Canada prepares aid package for Cuba as oil blockade deepens shortages

Canada announced Monday that it is preparing an aid package for Cuba as the island endures blackouts and severe fuel shortages that officials say have been aggravated by U.S. moves to block oil shipments. Foreign Minister Anita Anand confirmed that a plan is being prepared to help Cuba but did not provide details about the nature or timing of the assistance.

The humanitarian strain on the island has already prompted regional responses. Earlier this month two Mexican Navy ships docked in Cuba carrying humanitarian supplies, bringing about 800 tons of goods and another 1,500 tons of powdered milk and beans. Mexico’s deliveries came roughly two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump warned he would impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to the island and said, "Cuba will be failing pretty soon."

Canadian officials face competing pressures. Opposition leaders have urged immediate action. Interim NDP Leader Don Davies and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet publicly called for the Liberal government to send humanitarian aid to Cubans confronting shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Experts and former diplomats have framed the crisis as both immediate human suffering and a broader geopolitical test for Ottawa.

"Carment says Canada is one of Cuba's top trading partners, doing about $1-billion worth of two-way trade annually," an expert noted, underscoring the economic ties at stake. Global Affairs Canada has said Canada is Cuba’s second-largest source of direct investment to the island, particularly in the mining and tourism sectors, making Ottawa a significant economic partner in addition to a potential aid provider.

Voices with on-the-ground experience emphasized the human toll. Ben Rowswell, identified in broadcasts as a former Canadian ambassador to Venezuela and a consultant for Catalyze 4, described the unfolding crisis as a man-made disaster. "these are practically our neighbors. Uh it is a terrible terrible thing to go through a man-made humanitarian disaster," he said, and warned of the consequences when people cannot obtain medical care or food. "But still the the impact on people when they can't get medical care, when they can't get food, when they start losing weight, when they start dying of malnutrition, that is what the Cuban people are now beginning to experience."

Some in Canada have urged that fuel be included in any assistance package; Russia has publicly pledged to send fuel to Havana. Other experts caution that Ottawa faces legal and policy limits on supplying fuel while U.S. restrictions and wider sanctions remain in place. "Some have called on Canada to send fuel, as Russia has pledged to do, but Carment says that's not a move the government can make," the expert commentary said.

Ottawa has framed the forthcoming package as an attempt to mitigate humanitarian fallout while navigating complex diplomatic pressures in the region. Key details remain unresolved: whether fuel will be included, the size and composition of Canadian shipments, delivery mechanisms, and coordination with Mexico and other partners. Government officials have declined to disclose those details pending further planning.

As Canadian politicians press for rapid assistance, the government must balance humanitarian obligations, international law and its relationship with the United States. The decisions Ottawa makes in the coming days will shape both immediate relief to Cuban civilians and Canada’s diplomatic posture in a region where energy policy and geopolitics are increasingly interlinked.