Cuban Consul General Visits London, Ontario

On June 28, representatives of ¡Estamos con Cuba!, People for Peace and LACASA (Latin America – Canada Solidarity Association) had the opportunity to meet with the Consul General for Cuba in Toronto, Victor Manuel Garcia Sanchez, in downtown London restaurant Casa Latina. Garcia Sanchez shared reflections and answered questions regarding the present situation of the Caribbean island nation as it now survives its eighth month amidst an effective oil blockade by the United States of America, under the presidential administration of Donald Trump.

Garcia Sanchez, consul for Cuba in Toronto since October, 2025, was introduced by Western University linguistics professor Jeff Tennant, who highlighted the significance of the event. “It’s been a long time since we’ve received a representative of Cuban diplomacy, around 20 years ago at Western, with the International Office at Western,” he remarked to the audience and highlighted to the consul the goal the attendants and their organizations seek to play in supporting the Cuban people. “As people outside of Cuba, we want to do everything we can to help Cuba.” After a brief summary of the consul’s academic background and diplomatic posts around the world, Consul Garcia Sanchez took to the stage.

What is the Situation?

“My speech today is not political, it’s not as a diplomatic or as a Cuban diplomatic representative,” he explained to the audience, “I am here to share some information about Cuba, to share the energy that we see from our family in Cuba — to bring to you hopes and lights about the Cuban situation.”

Garcia Sanchez spoke at length about the situation in the country. He began by addressing the various pressure tactics and strategies the US Government has implemented since the beginning of the second Trump administration. Primarily in focus was the fuel blockade that began in late January and he indicated that, although Cuba has some fuel production capacity, there are challenges in terms of its processing. “We produce around 50% of the fuel we need to generate the electricity we need for the country. But we need the raw material to fix the industry: components to refine the fuel.”

He explained how this fuel blockade generates a chain reaction for Cuban society and the negative impact this has had on the population. “We have problems to generate electricity at homes, and at the coast,” he explained. “Public transportation is very important because only a few people have private cars, most people move through public transportation. And this is very important for us, as there are many patients who need to go to the hospital every day to receive treatment and they use public transit to go there.”

The consul also explained how the United States has attacked another important source of revenue for Cuba: its successful medical cooperation ties with countries in Latin America. He spoke frankly on the matter: “The US has been successful in this matter, in the sudden disruption of agreements with Cuba. We put that money in our hospitals, if education and healthcare are free, we need new money for equipment, to remodel hospitals. And all these came from the cooperation agreements.”

He spoke of the resilient nature of the Cuban people and how Canadians perceive them. 

“Every time they arrive in Canada,” said the consul, “they know many Cuban families are suffering, but they express things in positive ways and they have confidence [that] the Cuban people have the will to overcome the situation. This has been mentioned as the resilience of the Cuban people. The Cuban people and our government, when we are stuck with a problem, we try to find a solution to it and move forward, talking to our friends abroad.” 

Garcia Sanchez emphasized that, although the situation is dire, the Cuban government has strategies in place to attempt to manage the situation, through efforts to mitigate the fuel shortages with international allies such as Mexico, with Mexican President  Claudia Sheinbaum coordinating the country’s attempts to resume sending fuel to Cuba. He also mentioned recent strategies implemented by the Cuban government as part of its National Economic and Social Development Plan 2030, such as business agreements with China for the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) to transport patients to health centers and solar panels to install in critical areas, such as hospitals and areas that do not have access to the traditional energy grid.

Reaching an Agreement

Garcia Sanchez did not mince words when it came to negotiating with the United States. 

“Every time we sit at the table, they say in the same spirit — ‘We want you [to] change the government, we want you to change the political system’ — and every time we say we cannot negotiate, we cannot get to any agreement if you come and put this condition. We cannot betray our history.” 

He emphasized that the Cuban revolution and resulting governing system has been part of the Cuban way of life, and that the Cuban government wishes for the US to respect its system of governance, as the Cuban government does with the US. “This is the best way the Cuban people deserve to live. We respect your way [of living], you should respect our way [of living] too”. 

And, he explained that although there had been interest in the past about US investment in Cuba during the Obama administration, the Cuban government answers only to its people. “You can be sure that no matter if things outside look very strange or different, regarding what you’re used to seeing in Cuba, what matters is that the Cuban people have the last word at every decision. Any important decision the government has taken since 1959 to now has the support and [backing] of the people.”

According to Garcia Sanchez, although Cuba is prepared to chart its own future without the United States, the importance of Canada, both as a historical ally of Cuba and as a player on the global stage, is fundamental for that. “Canada and Cuba have had a relationship for 81 years without interruption. We have [had] very difficult moments. This moment is also difficult in our relationship in the world … but we can try and find the common points to move forward and to cooperate, as we’ve done until now. In those 81 years, the connection between the Cuban and Canadian citizens has grown very deep, a profound connection that needs to be protected and preserved. This is our responsibility and duty and we have the opportunity to do that.”

He stressed that, although the decision of war is entirely on the hands of the United States government, that Canadians, united, can make a difference. “Maybe not today, tomorrow or next week; but step by step, I think we can provide this campaign [the Cuban solidarity movement in Canada] all the effort together and become an international campaign. If you [grow] this campaign on the national level, it’s more difficult to look to the other side. Keep and maintain the fight against the blockade, because it is the main cause of the problems of Cuba. Everywhere you can see the impact of the blockade.”

The consul closed his remarks by indicating that this is a historical moment that requires [us] to think things in different terms and he expressed his hope on this moment in time. “I hope that we [Cubans] do not reach a war. It’s a threat, every day. Our people have been prepared for many years. But, even if we go into war, we can be sure that we’re fighting, that we will stand up every day and I know that the Canadian people will never abandon us.”

The Canadian Perspective

After applause subsided, the floor was opened for questions and comments. The first participant asked the consul what his view on the role of Prime Minister Mark Carney, especially after his much-lauded Davos speech and his relationship with President Trump. Consul Garcia Sanchez answered by saying “We want to continue our good relationship with the Canadian government and we cannot do that if we go to a war. We cannot do that if we don’t have fuel, we cannot do that if we have shortage of food, of medicine. We need to change our reality and, for that, we need the support of our friends.”

Other comments made by attendants served to vent their frustrations at the perceived lack of action from Canadian politicians. 

“I talk to politicians,” expressed one of the attendants, “and when you ask them why the government doesn’t take a position on Palestine, it’s so obvious, it is so necessary to take a stand. And some people have the gall to tell me “It is not a big issue in this riding”. 

This sentiment was seconded by another participant, who expressed their dissatisfaction, while expressing that it falls into the people to make a stand.  “Our politicians do what the lobbyists tell them to do. There’s no interest in helping Cuba or wherever. Our politicians have no interest and that’s where we have to make a difference. We donate to our family in Cuba, we help them build houses, feed them, give medications, bandages, give whatever we can to children’s hospitals; we help them what we can.”

Yet another attendant who stood to give her comment focused on the decision of Canadian airlines to suspend flights to Cuba. “Companies like Air Canada or Air Transat said no more flights, I don’t think they know they’re affecting the situation. Many Canadians, many Cubans and other people are looking for ways to go to Cuba, because they’re in solidarity with the country. This is humanity, and the only people who [don’t] think about this in that way are politicians, because they’re thinking of themselves and corporations around the world.”

A Cuban-Canadian spectator stood and thanked the people present, on behalf of her people, for the support provided to her country and spoke on the role of social media in the perception of the situation. 

“Right now, we also have a social media war, [it] is a cyber-attack. Because this is the way they start attacking, or trying to create a crisis to make people believe our government is a dictatorship or doing things against the people and once they make the scenario people believe and you can see the attack in all the tourist groups, in groups of Cuban residents in Canada and all the groups”, she expressed to the audience.

She closed her participation by bringing to focus the devastating impact these cyber-attacks carry. “We see these groups of bots, but a group of people, mainly from Miami who have the goal to destroy the prestige of the Cuban people. The toxicity and poison that’s eating the minds and hearts of the people because it’s just bringing hate; and they’re doing a psychological war to pull us apart, on top of what’s going on with the cancellations of flights.”

For more information about ongoing Cuba solidarity efforts in the London area, contact the Latin American-Canadian Solidarity Association at lacasa.london@yahoo.ca, or Not Just Tourists London at london@njt.net.