Cuba’s ambassador says U.S. ‘suffocating’ people, calls on Canada for aid

A U.S. oil blockade has curtailed fuel and basic supplies to the increasingly isolated Caribbean island, as the Trump administration puts pressure on Cuba's socialist government.

Cuba’s ambassador to Canada told MPs on Tuesday that the United States is “suffocating an entire people” and creating an economic and humanitarian crisis, and urged Ottawa to follow through with a promised aid package.

A U.S. oil blockade has curtailed fuel and basic supplies to the increasingly isolated Caribbean island, as the Trump administration puts pressure on Cuba’s socialist government.

Speaking before the House foreign affairs committee Tuesday afternoon, Ambassador Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz said the lack of fuel has affected “every aspect of life in the country,” from food distribution to education to public health.

“The objective of this oil blockade is clear: to create a humanitarian crisis and try to force regime change through it,” the ambassador told MPs.

“The collective punishment of a whole nation is an unjustifiable crime. One may disagree with the country’s political project, but there is no right whatsoever that justifies a great power — based on its economic and military might — interfering in its internal affairs, violating its independence. Much less acceptable is a superpower attempting to achieve its objectives by suffocating an entire people.”

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 “the coming days.”

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.

“I appreciate very much the decision or the news that the Canadian government is considering to approve a package of aid for Cuba,” Diaz said.