In the spirit of ongoing solidarity with workers in Cuba, members of the international solidarity community in Vancouver are seeking to bring the following motion to Vancouver City Council. The over 60-year-old U.S. embargo against Cuba, the longest-lasting regime of sanctions in history, has long deprived Cuban of access to essential medicines and medical equipment, basic school and office supplies, computers and computer equipment, automotive equipment, and more. The administration of former President Trump imposed a further 240 restrictive measures on Cuba, which the administration of President Biden has maintained.  In response to the blockade, labour unions and solidarity organizations around the world have joined the Cuban people in calling for an end to the blockade. CoDev and a number of national, provincial, and local unions have already endorsed this motion or will be endorsing this motion in solidarity with the Cuban people.

Around the world, the blockade against Cuba is widely opposed. Last year, for the 29th year in a row, the U.N. General Assembly called on the U.S. to end the blockade. Moreover, in recent years, city councils across North America, including Chicago, Pittsburg, and Minneapolis, have passed resolutions calling for an end to the blockade. The effects of the blockade reach beyond Cuba and the U.S.; people and businesses in Canada have also been adversely impacted. Since 2020, people in Canada have been barred from sending remittances to family and friends in Cuba through Western Union. People in Canada have also been prohibited from using PayPal or GoFundMe for Cuban-related charitable purposes or familial aid. Canadian businesses have even had transactions blocked due to the Cuban origins of their goods. The U.S. has even fined Canadian subsidiaries for conducting regular business with the Embassy of Cuba in Canada.

Members of the Vancouver-based solidarity community is asking for your support in bringing this motion to the Vancouver City Council and having it passed. To find out more, please contact: 

Tim Louis
TimLouis@timlouislaw.com
778-855-3494

 Tamara Hansen 
Tamara_hansen01@yahoo.ca
778-882-5223

VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL DRAFT RESOLUTION AGAINST ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AND BLOCKADE ON CUBA

WHEREAS the United States government has imposed economic sanctions and a blockade amounting to an economic war against Cuba for more than 60 years;

WHEREAS US economic sanctions - the principal obstacle to Cuba’s social and economic development - have cost this small island nation, of 11.3 million people, in excess of $100 billion;

WHEREAS the Government of the United States has pressured and coerced other countries to participate in its regime of economic sanctions and blockade against Cuba;

WHEREAS since 1992, the international community, including Canada, has overwhelmingly rejected United States economic sanctions and blockade against Cuba through 29 consecutive votes in the United Nations General Assembly;

WHEREAS in 2006 the World Wildlife Fund declared Cuba the only sustainable nation based on both ecological footprint and social development indices;

WHEREAS during the global Covid-19 pandemic, the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade of Cuba has sent over 3,700 Cuban medical professionals to 37 different countries to contribute to the fight against the pandemic, tending to over 300,000 patients;

WHEREAS in 2022 Canada and Cuba celebrate 77 years of strong diplomatic, economic, and social ties between our peoples;

WHEREAS over 20 million Canadians have traveled to Cuba over the past 2 decades for cultural, scientific, athletic, and academic exchanges, tourism, and/or to build ties of solidarity with Cuban communities;

WHEREAS Vancouverites are facing challenges when making donations to Cuba and/or sending remittances to Cuban friends and family through financial institutions in Vancouver with U.S. ties;

WHEREAS Cuba is an important partner, not only to Canada, but to so many other nations around the world, and

WHEREAS Canada, and in particular Vancouver, has many critical lessons to learn from each other.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Vancouver:

1. Calls on the Government of the United States to end all economic sanctions and the blockade against Cuba;

2. Calls on the Federal Government of Canada to take immediate steps and actions through the implementation and enforcement of, among others, the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act, to ensure that Vancouver businesses (as well as all Canadian companies and other entities) who do business with Cuba are not punished by this cruel and inhuman blockade on Cuba and are not compelled to participate in United States economic sanctions against Cuba.