Question Period Note: Canada-Cuba Relations

Canada has a multifaceted, positive relationship with Cuba, but remains concerned by actions to intimidate and restrict freedom of expression and peaceful gatherings taken by the government

• Canada and Cuba enjoy a strong relationship based on a long history of mutually beneficial partnerships in a range of sectors, commercial relations and close interpersonal ties.
• Canada and Cuba engage regularly to discuss our economic and commercial relations as well as other bilateral issues, allowing frank exchanges, including Canada raising concerns over infringement to the rights to free expression, peaceful assembly and freedom of the press.
• Canada strongly advocates for freedom of expression, freedom of movement, and the right to peaceful assembly free from intimidation, throughout the world, including Cuba.

• Canada was deeply concerned by the crackdown in July against peaceful protesters, journalists and activists, as well as arbitrary detention, and have shared our concerns with Cuban officials. We continue to monitor the situation.

• We will continue to work with our likeminded partners to ensure our respective and collective responses to the situation in Cuba to support the rights and legitimate democratic aspirations of the Cuban people.

Cuba is Canada's first largest export market in Central America and the Caribbean with a two-way bilateral merchandise trade in 2020 totalling $852.7 million. In 2020, 413.4 thousand Canadians visited Cuba a drop from 1.1 million in 2019, due to COVID-19, according to official Cuban statistics.

On July 11, 2021, there was a series of protests across Cuba, including in Havana, where thousands of Cubans took the streets to voice their discontent with the government due to severe food and medicine shortages, power outages and the difficult COVID situation. This triggered a week-long internet outage throughout the island that the Cuban government falsely attributed to "technical issues". Following the protests, there were over 800 arbitrary detentions, including a number of minors, and many reports of physical violence.

In response to the July 11 events, Prime Minister Trudeau publicly denounced the use of violence by Cuban authorities to silence protestors and underscored Canada's commitment to support Cubans' quest for democracy and respect for human rights. On July 23, 2021 former Minister Garneau spoke with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and reiterated the points underlined by Prime Minister Trudeau.

Planned Cuba-wide protests "March for Change" on November 15, led by the opposition group Archipiélago, did not have the expected uptake and no major protests were recorded. Archipiélago has extended their "March for Change" until November 27. Local discontent was dismissed by Cuban authorities who accused the U.S. for interfering in internal affairs and instigating the protests. Following these small scale gatherings, Yunior García, one of the leaders of Archipiélago, fled to Spain. It's unlikely that Yunior could have left without a Cuban government authorization to leave. Some news outlets have claimed that he was pushed to leave the country.

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