PSAC welcomes Canada’s vote in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the U.S. embargo against Cuba, a victory for solidarity with Cuban workers and their families.

Ahead of the vote, PSAC sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand urging Canada to back the resolution.

The vote comes as Cubans face worsening shortages of food and medicine, and disruptions to water and electricity. More than six decades of U.S. sanctions, compounded by a new measure cutting off fuel shipments, are making it harder for people to meet their basic needs.

Canada’s support matters 

Canada has voted in favour of the resolution every year since 1992. But its abstention on a related procedural vote in July, and Ottawa’s silence on the issue had raised concerns about whether it will maintain that support. 

Canada’s vote reaffirms its support for ending the embargo. For PSAC, solidarity with Cuban workers means defending their rights and opposing measures that deepen hardship. Economic pressure that limits access to necessities undermines human rights rather than advancing them. 

With the vote complete, PSAC calls on the federal government to:

• Continue supporting Cuba through the ongoing humanitarian crisis. 
• Uphold the Cuban people’s right to dignity and sovereignty.