{"id":497542,"date":"2026-02-25T01:50:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T01:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/497542\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T01:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T01:50:19","slug":"cubas-ambassador-says-u-s-suffocating-people-calls-on-canada-for-aid-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/497542\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuba\u2019s ambassador says U.S. \u2018suffocating\u2019 people, calls on Canada for aid – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cuba\u2019s<\/a> ambassador to Canada told MPs on Tuesday that the United States is \u201csuffocating an entire people\u201d and creating an economic and humanitarian crisis, and urged Ottawa to follow through with a promised aid package.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A U.S. oil blockade has curtailed fuel and basic supplies<\/a> to the increasingly isolated Caribbean island, as the Trump administration puts pressure on Cuba\u2019s<\/a> socialist government.<\/p>\n

Speaking before the House foreign affairs committee Tuesday afternoon, Ambassador Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz said the lack of fuel has affected \u201cevery aspect of life in the country,\u201d from food distribution to education to public health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe objective of this oil blockade is clear: to create a humanitarian crisis and try to force regime change through it,\u201d the ambassador told MPs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe collective punishment of a whole nation is an unjustifiable crime. One may disagree with the country\u2019s political project, but there is no right whatsoever that justifies a great power \u2014 based on its economic and military might \u2014 interfering in its internal affairs, violating its independence. Much less acceptable is a superpower attempting to achieve its objectives by suffocating an entire people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters earlier Tuesday ahead of a cabinet meeting that Ottawa was preparing an aid package for Cuba, but would not share details ahead of its announcement in \u201cthe coming days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said on Feb. 13 that Canada was working on providing some sort of humanitarian relief to the island.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate very much the decision or the news that the Canadian government is considering to approve a package of aid for Cuba,\u201d Diaz said.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:04
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalls grow for Carney government to support Cuba amid Trump\u2019s oil blockade\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Cuba had been weathering economic hardship before U.S. President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0effectively cut off oil shipments to the island by blockading its chief supplier,\u00a0Venezuela, and threatening tariffs on any country that stepped in to fill the void.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"For<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGet breaking National news<\/p>\n

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.<\/p>\n

Mexico, another major supplier, suspended oil shipments after Trump\u2019s threat, which came alongside a declaration that Cuba represents \u201can unusual and extraordinary\u201d national security threat to the U.S. due to the alleged harbouring of foreign terrorist groups and Russian and Chinese intelligence bases.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

That statement is \u201cridiculous,\u201d Diaz said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis entire aggressive escalation against Cuba is based on a campaign of lies. Moreover, we must ask, is the United States acting in accordance with international law and the UN Charter? Does anybody have the right to impose his will by force against another nation?\u201d<\/p>\n

After the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in early January, Trump predicted Cuba\u2019s government was \u201cready to fall\u201d next.<\/p>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told senators at a hearing late last month that \u201cwe would love to see a change\u201d in the regime, but added the U.S. wouldn\u2019t \u201cmake\u201d that change.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t0:53
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhite House says its in Cuba\u2019s \u2018best interest to make dramatic changes\u2019\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Attempts by some committee members to ask Diaz about the Cuban government\u2019s human rights record, including allegations of jailing political activists, were objected to by being outside the scope of the meeting\u2019s focus on the current humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

Diaz nevertheless defended Cuba\u2019s government while acknowledging \u201cwe are not perfect.\u201d He also denied allegations that Cuba has sent its soldiers to Ukraine to fight on behalf of Russia.<\/p>\n

\n\t\tTrending Now\n\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tPorter becomes latest Canadian airline to restart service to Mexico\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tKendamil baby formula sold at Costco recalled due to toxin concerns\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The fuel shortage has crippled Cuba\u2019s electricity grid and forced airlines to suspend flights after Havana\u2019s main airport warned of a monthlong jet fuel shortage, threatening Cuba\u2019s struggling tourism industry that has become increasingly reliant on Canadian visitors.<\/p>\n

Cuba\u2019s government has launched a fuel rationing program, limiting some services and reducing office and school hours.<\/p>\n

Cuba\u2019s health minister, Jos\u00e9 \u00c1ngel Portal Miranda, told the Associated Press last week that the country\u2019s already-debilitated health-care system has been pushed to the brink of collapse by increased U.S. sanctions, threatening \u201cbasic human safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diaz said the health-care situation is \u201cdifficult,\u201d including limited access to food, medicine and equipment. The lack of fuel has also affected the ability to transfer patients to hospital and power medical units, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCuba has a very good health system that gives access to everybody with no payments, like in Canada, and we are proud of it,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s being sabotaged by this situation of the U.S. blockade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:16
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tU.S. oil embargo for Cuba disrupts Canadian aid efforts as charities raise alarm\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Although Rubio and other U.S. officials have blamed Cuban economic mismanagement for the current crisis, Diaz said the fault lies with the decades-long American economic blockade that has intensified under Trump.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a (suggestion) that Cuba is in this situation because it\u2019s a failed country, but it\u2019s not true,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we are failed, why do they take so much interest in destroying us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Entwistle, who served as Canada\u2019s ambassador to Cuba in the 1990s, told Global News in an interview this month that Trump\u2019s pressure campaign on Cuba puts countries like Canada in a \u201cvice grip.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Canadian government \u2026 needs to manage the U.S. relationship in a smart-minded way, (but at the same time) nobody wants to see a fellow country of the Americas be bullied and crushed and potentially fall into chaos,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Diaz urged Canada to step in and partner with other \u201cfriends\u201d of Cuba to help its people.<\/p>\n

Countries like Mexico that have sent humanitarian aid, Diaz added, \u201csay \u2018the Cuban people don\u2019t deserve this. We need to help them.\u2019 \u2026 I think this is a good example of what can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014with files from the Associated Press<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore on Canada
\n\t\t\tMore videos\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cuba\u2019s ambassador to Canada told MPs on Tuesday that the United States is \u201csuffocating an entire people\u201d and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":497543,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,13423,44,3275],"class_list":{"0":"post-497542","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cuba","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=497542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=497542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=497542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=497542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}