Irma hits Cuba: What is the reaction of the Canadian government?
Editor’s note
Five years ago, before the creation of The Canada Files, our Contributing Editor Arnold August responded favourably to a request by Rabble to write an article on Hurricane Irma hitting Cuba in the fall of 2017, adapted with a Canadian angle. Unfortunately, the same Canadian government’s immobility that August called out then, is (so far) still applicable today as Cuba confronts Ian. In fact, the situation is worse now. In 2017 many other Caribbean islands, aside from Cuba, were affected; thus, if one was concerned about Cuba this focus could not have been only on that island. It had to be shared.
However, this year the only Caribbean Island in the path of Ian was Cuba, its western Pinar del Rio Province. And it was extremely devastating there, while there was damage throughout the island. August has told us that, in speaking via WhatsApp to his friends in Havana who have relatives in Pinar del Rio, they report that the situation is very critical. August is disgusted by the Canadian mainstream media’s reporting on Ian; on the one hand it is so sycophantically focused on Florida as if this was part of Canada, while virtually ignoring Cuba. It reflects the white settler colonial mindset of Canadian imperialism of which the Trudeau government is part of since so far it has not uttered a word or offered even a penny to Cuba to assist them in the critical juncture. Thus, The Canada Files is republishing the Rabble article and calls on the alternative media and Cuba/Latin American solidarity groups in Canada to pressure the Trudeau government to send massive aid to Cuba now!
Written by: Arnold August
“Saldremos adelante!” (“We can only move forward!”) This is what a colleague exclaimed during one of my several phone calls to Havana in the days after Hurricane Irma unleashed its wrath on the capital. Others, when asked how they, their families, colleagues and neighbours were faring, declared in a similar manner, “We are fighters,” “We are never defeated,” and “We are in the battle for recovery.”
Despite this attitude, they were unanimous in their emphasis that Cuba’s situation is “critical,” having suffered the most devastating hurricane in 85 years.
And what is the reaction of the Canadian government?
Justin Trudeau’s Canadian government is among the Western countries that have not issued any statement of support or solidarity with Cuba. This is a sad reality, given Canada’s special relationship with Cuba, having not ever broken diplomatic ties with the country. In fact, Trudeau’s father was the first Western leader to visit Cuba and express solidarity with Fidel Castro and “Cuba Libre.” Trudeau himself visited Cuba and met Raúl Castro only days before Fidel passed away. Furthermore, Canada has been the biggest source of tourism for Cuba for several decades, to the extent that millions of Canadians have visited the island not once, but multiple times, making Cuba practically a home away from home for many.
One may hope that the Trudeau government will rectify this and at least express its moral support, which would very much encourage Cubans, who are conscious of this special Cuba-Canada relationship forged partially by the Trudeau tradition. As far as critically needed financial and material support, Canada should overcome its self-imposed bureaucracy and provide immediate aid. According to the website of the Cuban Mission in Ottawa, the first on the list of material needs is construction material. Canada is the fifth in the world as far as lumber production and hovers between the first and second of the world’s top exporters of timber products. Should Canada not immediately consider overcoming any obstacle and make use of this plentiful natural resource that is so necessary for Cuba in this critical situation?
In contrast to the governments of Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and the rest of Europe, Australia and New Zealand, solidarity organizations and other institutions in these countries, as well as others, are going all out to raise relief funds at the grassroots level to support Cuba. While all countries in the Caribbean also need this support, Cuba was the hardest hit by Irma in terms of quantity of infrastructure and the number of people affected. It is also a political issue, in terms of supporting the survival of the Cuban Revolution, which is now facing an unprecedented climate challenge. Furthermore, the hurricane season still has close to another three months to go, as some of my colleagues in Havana have pointed out.
The American blockade and Irma
Cuba is also facing a new disinformation campaign from Western mass media. Many are having describe housing and other structures as being “dilapidated,” which to an extent is true, especially in cities such as Havana. But is this a feature of the Cuban system? The impression given is that any problematic housing and infrastructure is entirely Cuba’s fault and thus proof of the “failure of socialism.” However, what about the effects of the blockade, which was either completely ignored in these reports or reduced to a footnote?
The cumulative effect of the blockade since 1961 seriously hinders normal economic development in Cuba. The blockade itself resulted from the original genocidal goal to make Cuba bend to its knees and give in to the U.S. empire. Watching Cuban TV during and immediately after Irma, it was clear that the blockade has had an exponential effect on the damage, as it has now with the recovery. Take, for example, construction and infrastructures, where “dilapidated” housing is more likely a direct result of the blockade, which led to $30,868,200 in damages in a single year alone, spanning 2015–2016. One of the main causes of damages was the lack of access to lightweight and efficient construction technologies and energy components, which are available on the U.S. market or are produced by subsidiaries of U.S.-based companies. Could this not be the main cause of the “dilapidated” housing, notwithstanding any Cuban domestic insufficiencies?
This situation requires that we in Canada counter the disinformation campaign against the Cuban Revolution and demand the complete lifting of the blockade, as part of our expression of financial, material and moral solidarity with Cuba.
Editor’s note: The Canada Files has spent nearly three years doing critical investigative reporting on Canada's imperialist foreign policy. We’ve established a clear track record of exposing the truth Canada's political establishment hides from you. Currently we are at $678 CAD per month in support. There's so much more we can do, but only with your financial support.
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Arnold August is an award-winning journalist and author of three acclaimed books. His three books on Cuba-US-Latin America have been acclaimed by experts in the field. In 2013, he was awarded the Félix Elmuza Award by the Association of Cuban Journalists and contributes to outlets in English, Spanish and French in many parts of the world. He serves as a Contributing Editor for The Canada Files.
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