Canada announces immediate CA$8 million for Cuba via WFP and Unite

The Honourable Anita Anand and the Honourable Randeep Sarai announced Feb. 25, 2026 that Canada will release CA$8 million immediately to scale up food and nutrition assistance in Cuba, routing the money through the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund. Ottawa described the disbursement as accelerated funding aimed “to scale-up food and nutrition for vulnerable Cubans,” and said implementation will go through trusted partners to reach people directly.

Anita Anand framed the move as a targeted humanitarian intervention, saying that “as the people of Cuba face significant hardship, Canada stands in solidarity and is providing targeted assistance to help address urgent needs.” ReliefWeb’s republication of the Global Affairs Canada release adds that the funding is part of an international assistance program “delivered through trusted partnerships with the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), ensuring our aid reaches the Cuban people directly.”

Global Affairs Canada’s materials lay out why Ottawa accelerated the funds: Cuba is experiencing “rapidly worsening conditions driven by severe fuel shortages, prolonged blackouts and growing barriers to accessing food and health care,” with vulnerabilities compounded by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. Ottawa’s quick facts note that Canada provided CA$8.3 million in development assistance to Cuba in fiscal year 2024–2025 and that Canada provided over CA$3 million in humanitarian assistance following Hurricane Melissa.

Media reporting adds contested cause and political context. CBC reported that Cuba lost a major fuel source late last month after the Trump administration moved to control Venezuela’s oil exports and cut off shipments, and quoted Cuba’s ambassador Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz telling a House foreign affairs committee that the objective of the U.S. oil actions is “to create a humanitarian crisis and try to force regime change through it.” CBC also relayed a Cuban Ministry of Energy statement that domestic oil production supplies about 40 per cent of Cuba’s needs. Anadolu Agency noted that the island is facing “its deepest economic crisis in decades” amid moves to block oil shipments.

Several outlets emphasized routing: Global News, Metro and Inside Halton reported Ottawa will channel the CA$8 million through United Nations agencies rather than through the Cuban government. Inside Halton also reported operational fallout on travel, saying Cuban authorities had told airlines they could not refuel on the island, prompting some Canadian carriers to suspend flights.

Randeep Sarai warned reporters the situation is deteriorating, saying “the humanitarian situation in Cuba is becoming quite grave and quite serious,” and CBC paraphrased him that the accelerated funding aims to give Cubans a “bigger boost.” Global Affairs Canada closed its release by saying “Canada continues to monitor the situation in Cuba and remains in close contact with its partners to assess and respond to evolving needs.”

Ottawa did not publish a timeline for disbursement beyond the immediate release; WFP and UNICEF were named as the implementing partners and will be the next authorities to confirm receipt, distribution plans and provincial targeting inside Cuba. Canada’s announcement on Feb. 25 puts a concrete CA$8 million on the table while Ottawa says it will keep monitoring conditions and pressing partners for on-the-ground delivery details.