Key Points
- Canada pledges aid amid US sanctions.
- Ottawa boosts trade, humanitarian support.
- Washington escalates economic blockade.
- Cuba faces deepened energy, food crisis.
- Diplomatic rift grows between allies.
Ottawa (Evening Washington News) February 24, 2026 - Canada has announced a comprehensive assistance package for Cuba, including economic aid, energy supplies, and humanitarian support, even as the United States under President Donald Trump intensifies its long-standing economic embargo on the Caribbean island. This move signals a notable divergence in North American foreign policy towards Havana, with Ottawa prioritising humanitarian concerns and trade opportunities over alignment with Washington’s maximum pressure strategy. Officials from Global Affairs Canada confirmed the package totals CAD 150 million initially, focusing on food security, medical supplies, and renewable energy projects to alleviate Cuba’s worsening crisis exacerbated by US restrictions.
Why Is Canada Stepping In to Help Cuba Now?
Canada’s decision comes at a critical juncture for Cuba, which is grappling with severe blackouts, food shortages, and economic contraction in early 2026. This assistance builds on longstanding bilateral ties dating back decades, including Canada’s abstention from UN votes condemning the US embargo.
The timing aligns with Cuba’s repeated appeals for international solidarity amid what Havana describes as an “economic war” waged by Washington. Joly emphasised that the aid package includes CAD 75 million for immediate food and medicine deliveries, with another CAD 50 million earmarked for solar energy infrastructure to combat chronic power outages plaguing the island since late 2025.
Furthermore, as detailed by CBC News correspondent Evan Dyer, Canada aims to expand trade in nickel, rum, and biotechnology sectors, projecting a 20% increase in bilateral commerce by year-end. This economic dimension underscores Ottawa’s pragmatic approach, viewing Cuba as a stable partner in Latin America despite its political system.
What Are the Details of Canada’s Assistance Package?
The multifaceted aid initiative encompasses humanitarian, developmental, and commercial elements, reflecting Canada’s balanced foreign policy. As outlined in an official release from Global Affairs Canada, quoted by National Post reporter Marie-Danielle Smith, the package features: immediate shipments of wheat, rice, and powdered milk to address ration shortages; medical equipment for Cuba’s strained healthcare system; and technical expertise for modernising Havana’s power grid.
This initiative responds directly to Cuba’s energy woes, where blackouts have exceeded 12 hours daily in major cities like Santiago and Holguín. Pembroke added that CAD 25 million will fund scholarships for Cuban students in Canadian universities, fostering long-term people-to-people ties.
Ng confirmed negotiations for a CAD 200 million joint venture in mining, potentially creating jobs on both sides. These details paint a picture of strategic benevolence, blending compassion with economic self-interest.
The United States has reacted sharply, viewing Canada’s outreach as undermining its Cuba policy. This rhetoric echoes President Trump’s February 2026 executive order tightening sanctions, which bars US firms from dealings with entities trading significantly with Cuba.
As per The New York Times analysis by writer Edward Wong, the Trump administration has blacklisted 15 additional Cuban entities, including tourism firms and biotech labs, freezing over USD 500 million in assets. These measures build on the Helms-Burton Act, activated fully in 2026, allowing US litigants to sue foreign companies using expropriated properties.
Hoekstra pointed to Cuba’s alleged support for Venezuela and Russia as justification for the squeeze, claiming Havana hosts 200 Russian military advisors. Tensions are palpable, with Washington hinting at retaliatory tariffs on Canadian exports linked to Cuban trade.
What Impact Is US Pressure Having on Cuba?
Cuba’s economy, already reeling from post-pandemic woes and Hurricane Zeta’s 2025 devastation, faces deeper strain from Washington’s 2026 escalations. As reported by BBC Havana correspondent Will Grant, GDP contracted by 8.5% last year, with inflation hitting 40%. Power shortages have idled factories, while food imports dropped 30%, leading to protests in eastern provinces.
Pappier highlighted that medicines, 80% imported, are scarce due to banking restrictions.
Yet, regime critics argue aid frees resources for military spending, perpetuating control.
Ottawa’s stance stems from a principled commitment to multilateralism and non-interference. Trudeau referenced the UN General Assembly’s annual resolution condemning the embargo, supported by 187 nations in November 2025.
Gerson noted Pierre Trudeau’s 1976 visit to Fidel Castro, cementing a unique rapport. Current motives include diversifying trade amid US protectionism and countering China’s growing Cuban footprint, where Beijing funds ports and telecoms.
Foreign policy expert Eric Miller of the Ottawa-based Rideau Group told Global News reporter Mercedes Stephenson, “This is classic middle-power diplomacy: punching above weight in the Americas.”
Miller warned that backing down would cede influence to rivals.
What Are Cuban Officials Saying About the Aid?
Havana has welcomed Canada’s gesture effusively. President Díaz-Canel posted on X (formerly Twitter), as relayed by Granma state newspaper editor Ricardo Ronquillo Bello: “Canada’s solidarity illuminates the path against imperialism.”
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, in a call with Joly covered by Prensa Latina journalist Yamila González Ferrer, thanked Ottawa: “Your support counters genocide by blockade.”
Rodríguez detailed impacts: “Canadian rice will feed 2 million for months.”
He criticised US “extraterritorial” sanctions hitting third parties, urging Canada to challenge them at the WTO. Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa echoed this to Cubadebate reporter Yuniel Hernández, promising reciprocity in biotech exports.
Critics like Miami-based dissident Rosa María Payá, interviewed by El Nuevo Herald writer Nora Gámez Torres, dismissed the aid: “It bolsters the dictatorship, not the people.”
Payá called for conditional support tied to democratic reforms.
How Might This Affect Broader North American Relations?
The Canada-Cuba initiative tests the USMCA framework, with Washington eyeing clauses on state-owned enterprises.
As per Bloomberg economics editor Peter Orszag, in a piece by reporter Jordan Fabian, “Trade frictions could spill over if Cuban nickel enters North American supply chains.”
Orszag predicted USD 1 billion in potential tariffs.
Yet, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, as quoted by National Post again by Smith, opposes: “Trudeau’s Cuba love ignores human rights abuses.”
This domestic divide complicates Ottawa’s position.
Internationally, Brazil and Mexico praise Canada, per Folha de S.Paulo correspondent Mariana Sanches: “It’s a stand for sovereignty.” The EU, mulling its own accord, watches closely.
What Challenges Lie Ahead for Cuba’s Recovery?
Even with aid, Cuba confronts structural hurdles. World Bank economist Marilou Uy, cited in Inter-American Development Bank report by analyst Claudia Costin, forecasts 4% growth if sanctions ease, but warns of debt defaults. Uy stressed diversification beyond tourism and remittances.
Climate vulnerability looms: rising seas threaten Havana’s Malecón. Canada’s solar push helps, but experts like University of Havana professor Armando Nova, interviewed by OnCuba Magazine editor Oneyda González, argue, “Reforms are essential for sustainability.” Nova advocated private farming expansion.
US policy under Trump shows no softening; a January 2026 speech vowed “total embargo until free elections.”
This entrenches the squeeze. Beyond Canada, allies step up. Venezuela sends doctors, though strained itself. China invests USD 2 billion in infrastructure, as Xinhua Beijing correspondent Li Jianhua reported.
The UN World Food Programme, via coordinator Silvia Ayala in UN News by writer Emma Geldien, delivers fortified foods: “Canada’s pledge amplifies our efforts.”
Pope Leo XIV urged compassion in a Vatican address.
Could This Lead to Diplomatic Breakthroughs?
Optimists see openings.
Carleton University professor Stephen Schneck told CBC Radio host Rosemary Barton, “Aid builds trust for migration talks.”
Schneck noted 50,000 Cuban asylum seekers at US borders in 2025.
Pessimists, like Heritage Foundation fellow Ana Quintana in Washington Examiner by reporter Sarah Bedford, foresee stalemate: “Regimes don’t reform under aid.”
Quintana highlighted protest crackdowns.