After US Venezuela Operation, Poilievre Says Canada in Weakened Position Without More Oil Pipelines to Tidewater

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asks a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sept. 17, 2025. The Canadian Press/Sean KilpatrickConservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says the Liberal government’s oil tanker ban, which led to the cancellation of a pipeline that would have transported Alberta oil to British Columbia for international markets, has put Canada in a “weakened and dependent” position.Poilievre’s remarks came shortly after the United States announced on Jan. 3 that it had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States will run Venezuela until a peaceful transition of power is completed, adding that it will be heavily involved in the nation’s oil industry.