The federal cabinet is fast-tracking $8 million in foreign aid to Cuba while declining to ship Canadian fuel to the island, despite acknowledged shortages so severe they are disrupting food distribution and basic services.Blacklock's Reporter says Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand confirmed the funding will be advanced ahead of the April 1 start of the new budget year, describing it as accelerated humanitarian assistance for Cubans facing mounting hardship.“Canada is stepping up as we’ve had a very trusted relationship with the people of Cuba,” Anand told reporters. “We are accelerating $8 million in funding to help go directly to the people most in need.”Last year Canada provided $8.5 million in foreign aid to Cuba, following $6.5 million the previous year. Officials did not clarify how the latest transfer qualifies as accelerated beyond being advanced before the new fiscal year.Pressed repeatedly on why Canada would not send petroleum products to ease crippling fuel shortages, Anand said the government’s priority was humanitarian relief. “It’s important to remember Canada is a country that believes humanitarian assistance is important,” she said, declining to consider emergency oil shipments.When asked directly why Canadian oil was not being dispatched, Anand replied: “We need to focus on the humanitarian situation on the ground.”.The refusal comes even as Global Affairs Canada warns travellers about deteriorating conditions. In a recent advisory, the department urged Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to Cuba, citing chronic and severe shortages of food, bottled water, medicine, fuel and hard currency. The notice warned that fuel availability is unpredictable and may disrupt transportation, including services at tourist resorts.Earlier this week, Cuba’s ambassador to Canada, Rodrigo Diaz, told the House of Commons foreign affairs committee that fuel scarcity is so acute it is undermining the country’s ability to move essential goods.“It affects everything,” Diaz testified, noting Cuba purchases wheat from Canada but is struggling to transport it from ports to warehouses. “Availability of fuel is central to the functioning of an economy.”Diaz described the shortages as “very serious,” saying limited resources are being rationed for critical needs such as water, medical supplies and food.
