On October 30, the General Assembly of the United Nations once again voted overwhelmingly to condemn the decades-long economic blockade imposed by the United States against Socialist Cuba, and to demand its immediate lifting. Some 187 countries supported the resolution; only the U.S. and Israel voted against (Moldova abstained).This was the 32nd consecutive annual resolution adopted by the General Assembly – each time by the vast majority of governments. But because of its non-binding character, Washington has once again dismissed this significant rebuke by the rest of humanity and vows to keep its asphyxiating blockade and related unilateral coercive measures against Cuba in place.
The U.S. economic war on Cuba, which has been in force for over 60 years, has always exacted a heavy economic and social cost on the lives of the Cuban people. Moreover, since the former Trump Administration imposed an additional 243 crippling sanctions (all of which the Biden government has shamefully continued to maintain). Trump’s decision to put Cuba on the U.S. list of “state sponsors of terrorism” has intensified the suffocating impact of the blockade many times over. This aggression, combined with the economic effect of the COVID pandemic (especially in the tourism sector), and devastation wrought by natural disasters – most recently by tropical storm Oscar – have resulted in massive shortages of food, medicines and medical supplies, and cascading power outages, affecting virtually every aspect of personal and social life on the Island.
In the face of these deepening economic difficulties, the heroic and defiant government and people of Cuba are doing everything possible to alleviate the situation. Several countries are also coming to Cuba’s aid, such as Mexico which has substantially increased its shipments of oil in recent weeks to help stabilize the electricity and transport services in this besieged country. In addition to foreign governmental support, international friends and supporters of the Cuban Revolution, through hundreds of grassroots solidarity organizations around the world, have significantly stepped up the collection and shipment of material aid to Cuba.
For instance, the Canadian Network on Cuba (CNC) and its member organizations has just completed a cross-country campaign to purchase and ship tens of thousands of surgical sutures to Cuban hospitals and community clinics. This is only the most recent of many CNC campaigns to send aid and supplies to our Cuban friends, especially at this difficult moment. The CNC, and the thousands of people across Canada who have supported its campaigns, are to be congratulated for their selfless efforts to help Cuba and its people. This is real internationalism in concrete form; the same kind of internationalism that Socialist Cuba has provided to many other countries over the years, by dispatching medical brigades and other forms of solidarity. The Communist Party of Canada, its members and supporters, will continue and increase our support for these campaigns.
But much more is needed, and urgently.
Our Party welcomes the decision of the Canadian government to vote in favour of the UNGA resolution. Strongly-worded resolutions are important. But raising its hand in the UN and other international forums to condemn the U.S. blockade – in and of itself – is not even remotely enough. Words are cheap, if not accompanied by concrete action.
Successive Canadian governments have done virtually nothing to match its pious condemnations of the blockade with any meaningful action to render concrete assistance to Cuba and its people. Not once has a Canadian Prime Minister directly called out Washington’s vindictive and hateful policy against Cuba, or applied any real pressure to demand the U.S. end its illegal and immoral blockade. With the exception of occasional (and minor) hurricane relief, Global Affairs Canada and its associated relief agencies have been ‘missing in action’.
This situation must end now. The Communist Party of Canada calls on Ottawa to render substantial material and economic assistance to Cuba and its people in the face of this horrific economic warfare against its society and economy.
And we call on our members, friends and supporters, to initiate or support actions to demand that Ottawa put its money where its mouth is, and to end Washington’s grotesque injustice against Cuba once and for all.
Central Committee, Communist Party of Canada