The $8 million in food aid Canada is sending to Cuba is a nice gesture, but it won’t go far to prevent the besieged country’s collapse. The island nation is being crushed by a US oil embargo that is causing prolonged power outages, food shortages, garbage buildup, transportation delays and the virtual collapse of its crucial tourism industry.

Life is becoming untenable for ordinary people and that’s exactly what the US wants, hoping internal discontent will force regime change. The Wall Street Journal reported in January that US President Donald Trump’s government is actively cultivating government insiders willing to “cut a deal” with the US and push out the ruling communist regime.

Starving a country into submission to force a change in its political system is not even remotely democratic. But with the US rapidly jettisoning its own democratic tradition, it’s not surprising it would use this strong-arm tactic to finally vanquish one of its last remaining Cold War enemies.

Cuba has never pretended to be a democracy. Fidel Castro took control of the country after the revolution in 1959 and ruled until 2008, when he passed the torch to his brother Raul. It would be remiss not to mention that horrific human rights abuses have been rife the entire time, as is so often the way with totalitarian dictatorships.

But that didn’t stop Canada from maintaining diplomatic relations, even through the Cold War. Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the '70s visited Cuba and came away calling Castro a friend. Trudeau was not a communist and he cared about human rights, leading some to believe his admiration for Castro was out of sync with his values.

But the former PM also differed with the US about the Cold War and cared deeply about Canada’s right to resist US directives, establishing early diplomatic relations with China and Cuba, which he knew would not be popular in the US. Diplomatic ties and personal connections stayed strong over the decades.

Cuba was a huge hit with Canadians, who flew to enjoy the culture and beaches by the thousands each winter, soaking up the sun, music and warmth of the Cuban people. Friendships were formed and when Cubans gained access to internet and email, people kept in touch. 

But if Canada is serious about providing aid to a population in dire need, we should top it up with something more lasting — for instance, solar installations to help stabilize the country’s electrical grid, writes @adriennetanner.bsky.social.

Carney’s aid package is a nod to that history and another signal that Canada is not prepared to do the bidding of the US. Still, the support for Cuba seems thin. Canada doesn’t hesitate to pull out the stops in some circumstances; consider that since 2022 we have provided at least $25.5 billion in aid to Ukraine.

It’s tragic that the living situation in Cuba has devolved to the point where food aid is needed. And this isn’t to say we shouldn’t pitch in with emergency aid. But if Canada is serious about providing aid to a population in dire need, we should top it up with something more lasting — for instance, solar installations to help stabilize the country’s electrical grid and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, which are subject to the US embargo.

Cuba is geographically perfectly positioned to take advantage of solar power. The capital Havana has more than 4,400 hours of sunlight per year, almost double that of Canada’s sunniest major city, Calgary.

China is already stepping up to help Cuba’s shift to renewable energy. Chinese investment is helping build Cuba’s largest wind farm and solar parks. Individual Cubans, if they have the means, are installing solar generators in their homes to deal with regular blackouts that can last upward of 20 hours. 

The proprietor of a bed and breakfast that my husband and I stayed at in 2012 is still in touch with another friend we referred to his home. He speaks fondly of that time — the Obama Years — as one of great hope. Cubans were allowed to travel more freely and limited, but monitored access to the internet was granted. “Year after year, we grew, improving the conditions of our houses and our lives, although still under many pressures, restrictions, and supervision,” he wrote last week. 

Then the Castro regime ended, Cuba was hammered by hurricane Melissa and Donald Trump returned to power in the US, making day to day life an almost unbearable struggle. Our Cuban friend is torn by Trump’s call for regime change. “It’s not that I sympathize with Trump,” he said. “But the country has fallen into an abyss in just seven years. The streets are empty, tourists are scarce, businesses are closed, buildings are falling down.”

A proud man who discounted our stay in the exact amount of some Lee Valley tools he asked us to bring from Canada when we visited, he is now reduced to asking for help to buy a solar generator he is unlikely to ever be able to pay for. Without it, what little food his family can find spoils with each power outage. 

We are going to find a way to get it for him. But we only have the means to help one person. Cuba needs renewables on a much grander scale — to overcome this crisis and those that will follow. With or without a political revolution, an energy shift is long overdue. 

© National Observer