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September 22, 2018 - No. 32
PDF Matters of Concern to the Polity Prosperity and the Concentration of Wealth
Ten years ago, a broad economic crisis gripped the entire world. It began with a financial meltdown in the U.S. when the oligarchs in control of Lehman Brothers could no longer prop up their ponzi-like schemes of phony bonds, mortgages, auto loans and other derivatives, and declared bankruptcy. All the biggest oligopolies recoiled in panic as commerce -- especially borrowing -- froze and sales of big items such as houses and vehicles plummeted with millions of people losing their homes and jobs. In Canada also, the government justified looting of the state treasury using the high ideal that this was to protect the people from the collapse of the banking system, and housing and auto sectors. Of course economic collapse hurts the people but it is not them the government aims to help with its bailouts and other pay-the-rich schemes. Aided greatly by the media and economic pundits, the rich try to hide the fact that the imperialist system of parasitism and decay under the control of the financial oligarchy is designed to rob the people and make them pay for the inevitable crises that occur. The working people are deprived of their right to solve problems in a manner that favours them and brings into being a new pro-social direction.
The bailouts for the financial oligarchy ten years ago and the continuing pay-the-rich schemes have resulted in an even greater concentration of wealth and power. One U.S. oligarch, Jeff Bezos the CEO of Amazon, has net personal wealth exceeding $170 billion. According to widely circulated reports, 117 oligopolies with intertwining private ownership of thousands of businesses and debt control more than 40 trillion dollars of social wealth in money, property and productive forces worldwide. Put another way, those few oligarchs in control have the fate of billions of people and the direction of the world in their hands. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the bourgeoisie from the centres of mass production, trade and money-lending, organized themselves and their enterprises in opposition to the old feudal rule and economy of petty production. The rising bourgeoisie constituted itself the nation and subordinated all life to the right and rule of private property. That bourgeoisie has become a global financial oligarchy and has brought the world and humanity to the brink of disaster. The working class must now take control of its own destiny and save humanity by constituting itself as the nation, bring the socialized productive forces under the common control of the actual producers, and remake all arrangements in a manner that vests decision-making power in the people, not a propertied ruling class and its retinues. What Should Be Our Point of Reference
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Instead of examining the
situation as it presented itself
and searching for a new direction, both U.S. Presidents Bush and
Obama gave trillions of dollars to the financial oligarchy to
bail them out. Saved from the loss of their privilege, social wealth
and power were the very oligarchs and institutions responsible
for the crisis. Meanwhile the people were left to suffer, their
dreams shattered and rights violated.
The concentration of social
wealth in private hands
accelerates because the overriding aim is to serve the private
interests in control. This means they are driven not to achieve
prosperity for all but prosperity for a few at the expense of the
many. All this underscores the need for democratic renewal and a
modern nation-building project that humanizes the social and
natural environment and brings the modern socialized productive
forces of industrial mass production and distribution under the
control of the working people.
For example, the No side is
proceeding from a point of
reference based on fearmongering and disinformation, including
ludicrous claims that, as a result of switching to PR, voters
will have no local representation, that neo-Nazis and racists
will be emboldened and even come to power, and that the economy
will collapse.
Citing Moody's Investor
Service and the Dominion Bond Rating
Service's "warnings about the fragile state of the province's
creditworthiness," Manley directed the Ford government to deal
with "the heavy burden of public debt, which has doubled in the
past 10 years and now stands at $350 billion."
It therefore came as no
surprise when the Ford government
announced on July 17 that it would "restore trust and accountability
back to Ontario's public finances by launching an Independent
Financial Commission of Inquiry and an external line-by-line
audit of government spending."
The ties of the Commission
are clearly to the financial
establishment and its dominant privileged private interests. The
Commissioners have a track record of faithful service to the
pursuit of the neo-liberal agenda. Nonetheless, Premier Ford
persists in the charade of describing the Commission as
"independent." Independent of what, one may ask? Certainly not of the
anti-social agenda of the Ontario government although
the implication is that the Commission is "arms-length from
government" and can be trusted to be objective and therefore
presumably defend the public interest. But that is the cry of all
charlatans when they hire consultants to reinforce an already
agreed upon agenda.
Disinformation about the
economy on the part of the
ruling
class and their media is commonplace. It is designed to deprive
the working people of an outlook to deal with the world as it
presents itself so that a way forward that favours
the people can be found. The world as it presents itself, and not some
concoction and distortion of the rich oligarchs, reveals the
necessity for the working people to take charge of the economy.
Disinformation on the economy seeks to ensure that the privilege,
wealth and power of the ruling oligarchs prevails and a
pro-social outlook and new direction for the economy do not come
into being.
Regardless of which
government this election brings to
power,
it will administer the Quebec economy, which is the country's
second largest regional economy after that of Ontario. In Quebec,
as is the case across the country, the ruling class believes that
prosperity is achieved by opening the country to the plunder of
our resources and work, and that personal, business and state
indebtedness at all levels to private moneylenders is necessary
to make the rich richer.
| |
2006 | 2013 | 2014 |
| Americas (including Canada) | 15.1% | 19.7% | 63.1% |
| North Sea | 38.7% | 21.7% | 8.6% |
| Africa, Middle East and other countries | 46.2% | 58.7% | 28.3% |
Comparing Quebec 2014 Trade with
Rest of Canada and Internationally
Total exports from Quebec to both Canada and other
countries
(2014) = $172.777 billion.
International exports (2014) = $105.365 billion.[3]
Exports of total goods and services from Quebec to the rest of Canada (2014) = $67.412 billion.
Exports to the rest of Canada represent 39 per cent of total exports and 18 per cent of Quebec's GDP.
Detailed information on all commodities available here. Statistics Canada itemizes all Quebec exports both intra-Canada and internationally in a long list. To view, choose a commodity and click "Apply." For example scroll down to Aircraft and click "Apply." This shows:
- Intra-Canadian Quebec exports of aircraft = $0.659 billion.
- International exports of aircraft = $6.347 billion.
Readers should note that the Quebec people or government are not in control of imports and exports. The control is exercised through ownership of the companies involved in trade. The ownership of most companies is supranational in scope with the control mostly exercised from outside Quebec. The motivation behind trade, both imports and exports, is found in the private interests of the oligarchs who own and control the companies involved. The Quebec people and governments do not have sovereign control over trade, which forms a major sector of the economy. The supranational oligopolies have become so large and powerful they want to eliminate all public authority over trade and exercise their private authority over trade to serve their private interests not the interests of the Quebec people and their economy.
Discussion on
Economic Reports
The problem with economic reports from authorities such as governments, Statistics Canada and the big companies stems from the underlying feature of an anti-worker bias and outlook. They refuse to recognize that the workers through their work-time transform the natural bounty of nature into economic value. Using market prices or the accounts of companies as the basis of economic reports and figures diverts people from examining and grasping the actual source of economic value and from developing solutions for economic problems that favour the people and their economy.
The anti-worker and anti-social bias and outlook of the
ruling elite turn the working class into a cost of production
rather than the source of value. Instead of nurturing the working
class as the most precious factor of a modern economy and
guaranteeing workers their well-being, rights and security as the
key to guaranteeing the well-being and security of all and the
economy and society, those who own and control the economy attack
the very human factor that produces all economic value. A
fundamental transformation in outlook and practice must occur if
the people are to humanize workplaces and the social and natural
environment, guarantee their own well-being and security and the
general interests of society. The battle for democratic
renewal and a modern Quebec that defends the rights of all must
be engaged in earnest if problems in the economy are to be solved
and the dream realized of building a new society fit for human
beings.
Notes
1. Ontario's GDP has grown to be
more than twice as large
as Quebec's at $794.835 billion, mostly from the increased
economic activity of a growing population. The Greater Toronto
Area population alone is approaching seven million, only one and half
million shy of the total Quebec population of 8.4 million.
2. The figures are in chained
2007 dollars. The total appears far less than in current dollars
because of inflation. However, the figures appear higher than the
Quebec GDP. In fact, many different methods are used to report
economic activity, which result in widely differing figures. The
export totals used here are the market prices at the time of sale
in equivalent 2007 dollars. The selling price includes both old
and new value within the commodity unlike GDP, which is designed
to measure only new value added during a specific reporting
period, usually one year. If GDP were reported at market prices of
goods and services, it would include value already reported from
a previous period and not just the value produced during the year
in question.
3. 2014 figures from Statscan are
in basic or current
prices and not chained to the 2007 dollar to adjust for
inflation, so they appear far higher than figures above from the
Quebec Handy Book, which are chained.)
4. Total revenue means the gross income from sales. This includes both the old value from previously produced value within the goods sold and the new value that active production workers produce and add to the goods in the reporting year. Total revenue (gross income) differs from GDP in that GDP generally only contains newly produced value from the reporting year; otherwise, GDP would be reporting again as new value already produced value from previous reporting years.
(Sources: Banque de données des statistiques officielles sur le Québec; Statistiques Canada; canada.ca; Québec Handy Numbers from the Institut de la Statistique du Québec; Quebec government budget)
Hands Off Venezuela!
"Responsibility to Protect" Must Not Be Used to Justify Aggression Against Venezuela!
The latest attempt by U.S. imperialism to float a trial balloon for a "humanitarian" military intervention in Venezuela fell to the nefarious Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro. After broaching the matter directly blew up in his face recently, he came back for another try, dressing up his pro-war message in phrases about protecting the Venezuelan people from their government.
On September 14, Almagro made a high profile visit to the Colombian city Cúcuta, near the border with Venezuela. He accused Venezuela of causing the "humanitarian crisis," and the "migration crisis" while covering up the hardships the people are suffering as a result of the criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade the U.S. has imposed against the country.
When asked by a reporter at a press conference he held in Cúcuta with Colombia's Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the OAS if he considered a military intervention "the solution for Venezuela," Almagro responded, "Regarding a military intervention to overthrow the regime of Nicolás Maduro, I believe we should not rule out any option."
OAS Secretary General's Support for Military Option Rebuked
Almagro's defence of a possible military intervention against Venezuela immediately drew rebukes from several quarters. Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said her government would denounce Almagro before the United Nations and other international bodies for promoting a military intervention and attacking peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Bolivia's president Evo
Morales said attacking Venezuela is
attacking Latin America, and that with his words Almagro
confirmed that he had stopped being Secretary General of the OAS
to become a civil agent of Trump's coup plots.
The government of Ecuador issued a statement saying the crisis in Venezuela should be solved by peaceful and democratic means and that Venezuelans alone should be the ones to decide their future. It rejected any declaration supporting the use or threatened use of force in international relations, saying this was contrary to the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the principles guiding Ecuador's international relations as established in its constitution.
Even 11 of the 14 countries belonging to the Lima Group, formed to isolate Venezuela and push for regime change in the country, dissociated themselves publicly from what Almagro said. In a statement September 15, the eleven expressed their "concern and rejection of any course of action or declaration that implied a military intervention or the use of violence, or threats of the use of force in Venezuela." Notably, Canada was one of the three Lima Group countries that refused to sign the statement. The other two were Colombia and Guyana.[1]
The governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Uruguay, as well
as political parties, organizations and personalities around the
region, and the editorial board of the Cúcuta newspaper whose
reporter posed the question to Almagro, have spoken out to condemn the
idea of the U.S. or anyone else intervening militarily against
Venezuela. The Nicaraguan government noted that one week earlier, at a
Latin American Summit held in Miami, Almagro told those
present that the international community also needed to "asphyxiate"
the government of Nicaragua. It pointed out that Almagro's
declarations, in his capacity as Secretary General of the OAS,
constituted "a serious threat to international peace and security and a
very serious violation of the most fundamental principles of
international law."
Prevarications of Warmongering Secretary General
Given the instant rejection of his call to keep "all options open" for acting against Venezuela, Almagro tried to back-track, claiming disingenuously that his words had been misinterpreted. In a video posted to the OAS website on September 16 he attempted to explain, unconvincingly, what he allegedly did not mean by what he said: "It was assumed," he said, that "we were speaking of violence, of a military attack and that we favoured armed aggression. This is not true." What exactly he did mean to say, if not what everyone understood him to say, was not explained.
In his video, Almagro said the international community
had a
moral imperative to "act" against "the Venezuelan dictatorship"
and dragged out the imperialist "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine as
the basis for his call to action.[2]
Desperate to make his case, he huffed and puffed about the Venezuelan
government allegedly violating international humanitarian law and
committing crimes against humanity, about which, he said the OAS had
delivered testimonies to the International Criminal Court. He went so
far as to liken the failure to "act" against Venezuela to not acting to
stop "the genocide in Rwanda" and "when Pol Pot massacred his own
people" in Cambodia. This is why the Responsibility to Protect must
remain an option, he declared. His protestations aside, can there be
any doubt what the Secretary General is calling for?
What Is Canada Up To?
The Trudeau government's failure to sign the Lima Group statement repudiating Almagro's vile attempt to promote war and aggression, just like its uncouth refusal to condemn the August 4 assassination attempt against President Maduro and other Venezuelan officials, suggests something rotten is afoot.
All this means Canadians need to be vigilant about what may be said or done in their name in the coming days and weeks at the United Nations or elsewhere, possibly under the banner of "Responsibility to Protect," to try and justify further aggression against Venezuela of one type or another. Where there is smoke there is usually fire. It also means stepping up the work for an anti-war government and making Canada a zone for peace so it stops serving as a base for U.S.-led interference, aggression and regime change around the world.
Hands Off Venezuela!
Support
the Venezuelan People's Right to Self-Determination!
Notes
1. Signatories to the Lima Group statement included the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia.
2. The "Responsibility to
Protect" doctrine is held up by its proponents -- Canada figuring
prominently among them -- as a "new" guiding principle of international
law. It seeks to circumvent the prohibition against the threat or
use of force against sovereign states contained in the Charter and
founding principles of the United Nations in the name of stopping or
preventing atrocities. It condones international intervention against
sovereign states, up to and including armed intervention, if they fail
to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic
cleansing and crimes against humanity. NATO's 1999 war on Yugoslavia
was considered an example of the "Responsibility to Protect"
doctrine. Then-Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, a
well-known proponent of the doctrine at the time, cited events in
various African countries. In 2009, then-UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan issued his report entitled "Implementing the Responsibility to
Protect" to codify and integrate this imperialist doctrine into UN
policy.
The UN's first and so far only official application of this doctrine
was against Libya in 2011 when the Security Council authorized the use
of force against the government of Muammar Gadhafi, providing a green
light for the U.S. and NATO to launch their destructive war for regime
change in the name of "protecting civilians under threat." Canada was
one of the countries that actively lobbied the UN Security Council to
intervene against Libya under the Responsibility to Protect at
that time. Canada also initiated a (non-binding) resolution at the UN
General Assembly in December 2016 aimed at justifying
aggression in Syria by the U.S-led NATO military alliance should that
country's government be found failing in its "responsibility to
protect."
(With files from Prensa Latina, teleSUR, El Telégrafo, La Opinión, Tortilla con Sal)
Cuba Upholds Friendly International Relations and Defends Its Right to Be
Ottawa Reception for President of Cuba-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group
On September 18, Ottawa Cuba Connections hosted a reception to welcome Gladys Mercedes Lopez, new President of the Cuba-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group, who was visiting Ottawa. Gladys is also a member of the Cuban National Assembly of People's Power. More than 40 friends of Cuba attended the reception and were eager to hear about the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Group. Gladys also spoke about the ongoing discussion taking place throughout Cuban society on the draft proposal for the new constitution of the Republic of Cuba.
In her remarks, Gladys
pointed out the great significance of
the discussion on the draft Constitution, as
the last time changes were made to the Constitution was in 1976.
Now the people throughout the country are discussing the changes
being proposed to 224 articles of the present Constitution. She
pointed out that 11 articles guaranteeing the socialist nature of
Cuban society are irrevocable and will not be part of a
referendum vote on the new constitution.
Some of the changes being proposed are in the area of the economy, defining the right to private property while the main form is state ownership of the means of production.
The draft proposals also include definitions of citizenship in which the rights and duties of citizens have been broadened.
A new chapter is being proposed on international relations which enshrines the need for solidarity work and cooperation with countries that are most in need.
There are significant changes being proposed on the role of Municipal Assemblies which would enable this level of government to put forward strategic developments for their areas. The Provincial Assemblies would be replaced by a Governor who would lead the Provincial Government whose main role would be to coordinate the work of the Municipal Assemblies.
Many changes are also being discussed about the functioning and role of the National Assembly of People's Power which is responsible for electing the President and also electing the Council of Ministers upon the request of the President. One of the new proposals being considered is the creation of the position of Prime Minister who would head the Council of Ministers.
Discussions are also taking place on the issue of age limits, especially for the position of President, and this position would also be limited to two five-year terms.
A new Article is being proposed to guarantee the right to same-sex marriage.
Gladys also pointed out that the youth are fully involved in the discussions on the draft constitution. As the voting age in Cuba is 16 years, extensive discussions are taking place in all the schools in Cuba to involve all the youth in these important decisions.
The consultations began on August 13 and are to end on November 15. Taking into consideration all the views and proposals gathered during the consultations, a new draft proposal will be finalized and put to a referendum vote throughout the country.
This is expected to be completed by early 2019 and Gladys explained that, once a new constitution is adopted, this will require a great deal of work for the National Assembly of People's Power, which will have to modify many laws and add new ones to ensure conformity.
In her remarks at the reception, Gladys also spoke about the important work of the Parliamentary Friendship Group and its role in providing the Members of Parliament in Canada with information about issues like the U.S. blockade of Cuba and its consequences for the economy and the lives of the Cuban people. She spoke also of the important role of solidarity groups to keep all Canadians informed and she thanked all the friends of Cuba in Canada who have defended the right of Cubans to decide the kind of system that meets their needs.
After her remarks, many from
the audience thanked Gladys Mercedes Lopez for a very informative
presentation
and posed many questions. The meeting ended with a very lively
discussion which continued throughout the reception portion of
the program.
Trump Administration Strengthens
Blockade of Cuba
Ottawa picket, May 17, 2018, against U.S. blockade of Cuba.
On the 17th of each month, informational pickets are held in front of the U.S. embassy in Ottawa and U.S. consulates in Montreal and Vancouver against the U.S. blockade of Cuba. A blockade is an act of war and the U.S. blockade of Cuba has been going on for more than 50 years in an attempt to defeat the Cuban revolution and force the people to submit to U.S. dictate and annexation.
On September 14, 2018, the
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the
United Nations issued a communiqué to the press which detailed
how the economic, commercial and financial blockade that the U.S.
government has imposed on Cuba since 1962 has been strengthened
by the current administration of Donald Trump. On June 16, 2017
in Miami, Donald Trump signed the National Security Presidential
Memorandum on "Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward
Cuba." This document repealed the directive issued by
President Barack Obama on October 14, 2016, entitled
"Normalization of U.S. relations with Cuba." This has caused a
setback to the position of the previous administration, which had
chosen to take steps in favour of dismantling the blockade, the
Cuban Mission to the UN pointed out. The communiqué
continues:
As a result, on November 8, 2017, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Treasury and State issued new regulations and provisions. Restrictions were imposed for trips under the category "people to people" and limitations on educational trips, which has had the effect of decreasing the number of travellers from that country to Cuba during 2018 and, consequently, on the activity of tens of thousands of Cuban self-employed workers.
On the same date, the Department of State issued a "List of Restricted Cuban Entities and Subentities," which included 179 companies. The objective of this measure is to continue to impede the economic and commercial relations of Cuban companies with potential U.S. and third-country partners. The extraterritorial impact has been considerable during 2018, as confusion has been generated in relation to the Specially Designated Nationals List of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Banks and institutions in Europe,
Latin America, Africa and
Asia have imposed conditions and created obstacles to continuing to
operate
with Cuban companies and embassies that have been their clients
for years. Among the main effects recorded, as a result of this
intimidating effect, are: the prohibition of transfers of funds
in U.S. dollars or other freely convertible currencies; the
cancellation of accounts of embassies and companies with Cuban
interests abroad, as well as of financial services for businesses
related to Cuba; and the refusal to grant credit facilities or the
processing of letters of credit.
In relation to the alleged symptoms or health problems reported by a group of diplomats from the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, the U.S. government adopted the unjustified measure of declaring a travel warning that recommends potential visitors reconsider their intention to travel to Cuba. The effect of this measure has led to a significant decrease in visitors from the U.S., who refrain from travelling because, among other reasons, insurance agencies take travel alerts seriously. This measure by the U.S. government was implemented without any proven evidence of actual damage to the people residing in the U.S. Embassy in Cuba; and without any of the five million visitors to Cuba that year reporting such symptoms.
Using the same pretext, the U.S. government unilaterally and unjustifiably demanded the withdrawal of a significant number of Cuban diplomatic officials from the Embassy in Washington. Among them was the staff of the economic-commercial office, in charge of exploring the opportunities and channels of commercial exchange within the extremely narrow framework of licences and exceptions to the blockade provided by the U.S. government. This has an additional impact on limited bilateral trade exchange.
Cuba's Report on UN Resolution 72/4 on
Need to End U.S. Blockade
Introduction
The economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the government of the United States of America against Cuba for almost six decades is the most unfair, severe and extended system of unilateral sanctions ever applied against any country. From April 2017 until March 2018, the period with which this report deals, the blockade policy has intensified and continues to be applied will all rigour.
The government of the
United States has imposed a serious
setback to the bilateral relations with Cuba based on President
Donald Trump's signing of the Presidential Memorandum for
National Security about the strengthening of U.S. Policy against Cuba
on June 16, 2017, thereby renewing, among its aims, the tightening
of the blockade against the Island. In November of that same year
the Departments of Commerce, the Treasury and State of the U.S.
issued new regulations and provisions to put into effect the
aforementioned Memorandum.
The measures applied restricted even further the right of Americans to travel to Cuba and imposed additional obstacles to the limited opportunities of the American business community in Cuba by setting up a list of 179 Cuban entities with which American natural and juridical persons are prohibited from carrying out transactions.
The new sanctions against Cuba have caused a notable decrease in visits from the U.S. and they have generated greater obstacles to Cuban companies' economic and commercial relations with potential American and third country partners. These measures not only affect the Cuban State economy but they also affect the country's private sector.
The strengthening of the extra-territorial application of the blockade has been another of the distinctive manifestations of the tightening of this policy, with marked effects on Cuba's international financial and loan relations.
In recent months, the permanent persecution of Cuban financial transactions and bank and loan operations with Cuba has intensified on a world scale. This has caused severe harm to the country's economy especially on the commercial activities of companies and national banks in their links with international banking.
The tightening of the blockade on Cuba has been accompanied by aggressive, menacing, disrespectful rhetoric and conditions coming from the most senior levels of the U.S. government; this generates greater mistrust and uncertainty among American financial institutions, companies and suppliers due to the very real fear of being penalized for their relations with Cuba.
The economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba constitutes the principal obstacle for the development of all the potentials for the Cuban economy. It represents a brake for the implementation of the country's National Plan for Economic and Social Development as well as for Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals. It is the principal hurdle for the development of Cuba's economic, commercial and financial relations with the U.S. and, because of its extra-territorial nature, with the rest of the world.
The accumulated losses from the blockade being applied for almost six decades reach a figure of $933,678,000,000 dollars taking into account the depreciation of the dollar as compared to the price of gold on the international market. At today's prices, the blockade has caused damage that can be calculated at over $134,499,800,000.
In the period considered by this report, the blockade has caused losses to Cuba of around $4,321,200,000.
This policy of economic aggression, along with the promotion of internal subversion, corroborates the aim of the U.S. government to destroy the economic, political and social system that has been freely chosen by the Cuban people.
The blockade constitutes a massive, blatant and systematic violation of the human rights of all the Cuban people and qualifies as an act of genocide, according to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948. It violates the United Nations Charter and international law and constitutes an obstacle for international cooperation. It is imperative that the United States comply with the 26 resolutions adopted by the international community within the framework of the United Nations General Assembly and put an end, unconditionally, to its policy of blockade.
To read the full text of Cuba's Report "Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States against Cuba" click here.
Cuban Medical Specialists Reject
Theory of
"Health Attacks" on U.S. Diplomats
On September 13, a meeting was held in Washington, DC between scientific experts from the United States and Cuba to discuss the health symptoms reported by U.S. diplomats accredited in Havana. The Cuban multidisciplinary group, composed of nine scientists and physicians who are members of a panel of the Cuban Academy of Sciences, was headed by Johana Tablada, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' U.S. Department, and Cuba's Ambassador to Washington, José R. Cabañas.
The U.S. team was chaired by Kenneth Merten, assistant principal secretary for the Western Hemisphere, and was made up of medical personnel from the United States Department of State.
Prior to this meeting, the Cuban team had examined the scant information provided by the U.S. Embassy about the alleged incidents, publications by a medical team from the University of Pennsylvania, especially an article published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and the conclusions of police investigations, carried out separately, by authorities of Cuba's Ministry of the Interior and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
At the meeting, the Cuban team received a summary describing the results of medical examinations previously reported in JAMA, and presented its analysis of the limitations of this study, questioning its main conclusions as well as the scientific interpretation of the reported symptoms.
At the conclusion of the exchange, the Cuban experts noted that the information provided does not support the hypotheses of health attacks and brain damage suggested thus far by the State Department as an explanation for the symptoms its diplomats referred to.
In particular, they reaffirmed that with the information exchanged it is neither possible to prove the existence of a new neurological medical brain injury syndrome, nor to affirm that brain damage of the type caused by blows to the head has been produced without any cranial trauma having occurred. That is impossible.
They observed that the medical evidence presented has serious limitations. Most of the cases described present symptoms such as headaches, nausea, dizziness and subjective balance and sleep disturbances, that are produced by functional disorders and illnesses such as hypertension, stress, and many others very prevalent in the United States and the world.
The accuracy of the reports may also have suffered from the average time interval of 203 days between the alleged incidents and the reported medical investigations.
The neuropsychological tests, considered more objective, were interpreted with unusual criteria which, if applied to a group of healthy subjects, would assess almost all of them as being ill. Had internationally established standard criteria been used, only two individuals could be considered affected, which could be attributed to various pre-existing illnesses.
According to the report, only three individuals with slight or moderate hearing loss were found, but each one with audiograms that would be seen in different, and probably pre-existing, conditions.
No findings indicative of brain damage were reported in neuroimaging. In two individuals, mild signs were reported and in another, moderate signs that, according to the evaluators, are non-specific, appear in many illnesses and could be attributed to processes that occurred before those people travelled to Cuba. It has not been possible for Cuban experts to access those images.
The scientific studies, the Cuban and FBI police investigations, as well as the information shared by the State Department, indicate an absence of evidence of any type of attack or deliberate act.
The Cuban delegation categorically rejected use of the term "attack" without there being any substantiating evidence. U.S. officials, for their part, stressed that they had no explanation for the incidents.
The Cuban delegation expressed its willingness to cooperate and reiterated that it is in its best interest to find an explanation for the reports that have been described.
In this regard, it recalled that since the Embassy of the United States in Havana informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about alleged "acoustic attacks" against some of its officials in February 2017, Cuba has requested and offered the maximum cooperation to clarify what happened, and very early on suggested holding a meeting involving medical experts from both countries.
It regretted the lack of access to clinical information and to the doctors who assessed the diplomatic personnel that reported health symptoms.
Nevertheless, the Cuban medical team considers the holding of the meeting as a positive, if insufficient, step. Up to this point, the scientific and medical exchange had taken place only indirectly, through the publication of scientific articles, political statements and regrettable leaks to the press. The Cuban medical team extended an invitation to the team of U.S. researchers to engage in another scientific exchange in Havana in the near future, with the professionals who directly attended the U.S. diplomats also participating.
(Cubadebate. Translated from the original Spanish by TML)
73rd Anniversary of Vietnam's
Independence Day
and
45th Anniversary of Canada-Vietnam Relations
Events in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto Celebrate Longstanding Bonds of Friendship and Trade
Vietnam's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien
speaks at celebration in Ottawa, September 11, 2018.
On September 2, Vietnam celebrated its National Day, the day in 1945 when the great leader of the Vietnamese people President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence at the Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi. There he proclaimed the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, officially declaring the independence and sovereignty of Vietnam from France and Japan.
To celebrate this event, as well as the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Canada and Vietnam, Vietnam Culture Week was inaugurated in Ottawa and Montreal.
On September 11, in Ottawa and September 14, in Montreal, receptions and cultural performances were held. In both places several hundred guests from the diplomatic corps as well as many Canadian friends of Vietnam and local members of the Vietnamese community were in attendance.
Notable events also took place in Toronto in August and September.
Ottawa
Left to right: Vietnam's Ambassador to Canada Nguyen Duc Hoa; Vietnam's
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien, and Canadian
Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs
Ian Shugart.
At the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, the Opening Ceremony of Vietnam Culture Week began with a welcoming speech by Vietnam's Ambassador to Canada Nguyen Duc Hoa.
Next to speak was Vietnam's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien who spoke about the important role that culture plays in building links internationally. He pointed out that during Vietnam Culture Week, various activities such as art performances, photo, film and tourism exhibitions would form a bridge of friendship between the two peoples and help Canadian people understand more about the land, people and culture of Vietnam.
Then Canadian Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs
Ian Shugart spoke, stressing that the two countries have a long-term
friendship which has brought great results in bilateral trade
exchange and education cooperation.
The speeches were followed with performances by some
of
Vietnam's most renowned musicians, singers and dancers. Their
performances were of great artistic quality and filled with
pride for the achievements of the Vietnamese people. They received
enthusiastic applause from the audience.
The main hall of the Canadian Museum of
History was beautifully decorated for the occasion. Among the
totem poles and Indigenous sculptures, was a lovely photo
exhibit depicting picturesque scenes from Vietnam, as well as
tables displaying literature and other cultural items.
Montreal
On September 15, the Opening Ceremony of Vietnamese Film Days was held in the auditorium of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Quebec. In the lobby, people were warmly greeted by staff members of the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Canada. The ceremony opened with welcoming remarks of the Vietnamese Ambassador in Canada Nguyen Duc Hoa to the more than 100 members of the audience. He was followed by Vietnam's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen Ngoc Thien, who spoke about the important role this presentation of Vietnamese culture plays in deepening the bonds of friendship between the Vietnamese and the Canadian peoples. The final speaker was the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Quebec Ministry of International Relations and Francophonie Éric Marquis who spoke about the growing links developing between Quebec and Vietnam in different spheres such as economic exchanges and culture.
In the evening, a program of songs and dances was performed with great artistry by the performers. The songs and dances highlighted the treasury of Vietnam's multisecular traditional music, of music from the national liberation war and music depicting the living conditions of people from various parts of Vietnam, such as mountainous and coastal regions. They were performed with grace, elegance and great virtuosity, especially in the use of traditional string, wood and percussion instruments. The audience was delighted and could appreciate the various aspects of Vietnamese culture as well as the high calibre of the performers. The artists were greeted with a standing ovation at the program's close. The evening of September 16 was devoted to the presentation of Vietnamese films.
Toronto
Canadians and visiting Vietnamese officials participated in four events in Toronto to commemorate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Canada. These events all contributed to the strengthening of friendly relations between the Canadian and Vietnamese peoples.
On August 23, Professor Dai
Trang Nguyen launched her book Ho Chi Minh: Selected Works on
Peace, Democracy and
Gender
Equality at the University of Toronto. This was Professor
Nguyen's third book on the life and work of Ho Chi Minh, who led
the Vietnamese people to defeat the French colonizers, the
Japanese militarists and the U.S. imperialists in Vietnam's
struggle to affirm its independence and sovereignty, giving rise
to a dignified, modern and peace-loving nation.
Book launch in Toronto, August 23, 2018.
Professor Nguyen has conducted considerable research to popularize the life and work of Ho Chi Minh so that the legacy and contributions of this immortal Vietnamese patriot and fighter for Vietnam's independence, sovereignty and world peace are known to Canadians and to a wider audience. Her book, printed in English, French and Vietnamese, includes letters from Ho Chi Minh to various political personalities of his time, including to former Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson. At the book launch, Professor Nguyen highlighted the role that Ho Chi Minh played in ensuring that Vietnamese women played a leading role both in the wars of national liberation and in the building of the new society.
On August 31, a delegation of Vietnamese business people and political leaders from Danang City, a coastal city in central Vietnam, made a presentation to a group of business people in downtown Toronto. They came to promote investment opportunities for Canadian entrepreneurs in their city, particularly in the high tech and tourism sectors. At this event, Canadian companies that have been operating in Vietnam also made presentations about the favourable conditions that prevail there that facilitate business activity for the mutual benefit of the Vietnamese and the foreign companies concerned.
Delegation of Vietnamese business people and political leaders from
Danang City
visits Toronto, August 31, 2018.
On September 14, a delegation of the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association (VCFA) held a meeting with a delegation from the Canada Vietnam Society in downtown Toronto to share experiences and ideas of how to enhance relations between the two peoples and countries. After drinking a toast to the friendship between the peoples of Canada and Vietnam, Dr. Nguyen Viet Thien, Deputy Minister of Health of the government of Vietnam and President of the VCFA, expressed appreciation for the 45-year diplomatic relationship between Canada and Vietnam and stated that there is much potential to enhance relations further through economic, social and cultural exchanges.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tru Gian, General Secretary of the VCFA,
outlined the three main pillars of Vietnam's external relations
-- state-to-state, party-to-party and people-to-people. She said
that Vietnam has good relations with the Trudeau government in
building trade and they hope to see this partnership
strengthened in the future. She expressed the hope that the visit
of the delegation will foster greater friendship, understanding
and co-operation between Canadians and Vietnamese. Ms. Nguyen
offered suggestions of the types of people-to-people activities
that could be promoted, including opportunities for exchanges
arranged through NGOs, cultural exchanges and between
business people. She also mentioned that the number of Vietnamese
students in Canada, both state-sponsored and private, almost
doubled in the last two years and that Canada will continue to be
a place where Vietnamese youth come to study in the future. She
also welcomed more visitors to Vietnam to see for themselves the
reality of life in her country.
Meeting of Canada-Vietnam friendship organizations, Toronto, September
14, 2018.
The Canada Vietnam Society (CVS) members responded that they were glad to meet their sister organization from Vietnam and noted that the Canadian people have always been friendly to the Vietnamese people, notably during the U.S. war of aggression against Vietnam, when tens of thousands of Canadians marched in Toronto and other cities to condemn the war and support the liberation struggle of the Vietnamese people. The members of the CVS pledged to do their part to promote and enhance people-to-people friendship between Canada and Vietnam in the interest of mutual benefit and peace.
The final event took place September 17 at the
Hilton
Hotel in downtown Toronto. This was a Vietnam Tourism Road Show
organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of
Vietnam, with the support of the Ontario government.
Vietnam Tourism Road Show, September 17, 2018, in Toronto.
The trade show brought together those involved in the tourism industry in Canada and Vietnam as well as those interested in travel to Vietnam. Some 150 people took part in the event. Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism made the opening remarks, saying that this was the first time that such an event was taking place in Canada. He noted that Vietnam is a fast-developing country, that tourism represent eight per cent of the GDP of Vietnam and that the country is well-placed to grow this sector of the Vietnamese economy rapidly. Mr. Nguyen stated that visiting Vietnam affords Canadians the opportunity to experience first-hand the history, culture, ethnic diversity and natural beauty of the country and would help give Canadians a more complete picture of modern Vietnam. He pointed out that in 2017, some 128,000 Canadians visited Vietnam, which represents less than one per cent of the total number of travellers to Vietnam. He expressed the hope that more Canadians will travel to Vietnam in the near future.
The event included several videos depicting the scenic
beauty
of Vietnam as well as live performances by skilled musicians in
national costume playing melodies from Vietnamese culture on
traditional instruments. Travel industry representatives from
both countries took the opportunity of the event to exchange
contact information with a view to creating mutually beneficial
business channels.
(Photos: TML, VNA)
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