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The Canadian embassy in Cuba tweeted its greetings on “January 1st” in an embarrassing effort to acknowledge Cuba’s most significant holiday without naming it. Why? Because that day is a celebration of the Cuban Revolution which Canada worked hard to undermine. (1/13) https://twitter.com/canembcuba/status/1345052402827849729
Even the framing of this anniversary as being about the embassy’s opening in 1945 speaks volumes: Cuba between 1902-1959 was essentially a US colony, and in the 1950s it was ruled by the despised dictator Fulgencio Batista, who enjoyed full North American support. (2)
“January 1st” celebrates the revolution that overthrew Batista in 1959, but Canada worked against that revolution. Indeed, it was precisely from the Embassy that Canada spied on Cuba on behalf of the CIA. Some of these spies remain proud of their work. (3) https://legionmagazine.com/en/2017/10/canadas-man-in-havana/
Canada’s ambassador during the Revolution was Hector Allard, who lived large in the gangster’s paradise of Batista’s Cuba. Even as revolution spread through the country, Allard held a lavish wedding for his daughter in Havana. The Ottawa Journal reported on her splendid gown. (4)
But just seven months later, Batista’s decrepit regime was overthrown. A horrified Allard called Fidel Castro an “infection,” insisted that Canada must “halt this cancerous growth” of revolution. Allard privately assured his govt that Fidel would soon die from drug abuse. (5)
Fidel did not die from drug abuse, nor the attempted Bay of Pigs invasion arranged by the US, nor the dozens of assassination attempts by the CIA using Canadian intel, nor the 1962 Missile Crisis which nearly led to nuclear war - where again Canadian intel was used by the US. (6)
In typical empty Trudeau flourish, the 1970s saw the romantic whirlwind visit of Pierre and Margaret to the island, a performance that irritated Canadian conservatives but carried little political significance. Canada was still running an illegal spy ring from the embassy. (7)
In fact, Cuba knew about the Canadian spies. It had caught and sentenced Canadian Ronald Lippert for smuggling weapons into Cuba for the CIA. And when Canada took a paternalistic hard line with Cuba in the late 70s, Fidel threatened to expose the spies. (8) https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA46C9FYZ67I1GV3JJ7K2Y0CG6K-CANADA-RONALD-LIPPERT-BREAKS-DOWN-IN-HOMECOMING-AFTER-TEN-YEARS/query/Homecoming
Canadian efforts to undermine the Cuban Revolution brought violence to Cubans and even Canadians. Canada collaborated with Miami-based terrorist networks that carried out attacks against Cubans like the bombing of Cubana 455, which killed 72 people. (9) https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/painful-lessons-from-loss-of-cuban-fencing-team-in-1976/2016/12/04/d26cb772-b990-11e6-b994-f45a208f7a73_story.html
These terrorist networks launched several attacks within Canada, from bombs at Expo ‘67 and the Cuban consulate in Toronto to a bazooka blast in Ottawa. Several Cubans and Canadians were killed in these attacks, victims of Canada’s collaboration with right-wing terrorists. (10)
These terrorist networks also carried out attacks in Cuba, like the introduction of Dengue virus by Eduardo Arocena, which afflicted 300,000 ppl. More than 600 attacks left at least 3500 Cubans dead, with cooperation and intel from the Canadian state. (11) http://eduardoarocena.blogspot.com/2008/07/miami-herald-november-10-1984-terrorist.html?m=1
Let’s not forget Canada’s response to one of Cuba’s most important contributions to the world: its mobilization to protect Angola from invasion by Apartheid South Africa. Cuba helped turn the tide in the region at a time when Canada was still an aggressive ally of Apartheid. (12)
Don’t expect any vigorous refutations of any of this from the embassy - they knew what they were doing when they tweeted about “January 1” instead of “Triumph of the Revolution” or “Liberation Day.” Canada’s posture has scarcely changed in those 75 years. (13)
Needless to say, all of this is given fuller detail, citation, and context in Canada in the World (discount pricing available by request to this account). https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/canada-in-the-world
