Oppose Extraterritorial
Application of U.S. Sanctions Against Cuba!
Open Letter to François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Canadian Network on Cuba -
 
Vancouver monthly pickets against U.S. blockade of Cuba, January 17,
2020, (left) and
February 17, 2020.
Re: Western
Union and U.S. Economic Sanctions Against Cuba
I am writing to you on behalf of the Canadian
Network on Cuba
(CNC), which represents Canada-Cuba friendship and solidarity
organizations across Canada, ranging from Vancouver to Halifax
and with over 50,000 in membership. One of the CNC's principal
objectives is advocating that Canadian foreign policy regarding
Cuba remains based on equality and respect for sovereignty and
the right of self-determination.
Consequently, the CNC is deeply concerned by the
decision of
Western Union Financial Services (Canada), Inc. to end the
transfer of funds from Canada to Cuba. As Elizabeth Hill, a
Toronto resident, was informed on February 21 at the Western
Union outlet on St. Clair Avenue, "Western Union employees got a
memo today saying they can no longer transfer funds to Cuba. They
can only send funds to relatives of U.S. people."
 This decision
will not only cause significant damage to
people-to-people contacts and Canada-Cuba relations but is also a
violation of the sovereignty of Canada by raising U.S. law above
that of Canadian law. This is an unambiguous act of hostility
against Cuba carried out within Canada by Washington.
As Ms. Hill observes, "How can this happen in
Canada? I am a
Canadian citizen, and Canada has had good relations with Cuba for
more than 70 years. We do not have a blockade against Cuba as the
United States does. We do not have rules against citizens sending
funds to Cuba."
Does U.S. law supplant Canadian law within Canada?
Is this
decision by Western Union not only a violation of the sovereignty
of Canada but also a contravention of the Canadian Foreign
Extraterritorial Measures Act (FEMA)?
The Government of Canada enacted FEMA in 1984 in
order to
protect Canada against the increasingly extraterritorial nature of
the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba. It was further specifically
amended and strengthened in direct response to the United States' Torricelli Act of
1992 and the Helms-Burton
Act of 1996. In
short, FEMA prohibits Canadian corporations from complying with
the extraterritorial measures of U.S. economic sanctions against
Cuba.
We, therefore, wish to inquire: What concrete
measures will
the Government of Canada implement to oppose the extraterritorial
application of U.S. sanctions against Cuba and enforce the FEMA?
This violation of Canadian sovereignty by Western
Union
Financial Services (Canada), Inc. illustrates that Washington not
only wages an economic blockade against Cuba but also a
diplomatic and political blockade. For 28 consecutive years, the
General Assembly of the United Nations has rejected and condemned
these economic sanctions -- an economic blockade -- imposed on Cuba
by the United States. Washington's policy, with its extraterritorial
character, is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and
customary international law. In 2019, as in previous years, the
global community overwhelmingly stood with Cuba, voting 187-3
against Washington. Canada was once again counted in the vast
ranks of the world's nations resoundingly rejecting the coercive,
unilateral and extraterritorial U.S. policy.
The CNC calls on the Government of Canada to
uphold Canadian sovereignty and reject this or any other effort to
implement in Canada the internationally condemned and illegal
U.S. economic blockade of Cuba.
In closing, I wish to thank you in advance for
your
consideration of the issues raised and answering the questions
posed.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to
contact
me.
Respectfully,
Isaac Saney,
Co-Chair and National Spokesperson
Canadian
Network on Cuba
Monthly picket against U.S. blockade of Cuba, Ottawa, January 17, 2020.
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 6 - February 29, 2020
Article Link:
Oppose Extraterritorial
Application of U.S. Sanctions Against Cuba!: Open Letter to François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs - Canadian Network on Cuba
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
|
