger stake in the sector. 

“It’s good for the Venezuelan people [that] the States take control of the oil. I know it for sure because this happened in the past,” he said. “We lived well.”

Luiz Bonito fled Venezuela a decade ago. His immediate family members are among the nearly eight million people who fled the country since 2015, according to Global Affairs Canada. 

He said day-to-day life in Venezuela was difficult, with limited access to steady food sources and the underlying fear for his family’s safety due to crime and corruption. 

That fear’s shadow is still looming over his loved ones back in his home country, Cristina Bonito said, but many are quietly celebrating. 

“Still the situation is not clear. So people are celebrating, but in silence inside their home,” she said, adding she has been waiting for an intervention like this since Hugo Chávez took power in 1999.

Both Luiz and Cristina said they would like to see Nobel Peace Prize-winning politician Maria Corina Machado come to power alongside Edmundo González Urrutia, who Canada recognized as the country’s legitimate president after the 2024 election. 

“We’ve been asking for this for many, many years. What I hope now is that Venezuela gets to be free and there’s progress and everything will run smoothly,” Cristina Bonito said.  

Pantin Pérez said change was needed in Venezuela, but questions how the U.S. intervention played out over the weekend. 

“I do want change for my birth country,” she said. “But I think those changes would be more favourable if they would have happened on solid, legit foundations.” 

“The legitimacy of the events that occurred [on Saturday] are quite arguable,” she said.