Canadian flights to Cuba have now been stopped indefinitely, deepening the disruption for travellers who had hoped to return to the island. The flights had already been grounded since February and were scheduled to restart in the fall, but that plan is now on hold. Air Transat has pointed to the current geopolitical situation in Cuba as the reason.
The decision comes as Cuba struggles through a worsening crisis. The country is grappling with fuel shortages and long electricity outages, and Visa and Mastercard purchases are no longer possible there. The situation grew more difficult as of June 6, when the United States tightened its embargo with additional sanctions.
For many in Canada, the developments are deeply personal. A meeting of activists from across the country, planned well before the latest news, brought together people calling on the Canadian government to help. Among them was Julio Fonseca, who worries about his elderly sister in Havana.
Fonseca described a painful phone call. His sister, he said, was at the brink of tears, telling him she had been home for two days without electricity, without gas, without anything. Groups like his have sent humanitarian aid before, but they say shipping options have become more complicated.
The activists framed the issue in stark terms. They argued that it is wrong to try to punish an entire population, saying the measures do not affect the government but instead fall on ordinary Cubans. The U.S. president, for his part, has said he is targeting the Cuban government, describing the country as starving and without energy, oil or money.
A former Canadian ambassador to Cuba offered a sharp assessment. He said the U.S. embargo used to be more targeted, but that what is happening now amounts to lobbing cluster bombs into the Cuban economy to try to blow it apart. He does not expect Ottawa to step in, especially with trade negotiations underway and a long list of irritants already straining relations with Washington.
For Canadians who still wish to travel, the path is now narrower. Some are reaching Cuba through a third country, even as the federal government advises against all non-essential travel. Those who do go are being told to rely on cash or a local prepaid card, given the freeze on credit card use on the island.