Video Message Encourages People to Urge the Canadian Government to Vote “Yes” on a Crucial United Nations Vote to End the Decades-Long U.S. Embargo on Cuba

Video still credit: The United Church of Canada

~ from a post dated October 13, 2026 on The United Church of Canada’s Website

On October 27 and 28, the United Nations General Assembly will vote to end the decades-long U.S. embargo on Cuba. In the above video, Moderator Kimberly Heath urges us to send letters regarding the profound humanitarian crisis facing partners in Cuba to the Prime Minister and other key officials, letting them know that Canadians care, that Cubans cannot wait, and that Canada must act with courage, compassion, and urgency.

The US administration continues to threaten military attacks against Cuba, causing increased stress and harm to the well-being of Cubans. While other leaders across Latin America condemn these threats, Canada has remained silent. This vote is another important opportunity for Canada to take clear and public action to respect the principles of national sovereignty and international norms, and to prevent war against Cuba and help end the full-blown humanitarian crisis. Canada must continue to vote “yes” in favour of ending the U.S. embargo, as it has done consistently for 33 years.

Partners tell us that the Cuban people are living in a profound humanitarian crisis. The U.S. fuel blockade, and the tightening of other U.S. coercive sanctions, has caused an unprecedented scarcity of food, access to potable water, transportation, basic medicines, and needed medical procedures. As a result, Cubans every day face slow and preventable deaths in inhumane conditions, with rural areas hit the hardest.

The country has experienced multiple blackout  that left the totality of its population without power for extended periods of time. Partners are responding through humanitarian relief for the most vulnerable, including children, seniors, and people living with disabilities. Partners provide pastoral support and accompaniment in the face of this asphyxiating blockade.

A group of independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council have urged swift action by the international community and civil society to prevent a “silent Gaza” from unfolding on the island. They stated that “Measures that knowingly deprive a population of the means to survive strike at the most basic guarantees of the rights to life and diminish the core of human dignity.”

Read the entire post here.

Watch the video here.

An Update!

~ from a post dated October 29, 2026 on The United Church of Canada Facebook page

Thank you to everyone who took action by writing to the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to call for Canada to oppose the US embargo against Cuba.

Your advocacy helped make a difference. Canada voted in favour of the annual UN General Assembly motion condemning the embargo, reaffirming its longstanding position after abstaining on a similar vote in June.

We’ve also heard directly from our partners in Cuba, who expressed their thanks for this advocacy. Moderator Kimberly Heath’s video received a strong response online, including circulation in Cuba, and was publicly shared by the Cuban Ambassador to Canada with thanks to the Moderator.

Thank you for raising your voices in solidarity with the people of Cuba! Please continue to advocate with the Canadian government to take concrete action to end the blockade, oppose US military action and provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Cuba.