TABLE OF CONTENTS Video Summary Related Content Video
TABLE OF CONTENTS Video Summary & Related Content Video Review Before Viewing While Viewing Talk Prompts After Viewing The Story Activity #1: The migration crisis Activity #2: The humanitarian crisis Activity #3: What is Canada doing about the crisis? Sources CREDITS News in Review is produced by CBC NEWS and curio. ca GUIDE Writer/Editor: Sean Dolan Additional editing: Michaël Elbaz VIDEO Host: Michael Serapio Senior Producer: Jordanna Lake Packaging Producer: Marie-Hélène Savard Associate Producer: Francine Laprotte Supervising Manager: Laraine Bone Visit www. curio. ca/newsinreview for an archive of all previous News In Review seasons. As a companion resource, go to www. cbc. ca/news for additional articles. CBC authorizes reproduction of material contained in this guide for educational purposes. Please identify source. News In Review is distributed by: curio. ca | CBC Media Solutions © 2018 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 3 4 5 6 7 10 12 16 18 20 22
VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS: Colombia's Crisis Video duration – 15: 47 It’s one of the biggest migrations on earth. More than one and a half million Venezuelans have fled their home since 2015. Most head to Colombia in the hopes they can find jobs and food for their families. But the influx of the mass migration is putting serious strain on Colombia’s resources. And while the United Nations struggles to find ways to assist, the wave of humanity continues to pour over the border. CBC's Adrienne Arsenault takes viewers to the border to see the mass exodus first hand the impact it is having on the people and Colombia. curio. ca/newsinreview /3
VIDEO REVIEW curio. ca/newsinreview /4
BEFORE VIEWING 1. Imagine if over two million Canadians decided to leave the country because of economic hardship. What would the mass migration do to the Canadian economy? Where would these migrants go? This question is being asked because you are about to learn about Venezuela, a country of roughly 32 million (about the size of the population of Canada) that has seen over two million people leave the country since 2014. 2. Every year, between 250 000 and 300 000 people immigrate to Canada while between 60 000 and 70 000 emigrate from Canada. What does this tell you about the status of Canada on the world stage? Is Canada in a favourable or unfavourable position in terms of immigration and emigration? Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview /5
WHILE VIEWING 1. How many people are flooding out of Venezuela into Colombia every day? a) 1 000 to 2 000 c) 3 000 to 4 000 b) 2 000 to 3 000 d) 4 000 to 5 000 2. The economic crisis in Venezuela was caused by the collapse of the national oil industry. TRUE or FALSE? 3. In September 2018, President Maduro announced a cryptocurrency that he says will save the Venezuelan economy. The currency is called: a) Bitcoin b) Petro c) EOS d) Ripple 4. How many of the 2. 3 million Venezuelans who fled their homeland have wound up in Colombia? a) At least 100 000 b) At least 200 000 c) At least a million d) At least two million 5. Migrants are so desperate that they are willing to traverse Colombia’s Darién gap to get to Panama and, in time, North America. TRUE or FALSE? Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview /6
TALK PROMPTS NEW curio. ca/newsinreview /7
TALK PROMPT #1 Consider pausing the video and giving students the opportunity to talk to an elbow partner for a few minutes, or use these questions as part of a class discussion. Pause the video after Adrienne Arsenault signs off from her first story, @ 00: 00 – 08: 35 1. What was Venezuela like before the economic collapse? 2. Describe the dire situation that Venezuelans found themselves in after the economy collapsed. What basic needs were not being met? How desperate a situation was it for most people? How frustrated were people with the state of affairs in Venezuela? 3. What is President Maduro’s plan to save the Venezuelan economy? Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview /8
TALK PROMPT #2 Watch the video right through to the end, @ 08: 36 – 15: 47 1. How many Venezuelan migrants have made their way into Colombia? 2. Why have the migration routes out of Venezuela become more dangerous? 3. Why is Colombia a hub for migrants from around the world? 4. What can Canada do to help with the migrant crisis in Venezuela? 5. Does Canada have a responsibility to help? Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview /9
AFTER VIEWING Hyperinflation happens when the cost of goods and services rises at a tremendously quick rate. This process tends to start when a country prints and distributes currency without gross domestic product (GDP, a. k. a. the value of goods and services in a country) backing it up. In turn, this leads to a reduction in the value (devaluation) of a nation’s currency and the collapse of a properly functioning economy. Based on your viewing of the video, why was Venezuela susceptible to the emergence of hyperinflation and currency devaluation? Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview / 10
Something is very wrong when citizens of an oil-rich country have to leave in order to beg on Colombian streets to feed their children. That "something" is the corruption of the Maduro regime. – Nikki Haley, former U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations
THE STORY The Legacy of Chávez When Hugo Chávez came to power in Venezuela in 1998, he promised to give the power back to the people and crush the might of the ruling elite. He spoke of eradicating poverty and keeping imperialist influences (mainly U. S. capitalists) from maintaining their economic stranglehold over Venezuela. He was able to rise to power and make these bold promises on the back of a booming oil-based economy. However, Chávez was always on shaky ground. To maintain power, he had to resort to oppressive measures that included controversial constitutional reforms. While he was able to keep foreign influences at bay, he was never able to give the power to the people that he had promised. Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis Instead, his rule evolved into an autocratic movement bent on silencing opponents and maintaining power at any cost. This approach worked while oil was selling for over $100 a barrel and Venezuela was a relatively prosperous nation. curio. ca/newsinreview / 12
Downward spiral Fast forward to 2014, when the price of oil started a downward spiral that resulted in a low of around $30 a barrel. Suddenly, the once robust Venezuelan economy (and a government that drew around 95 per cent of its revenue from the oil industry) bottomed out, leaving the populace to scramble to make ends meet. This descent began just after Chávez’s death in 2013. His replacement, Nicolás Maduro, simply continued to implement the policies of his predecessor. He worsened the situation by electing to print more currency (a currency not backed up with any national equity) in an effort to combat the growing recession. Dire straits Now Venezuela is in dire straits. The nation has: • An inflation rate of 83 000 per cent, slated to skyrocket to 1 million per cent by the end of 2018. Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis • Seen the prices of standard household items double every month this year. • Watched government coffers disintegrate because of its overreliance (remember: 95 per cent!) on the oil industry. curio. ca/newsinreview / 13
• A populace experiencing rampant poverty and hunger, with nearly a third of the country skipping at least one meal a day, and the average person losing as much as 20 pounds over the past year. • Seen 2. 3 million Venezuelans escape the country with practically nothing but the clothes on their back; 1. 2 million of those people migrated in the past two years. Maduro’s solution President Maduro’s solution to the problem has been to raise the minimum wage to 34 times the previous level, link the Venezuelan sovereign bolivar to a cryptocurrency called the Petro, curbing subsidies for all citizens (even the poor) and raising taxes on sales, services and imports. Experts are skeptical that these measures will have any impact on Venezuela’s economic fortunes. Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis Humanitarian crisis In the meantime, a huge humanitarian crisis is unfolding at the border as thousands of people continue to make their way out of Venezuela into Colombia. Those remaining face utter poverty and continued hardship, leaving the fate of Venezuela very much up in the air. According to Caritas, a Roman Catholic humanitarian group, close to 300 000 Venezuelan children are at risk of dying of malnutrition. curio. ca/newsinreview / 14
To Consider 1. a) What promises did Hugo Chávez make to gain power? How successful was he at keeping his promises? How was Chávez able to stay in power? b) What changed to make things much more difficult for his successor Nicolás Maduro? 2. Which indicators suggest that the Venezuelan economy is spiralling out of control? 3. Why are critics skeptical that the Venezuelan government can bring the nation out of the crisis? Experts estimate that 5 000 Venezuelans are crossing the Colombian border every day. Of that number, 3 000 are remaining in Colombia. The rest are making their way to other Central and South American nations while some are attempting to make the trek to North America. A smaller number of migrants have made their way to Spain. Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview / 15
ACTIVITY #1: The migration crisis STEP ONE Ø Read about the crisis inside Venezuela at the Human Rights Watch website: www. hrw. org/report/2016/10/24/venezuelashumanitarian-crisis/severe-medical-and-foodshortages-inadequate-and Ø List five (5) things that you read that highlight the suffering of the Venezuelan people. Ø Summarize three (3) stories of people who are suffering due to inadequate health care. Ø Provide three (3) suggestions for improving the lives of the people of Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis STEP TWO Ø Get a closer look at the migration crisis by reading this National Geographic article: www. nationalgeographic. com/photography/ proof/2018/06/refugees-venezuela-colombiaelection-crisis-simon-bolivar-culture/? user. testname=none curio. ca/newsinreview / 16
Ø Answer the following questions: ◦ Why are people fleeing Venezuela? ◦ What sacrifices have people made to get to Colombia? ◦ Which stories struck a chord with you? How did they make you feel? Why did they affect you? Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis Ø Pick a photograph from the National Geographic article and share it with a partner. Explain to your partner why you selected that particular picture and how you think the photograph tells the story of the Venezuelan crisis. curio. ca/newsinreview / 17
ACTIVITY #2: The humanitarian crisis Consider the humanitarian crisis that has been plaguing Venezuela. Issue #1: Migration Since 2014, over two million people have fled the country. Here is where most of these migrants wound up in 2017 alone: Colombia Panama Ecuador Peru Chile Total 550 000 270 000 230 000 149 000 165 000 1 364 000 Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis Reflection questions 1. With a population of just over 31 million, how large of an exodus is the nation seeing? How can Venezuela sustain economic growth with this kind of migration pattern? 2. In terms of the nations accepting the migrants (Colombia in particular), what kind of sacrifices will they need to make in an effort to accommodate these people? curio. ca/newsinreview / 18
Go deeper Use the resource list from this News in Review to help you learn more about the issues listed below. Write a point form list (five points being the minimum) dealing with each issue. Connect with a partner and compare your lists with theirs. GOING DEEPER ISSUES Issue #2: Poverty Issue #6: Economic depression Issue #3: Malnutrition Issue #7: Government corruption Issue #4: Health Care Issue #8: Human rights abuses Issue #5: Hyperinflation Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview / 19
ACTIVITY #3: What is Canada doing about the crisis ? When things really started to unravel in Venezuela, Canada was criticized for not taking a strong enough stand related to the human rights abuses of the government of Nicolás Maduro. Since then Canada has been more aggressive in challenging the Venezuelan president and his authoritarian regime. TASK Ø Form a group of three (3). Ø Go to the government’s “Canada and the Venezuela crisis” page at www. international. gc. ca/worldmonde/issues_developmentenjeux_developpement/response_conflictreponse_conflits/crisiscrises/venezuela. aspx? lang=eng Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview / 20
Ø Review five (5) documents from each of the following sections: ◦ Ministerial Communications ◦ Multilateral Communications ◦ The Lima Group Ø Answer the following guiding questions: ◦ ◦ In the Ministerial Communications that you reviewed, what issues caused the most concern for the Canadian government? concern over the Venezuelan crisis and the need to stand with their allies to challenge President Maduro? ◦ In the Lima Group section, how did Canada’s statements with its Lima partners differ from their multilateral statements? Were they similar or substantially different? Ø Write a 100 -200 word summary of what you discovered in each section that you reviewed. In the Multilateral Communications section, what declarations did Canada feel needed to be made to show its Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview / 21
SOURCES BBC. (August 22, 2018). How Venezuela’s crisis developed and drove out millions of people. Retrieved from: www. bbc. com/news/ world-latin-america-36319877 Carrillo, P. E. (July 5, 2018). How today’s crisis in Venezuela was created by Hugo Chávez’s ‘revolutionary’ plan. The Conversation. Retrieved from: https: //theconversation. com/how-todays-crisis-in-venezuela-was-created-by-hugo-chavezs-revolutionary-plan 61474 Garcia, H. (August 3, 2017). Inside Venezuela’s economic collapse. The Conversation. Retrieved from: https: //theconversation. com/ inside-venezuelas-economic-collapse-80597 Geddes, J. (August 11, 2017). What can Canada do for Venezuela? Maclean’s. Retrieved from: www. macleans. ca/news/world/whatcan-canada-do-for-venezuela/ Gilmore, S. (June 19, 2018). When Venezuela collapses and nobody cares. Maclean’s. Retrieved from: www. macleans. ca/news/ world/venezuela-collapses-and-nobody-cares/ Government of Canada and the Venezuela crisis. (Last modified on October 9, 2018 at the time of publication). www. international. gc. ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/response_conflict-reponse_conflits/crisiscrises/venezuela. aspx? lang=eng Human Rights Watch. (October 24, 2016). Venezuela’s Humanitarian Crisis. Retrieved from: www. hrw. org/report/2016/10/24/venezuelas-humanitarian-crisis/severe-medical-and-food-shortages-inadequate-and Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview / 22
Rendon, M. and Schneider, M. L. (March 23, 2018). Venezuela’s crisis is now a regional humanitarian disaster. Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved from: www. csis. org/analysis/venezuelas-crisis-now-regional-humanitarian-disaster Tharoor, I. (August 23, 2018). Venezuela’s refugee exodus is now the largest in the hemisphere. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: www. washingtonpost. com/world/2018/08/23/venezuelas-refugee-exodus-is-biggest-crisishemisphere/? utm_term=. efb 8 bc 650 f 03 Zuñiga, M. (June 20, 2018). For Venezuelan refugees, this bridge connects past and present. Photographs by Greg Khan. National Geographic. Retrieved from: www. nationalgeographic. com/photography/proof/2018/06/refugees-venezuela-colombia-electioncrisis-simon-bolivar-culture/? user. testname=none Venezuelan Migrants: Colombia's Crisis curio. ca/newsinreview / 23
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