Mr. Speaker, in a quiet move late in March Fidel Castro banned to his own citizens the sale of personal computers, printers, photocopiers and the necessary supplies. Cuban retailers are now only allowed to sell these goods to Castro's government. Cubans could have computers and Internet access if their government allows them.
Free speech and communication with the broader world are not something that the repressive Castro regime wants its citizens to have. Castro knows that the more people hear about freedom the more they will want it. Thousands of Canadian tourists flock to Cuba annually and our businesses seek out opportunities inside that dictatorship.
Canada led the way in the fight against apartheid in a nation thousands of miles away on a distant continent, but for too long we have led in the wrong direction when it comes to Cuba.
Why does our government hypocritically pick and choose which oppressed peoples we will stick up for and which we will not? Canada needs to do more to speak out against the violations of the freedoms of the people of Cuba.