Canada announced on Monday, 23 February, that it is working on an aid package for Cuba. This is due to Cuba presently facing energy outages and severe fuel shortages caused by the recent U.S. oil embargo.
Foreign Minister Anita Anand stopped short of sharing any further details beyond that.
Anand said that Canada was preparing a plan to assist. She added that at this stage, we are not prepared to provide any details of the announcement.
Cuba is currently experiencing an increasingly dire energy crisis. This was heightened recently after Cuba was deprived of sourcing from its main crude oil supplier, Venezuela. The U.S.’s recent attack in early January ’26 on the South American country Venezuela, with the arrest of its then-president Nicolas Maduro. Soon after the U.S. attack on Venezuela, neighboring major oil supplier Mexico also suspended oil supplies to Venezuela, bowing to U.S. pressure.
Meanwhile, Air Canada, among many other airlines, has been compelled to cancel flight operations to the Caribbean island of Cuba due to the shortage of aviation fuel prevalent there.
Cuba’s economy is vastly dependent on Canadian tourism. A governmental office, Global Affairs Canada, has shared that Canada is Cuba’s second-largest source of direct investment on the island. This is particularly so in both the mining and tourism sectors.
Canada intends to join Mexico in providing aid to Cuba.
Earlier this month, 2 Mexican Navy vessels laden with humanitarian aid docked in Cuba. This was 2 weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba. This deepened an already severe economic and energy crisis in the Caribbean nation. The Mexican ships brought about 800 tons of goods, besides another 1,500 tons of powdered milk and beans.
Cuba has been experiencing an economic crisis for the past six years, starting in 2020. The intensified U.S. sanctions, aimed at forcing a change in the island’s political model, have compounded the crisis. Early this year, these pressures led to critical shortages and severe energy outages.
Cuba produces only 40% of its required fuel needs. As such, it remains highly vulnerable to external embargos. Strong allies like Russia and China have condemned the U.S. measures, although their support has so far been largely symbolic.
