With Venezuela in the spotlight, we called in Raul Burbano of the Venezuelan Solidarity Coalition to give us a run down of what people in Canada are doing to resist yet another chapter of U.S. imperialist aggression.

For almost a decade, organizers have been educating, advocating and mobilizing around the devastating sanctions and other forms of foreign intervention at the hands of the Canadian government. With Carney seemingly siding with Trump on the kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife, activists here are working overtime to turn the tide.

Raul, himself a longtime activist, talks about the importance of building relationships between social movements and labour organizations across the Americas, and the shift the work has taken in the past few weeks.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean and Santiago Helou Quintero

Call to Action: Day of Action on January 24th, 2026

Related Episodes:

1. Venezuelan Chavistas vs. US Imperialism w/Geo Maher. Hear how the decades of struggle and the impact of the Bolivarian Revolution have made Venezuela ungovernable to anyone but the people.
2. Lessons from South America (Dec 2022) Learning from the social movements of Venezuela, and drawing comparisons to Canadian politics.

More Resources:

• International Brigade arrives in Venezuela - Instituto Simón Bolívar
• Details on Canada's 'Special Economic Measures' Against Venezuela
• Statement by Prime Minister Carney on the situation in Venezuela | Prime Minister of Canada

You can find even more content on our Substack.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

Follow us on Instagram or on Bluesky

Professor, activist, abolitionist and author of We Created Chavez, Geo Maher helps unpack what's going on in Venezuela from the often neglected perspective of the grassroots.

While the moves of state actors are to be watched and analyzed, Maher argues they alone do not hold the fate of Venezuela in their hands.

Semi-autonomous communities, mostly within the poorer barrios of the country, with roots older than even Chavez, wield a power that goes well beyond that of Maduro or the ruling Party. Maher talks about how those 'communes' and the history of the Bolivarian Revolution will be massive barriers to Trump's Imperialist agenda.

These 'experiments in democracy', as Maher refers to them, may hold some answers to the questions Canadians find themselves asking in the wake of Trump's threats against them. Namely, how do we best protect against US aggression?

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Contact Your MP and demand Canada lift all sanctions against Venezuela

Related Episodes:

• Lessons From: South America, Alexander Moldovan on the social movements in Venezuela; stories of workers and communities fighting back while building networks of support.
• Canadian Mining Imperialism, on a Canadian landmark legal case that exposed the industry's use of sexual violence, destruction, and death in Guatemala.

More Resources:

• Venezuela Month of Action - International League of Peoples' Struggle
• BBC: US Discussing Options to Acquire Greenland
• Canada's Official Statement on Venezuela
• Guest's Recommended Read: America, América – Greg Grandin
• Canada imposes new sanctions against Venezuelan officials (Mar 2025)

For more Blueprints, including articles and resources for activists: Subscribe to our SUBSTACK

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

Follow us on Instagram or on Bluesky

Activists from Jews Say NO to Genocide are working to challenge the coordinated narratives around the antisemitic violence at Bondi Beach in Australia - narratives that help pave the way for dangerous legislation like Canada's own Bill C9.

Louise, also of Independent Jewish Voices, goes over Carney's pending Act to Amend the Criminal Code, and its possible ramifications. From the new intimidation offence, to the vague wording around restricted spaces and symbols, the case is made that this is another tool for the powerful to suppress opponents at will.

Toronto based activist, Molly Kraft, also of SURJ Toronto, talks about how the prioritizing the feelings of some at the expense of the rights of others is all just part of the larger scheme to suppress dissent and benefit, not Jewish people, but white, Christian nationalists, Imperialism and ultimately, Capital.

Gur Tsabar, of the Movement Media Hub and spokesperson for the group, says we need to be asking the hard questions in the immediate wake of events like Bondi Beach and October 7th. He insists its in those moments the machinery working against us goes into overdrive to lay the "moral foundation" for the horrors that come next.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Say NO to Bill C-9 (Action Network Petition)

Related Episodes:

1. Jews Say NO to Genocide (Dec 2024) The organization's first appearance on Blueprints to talk about the Jewish identity crisis purposely being crafted by the Israeli lobby.
2. Weaponizing Canadian Law for Israel (Jul 2024) Martin Lukacs on Toronto Police's Project Resolute and the secretive committee tasked with cracking down on Palestinian solidarity activism.

More Resources:

• The Independent: UK Terror Arrests
• CBC: On Bloc's Proposed Changes to Bill C9
• Toronto Star: Calls for Antisemitism Task Force After Bondi Beach
• Bill C-9 Threatens Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Freedom of Expression in Canada – Canadian BDS Coalition & International BDS Allies
• Bill C9: Legislative Info

Be sure to check out our Substack for more content and resources for activists.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: