Canada's Cuba aid highlights long-standing policy differences with US, historian says

Canada's decision to provide food aid to Cuba despite Washington's stance reflects a long-standing pattern of policy differences between Ottawa and Washington, a Canadian historian said.

Canada pledged 8 million Canadian dollars ($6.7 million) in food aid to Cuba late last month, becoming the latest country in the region to offer assistance as the island faces deepening economic hardship.

"As the people of Cuba face significant hardship, Canada stands in solidarity and is providing targeted assistance to help address urgent needs," Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said in a statement.

"Canada has not been in alignment with the United States on Cuba since the 1960s," said Ronald Stagg, a history professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, pointing to several historical episodes when Ottawa chose a different path.

During the failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by exiles based in the United States, Canada "basically remained neutral," he told China Daily.

A year later, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Washington asked Ottawa to take part in the blockade of Cuba, but then–Prime Minister John Diefenbaker "refused," Stagg said.

Stagg said the United States later moved to isolate Cuba by banning American companies from doing business there and restricting travel by US citizens, rules that also applied to US subsidiaries operating in Canada.

He added that Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson responded by asserting that companies operating in Canada did so under Canadian law, not American.

Despite periodic fluctuations, Stagg said Canada has largely maintained a distinct approach toward Cuba over the decades.

Washington, however, has continued to take a harder line.

US President Donald Trump Friday said in a phone interview with CNN that Cuba is "going to fall pretty soon," adding that his administration would focus first on the ongoing war with Iran.

"While Canadian relations with Cuba have had their ups and downs ever since," Stagg said Canada's policy has generally "featured either benign neglect, or active support."

The episode comes as several US allies have recently shown caution in aligning with Washington on other international issues.

Following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, a number of European governments responded carefully to questions about participation. Spain rejected requests for US forces to launch attacks from bases on its territory, and several US aircraft departed Spanish bases earlier this week.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized the military action, writing on social media that it is possible to oppose "a reprehensible regime" while also rejecting "a military intervention that violates international law, is dangerous and lacks justification."

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said military operations against Iran were neither covered by Spain's agreement with the United States nor consistent with the United Nations Charter.

Britain initially declined to allow US forces to use certain bases, later offering limited support while emphasizing it would not participate in offensive operations. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer said his government does not believe "regime change can be achieved through airstrikes."

France has increased its military presence in the Middle East after Iran launched attacks on a French base in the United Arab Emirates, while Germany said it would take "defensive measures" if its troops came under attack.

Canada's government has also signaled a cautious stance. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney initially expressed support for the strikes but later said he regretted the escalation.

"We take this position with regret, because the current conflict is another example of the failure of the international order," Carney said Tuesday.

"We implore all parties, including the United States and Israel, to respect the rules of international engagement," Carney said.

Historically, differences between Canadian and American foreign policy are not new, Stagg said.

"Canadian foreign policy has always differed from American policy in certain aspects," he said, noting that Ottawa has historically maintained closer ties with Britain and Europe.

"However, Canada rarely has stressed these differences in the public realm," Stagg said.

That could be changing.

"It may well be that, given the rupture in relations with the United States, it may begin to stress its differences," he said.