Canada is sending $8 million in food aid to Cuba, where a U.S. oil blockade has triggered a humanitarian crisis.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and MP Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, said Wednesday the funding is meant to address urgent needs.
The money will be delivered through United Nations agencies instead of the Cuban government.
"The humanitarian situation in Cuba is becoming quite grave," Sarai told reporters Wednesday.
Global Affairs Canada has warned travellers for more than a year of "shortages of basic necessities, including food, medicine and fuel," across most of Cuba.
The island lost its main source of fuel in January when the U.S. took control of Venezuela's oil reserves and Washington has since threatened to impose tariffs on countries sending Cuba fuel.
Anand said she has not discussed "Canadian aid intentions" with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"This is Canadian foreign policy and we are focused, as I've just said, on the humanitarian situation," she said.
Officials in U.S. President Donald Trump's administration have suggested economic pressure could topple the communist regime, but a Canadian official told a parliamentary committee Tuesday that the Cuban government is stable.
Sarai suggested the size of the aid package could be revisited if the humanitarian crisis persists.
"This is going through our trusted partners in the World Food Program as well as UNICEF. We're hoping that it gets to those most in need," he said. "After that, we'll be assessing the situation as it needs be and we can adjust our program accordingly."
Picture Courtesy: AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa
