Stephen Harper's Cuba Policy: From Autonomy to Americanization?

Fifteen years ago, and at a time when revolutionary Cuba was undergoing significant change, one of the authors published an article, "In Search of a Canadian Policy towards Cuba," which lamented die lack of a clearly defined Canadian approach to Cuba (Kirk, 1994). "Inconsistent," "unclear," and "passive" were adjectives employed, as the article criticized die Mulroney government's deference to Washington in its Latin American policy, and called on the incoming Chrétien government to take the initiative and develop a more proactive approach to Havana. The Conservative government of Stephen Harper, in power since early 2006, has taken a relatively strong interest in Latin America, but has pursued a Cuba policy that is in many ways a failure. No longer is die approach to Cuba inconsistent, unclear, and passive, tiiough: sadly, it projects a vision that steadfastly supports the (failed) foreign policy goals of die Bush administration, white - we believe - ignoring the best interests of Canada. It is also worth remembering that this largely US-infused policy toward Cuba is being conducted during a period of rapid change in a post-Fidel Castro era, and at a time when the new Obama administration has indicated that it will make significant changes in its Cuba policy. (Indeed, in die first day in office it announced that it will close the Guantánamo detention centre. By contrast, the Harper government, despite mere being a Canadian citizen detained - and, arguably, tortured - there, has not issued any public criticism since taking power). With the re-election of the Harper minority government, it is instructive to indicate die errors of his first term in office, and to open die debate on what would constitute a more constructive Cuba policy.

At a superficial level, the bilateral relationship appears to be doing extremely well. Annual bilateral trade has surpassed die $1 billion in recent years; Canada's Sherritt International is the country's principal foreign investor; there are now over two dozen agreements between Canadian and Cuban universities; in 2007 Canada was Cuba's tiiird largest trading partner (after Venezuela and China); and every year over 700,000 Canadians travel to Cuba in search of sun and sand. As a clear symbol of respect for Canada, annually over two million Cubans (out of a population of 1 1.2 million) participate in the Terry Fox run - the greatest number of any country outside Canada. In May 2007, on a visit to Havana, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Leonard Edwards (the highest ranking Canadian official to visit Cuba in recent years) waxed eloquent about both countries being "capable of maintaining a strong relationship characterized by good commercial relations and mutual respect" (Allard, 2007). While all of this is true, in many ways this whirlwind of bilateral exchange and activity occurs despite any major init...

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