80 Years of Cuba-Canada Diplomatic Relations
Friendship Between Canadian and Cuban Peoples Affirmed
On January 15, a delegation from the Canada-Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group was received at the National Capitol in Havana by Esteban Lazo Hernández, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, and President of the National Assembly of People's Power (NAPP) and State Council. The meeting reaffirmed the commitment to expand and strengthen interparliamentary relations, as noted on the Parliamentary website.
Homero Acosta Álvarez, Secretary of the NAPP, highlighted the historical ties between Canada and Cuba and expressed a high regard for the relationship between the two countries.
He expressed appreciation for Canada's long-standing support of Cuba's UN resolution against the blockade imposed by the United States government. He praised the Parliamentary petition urging the Canadian government to ask the United States to lift the blockade against Cuba and to remove Cuba from the list of so-called State Sponsors of Terrorism.
Acosta Álvarez also discussed other relevant points on Cuba's national agenda, including ongoing discussions within the 10th legislature of the National Assembly and the parliamentary work in the largest country in the Caribbean.
Gabriel Ste-Marie is co-chairman of the Canada-Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group and vice-president of the Standing Committee on Finance in the House of Commons. He emphasized that the goal of the organization is to develop new collaborative projects and opportunities to strengthen ties between the two peoples and their legislative institutions.
Other representatives from Cuba included Tamara Valido Benitez and Cristina Luna Morales, co-chairs of Health and Sports Services in the Cuban Parliament. Also in attendance were Alberto Núñez, vice-president of the NAPP's International Commission and Joel Ortega Dopico, vice-president of the Parliamentary Friendship Group. Jesús Rafael Mora González along with Sisay Caridad Poulot, who serve as the director and civil servant respectively for International Relations at the Cuban Legislative Assembly were also present at the meeting.
To view a video of the visit, click here.
January Events Highlight
Friendship Between Peoples of Canada and Cuba
Montreal picket in
support of Cuba, January 31, 2025
Also in January, events were held in Ottawa, Toronto and Quebec City to mark several important anniversaries for the Cuban people, that also highlighted the longstanding bonds of friendship between the peoples of Canada and Cuba.
Ottawa
In Ottawa on January 28, a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall was followed by a reception at the Cuban Embassy. These events commemorated Cuba's National Day -- the 66th anniversary of the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution on January 1; and the 172nd anniversary of the birth of Cuban National Hero José Marti on January 28. They also marked the 80th anniversary of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between Canada and Cuba.
The day began at City Hall with various diplomats, members of the Cuban community and friends of Cuba gathered inside, where a representative of the Cuban Embassy, Indira Alonso, welcomed everyone. She then introduced Ottawa City Councillor Riley Brockington who, on behalf of Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, stated that Canada and Cuba are fortunate to share a strong commitment to open dialogue, cooperation, and the advancement of trade, investment and tourism. Brockington thanked the Cuban community for their contributions to the City of Ottawa over the years. On behalf of the Mayor, he received a baseball bat made by Canadian Bill Ryan, whose bats are used by Havana's baseball team the Industriales as well as throughout Cuba's National Baseball League.
Ottawa City Hall
With everyone outside in the square in front of City Hall, the Cuban flag was raised. The symbol of Cuban independence and resilience danced in the wind, framed by the brilliance of the January sun, as the national anthem of both countries was played.
At noon, the Cuban Embassy hosted a reception. There, spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada Carolyn Knobel recognized how January 28 is a day of profound significance for the Cuban people. Referring to the hurricanes and earthquakes that have hit Cuba in the past year, she said, "Canada was there to stand by the Cuban people in these difficult times. As we look to the future, let us reaffirm our dedication to working together for the well-being of our citizens and to build a better future for both our nations."
Speaking
at Reception at Cuban Embassy, from left to right: Global
Affairs
spokesperson Carolyn Knobel, Cuban Deputy Head of Mission
Dany
Tur de la Concepción, and Bloc
Québécois MP for
Joliette
Gabriel Ste-Marie.
Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc Québécois MP for Joliette and co-chair of the Canada-Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group then read his speech in Spanish, much to the delight of everyone present. Ste-Marie said he was honoured to celebrate with the Cuban people their National Day and 80 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and Cuba. He spoke of the difficulties the Cuban people are facing due to the blockade and expressed his confidence that they will prevail. He also expressed his admiration for the strength, resiliency and determination of the Cuban people. He denounced the U.S. blockade and sanctions against Cuba and ended his speech with the words, Viva Cuba Soberana! (Long Live Sovereign Cuba!).
Ste-Marie also received a Bill Ryan baseball bat. Ryan reminded everyone that the MP was the initiator and sponsor of the 2024 parliamentary petition in support of Cuba. The petition called on the Government of Canada to take specific steps in opposing U.S. attacks on the heroic island nation, especially by directly requesting that the Government of the United States remove Cuba from the arbitrary and specious U.S. Department of State's list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. The petition further called on the Government of Canada to ensure that Canada's relations with Cuba remain based on equality, mutual respect and support for the right to self-determination.
Upon receiving the baseball bat, Ste-Marie joked that maybe this would help bring the Expos back to Montreal.
On behalf of the Cuban Embassy, Dany Tur de la Concepción, Deputy Head of Mission, spoke at both events. He said that it was a great honour to participate in the flag-raising ceremony marking the three important anniversaries, and conveyed his gratitude for the hospitality the Cuban Embassy has received over the years from the City of Ottawa.
He pointed out that, in fact, the history of the ties between Canada and Cuba extends back more than three centuries. In particular, Cuba has never forgotten that following the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959 when efforts were exerted to isolate Cuba, the only countries of the Americas to maintain diplomatic relations with Cuba were Canada and Mexico. He said that Canada is Cuba's largest source of tourism, with an average of over 1 million Canadians visiting the island every year before the COVID-19 pandemic, and that Cuba is working hard to restore those numbers in the shortest time possible. In 2024, he pointed out, Cuba received almost 40,000 tourists from Ottawa alone.
Tur also pointed out that Canada is the second largest source of investment in Cuba, with significant presence in key areas such as mining, oil, gas, renewable energy, agriculture and tourism, and that Canada rejects the U.S. policy of sanctions on the Cuban people. In this regard, he thanked Canada for voting in favour of Cuba's yearly resolution at the UN -- to end the inhumane and illegal U.S. blockade -- every year since the votes began in 1992.
Toronto
On January 8, more than 60 people took part in a ceremonial flag raising at the Ontario Legislature. Participants included members of the provincial parliament and the foreign diplomatic corps based in Toronto, the Juan Gualberto Gómez Association of Cuban Residents in Toronto, solidarity organizations, political parties and other groups. It is the second year that the Cuban flag has been raised at Queen's Park. This year's celebration also marked the 80th anniversary of Cuba and Canada's formal uninterrupted diplomatic relations.
Consul
General of Cuba in Toronto, Jorge Yanier Castellanos Orta, expressed
his great appreciation to all present for coming out on a bitterly cold
day to mark Cuba's National Day, the anniversary of the day when the
rebel army led by Fidel Castro marched into Havana in 1959. This day
marked the
beginning of a new era in the history and lives of the Cuban people, a
turning point at which the Cuban people themselves became the
architects of their own destiny.
The Consul General highlighted that despite all the difficulties that the Cuban people have endured because of the brutal U.S. blockade, Cuba continues to stand proud, relying firmly on its principles and independence and, with the support of the Canadian and world's peoples, continues to move forward. He also underscored the close state-to-state and people-to-people relations between Canada and Cuba, noting that Canada did not break diplomatic relations with Cuba when the U.S. cut relations with Cuba after the Revolution. He expressed his hope that Canada will continue to strengthen its relations with Cuba in the coming years.
Following his presentation, he raised the Cuban flag to a blue Ontario sky as the Cuban national anthem was played and sung.
Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, brought the warm greetings of the Ontario government. He spoke of his many years living in Cuba, where he worked to strengthen economic relations between Canada and Cuba, and of his high regard for Cuba and the Cuban people. Minister Tibollo said he hoped that the positive relations between Ontario and Cuba and Canada and Cuba will grow stronger as they contribute positively to both countries. He presented the Consul General with a statement of appreciation from the Ford government to Cuba on this occasion.
Following Tibollo's presentation, Cuban consular staff read out messages of support from the Liberal and New Democratic Parties in the Ontario legislature.
Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Consular Corps in Toronto, the Consul General of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Fitzgerald Huggins, expressed great pleasure at being at the flag raising. He noted that Cuba is a highly respected member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). He spoke of the enormous contributions that Cuba has provided its Caribbean and Latin American neighbours. He said that Cuba is the best neighbour one could ever wish for and that it is Cuba that has always stepped up to offer support in areas of health care and education, and to respond to emergencies. He underscored that it was Cuba who provided vaccines during the COVID pandemic to the peoples of the Caribbean when "other large countries practiced vaccine diplomacy." He pointed out that CARICOM continues to demand the removal of the illegal embargo against Cuba and will continue to do so until it is lifted.
Vida
Carranza, a youth representing the Juan Gualberto Gómez
Association of Cuban Residents in Toronto, expressed appreciation to
the Ontario government for helping to organize the celebration. She
said, "We feel very proud and humbled that the flag of Cuba flutters in
the skies of Toronto. We
recognize in this flag the symbol of our national and cultural
identities. It represents the struggle for independence of the Cuban
people." She said that Cuba's National Day is one of the most
significant days in Cuba's history. It was the day that "the Revolution
of the humble, by the humble and
for the humble, had triumphed." She demanded that the inhuman U.S.
blockade which stifles Cuba's development and violates the rights of
all Cubans, including those living abroad, be ended. The demand was
also made that the U.S. remove Cuba from its politically-motivated list
of "state sponsors of
terrorism."
The crowd lingered to talk with the Cuban Consul General and consular staff and to express their congratulations as well as their solidarity and support for Cuba and the Cuban people.
Quebec City
January
28 this year was the 172nd anniversary of the birth of José
Martí, hero of Cuban independence. On this occasion, Susana
Malmierca Benitez, Consul General of Cuba in Montreal, accompanied by
activists from the Table de concertation Québec-Cuba went to
lay
flowers at the monument to José
Martí located in the Parc de l'Amérique-Latine in
Quebec
City. The bust is a gift from the Republic of Cuba installed in the
park in September 2007.
José Martí was the architect of the war of 1895 and the critical thinker of "the new republic" that would be established in Cuba after its independence, a republic "for all and for the well-being of all," which would be essential to curb the expansionism of its neighbour to the north. On the bust is written in French: "José Julián Martí y Pérez was born in Havana (Cuba) on January 28, 1853. He died in combat in Los Rios (Cuba) on May 19, 1895. Author of a vast body of literary work, he organized and undertook the 1895-1898 war for the independence of his country. He is the national hero of the Republic of Cuba."
(Photos: TML, Cuban Embassy)
This article was published in
Volume 55 Number 2 - February 2025
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2025/Articles/M5500211.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca