Ottawa - In a coordinated effort involving staff from the diplomatic Mission in Canada, Cuban residents in Ottawa/Gatineau, and solidarity groups in this capital, the "Hands for Cuba" donation was organized. It will be sent to the country's eastern provinces, which were affected after Hurricane Melissa passed through Cuban territory.
As a result of joint efforts between friends in solidarity with Cuba and Cubans residing in Canada, two containers, one from Montreal and the other from Toronto, will arrive on the Island in the coming days.
The container from Montreal will arrive with furniture to support a project at a pediatric hospital, materials for a research center in Havana, and 230 boxes of medical supplies.
Full text of the remarks delivered by the Ambassador of Cuba to Canada, Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, at the Assembly of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Cuba, which met in the Canadian Parliament on December 3, 2025.
Honorable Senators and Members of Parliament:
It is a true privilege to address you. I would like to express my special gratitude to two friends, the co-chairs, Senator Judy White and Member of Parliament Gabriel St. Marie, for the invitation.
Ottawa, December 3, 2025 – At midday today, the Assembly of the Canada-Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Canadian Parliament, established for the current Legislature, convened.
Between November 18 and December 2, Leima Martínez Freire, North America Director for the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), undertook a working visit to Canada, taking her to the cities of Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver.
In Toronto, the ICAP North America Director participated in and spoke at a symposium held at the University of Toronto, marking the 50th anniversary of Operation Carlota. The event included the participation of intellectuals and friends of Cuba.
Renowned Canadian author and researcher Arnold August, an essential analyst for understanding Cuban reality and its continental impact, has now made one of his most recent works freely accessible. His fourth book on Cuba and Latin America, produced in collaboration with the Fidel Castro Center, is now available for free download in PDF format, democratizing access to a profound and supportive analysis.
The Consulate General of Cuba in Toronto held a tribute to Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, on the ninth anniversary of his physical passing.
Present at the event were members of various solidarity organizations with Cuba: the Canadian Network on Cuba, CCFA-Toronto, Toronto Forum on Cuba, Frente Hugo Chávez, and the Círculo Bolivariano Luis Riel.
Attendees included members of the Communist Party of Canada and the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist).
From November 12 to 17, Cuba's Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, undertook a working visit that took him to the cities of Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.
The Consul General of Cuba in Toronto, Jorge Yanier Castellanos Orta, held meetings with Premier Doug Ford and the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Edith Dumont, marking the end of his mission in Canada and his return to Cuba.
By Marsha Mowers
Cuba’s Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Juan Carlos García Granda, arrived in Toronto Wednesday (November 12) with a clear message for Canadian travel partners: the island is open, ready, and deeply grateful for Canada’s unwavering support.
Speaking to the Canadian travel trade ahead of an industry event for 150 travel advisors and suppliers in Toronto, the Minister provided an update on the country’s swift recovery from Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest storms to impact Cuba in recent years.
