Cuba
Canadian Network on Cuba Holds
11th Biennial Convention
The Canadian Network on Cuba (CNC), a national organization that works to strengthen ties between the Cuban and Canadian people, held its 11th Biennial Convention at the Steelworker's Hall in Toronto on June 8 and 9. Close to 40 delegates and observers took part.
The guest of honour on the morning of June 8 was His Excellency Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Canada, who was joined by the Consul General of the Cuban Consulate in Toronto Jorge Yanier Castellanos Orta, as well as Leima Martinez Freire, Director of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Malmierca underscored that the Cuban people have been able to withstand the brutal and illegal 65-year long U.S. blockade because of Cuba's solidarity with the world and the world's solidarity with Cuba. In this friendship and solidarity with Cuba, he noted, Canada has been second to none. He highlighted particularly the role of the Canadian people in the campaign to free the Cuban Five anti-terrorists who were imprisoned for many years in the U.S. and in the international campaign to bring home Elian Gonzales, a Cuban child who had been abducted to the U.S. by his relatives. Ambassador Malmierca congratulated the CNC for its fine work and expressed his enthusiastic support for its ongoing endeavours and new projects.
Following the presentation by the Ambassador, the Convention received reports from its member organizations across the country, from Halifax to Victoria, and adopted resolutions on the CNC's work. These included condemnation of the U.S. blockade and demanding that Cuba be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
In the evening, Leima Martinez made a presentation on behalf of ICAP, entitled "Cuba's Role – Building Global Peace." ICAP was founded in 1960 to inform the world about developments in Cuba and build fraternal relations with the world's peoples. Ms. Martinez highlighted that since the revolution Cuba has been a force for peace in the world, standing with humanity in its aspiration for peace. She cited the leading role that Cuba played in the Declaration of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) proclaiming the region as a "Zone of Peace" and Cuba's principled defence of the Palestinian people today in the face of the U.S./Israeli genocide.
The second day of the Convention began with a presentation by Bill Ryan who explained the "Cubacan Cares" project. Ryan has been working for many years to gather and send various types of much needed medical and sports equipment to Cuba. He announced that the current project of Cubacan Cares is to send medical sutures which Cuba has had difficulty purchasing because of the U.S. embargo and economic blockade. The aim is to raise sufficient funds for an initial shipment of 15,000 sutures to be purchased directly from a supplier in China and sent to Cuba. There was enthusiastic and unanimous support for this life-saving project.
In the afternoon, there was a panel discussion on the theme "Cuba in a Troubled World: The Geopolitics of the Moment," which featured four panellists – Professor Isaac Saney from Dalhousie University, authors and journalists Keith Bolender and Tania Hernandez, as well as ICAP North America Director Leima Martinez. Each spoke about how Cuba is coping in this transitional period of history where the U.S. imperialists and their Western allies continue to block the aspiration of the peoples of the world for a just and peaceful world and Cuba's role within it to find ways forward.
The Convention concluded with the nomination and election of a new seven-member Executive Committee charged with leading the work of the CNC over the next two years.
This article was published in
Volume 54
Number 5 - June 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/M5400515.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca