Geopolitics · Middle East

Cuban ambassador urges Canada to maintain opposition to U.S. embargo

Cuba’s ambassador urged Canada to keep opposing the U.S. embargo, which the UN General Assembly has repeatedly called on Washington to end.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 3 independent reports from 7 outlets · Article text read from 1 of 3 reports · 1 article captured only in partHow it's made

View timeline · 7 entries

7 outletsLatest reporting Oct 24, 3:35 PM UTC3 min read

Coverage: Center OnlyL 0 · C 5 · R 0 · 2 unrated

Updat3 graphic · Map data: Natural Earth Natural Earth (public domain)

What happened

Key facts

Cuban ambassadors asked Canada to renew its opposition to the U.S. embargo and fuel blockade.
Canada has voted in favour of the motion multiple times.
The United Nations is set to vote next week on a motion Cuba has put forward nearly every year since 1992.

The brief

Cuban Ambassador to Canada Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz urged Ottawa to keep publicly opposing the U.S. embargo and fuel blockade, as the United Nations prepares to vote on a Cuban motion. Malmierca Diaz told The Canadian Press that Cuba was confident Canada would continue to support it as it had in the past.

The request places Canada’s established voting position at the centre of the upcoming vote. The United Nations is set to consider the motion next week. Cuba has introduced it nearly every year since 1992, and Canada has voted in its favour multiple times. The motion’s wording and the precise timing of the vote were not stated in the report.

The U.S. position was presented by U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, who urged countries to oppose the motion. At a Monday event he hosted, Waltz described it as a product of “70 years of propaganda” and said it was intended to divert attention from corruption in Havana.

His remarks set out a competing rationale for how countries should vote; the report does not provide a response from the Cuban government to that characterization. The appeal comes as Cuba faces an economic crisis that the report says has continued since 2020. It describes critical shortages and severe blackouts, with the blackouts peaking after January’s fuel blockade.

The report also says Cuba produces 40 per cent of the fuel it needs, linking the fuel shortfall to the context in which Cuban representatives are seeking continued Canadian opposition to the U.S. measures. Ottawa has pledged $13 million in humanitarian aid for Cubans. The funds are to be distributed through international organizations rather than the Cuban government.

That arrangement is distinct from Canada’s position on the UN motion: the aid commitment concerns assistance to Cubans, while the vote concerns the motion Cuba has repeatedly brought before the United Nations. The immediate decisions to follow are Canada’s vote and the positions other countries take on the motion.

Waltz’s public appeal calls for a vote against it, while Malmierca Diaz is asking Canada not to abandon its previous support. The account does not give a final vote result or state how Canada will vote this time.

Why it matters

Canada’s vote would reinforce its longstanding diplomatic opposition to the U.S. embargo, while a shift in position could weaken that signal ahead of the UN vote. The dispute also puts Ottawa between Washington, which is urging countries to reject Cuba’s motion, and Havana, which is seeking continued Canadian support.

What to watch next

Whether Canada votes in favour of the Cuban motion at the United Nations.
Whether countries follow Mike Waltz’s call to vote against the motion.
The United Nations vote on the motion Cuba has introduced nearly every year since 1992.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details

7 source articles · 7 unique outlets · 3 distinct reports

Outlet political mix: Center Only· 5 Center · 2 unrated

Where the outlets are based: Unknown 57% · US/Canada 43%

Outlet political mix

Center Only

Left

Center

Right

0 outlets

5 outlets

0 outlets

The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 2 unrated outlets are not included.

Geography

Where the outlets covering this story are based.

7 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada

All7 US/CA3 · 43%Unknown4 · 57%

Coverage imbalance

Coverage is currently concentrated among Center-rated outlets (5 of 5 rated sources); comparatively few Left or Right-rated outlets have published on the event.

How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.

1959
The U.S. embargo developed through measures taken after Fidel Castro’s government came to power in 1959 and nationalized U.S.-owned property.
Background · from our historical context
Oct 19, 1960
On October 19, 1960, the Eisenhower administration imposed a broad export embargo on Cuba, while retaining exceptions for food and medicine.
Background · from our historical context
Feb 7, 1962
President John F. Kennedy expanded the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
1992
The General Assembly first adopted a resolution on the U.S. embargo in 1992, when it called for countries to refrain from imposing measures that restricted Cuba’s trade and navigation.
Background · from our historical context
1996
In 1996, Canada amended its Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act to counter the effects of U.S. legislation that sought to penalize foreign companies doing business with Cuba.
Background · from our historical context
Mar 12, 1996
The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act, signed by President Bill Clinton on March 12, 1996, codified the embargo and included provisions allowing lawsuits over property confiscated by Cuba.
Background · from our historical context
Oct 30, 2024
On October 30, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Cuba’s annual resolution calling for an end to the U.S. embargo by 187 votes to 2, with one abstention.
Background · from our historical context

How we got here

On October 30, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Cuba’s annual resolution calling for an end to the U.S. embargo by 187 votes to 2, with one abstention. The General Assembly first adopted a resolution on the U.S. embargo in 1992, when it called for countries to refrain from imposing measures that restricted Cuba’s trade and navigation.

In 1996, Canada amended its Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act to counter the effects of U.S. legislation that sought to penalize foreign companies doing business with Cuba. The U.S. embargo developed through measures taken after Fidel Castro’s government came to power in 1959 and nationalized U.S.-owned property.