Canada's Cuba aid highlights differences

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.

"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 Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, 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 US companies from doing business there and restricting travel by US citizens, rules that also applied to US subsidiaries operating in Canada.

He said that former prime minister Lester B. Pearson responded by asserting that companies operating in Canada did so under Canadian law, not US law.

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 last week said in a phone interview with CNN that Cuba is "going to fall pretty soon", adding his administration would focus first on the ongoing conflict 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".

Caution exercised

The episode comes as several US allies have recently exercised 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 from the US to launch attacks from bases on its territory.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez criticized the strikes and rejected "a military intervention that violates international law, is dangerous and lacks justification".

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.

Historically, differences between Canadian and US 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.