Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto

"Canadians Take on Trump"

For Immediate Release        10 September, 2020

Baseball season is starting in Cuba, but in his desperate attempt to be re-elected - Trump's actions and the global pandemic have made the purchase of the basic tools of Cuba’s national sport – baseball impossible.

In the past 12 months Donald Trump has openly attacked the people of Cuba. In the midst of a global pandemic he continues to tighten the illegal, immoral US blockade against innocent people. Here are a few examples.

-Shipments of medical supplies have been blocked or cancelled.

-Remittances to family members in Cuba are almost impossible due to threats from US Treasury Dept. Trump has even stopped Western Union from transferring funds to Cuba from Canada (which is illegal under International law to apply US laws to other countries).

-All charter flights between US and Cuba have been stopped.

-Little Havana coffee wagon in Toronto selling Cuban produced coffee lost $14,000 of transfers from Square Canada, a US affiliate.

-Amazon was fined $134,000 for selling to members of the Cuban delegation in Washington.

-After 3 ½ years the GoFundMe account for Cubacan 2020 was closed under threat from the Treasury Department.

Cubacan Bats and the Canadian Network on Cuba (CNC) have joined forces to supply much needed baseball bats to the Cuban Baseball Federation for the National Baseball Series that starts today, September 12

Elizabeth Hill, Co-chair of the Canadian Network on Cuba noted “This is the 60^th Anniversary of the Series and a critical period in the preparation of their players for the 2021 Olympics.”

Over one million Canadians visit Cuba each year. Many of us are repeat visitors and have many friends there. Cubacan 6060 will encourage Canadians to “buy a bat for Cuba”, by going to cubacan.org and follow the instructions.

For more information please contact,

Bill Ryan Cubacan Bats This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 613-284-0254
Elizabeth Hill co-chair, Canadian Network on Cuba    This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 416.654.7105

SHINING THE LIGHT ON CUBA'S
MEDICAL SOLIDARITY
ONLINE WEBINAR for the
"Cuba Fights Covid-19 Around the World" -
Fundraising Campaign

Webinar featuring Speakers & Discussion
SATURDAY MAY 9, 2020
4pm Pacific Time /
6pm Central Time /
7pm Eastern Time

REGISTER ONLINE HERE:
https://tinyurl.com/ycg3frnx

Featuring guest panelists:

HER EXCELLENCY JOSEFINA VIDAL
- Cuban Ambassador to Canada

MP NIKI ASHTON - Member of Parliament
for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, Manitoba

DR. JOHN KIRK -
Cuba Researcher and Professor,
Dalhousie University

DR. ISAAC SANEY -

Co-Chair of Canadian Network on Cuba &
Professor, Dalhousie University

DR. KEITH ELLIS -
Chair of Fundraising Campaign &
Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto

Webinar co-moderated by:
ELIZABETH HILL -
Co-Chair of Canadian Network on Cuba &
President of Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto
TAMARA HANSEN –
Executive Member of Canadian Network on Cuba &
Coordinator of Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba

Cuba is showing the world how to confront the Covid-19 pandemic with international solidarity. As of April 30, 2020 more than 1,450 Cuban doctors, nurses and medical professionals from the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade have been welcomed in 22 countries in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East. Cuba's biotechnology industry has also developed medicines and treatment regimes for Covid-19 which have been used not only in Cuba, but also in China, Spain and other countries.

Cuba's international solidarity is leading the way in the world-wide struggle to confront Covid-19 despite nearly 60 years of a cruel and unjust blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States. This same blockade on Cuba, and its extraterritorial impacts, also prevents medical cooperation between the United States, Canada and Cuba, which would be beneficial to people living in all three countries.

Across Canada the Canadian Network on Cuba is organizing a campaign to raise donations for Cuba’s amazing internationalist efforts. Since launching the campaign on March 30, 2020 we have already raised $31,000. Join in this online Webinar to learn more the importance of the fundraising effort and about how people in Canada can support Cuba, both in their fight against Covid-19 and their struggle to end the cruel U.S. blockade!

To learn more about the Cuba Fights Covid-19 Around the World Fundraising Campaign and how you can donate to support the work of Cuba's international medical missions today visit: http://www.canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/index.php/our-campaigns/support-cuba-to-fight-against-covid-19/838-cnc-fundraising-for-cuba-a-new-stage

Organized by the Canadian Network on Cuba (CNC), a network of Cuba solidarity organizations across Canada promoting friendship and solidarity with Cuba and the Cuban people.
http://www.canadiannetworkoncuba.ca

Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto

P.O.Box 99051- 1245 Dupont Street  Toronto, Ontario    M6H 4H7     Tel: 647.501.1219    Fax: 905-951- 7629 Website: www.ccfatoronto.ca e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Established 1977

April 10, 2019

Open Letter to  Members of Parliament in Toronto, Ontario

Dear Member of Parliament:

This is an exceptional time.  Your government has done several exceptional things in fighting COVID-19 and in attempting to alleviate its financial impact.

However, it is also time to speak out and stand up against the aggressive, immoral sanctions by the United States government.

When the US government stopped the 3M shipment of life saving masks it was a stunning moment for Canadians.  How could this be, in a pandemic, and a time of incredible need!

Perhaps with this you could imagine how the Cuban people feel when a shipload of medical supplies donated by Alibaba Foundation of China was stopped due to the U.S. sanctions.  This is deplorable, particularly when Cuba is suffering from increasing tightening of the US blockade.

This is the blockade that Canada voted against, along with the massive majority of other nations at the UN General Assembly last fall.  Unfortunately, the US government has ignored the United Nations condemnation and appeals to end its decades old blockade against Cuba.  Instead it has tightened the economic, commercial and financial blockade.

During this pandemic, one bright spot has been the selfless, compassionate response of Cuba, sending humanitarian assistance to 15 countries in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.  This at a time when it is  fighting the virus at home, while facing its own limited resources due to the US blockade.

Cuba has developed Interferon Alfa 2B Recombinant (IFNrec) which it is using in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-five countries have requested this medicine from Cuba.  The March 24 Newsweek published an article, "Cuba Uses 'Wonder Drug" to Fight Coronavirus Around the World Despite U.S. sanctions,"

We urge the Canadian government to add this drug to its research into combatting the pandemic.  The virus knows no borders.  Out efforts need to go beyond borders and collaborate with Cuban doctors who have successful experience fighting against Ebola in West Africa.

We urge you to use your voice strongly to oppose the US blockade against Cuba, including its extraterritorial aspects that affect Canadians, and which is contrary to our own laws.

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions.  We look forward to your response.

Yours truly,

Elizabeth Hill, President, Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto

Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto

PO Box 99051 – 1245 Dupont St Toronto, Ontario M6H 4H7
Tel: 647-501-1219 Fax: 905-951-8499

Established 1977 CCFA Toronto
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: www.ccfatoronto.ca
Member of www.CanadianNetworkonCuba.ca (CNC)

March 15, 2020

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,

Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Ontario

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,

The Canadian Cuban Friendship Association Toronto
is writing to bring to your attention an aspect of the
COVID-19 crisis that, because it is given little
importance by our leading news media, may find
its significance undervalued.  This possibility looms
when Cuba is the focus of concern.

We are primarily troubled by the fact that, even in
the face of a UN recognized pandemic, hardly
anything is being done by governments of the
Western world to ease the burden imposed on
the Cuban people. On the contrary, recently
added sanctions and the tightening blockade
(arbitrary and illegal) seem calculated to
make life a living hell for Cubans, its hellish
consequences being abated only by the people's
developed skills of analysis and cooperative work.

We believe that countries which possess a
capacity for humanitarian sensitivity--and
we expect our country Canada to be one
of these--should act urgently on this matter,
now newly exposed, regarding Cuba and other
Third World countries, by prevailing on the U.S.
to cancel its relentlessly stifling measures.  

Such an intervention on Canada's part has
great potential and practical benefits for Canada
and for humanity.  Some of them will be
surprising to many people.  We recently
witnessed how a candidate for nomination
for the presidency of the United States
damaged his candidacy, in a climate primed
to be malicious and ignorant, by mentioning
favourably just one of the many ways in which
the Cuban example would be beneficial to
the United States itself.

Because Cuba made the decision to develop
its biotechnology, creating, for example, its
antiviral Recombinant Interferon Alpha 2B
(INFrec)*, and because the island has normal,
friendly relations with China, the island has
been able to help China quell the ferocious
COVID-19 attack.  China with its abundant
resources is now promptly following the
Cuban internationalist example, by sending
teams of specialized and well-equipped health
workers to curb COVID-19's cruel threat to
life in other countries, such as Iran,
South Korea and Italy.

Countries throughout the world are deriving
benefits from the progress that Cuba has been
able to make in several fields.  We beseech
our government to be assertive in helping
Cuba to free itself of the vicious burdens of
the blockade and sanctions so that it may
better help itself and humanity.

*Please see: https://www.theyucatantimes.com/
2020/02/cuban-medicine-used-in-china-to-
cure-coronavirus/

Looking forward to your response

Elizabeth Hill, President

Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto