Coalition to send aid from Canada to Cuba as concern over loved ones mounts

A coalition that works to strengthen ties between Canada and Cuba is preparing to send a shipping container of aid to Cuba as the country faces a U.S. blockade that is causing an energy crisis.

Julio Fonseca, co-chair of the Canadian Network on Cuba and president of the Association of Cubans in Toronto, says the container will be the nineteenth that the network has sent to Cuba since 2020, but the aid is especially needed now given the desperate situation in the island country.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on any country selling or providing oil to Cuba, prompting the island to ration energy in recent days.

"Cuba needs helps now, right now," Fonseca said in an interview in Toronto on Thursday.

Fonseca said the container will bring medical supplies, canned food, powdered milk, rice, beans, cooking oil, generators and mattresses. It is expected to leave Canada by ship on March 7 and arrive in either Havana or Santiago de Cuba. The aid will be given to local governments.

"We used to send medical supplies only, but the last two containers we have sent, we have included food, like canned food. We are sending non-perishable items of food that can last. That is what we can do because it is badly needed."

The network is a coalition of 24 organizations in Canada that promotes solidarity, understanding and friendship between the peoples of Cuba and Canada.

On Wednesday, the Canadian government upgraded its travel advisory to Cuba, saying Canadians should not travel to the island unless absolutely necessary.

The government's travel advice and advisories include risk levels and each one is colour coded. The travel advisory to Cuba is now orange, which means Canadians are advised to think seriously about whether they need to travel there.

"Avoid non-essential travel to Cuba due to worsening shortages of fuel, electricity, and basic necessities including food, water, and medicine, which can also affect resorts. Fuel availability has decreased, is difficult to predict, and may disrupt ground transportation," the travel advice for Cuba reads.

The government says all Canadian airlines have suspended service to Cuba for upcoming trips. Canadian airlines will ensure customers currently in Cuba are able to return and they are reaching out directly to them, the government says.

Canadians in Cuba are urged to confirm return flight details and avoid extending their stay there. Those without a return ticket are urged to seek a "commercial option" to leave the country.

The Canadian government says commercial flights are available through international airlines but may become limited on short notice.

As for Cubans in Canada, Fonseca said they are very concerned about their relatives there.