Canada announced $8 million in accelerated humanitarian aid for Cuba on Wednesday, as the island nation battles rolling blackouts, severe fuel shortages, and growing barriers to access to food and healthcare.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai made the announcement from Parliament Hill. The funding will flow immediately through the World Food Programme and UNICEF to scale up food and nutrition programs for vulnerable Cubans.
“As the people of Cuba face significant hardship, Canada stands in solidarity and is providing targeted assistance to help address urgent needs,” Anand said.
The crisis has intensified since early January 2026, when the Trump administration took effective control of Venezuelan oil exports and cut off shipments to Cuba — the island’s primary fuel source. President Donald Trump also threatened tariffs on any country that continues sending oil to Cuba.
Read: Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening Tariffs on Countries Supplying Oil to Cuba
Because Cuba produces only about 40% of the fuel it needs domestically, the cutoff has sent shockwaves through the country’s energy supply, food distribution, and public health infrastructure.
Sarai described the situation as deteriorating rapidly. “The humanitarian situation in Cuba is becoming quite grave and quite serious,” he said, adding that Canada has a “very trusted relationship with the people of Cuba” and is accelerating the funding to reach those most in need.
The announcement came one day after Cuba’s Ambassador to Canada, Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz, testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urging Canada and other allies to intervene. He called the US blockade a measure that is “suffocating an entire people.”
Read: Cuba’s Energy Lifeline Hinges On A Russian Tanker Heading Into US Blockade Waters
Anand confirmed she has not discussed Canada’s aid intentions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “This is Canadian foreign policy,” she said, though a spokesperson later told reporters that Global Affairs Canada officials have separately spoken with US counterparts about the aid package.
Notably, the government’s official press release makes no mention of US actions as a contributing factor to the crisis, instead attributing the deteriorating conditions to Hurricane Melissa, which struck Cuba in October 2025. Canada provided over $3 million in humanitarian assistance in that hurricane’s aftermath and allocated $8.3 million in broader development funding to Cuba in fiscal year 2024–2025.
The new $8 million is an accelerated disbursement on top of that existing program, Sarai noted, and Ottawa will reassess the scale of support as conditions evolve.
“After that, we’ll be assessing the situation as it needs be and we can adjust our program accordingly,” he said.
Mexico dispatched its second humanitarian food shipment to Cuba this year, a day before Canada’s announcement.
On the same day Ottawa announced its aid package, Washington separately rolled back some sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba, allowing transactions that the White House said would “support the Cuban people.”
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