Honourable senators, I rise today to honour María Corina Machado, a courageous defender of democratic rights, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition and the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

While the Maduro dictatorship continues to suppress the democratic and human rights of Venezuelans, silencing free speech, crushing peaceful assembly and denying free and fair elections, Ms. Machado’s leadership shines like a beacon of hope. Her courage inspires millions of Venezuelans who still dream of a nation that is peaceful, free and stable.

Most importantly, colleagues, María Corina Machado pursues her cause through peaceful, democratic means — through words, through civic action and through the moral strength of non-violent resistance.

While the Carney government seems eager to engage with and even reward groups that glorify violence under the guise of liberation, I believe Canadians expect better. We should stand with peaceful, democratic activists like María Corina Machado, especially in our own hemisphere, because when people are denied free and fair elections, when government institutions are used to entrench power rather than to represent the people, they strike at the fundamental values we hold dear — the dignity of the individual, the right to be heard, the principle of accountability.

For far too long, Venezuela has languished on this government’s back burner. The awarding of this Nobel Peace Prize gives new momentum to the Venezuelan people’s struggle for freedom. Canada must seize this moment, together with our allies across the Americas, to take a firmer, principled stand against the Maduro regime and to help restore democracy and dignity in Venezuela.

For too many years, we have looked away as the Chávez and Maduro regimes dismantled Venezuela’s democratic institutions piece by piece. Now is the time to speak up. Canada must stand shoulder to shoulder with the Venezuelan people in their fight for freedom, justice and the restoration of democratic order.

Thank you, colleagues.