Foreign Affairs Committee on Feb. 24th, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

You have one minute and 10 seconds.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

I would like a quick answer from a witness. What is the Canadian government currently considering in terms of humanitarian assistance options for the Cuban people?

[Mark Richardson]

We're talking with stakeholders on the ground and with our humanitarian partners, who are assessing the needs of the Cuban people. This is helping us to prepare our plans so that we can announce them and provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Cuba. Unfortunately, I don't have any details to share at this time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

You have 20 more seconds.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Thank you for your responses.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you very much, MP Guilbeault.

Mr. Brunelle‑Duceppe, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would like to thank the witnesses for joining us.

Mr. Richardson, since I'm curious, I'll refer to the last answer that you gave my colleague. You said that you were still establishing the needs of the Cuban people with your partners on the ground. We know that Ms. Sheinbaum and Mexico have already sent almost 800 tons of humanitarian assistance.

In your opinion, why is it that Mexico assessed Cuba's needs a few weeks ago, but Canada is still assessing the needs of the Cuban people? Other countries have also already sent assistance.

[Mark Richardson]

I can't talk about what the Mexican government is doing. However, I can tell you that we're talking with our partners on the ground about the current needs in order to address the crisis unfolding at this time.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

This doesn't explain why we're lagging behind Mexico. You can't explain that.

[Mark Richardson]

I can't comment on what Mexico is doing.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I would like you to talk about what Canada is doing. Why are we so far behind Mexico, which has already been analyzing the needs of the people for a number of weeks and has already sent assistance? The question is quite simple.

[Mark Richardson]

Our humanitarian partners are still studying and developing a plan to convey the current needs of the Cuban people.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

So you don't deal with the same humanitarian partners as Mexico. Is that right?

[Mark Richardson]

I don't know who Mexico has been talking to. On our end, we're working with United Nations agencies and partners such as the World Food Programme. We're waiting for their plan and we're waiting to find out the needs of the Cuban people.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Ms. Carney spoke about the current major shortage of fuel to run, for example, the power plants that then send electricity to hospitals.

Could Canada send oil to keep these plants running given that it's of the world's largest oil exporters? We have this resource.

[Mark Richardson]

I gather that the government has no way of sending oil to another country. Usually, we give money and support humanitarian partners, who can buy the necessary products. This helps us ensure that the humanitarian assistance reaches the people who need it.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Do we have any idea how bad the situation is getting, particularly for certain vulnerable groups such as seniors, children and people with disabilities? Do you have any information to share with us?

[Mark Richardson]

The information that I've received so far doesn't mention the most vulnerable people. However, we do know that the most vulnerable people in Cuba have specific needs.

I'll give the floor to my colleague, Ms. Carney, who can provide a better answer.

[Tara Carney]

In any crisis where you see such a deterioration, the groups that were just mentioned will in fact always be amongst the most vulnerable. We are also looking at, in this particular context, those impacted by hurricane Melissa, as they had an acute vulnerability to begin with. The populations we are looking at specifically will likely be from within that group, as well as the listing of those who are traditionally the most vulnerable people in any population—women and girls, the disabled, the elderly and those who don't have easy access or mobility.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Is Canada involved in diplomatic efforts with the current regime to deliver humanitarian assistance?

[Mark Richardson]

Do you want to talk about efforts made with the Cuban government?

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Have you had any discussions with the Cuban government or certain organizations in order to be able to deliver this assistance?

[Mark Richardson]

Yes, of course. We've been having conversations with the Cuban government, but not about giving it direct funding for humanitarian assistance. We support the Cuban people through our humanitarian partners, such as the United Nations agencies. We aren't working directly with the Cuban government.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Do you feel any pressure from our neighbours south of the border regarding the delivery of humanitarian assistance, or even the possibility of exporting oil to Cuba through various organizations?

[Mark Richardson]

The Americans themselves have provided funding and humanitarian support to Cuba in recent months. They provided around six million American dollars to the Cuban people through their partners in the Catholic Church.