An Open Letter to President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board |
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The SavingLives Campaign — a US, Cuban, and Canadian effort — appeals for immediate action for US-Cuba-Canada medical cooperation and solidarity |
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“A pandemic is by definition global. Surely, in the face of this worldwide menace, now is the time for international medical cooperation and solidarity? A time for joint efforts to confront COVID-19. A time to put political differences aside in order to save lives. It is for this reason, that we are launching a campaign to call for medical collaboration with Cuba, to gain access to Cuban medical expertise to assist in fighting COVID-19.”
Our SavingLives Campaign said this when we launched our efforts in March 2020, in the first period of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. And it is all the more true today!
The facts are clear — and recognized around the world. Cuba is not only a world leader in preventing, containing, and treating the coronavirus pandemic inside the island nation of 11.3 million, but has helped fight this pandemic in thirty-nine countries from Italy to South Africa to the Caribbean. Cuba is the only Latin American and Caribbean developing country that has produced vaccine candidates. Yet unilateral US sanctions aim to starve Cuba of fuel and funds that hamper its international medical solidarity as well as putting its own population more at risk. Clearly only a global health mobilization to effectively treat the ill and dying, along with the organization of mass vaccinations, can beat the virus pandemic. Cuba knows how to do this and is a rare success story in the Western Hemisphere.
The infection and hospitalization statistics irrefutably show the pandemic is reigning unchecked from coast to coast in the US. People across the US are calling for help. In six months, nine cities and three central labor councils have called for medical and scientific collaboration with Cuba. For the past four months Cubans living in the US are publicly saying end the US sanctions that hurt their families on the island -- and they do it in Miami. Are we expected to wait complacently until the January 20 inauguration while health care heroes, front line workers, and our loved ones continue to be sacrificed? Not one Cuban medical professional in Cuba has died of COVID-19. Don’t we want to know how they do it?
- Unblock remittances. Restore air-travel from the U.S. to Cuban airports ready to accept them beyond Havana. Stop blocking material and medical aid shipments.
- Unblock Zoom and other social communications to end barriers to medical and scientific collaboration with Cuban colleagues.
- Finally, expedite visas for medical exchanges and permit the legal import and trials of Cuban medicines and treatments to fight COVID-19 and other well-known treatments that avoid the trauma and expense of diabetic limb amputations, and resulting rehabilitation, as well as lung and skin cancer vaccines and treatments and more that is currently prevented by US sanctions.
Even during the current Administration, collaboration with Cuban medical professionals saved the life of a noted Cuban-American pianist in Minnesota. It is an example that can be multiplied. The need for action transcends domestic political divisions and international divisions, too.
Canadian Network on Cuba
National Network on Cuba
Table de Concertation de Solidarité Québec-Cuba
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No to U.S. Sponsored Aggression Against Cuba!
Uphold Cuba’s Right to Self-Determination!
-Isaac Saney, CNC Spokesperson, December 1, 2020-
The Canadian Network On Cuba (CNC) denounces the latest and ongoing criminal interference and meddling in the internal affairs of Cuba by the United States government. Under the guise of the so-called “San Isidro Movement,” Washington has initiated its latest program to destabilize the legitimate constitutional order of the heroic island nation.
The so-called leaders of the “San Isidro Movement” have openly fraternized and collaborated with officials of the Embassy of the United States in Havana. They have chosen to cavort and cooperate with a regime that sets as its explicit goal the asphyxiation of the Cuban people, the extinguishing of Cuba’s independence and the overturning of the immense social achievements of the Cuban Revolution. This latest attempt of destabilization is the continuation of the de facto war waged against Cuba since the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, which overthrew the US-backed police state of Fulgencio Batista.
In the face of this newest threat the people of Cuba are responding, as they have always done, with their usual patient and calm approach to danger that has typified more than 60 years of the Revolution. The Cuban people have shown through-out their history they are ready and prepared to fight to defend their homeland and Revolution.
It bears noting that this newest Washington sponsored attack against Cuba is happening at a time when the United States is being significantly ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its attack on Cuba is happening when there is a growing call - as evidenced by the resolutions passed in several U.S. cities - for medical cooperation and collaboration with Cuba.
Many countries are drawing on Cuba's expertise in fighting COVID-19. Almost, 4,000 medical personnel of Cuba's Henry Reeve Brigade have participated in the fight against Covid-19. They have worked (and most are still working there) in 39 countries—in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Other requests to Cuba for assistance continue —most recently from Sicily. This, together with Cuba's long history of medical collaboration, has led to the numerous nominations of the Henry Reeve Brigade for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
Surely, as many have posed, in the face of this worldwide menace, now is the time for international medical cooperation and solidarity. A time for joint efforts to confront COVID-19. A time to put political differences aside in order to save lives.
But, instead, Washington has chosen to pursue the path of aggression and to flagrantly violate fundamental international law and norms.
The underlying goal of U.S. policy is to re-establish its former neo-colonial domination over the island nation. In short, the U.S. endeavours to extinguish the right of the Cuban nation to self-determination and to control its own destiny. The US regime is punishing the people of Cuba for exercising their inalienable right to choose their own political, economic and social system.
Given the present world situation, it is clear that one of the central immediate tasks that faces all peace and justice loving people is the defense of Cuba from attack by Washington.
The CNC, therefore, expresses its resolute solidarity with and support for the Cuban people and their Revolution as they defend themselves against the latest act of all-sided aggression launched by the US government against the island.
The CNC further reaffirms the inalienable, inviolable and inextinguishable right of the people of Cuba - and all other peoples - to determine their future and their political, economic and social system on their own terms and without external interference from any source: a right enshrined in the United Nations Charter and numerous other international treaties, covenants and legal instruments.
We, therefore, call on the Canadian government to live up to its obligations under the UN Charter, the OAS Charter, international law and its responsibilities as a member of the international community by denouncing and condemning the continuing US aggression against Cuba.
The CNC is confident that Canadians, who have traveled to Cuba in their hundreds of thousands and have witnessed Cuban reality for themselves, will reject all schemes whose aim is to aid and facilitate Washington’s goal of eliminating Cuba's example of independence, justice and human dignity.
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¡Fidel Presente! ¡Hoy, Mañana y Siempre!
-Isaac Saney, CNC Spokesperson, November 25, 2020-
Today, November 25, marks 4 years since Fidel's physical departure. Fidel's life and legacy loom large in world history and development. No words can adequately convey the singular meaning of Fidel. By holding aloft the banners of Justice, Peace, Internationalism, Human Dignity, and Socialism, Fidel demonstrated – and continues to demonstrate - that a better world is possible as embodies in the Cuban Revolution. His example, his legacy and ideas live on in the struggles to create a world free of exploitation and oppression.
Fidel extends beyond the geographical boundaries of Cuba. In the midst of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, we are witnessing the concrete manifestation of this internationalism in the thousands of Cuban medical personnel serving across the world in the struggle against the corona virus. Following in the part blazed by Fidel, Cuba has always been in the global trenches combatting disease, illiteracy, colonialism, and imperialism. Fidel has epitomized the unbending commitment to justice, dignity and independence that has characterized Cuba since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution.
Bertolt Brecht, the great playwright, declared, "There are those who struggle for a day and they are good. There are those who struggle for a year and they are better. There are those who struggle many years, and they are better still. But there are those who struggle all their lives: These are the indispensable ones."
In the struggle for a better world, Fidel's example and legacy is indispensable.
¡Fidel Presente! ¡Hoy, Mañana y Siempre!
¡Hasta la Victoria Siempre!
¡Venceremos!________________________
When you're up against
the odds: How Cuba's July 26
celebration can inspire us today
By Tim Louis
A few days ago, I, along with
supporters of Cuba around the world and Cubans themselves celebrated July
26. What's so special about July 26? Let me tell you. I think you'll enjoy
the story, mainly because it's so relevant today, when a lots of us, especially
young people, are determined to make what seems impossible possible:
Rebalancing the way we treat nature and our climate, and making our world fair
and equitable for everyone, not just those who enjoy wealth
and privilege.
In June 1948, Carlos Prío Socarrás
was elected president of Cuba. He was a moderately progressive man - not
a socialist by any stretch of the imagination, but he did introduce positive,
but limited, reforms that benefitted most Cubans. Members of the extreme
right-wing military, however, were aplopletic over his election.
The anger and rage continued until a Cuban general by
the name of Fulgencio Batista — who himself had once been president back in the
1940s — led a violent coup right before the Cuban election in March 1952.
Batista, who was also a presidential candidate that election, but in last spot,
overthrew the outgoing President Socarrás. He also cancelled the upcoming
election and took control of the government as "Provisional President."
Batista was a brute of a dictator and a huge
friend of organised crime. Right after the coup, he started a campaign of
terror. In the middle of the night, he'd send his police officers to raid the
homes of student organisers, tenant organisers, labour organisers — anyone
Batista disapproved of. These people were taken from their homes, disembowelled
and left to die on the sidewalk. The message was clear.
Still, a very young, some would say, naive
lawyer sought a court order to have Batista removed. He was literally laughed
out of court, the judge summarily dismissing his application. That lawyer was
just 25 years old. His name was Fidel Castro.
Castro soon realized that the only way to rid
Cuba of Batista and his brutal regime was through an armed revolt. And here's
where we get to the July 26 celebrations.
In July 26, 1953, the then 27-year-old Fidel
carried out an audacious plan. He led fewer than 200 poorly armed
revolutionaries in an attack on Cuba’s second largest military base, Moncada,
and on another military barracks. He stipulated no blood shed unless they met
armed resistance. But the attack was a disaster. A complete disaster — over
almost before it began. Castro ordered a retreat as soon as failure was
apparent and surrendered along with his fighters.
Batista’s soldiers should have taken them into custody
and had them tried in court. Instead, they began to summarily execute them.
But, against all odds, Castro and a handful of comrades managed to escape into
the Sierra Maestra mountains.
It was only a matter of time before Batista’s military
tracked them down. However, in another amazing reprieve, the soldier who
arrested Fidel was one of the very few members of the military at the time who
believed in the rule of law. Instead of executing him on the spot, he arrested
Castro and had him put in prison to await trial.
Of course, Castro was convicted. But before passing
the sentence of up to 15 years in prison, the judge allowed Fidel to address
the court. His subsequent extraordinary four-hour, extemporaneous speech later
became the basis for a pamphlet called "History Will Absolve Me." It
also became the manifesto for the revolutionary July 26 Movement, so named for
the date of the Moncada uprising and for the 26 men — including Fidel —
imprisoned as a result.
By now, Fidel was supported, even deeply loved,
throughout much of Cuba, both for his brave attack on Moncada and his famous
speech. Over the next two years, public pressure for his release became so
intense that he was released in 1955. Batista’s real plan, however, was to have
Fidel murdered in the middle of the night by one of his policemen, which was
impossible as long as Fidel remained in prison.
Fidel got wind of the plan and, with his brother,
Raúl, who was part of the uprising, fled to Mexico City. There he met a young
doctor from Argentina who, the previous year, had ridden his motorbike to
Guatemala, where a new government led by Jacobo Árbenz had recently
been elected.
Echoing the events in Cuba, that new,
democratically-elected government also introduced a handful of moderate reforms
that benefitted most Guatemalans. Predictably, the Guatemalan military also
went apoplectic. To top things off, a powerful American-owned company, the
United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands International) —described as a
"state within a state" since it dominated so much of Guatemala and
other Latin American countries, including the banana trade — also vehemently
opposed the reforms because they cut into the company’s power and profits.
In 1954, with the assistance of the CIA, the
Guatemalan military overthrew the Árbenz government.
After witnessing the coup, the young Argentine doctor
became convinced that the poor of Latin America could never achieve social
justice through the ballot box. He left Guatemala for Mexico City, where he met
Fidel Castro. That young doctor was Ernesto "Che" Guevara. The two
men clicked, and spent an entire night talking about their revolutionary ideas.
Then, Fidel and Che set about achieving the
impossible.
The first step in their plan was to assemble a group
of fighters who would sail from Mexico to Cuba, then organise a mass revolt and
overthrow Batista. For the 1956 voyage, Fidel purchased a decrepit old yacht,
barely seaworthy, but it would do the job. Fidel named it Granma, a
name that lives on today as the name of Cuba's national newspaper.
With only 81 armed revolutionaries on board, the plan
was to rendezvous with a number of supporters at a specific date, time and
place on the Cuban coast.
The 1,900-km crossing was harsh. Food and water were
in short supply plus the boat leaked, so at times they were delayed by bailing
water. Still, by the time the Granma was halfway to Cuba, they
were on schedule for the rendezvous. Then, misfortune struck. One of the men
fell overboard. Fidel was faced with a choice: He could continue and reach the
Cuban supporters at the agreed time, or he could order the captain to circle
back in a desperate attempt to find the man overboard.
For any of us, it would have been a terrible dilemma.
Not so for Fidel, who was extremely loyal to his comrades. He immediately
ordered the captain to start circling. Despite the harsh circumstances, they
miraculously found the man, but by the time the Granma reached
the rendezvous point, they were long overdue.
In the meantime, Batista’s troops had learned of the
plans, including the chosen location. They waited in ambush until all the
combatants had waded halfway to shore, then opened fire with machine guns.
Castro's fighters had nowhere to hide. They couldn't run since they were
waist-deep in the water. Nearly all of them were killed.
But once again, defying the odds, Fidel and 12 others
managed to make it ashore and run for their lives into the forest. They had no
food or water and were only lightly armed, but sympathizers fed and sheltered
them.
In just a few short months, the small band of fighters
— which included both men and women — had grown until it was large enough to
begin attacking Cuban military outposts. Whenever one of Fidel’s fighters was
captured by the military, they were summarily executed. However, when things
were reversed and a Batista soldier was caught, he was not harmed in any way.
In fact, he was let go, but only after being forced to give up his shoes.
It was only a matter of time before word spread
throughout the military that it was much safer to surrender to the
revolutionaries than it was to keep fighting. Eventually, whenever the
revolutionaries attacked Batista’s men, the soldiers would simply give up
without a fight.
In just two years, Fidel’s forces overthrew the brutal
dictator.
Batista fled Cuba on New Year’s Eve, 1958. Once he was
gone, Fidel and Ché, along their supporters, set about implementing a large
number of far-reaching reforms and setting up a socialist state to improve
Cubans' standard of living.
Once again, apoplexy reared its head, but this time it
was the Americans in Washington D.C. who couldn't get over the progressive
initiatives. Their response? In 1960, they set up a brutal trade embargo, which
over the decades has only been continually tightened.
In spite of the embargo — and against all odds —
Cubans have accomplished a number of breathtaking achievements, all of which
proves that it really is possible to achieve what seems like the impossible:
• Low infant mortality: At 4.40 deaths per
1,000 live births, Cuba has lowered its infant mortality rate such that it's
far lower than every other developing country in the world. According to
the CIA's own World Factbook, it's far
lower than America's (5.80 deaths per 1,000 live births) and slightly lower
than Canada's (4.50 deaths per 1,000 live births). Monaco's is best, at 1.80
deaths, followed by Japan. Sadly, Afghanistan is the worst for infant
mortality, at just over 110 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• High life expectancy: Cuba's remarkable
health care system — which provides free medical treatment for all Cubans and
is the envy of the developing world — has enabled it to extend life expectancy
to 78.8 years (according to the World
Bank). This is considerably higher than that for the world
(72.6 years) and slightly higher than the U.S.'s, at 78.5 years. By comparison,
Canada has a life expectancy of 82 years.
• Providing volunteer doctors around the world:
In 2005, to help out U.S. victims of Hurricane Katrina, Castro created the
Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade (HRIMB). Unfortunately for New Orledandeans
the US never accepted this generous offer of support, but HRIMB's purpose is
still to send thousands of volunteer doctors to countries around the world to
help out where the need is greatest.
In Pakistan, HRIMB treated more than 600,000 victims in the
aftermath of the devastating 2005 earthquake. Members of this voluntary medical
brigade went up into remote areas of Pakistan's mountains and assisted people
who had never before seen a doctor in their entire lives. Patients were so
grateful they began naming their newborn babies after the Cuban doctors!
Another remarkable example: In 2015, the brigade
was instrumental in helping contain the Ebola outbreak in West
Africa. The Cuban doctors, at great risk to their own safety,
treated thousands of patients with Ebola, their efforts earning them a
nomination for that year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Again this year, Pastors for Peace, Code Pink and
others have nominated Cuba's volunteer-doctor program for the Nobel Peace Prize
for its efforts in 23 countries treating thousands of COVID-19 patients. In
total, it's estimated the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade has helped
more than 3.5 million patients around the world over the years. Fingers crossed
they receive this honour this time. (To support the nomination, contact the
Nobel Committee here.)
• Free medical education for students from poor
communities: In 1999, Cuba started a medical school for foreign
students from the poorest communities around the world. Known as Escuela Latinoamericana
de Medicina (ELAM), the school is aimed at returning its grads to
practise medicine in those poor areas of their home countries. Tuition,
accommodation and board are free, and a small stipend is provided as well.
ELAM has been described as possibly the largest
medical school in the world, by enrolment. Preference goes to applicants who
are financially needy and/or people of colour who show the most commitment to
working in their poor communities. Even students from the U.S. are accepted.
The school and its grads are recognized by the Medical Board of California and
the World Health Organization, plus a sister school has been opened in
Venezuela as well.
• Free treatment for people going blind: In 2004, Cuba
and Venezuela jointly started a program to provide free medical treatment for
people with eye problems. It now runs dozens of eye clinics in 13 Latin
American and Caribbean countries. Called Operación Milagro (Operation Miracle), it's
estimated to have restored the vision, at no cost, of nearly 50,000 patients
around the world, including the Bolivian officer who executed Che Guevara
— Mario Terán.
https://www.timlouis.ca/
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Who is IFCO
For more than five decades Intereligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO) has assisted hundreds of community organizations and public policy groups –by providing technical assistance, training organizers, making and administering grants, and using our global network of grassroots organizers, clergy, and other professionals to advance the struggles of oppressed people for justice and self-determination.
IFCO’s mission is to support the poor and disenfranchised in developing and sustaining community organizations to fight human and civil rights injustices. In pursuit of this mission, IFCO promotes funds and coordinates domestic and international community development efforts -programs designed to improve people’s own communities.
The first national foundation controlled by people of color, IFCO has acted as a bridge between predominantly mainline churches and community groups conceived of and run by people of color; as a broker for the channeling of interdenominational support; and as a resource bank supporting the work of congregations and organizations engaged in the work of community-building. IFCO has acted as a monitor, supporting self-determination by the poor, the hungry, and the exploited and insuring that their needs are not sacrificed for the priorities of the privileged in American society. IFCO has acted as a catalyst and a conscience in the movement for social justice.
This is our continuing commitment to our family; Some of whom are living, many of whom have passed away, and most of whom are yet unborn…
Victory!!!
After a 10-year historic struggle against unprecedented IRS harassment,
we’ve won!!!
The IRS finally conceded and
reinstated our 501c(3) non-profit status!!
We want to thank ALL of you who helped make this IFCO victory possible! Our friends who continued to support our work financially even when they didn’t have the benefit of making their gifts tax-exempt, and our partners at the Alliance for Global Justice who stepped in to support us and all of our fiscally sponsored projects. We thank those who provided legal expertise and those who exercised the power of prayer. Thank you all!!
In the words of our attorney, this reinstatement is a clear vindication of IFCO’s principled stand to serve as a fiscal sponsor of the Viva Palestina project that provided desperately needed medical aid for the beleaguered people of Gaza.
The IRS’s concession absolves our righteous decision to stand in solidarity with the people of Cuba and to engage in prayerful civil disobedience of the US government’s unjust and criminal blockade of the island nation.
This ruling justifies our steadfast commitment to defend the rights of the disenfranchised, the wrongly imprisoned, and the victims of police brutality.
In the last 10 years, we've never let the powers-that-be stop our life-giving work:
--Challenging (and winning!) the immoral US blockade of Cuba and unconstitutional US travel restrictions with our solidarity caravans and delegations;
--Supporting the work of sister progressive organizations from Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees to South Bronx Unite; from the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition to the Campaign to End Sanctions
--Administering the US/ELAM scholarship program that has graduated nearly 200 US doctors who are now working in underserved communities across the US! (Help us spread the word about this wonderful opportunity!) [https://ifconews.org/medical-school/]
Ever since 1967 IFCO has been saying “NO” to injustice. Ever since 1967 IFCO has been attacking and exposing the systems which cause racism, hunger and suffering – both in the US and throughout the world.
How can we “keep on keeping on?” The answer is easy. YOU!
Your support, your words of encouragement, your gifts allow us:
· To keep sending young people to study medicine in Cuba, mentor them during their seven years of study and after they return home to practice in under-served communities.
· To keep organizing Caravans to Cuba (we’ve already begun the work for next spring’s Caravan – 10 routes in 50 cities around the US. And travel to Cuba next summer!)
· To organize delegations to travel throughout the year – to have deep discussions and insightful visits to learn about specific areas of Cuban life and culture: healthcare, education, religion, farming, incarceration, and the justice system – and more.
· To work with others to organize against US-sponsored sanctions – a form of warfare designed to harm children, the sick, the aging, warfare waged against the most vulnerable people in a country.
(and it’s now TAX-DEDUCTIBLE!!)
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[Phone: 212-926-5757] [Fax: 212-926-5842]
[Address: 418 West 145th Street, New York, NY 10031]
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CNC Responds to Canadian Government on Visa Services for Cubans
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada
Dear Prime Minister,
Re: Reply by S. Charbonneau,
Ministerial Enquiries Division regarding the processing of applications for citizens
of Cuba
I am writing in response to the
letter I received via email on On October 1, 2019 from S. Charbonneau,
Ministerial Enquiries Division in the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and
Citizenship Canada. The letter was in direct response - at the request of your
office - to one of the questions posed to you in your capacity as Prime
Minister of Canada and leader of the Liberal Party of Canada in An Open
Letter to Party Leaders in the 2019 Federal Election of Canada, sent to you
on September 22, 2019.
On behalf of the Canadian Network On
Cuba (CNC), I inquired: "whether you and your party will support the
Government of Canada fully reopening the IRCC Office and all visa services
offered to Cubans in Havana, Cuba, so that visa processing may proceed in a
reasonable manner?"
In the September 22, 2019 letter, it
was pointed out that despite the restoration of some services, "the
continued reduction in embassy staffing has resulted - and continues to result
– in unreasonable delays and significant financial obstacles for those Cubans
seeking to travel to Canada, and will, amongst other things, cause significant
damage to people-to-people contacts, business, cultural, academic, scientific
and sporting relations."
Mr. Charbonneau's response is evasive
and unsatisfactory. He states that the Ministry is taking steps to make
"the application process quicker, easier and less costly for
applicants," and that "Canada recognizes the importance of minimizing
the impact of the service reduction on Cuban residents so that they can
continue to come to Canada." However, he then notes that the Embassy of
Canada in Havana:
"no longer has diplomatic staff
working at the Embassy to deliver these functions. All permanent and temporary
resident applications will be processed outside Cuba. Permanent residence
applicants are still required to travel outside of Cuba to take their medical
exam and if required, attend interviews, as these services are not available in
Cuba. Applicants can choose to take their medical exam in any country where
there is a panel physician authorized by the Government of Canada. Trinidad and
Tobago and Guyana are the 2 closest countries with panel physicians that do not
have visa requirements for Cuban nationals to visit. However, applicants can
travel to any country that is most convenient for them. Applicants residing in
Cuba who require an interview will be given the choice to have their interview
at an IRCC office in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, or Mexico City,
Mexico. All visa and permanent resident applications are being transferred to
IRCC’s visa office in Mexico City to be processed. After applying, applicants
will be hearing directly from that office on the next steps required for their
application."
This admission cannot be reconciled
with the commitment to make "the application process quicker, easier and
less costly for applicants" and "the importance of minimizing the
impact of the service reduction on Cuban residents so that they can continue to
come to Canada." Indeed, they are mutually exclusive.
Our central concerns remain. The
reduction in services have introduced unacceptable and unreasonable delays and
established significant financial obstacles for those Cubans seeking to travel
to Canada. These have already caused damage to people-to-people contacts,
business, cultural, academic, scientific and sporting relations.
Therefore, we ask that if your
government and party is committed to “minimizing the impact of the service
reduction on Cuban residents so that they can continue to come to Canada,"
in particular, and fostering the further development of Canada-Cuba relations,
in general:
Will you and your party fully support
the reopening of the IRCC Office, and all visa services offered to Cubans in
Havana, Cuba, so that visa processing may proceed in a reasonable manner?
Additionally, Mr. Charbonneau also
stated at the end of his response that regarding "concerns about
diplomatic relations with Cuba and the policies of the government of the United
States, I must advise you that this does not fall under the mandate of IRCC.
You may wish to send a copy of your letter to Global Affairs Canada."
While, we would welcome an answer
from Global Affairs Canada to these issues, we also recognize that as Prime
Minister and leader of the Liberal Party of Canada our queries about
"diplomatic relations with Cuba and the policies of the government of the
United States" fall under your ambit and spheres of responsibilities.
We look forward to your reply and
thank you in advance for your consideration of the issues raised and
questions posed by the Canadian Network On Cuba.
Respectfully,
Isaac Saney,
Co-Chair and National Spokesperson
Canadian Network On Cuba
Tel.: 902-449-4967
From the office of the Prime Minister
Mailing address:
Canadian Network On Cuba
209 Oakwood Avenue
Toronto, ON M6E 2V3
Dear Isaac Saney:
The Office of the
Prime Minister has kindly forwarded to the Honourable Ahmed Hussen,
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, a copy of your
correspondence of September 22, 2019, regarding the processing of
applications for citizens of Cuba. I have been asked to respond to your
concerns.
I appreciate you
sharing the circumstances which prompted you to write. Since the visa office
located at the Embassy of Canada in Havana, Cuba closed on May 8, 2019,
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been working diligently
to ensure that the processing of applications from Cuba continues smoothly and
that applicants have access to the services they need to come to Canada.
As of August 1, 2019, the following services originally
offered at IRCC’s Havana visa office will be once again available at the same
location in the Canadian Embassy:
·
biometrics collection (fingerprints and a
photo)
·
passport drop-off and visa pick-up
The Department is reinstating some of the services
originally offered at the visa office to minimize the impact of the closure on
applicants and facilitate their travel to Canada. These will make the
application process quicker, easier and less costly for applicants.
Canada recognizes the importance of minimizing the impact
of the service reduction on Cuban residents so that they can continue to come
to Canada. We will continue to explore other mitigation measures and
alternative service channels to improve visa and immigration services offered
to Cuban residents.
Only IRCC officials have the authority to make decisions
and oversee the processing of applications, and conduct permanent residence
interviews. IRCC no longer has diplomatic staff working at the Embassy to
deliver these functions. All permanent and temporary resident applications will
be processed outside Cuba. Permanent residence applicants are still required to
travel outside of Cuba to take their medical exam and if required, attend
interviews, as these services are not available in Cuba.
Applicants can choose to take their medical exam in any
country where there is a panel physician authorized by the Government of
Canada. Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are the 2 closest countries with panel
physicians that do not have visa requirements for Cuban nationals to visit.
However, applicants can travel to any country that is most convenient for them.
Applicants residing in Cuba who require an interview will be given the choice
to have their interview at an IRCC office in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and
Tobago, or Mexico City, Mexico.
All visa and permanent resident applications are being
transferred to IRCC’s visa office in Mexico City to be processed. After
applying, applicants will be hearing directly from that office on the next
steps required for their application.
With regard to your concerns about diplomatic relations
with Cuba and the policies of the government of the United States, I must
advise you that this does not fall under the mandate of IRCC. You may wish to
send a copy of your letter to Global Affairs Canada.
Sincerely,
S. Charbonneau
Ministerial Enquiries
Division
Elections 2019 in Canada:
Questions to Party Leaders
| An Open Letter to Party Leaders in the 2019 Federal Election of Canada |  |  |
Re: Canada-Cuba Relations
I am writing to you on behalf of the Canadian Network On Cuba (CNC), which represents Canada-Cuba friendship and solidarity organizations across Canada, ranging from Vancouver to Halifax and with over 50,000 in membership. One of the CNC’s principal objectives is advocating that Canadian foreign policy regarding Cuba remains based on equality and respect for sovereignty and the right of selfdetermination. Consequently, the CNC is deeply concerned by recent decisions and actions of the Government of Canada. Canadians are very worried that recent developments in Ottawa-Havana relations could lead to the mirroring of the policy of the United States.
The abrupt decision earlier this year to shut down the section of its Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) Office in Embassy of Canada in Havana that processed visas and study permits is particularly perturbing. While some services have been restored, the continued reduction in embassy staffing has resulted - and continues to result – in unreasonable delays and significant financial obstacles for those Cubans seeking to travel to Canada, and will, amongst other things, cause significant damage to people-to-people contacts, business, cultural, academic, scientific and sporting relations.
Therefore, we wish to inquire whether you and your party will support the Government of Canada fully reopening the IRCC Office and all visa services offered to Cubans in Havana, Cuba, so that visa processing may proceed in a reasonable manner?
In 2014, the world rejoiced to see the restoration of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba in a signed agreement between then Presidents Raúl Castro Barrack Obama. The world held out great hopes that relations between the two countries would be normalized. Canada helped by providing a venue for the talks which led to the improvement of those relations. However, under the administration of Donald Trump, we have witnessed a return to the policy of overt and ever escalating hostility and aggression against Cuba. The United States continues to zealously pursue and implement the extensive series of economic sanctions arrayed against the island nation, including the activation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which allows U.S. companies and citizens to sue in U.S. courts not only Cuban companies but also Canadian and other international companies engaged in business and other economic activity in Cuba.
In short, Washington is waging an economic war – more than an embargo - against Cuba, with the objective of negating and extinguishing Cuba’s right to selfdetermination, sovereignty and independence. This effort to asphyxiate Cuba is the principal obstacle to this proud island nation’s social and economic development, costing the people of Cuba in excess of $100 billion. In short, the economic blockade is an egregious violation of the human rights of the people of Cuba.
For 27-consecutive years, the General Assembly of the United Nations has rejected and condemned these economic sanctions – an economic blockade- imposed on Cuba by United States. Washington’s policy, with its extra-territorial character, is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and customary international law. In 2018, as in previous years, the global community overwhelmingly stood with Cuba, voting 189- 2 against Washington. Canada was once again counted in the vast ranks of the world’s nations resoundingly rejecting the coercive, unilateral and extra-territorial U.S. policy. Within this context, the Canadian Network On Cuba wishes to inquire what are the stances of you and your party on the following very important and salient questions:
How do you and your party intend to respond to and counter the escalation of Washington’s hostility towards Cuba by the administration of Donald Trump?
What further steps will you and your party take to oppose the economic sanctions of the United States against Cuba condemned by the United Nations and several other international organizations?
What concrete measures will you and your party implement to oppose the extraterritorial application of U.S. sanctions against Cuba, especially as they pertain to Canadian businesses and Canadian citizens? Especially regarding the enforcement of the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act?
The CNC resolutely reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Cuba - and all other peoples - to determine their future and their political, economic and social system without external interference: a right enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Co-Operation Among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. Will you and your party support the right of Cuba to the return of the illegally occupied territory of the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay?
Do you and your party support Cuba’s right to self-determination and sovereignty, free of any external interference in the island's domestic affairs (i.e. affirming the right of the people of Cuba to determine their own political, economic and social arrangements without foreign diktat)?
Millions of Canadians have travelled to Cuba and having witnessed Cuban reality for themselves have come away with a profound respect and admiration for the people of Cuba and their efforts to build a society centered on independence, justice and human dignity. Irrespective of their political or ideological positions, Canadians stand for the building of genuine friendship with the island nation: relations based on mutual respect, equality and recognition of Cuba’s right to self-determination and sovereignty. Consequently, Canada's relations with Cuba should be based on mutual respect and equality, not on outmoded colonialist ideas and practices.
In closing, we wish to thank you in advance for your consideration of the issues raised and answering the questions posed by the CNC. Please find enclosed, the recently published book, Cuba Solidarity in Canada: Five Decades of People to People Foreign Relations.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Respectfully,
Isaac Saney,
Co-Chair and National Spokesperson
Canadian Network On Cuba
Email: isaney@hotmail.com
Tel.: 902-449-4967
Mailing address:
Canadian Network On Cuba
209 Oakwood Avenue
Toronto, ON M6E 2V3 |
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