Canadians are split over whether Ottawa should send more aid to Cuba, with federal focus groups finding some believe the government should concentrate on helping Canadians struggling with groceries, housing and other living costs.Blacklock's Reporter said the findings were detailed in Privy Council research examining attitudes toward humanitarian assistance as Cuba struggles with shortages of food, fuel, electricity and other necessities.“Groups engaged in discussions regarding what supports if any they felt the Government of Canada should provide to Cuba in response to widespread shortages of fuel, electricity and basic necessities,” said the report.Researchers acknowledged “awareness of this issue was relatively low” among participants.Cabinet issued an advisory Feb. 11 urging Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to Cuba amid deteriorating economic conditions. Canadian aid to the country since February has totalled $13.5 million.The March 31 report, Continuous Qualitative Data Collection Of Canadians’ Views, found some participants sympathized with Cubans struggling to obtain basic necessities.“A few expressed concerns for the citizens of Cuba who they believed were likely facing significant challenges in their daily lives as a result of these shortages,” researchers wrote.When asked how Canada should respond, some participants supported humanitarian assistance.“A number in these groups believed the federal government should take whatever action it could to provide humanitarian support such as food, water and medicine to help Cuba’s citizens,” said the report.Participants were also told Mexico had shipped milk to Cuba. A majority agreed that providing necessities in that manner “would be an effective way” to assist Cubans.Others argued Ottawa should put Canadians first.“A few felt differently and believed that, given the challenge that many Canadians were currently facing when it comes to the cost of living and the affordability of necessities such as groceries and housing, the Government of Canada should primarily be focused on providing assistance to those living in Canada,” researchers wrote..Some questioned whether Canada could afford to provide Cuba with assistance indefinitely.“A few did not believe it was financially feasible for Canada to provide humanitarian support to Cuba over an indefinite time frame and reiterated the view that a greater priority needed to be placed on offering financial assistance to those living in Canada,” said the report.Participants also raised concerns that providing assistance to Cuba could aggravate relations with the United States.Some suggested Canadian aid “could prompt retaliatory measures by the U.S. such as increased tariffs.”Others worried humanitarian assistance “could be financially costly for the Government of Canada especially in the event this situation continued for a prolonged period of time.”Canada spent an estimated $12.5 billion on foreign aid worldwide last year.When focus group participants were asked whether Parliament was spending enough on international aid, opposition to increasing expenditures was nearly unanimous.“Almost all believed the Government of Canada was spending a sufficient amount towards this area with several expressing the opinion that it had been spending too much on international aid in recent years,” said the report.The findings were based on focus groups conducted across Canada.The Privy Council commissioned the research through a $1.6 million contract with Toronto polling firm The Strategic Counsel.
