- Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto

July/Aug 2015
Bi-monthly newsletter of the Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto
JOIN US FOR THESE EVENTS
Website in Support of Cuba at
PanAm Games in Toronto
A new website has been launched, Cuba Pan Am 2015,
to provide you with the latest news and information in
English, French and Spanish about Cuban sport and the
country’s participation at the 2015 Pan American Games
in Toronto. There is also Cuban entertainment
scheduled during the games.
Toronto2015.org/panamania
First announced by the Cuban Ambassador to Canada,
Julio Garmendia Peña on May 30, the website, Facebook
and Twitter pages launched in June with updates about
the Cuban team and what to expect at the games, taking
place July 9 to 27 in Toronto and other Ontario venues.
We also encourage you to view the Stars of Cuban Sport
gallery located on the site, featuring the Pan Am 2015
song composed by well-known musician Cuban César
"Pupy" Pedroso. Subscribe to the blog, follow and like
the Twitter and Facebook pages for all the latest updates,
and share the page with your friends.
All out to show support for over 400 Cuban
athletes at the Pan Am Games!
If you have a Cuban flag, bring it with you to
wave encouragement.
Your ticket to an event can also provide free
transportation to the event – Check it out!
Baseball: Cuba vs USA on July 12 includes
transportation to Ajax using your ticket.
Vol. 36.4
Toronto-Cuba Friendship Day
Celebrate 70 years of Canada-Cuba Diplomatic Relations
Saturday, 29 August, 2015 - 7 pm
Pablo Terry and
Sol de Cuba Band
Toronto Steelworkers Hall
25 Cecil Street
nd
(2 blk east of Spadina, 1 blk south
of College St) Please note time and new location
(Toronto City Hall’s Nathan Phillips Square is unavailable
this year due to Pan Am Games)
*** Free Admission ***
Salsa Lessons | Display Tables
Cash Bar| Cuban Dinner $10.
Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto and
Juan Gualberto Gómez Asociación de Cubanos en Toronto
Latin American & Caribbean Solidarity Network
Annual BBQ
Saturday, July 4th noon to night High Park area#26
Plate $12(veg option) Games / DJ No-Capitalista salsa music
More info/map: 416.999.1762 [email protected]
Sunday, July 26th Cuba’s Rebellion Day
2pm to 6pm A Political and Cultural Event
Dedicated to the Cuban Health and Education Workers saving lives
worldwide & helping over 8 million people to read and write.
Special Guest Speaker: Prof. Keith Ellis
Live Music by Ernesto Espinoza, Food
Steelworkers Hall 25 Cecil St
www.TorontoForumOnCuba.com
http://cubapanam2015.ca
CONTENTS:
Twitter: @cubapanam2015
Facebook: Cuba Pan Am 2015
Give a Gift of CCFA Membership: Be an
ambassador of friendship with Cuba by giving a gift of CCFA
membership. Your gift membership is a wonderful way to
celebrate a friend or loved one and at the same time to foster
meaningful and sustainable solidarity with the people of Cuba.
2 23rd Canadian “Che” Volunteer Brigade to Cuba
3 Did You Know? ¿Sabía Usted?
4 Cuba Shows Black Lives Matter /
US Allocates ‘Democracy Funds’? for Cuba
5 Return Guantánamo to Cuba
6 7th Convention of Canadian Network on Cuba /
Serious Drought in Cuba
7 Cuba Now Can Export Cancer Vaccine to US /
Cuban Health Tourism Expands / 3rd Pill Plant
8 Report on CCFA Toronto’s AGM
INSERT page 9 August 29th Flyer
Amistad
July/Aug 2015
page 2
Canada’s 23rd Ernesto Ché Guevara
Brigade 2015
spoke as representatives of the Canadian solidarity
movement with Cuba.
Excerpts from a report by Alvand Mohtashami, Che Guevara
Volunteer Work Brigade Coordinator
The third aspect was the visit to the Playa Giron museum,
where the brigade learned about the history of the USsponsored invasion in 1961 and the fight to repel the
counter-revolutionaries. A visit to a nearby primary
school and cultural community centre was very much
enjoyed by the brigade.
This year’s 23rd Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade to
Cuba — from April 27th to May 9th, 2015 — was a great
success. The 37 brigadistas came from 4 different
provinces - British Columbia 18, Manitoba 8, Nova
Scotia 2, and Ontario 9. The brigadistas’ ages ranged
from 20 to 80 years, with an average age of 48 — 14
were under the age of 30. Twenty-six had visited Cuba
previously, and 15 had participated on a past brigade.
The brigade stayed at the ANAP camp in Guira de
Melena municipality, Artemisa province, for the first
seven nights. ANAP is the National Association of Small
Farmers in Cuba and their camp is similar to the CIJAM
camp, with dorms, lecture halls, a cafeteria, and a
bar/social space. The brigade was housed here because
the CIJAM camp was overbooked. All enjoyed the stay
at ANAP (an additional 15 minutes further from
Havana). While the CIJAM camp is preferred, staying at
ANAP provides satisfactory accommodations.
The brigade continued to Matanzas province, where it
stayed at Hotel Mar Del Sur in Varadero. The five-night
stay was very pleasant and provided a good departure
point for all activities in the province. The provincial
ICAP body in Matanzas City welcomed us with a wreath
laying ceremony at the José Martí statue in Plaza de la
Liberdad. As in past brigades, there was a focus on
educational visits and solidarity-building activities. These
were emphasized through tours to local institutions such
as schools, hospitals, work places, neighbourhoods, and
historical sites.
There were three important aspects of this brigade that
stood out from past years:
The first was the popular, massive May Day march to
celebrate International Workers’ Day, at which the
brigade witnessed the Cuban people parade through
Revolution Square in Havana in support of building their
socialist project. Joining Cuban President Raul Castro to
observe the march was Venezuelan President Nicolas
Maduro, thus displaying a strong show of solidarity
between the two Latin American countries in their
struggle against imperialism. The Cuban Five were also
present.
The second important aspect was the return of all the
Cuban 5, highlighted by their participation in the
International Meeting in Solidarity with Cuba on May
2nd, where brigadistas heard a solidarity speech from
Cuban 5 hero Gerardo Hernández, along with a plan-ofaction speech by ICAP President Kenia Serrano Puig.
Two brigadistas, Elizabeth Hill and Tamara Hansen
The volunteer work took place at the ANAP camp and at
a private co-operative farm nearby. This consisted of
three mornings during which the brigade engaged in light
farm labour for about three hours before lunch. One
workday was rained out, so the brigade spent more time
meeting with a visiting Cuban doctor, Luis Enrique, a
member of the Henry Reeve Medical/Disaster Brigade
and who had served in Liberia fighting Ebola.
The brigadistas, ICAP, and the Canadian coordinator
Alvand Mohtashami favourably viewed the change to the
brigade length to two weeks, from the previous standard
of three weeks. The possibility of having an extra week
in future years, for those who want to participate for
longer, can be explored. However, the current program
was quite strong even with the reduction in length.
Further reflection on how the shorter brigade met its
purpose – to attract more students and workers - needs to
be evaluated in light of the level of promotion carried
out, and brigade size goals.
One new aspect of this year's brigade was the combining
of other smaller brigades with ours. With the move to the
ANAP camp, ICAP decided to join with other brigadistas
into our Che Guevara program. About 20 brigadistas
from Peru, 4-6 from Costa Rica, 3 from Colombia, 2
from Chile, 1 from each of Austria, Japan, and New
Zealand all joined our brigade to give it an international
feel. This allowed brigadistas to connect personally and
politically with people and Cuba solidarity organizations
from around the world. Alvand recommends considering
combining some brigades if it works in favour of ICAP's
plans, as there were no negative impacts this time, such
as a lack of brigade unity or disorganization.
More coordination needs to be done with CNC member
groups, including incorporating brigade promotion into
already-existing event plans, organizing brigade-specific
events and fundraising initiatives. Reaching out to key
interest groups such as solidarity and activist groups,
trade unions, community associations, co-operatives,
Latin American cultural/social/political groups, student
unions and specific courses/programs, professors, and
environmental/organic farming organizations will
increase the brigade’s visibility. Connecting to all
provinces, along with Indigenous communities and
networks, can promote the brigade and build our
solidarity work.
For more information:
www.canadiannetworkoncuba.ca
Amistad
July/Aug 2015
page 3
Did You Know? ¿Sabia usted?
By: Mara Glebovs, CCFA Toronto
Did you know that many Cuban men who live in rural
areas of Cuba are expert horsemen? To hone their
horseman-ship skills, some Cuban men engage in “horse
competitions” such as the game of “cinta” which is also
practiced in many South American countries.
I first had the pleasure of witnessing this competition on
the beach between the Marea del Portillo and the
Farallon del Caribe resorts. One afternoon, at about 3:00,
approximately ten men on horseback arrived at the beach
bar, just below the Farallon del Caribe Hotel. This was a
competition staged especially for the “Canadian
tourists”. The men split up into two teams, one called
itself the “El salto” team and the other the “Marea” team.
They then set up two long vertical poles in the sand
about 10-12 feet apart. At a height of about five-and-ahalf feet, they fixed a narrow horizontal pole between
the two vertical ones. Then, they hung a ring, barely
bigger than a wedding band from the horizontal pole.
The goal of the competition was for each horseman, at
full gallop, to try to hook the ring onto a stick no bigger
than a chopstick and remove it from the horizontal pole.
Before each horseman took his turn, he carefully trotted
up to the horizontal pole and got a feeling as to the
position and placement of the ring, even practicing the
motion of spearing the ring onto his stick. Then, he
trotted a few hundred metres away and spurred his horse
at full gallop towards the poles, arm held out to spear the
ring onto his stick. Thus, each horseman took his turn.
When one succeeded in hooking the ring, tourists and
horsemen broke out into loud cheering.
When all of the horsemen had taken their turn, they
conducted simple horse races on the beach. The sight
throughout the event was spectacular: in the far distance
were the smoky Sierra Maestra Mountains and cloudless
sky, in the mid-range was the blue Caribbean Sea, and in
the foreground was the sandy beach and the masterful,
brave horsemen! After the competition, a bottle of rum
was passed around and we all took swigs.
Although this event took place for the benefit of tourists,
I discovered just last year (2014), that the local
horsemen engage in “cinta” competitions regularly
amongst themselves, just for fun, practice, and
entertainment.
After visiting some friends at the foot of the Sierra
Maestra Mountains, I was trudging back to the hotel one
hot Saturday
afternoon. As I
approached a
curve in the
footpath, a man
suddenly ran out
from the brush
towards me and
gestured that I
should step off the
path immediately.
Without
hesitation, I did as
directed and a few
seconds later, a
man on a
magnificent horse
came galloping
along the path at
top speed.
“What’s going on?” I wondered. The horseman then
slowed down, turned around and went back in the
direction he had come. I returned to the path and plodded
onward. A few hundred feet down the path, I had my
answer.
Finishing their work that Saturday afternoon, some local
horsemen had set up a “cinta” practice run on the path
and were having an exhilarating competition. A small
shelter of palm fronds had been set up to protect the
spectators from the sun. I recognized some of the locals
who were my friends and acquaintances.
I squeezed under the shelter and joined the spectators,
happy that this sport was not just for the benefit of
tourists but was a well-loved local past-time!
Amistad
July/Aug 2015
Cuba Shows Black Lives Matter
By Cheryl LaBash, April 8, 2015, Workers World
On March 31 in Washington, D.C., the U.S. and Cuba
held the first meeting on the topic of human rights. Cuba
proposed this sub-discussion of the ongoing talks aimed
at normalizing diplomatic relations and opening
embassies that was launched on December 17 by
presidents Raúl Castro and Barack Obama.
The Cuban News Agency reported: “The representatives
of the island expressed their country’s concerns regarding
human rights in the United States.
“We expressed our concerns regarding discrimination
and racism patterns in U.S. society, the worsening of
police brutality, torture acts and extrajudicial executions
in the fight on terror and the legal limbo of prisoners at
the U.S. prison camp in Guantánamo,” said the head of
the Cuban delegation to the talks, Pedro Luis Pedroso.
The island’s delegation also put forth its concern about
the limitation of labor rights and union liberties.”
This principled position is in line with Cuba’s historical
diplomacy from the earliest days of the Revolution. In
1960, the U.S. government’s and New York hotel
owners’ harassment of the Cuban U.N. delegation ended
up sending them to Harlem’s Hotel Theresa. There, the
Black community and leaders like Malcolm X warmly
embraced the Cubans.
The September 27, 1960, New York Times summarized
Fidel Castro’s General Assembly speech. It ends this
way: “In one word, we are in favor of all the noble
aspirations of all peoples. That is our position. There we
stand. We are on the side of the just.”
“In consequence, the General Assembly of the Cuban
people proclaims to America and proclaims it here to the
world the right of the peasants to own their land, the right
of the worker to the fruit of his labor, the right of children
to education, the right of the sick to be given medical
assistance and hospitalization, the right of youth to work,
the right of students to receive free scientific and
experimental training and education, the right of the
Black and the Indian to full dignity of mankind, the right
of women to full civil, social and political equality, the
right of the old to a secure old age, the right of
intellectual artists and scientists to fight with the fruit of
their labors for a better world.”
“[We proclaim] the right of states to nationalize
imperialist monopolies, thus rescuing the national
resources and wealth, the right of countries to trade freely
with all people of the world, the right of nations to their
full sovereignty, and the right of people to turn their
military fortresses into schools and to arm their workers,
because in this, we, too, have to be arms conscious, to
page 4
arm our workers to defend ourselves from imperialist
attack and arm our workers, our peasants, our students,
our intellectuals, the Blacks, the Indians, women, youth
and the old and all the oppressed and exploited so that
they themselves can defend their rights and their fate.”
“Some wanted to know the line followed by the
revolutionary government of Cuba. There, gentlemen,
you have our line.”
US Allocates ‘Democracy Funds’
for Cuba
By Telesur Global Research, June 15, 2015
The US Committee on
Appropriations approved on
Friday US$30 million [of
taxpayer’s money] for
“programs to promote
democracy and strengthen civil
society in Cuba, of which not
less than US$8,000,000 shall be for NED,” as quoted
from the committee report. If the project for 2016
funding is approved by congress, it will be in addition to
US$20 million already assigned for this year.
The NED is the National Endowment for Democracy, a
fund used by the U.S. to undermine left-wing and
socialist governments and support opposition groups by
supposedly promoting “democracy.”
“The Committee directs that funds shall only be used for
programs and activities pursuant to section 109(a) of
the Cuban Liberty and Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of
1996 and section 1705 of the Cuban Democracy Act
(CDA) of 1992, and shall not be used for business
promotion, economic reform, entrepreneurship or any
other assistance that is not democracy-building,” the
report states. The committee also stipulated that any
locally awarded grants of over US$1 million should be to
groups in Cuba that have “experience promoting
democracy” there.
The measure comes as the U.S. said last year that it
wanted to normalize relations with Cuba, and the two
countries have since held a number of talks. Last month
the U.S. removed Cuba from its list of so-called terrorist
countries, but it has not yet put an end to its decades-long
economic blockade on the island.
Further, yesterday the Appropriations Committee also did
not approve funding for opening a U.S. embassy in Cuba.
[Ed. Note: How would the U.S. react if another country
allocated funds for democracy in the US? After all, we
know for certain that the U.S. is operating as an
oligarchy.]
Amistad
July/Aug 2015
Return Guantánamo to Cuba
By Amy Goodman & Denis Moynihan, Democracy Now!
This week marks the 13th anniversary of the arrival of
the first post-9/11 prisoners to Guantánamo Bay, the
most notorious prison on the planet. This grim
anniversary, and the beginning of normalization of
diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba,
serves as a reminder that we need to permanently close
the prison and return the land to its rightful owners, the
Cuban people. It is time to put an end to this dark chapter
of United States history.
“The detention facilities at Guantánamo for individuals
covered by this order shall be closed as soon as
practicable,” President Barack Obama wrote nearly six
years ago, in one of his first executive orders, on Jan. 22,
2009. Despite this, the prison remains open, with 127
prisoners left there after Kazakhstan accepted five who
were released on Dec. 30. There have been 779 prisoners
known to have been held at the base since 2002, many
for more than 10 years without charge or trial. Thanks to
WikiLeaks and its alleged source, Chelsea Manning, we
know most of their names.
Col. Morris Davis was the chief prosecutor in
Guantánamo from 2005 to 2007. He resigned, after an
appointee of George W. Bush overrode his decision
forbidding the use of evidence collected under torture.
Davis later told me, “I was convinced we weren’t
committed to having full, fair and open trials, and this
was going to be more political theater than it was going
to be justice.” Obama did create a special envoy for
Guantánamo closure, although the person who most
recently held the position, Cliff Sloan, abruptly resigned
at the end of December without giving a reason. In a justpublished opinion piece in The New York Times, Sloan
wrote, “As a high-ranking security official from one of
our staunchest allies on counterterrorism (not from
Europe) once told me, ‘The greatest single action the
United States can take to fight terrorism is to close
Guantánamo.’”
The United States has imposed a crushing embargo
against Cuba for more than half a century, ostensibly to
punish the small country for its form of governance.
What kind of alternative does the United States show
Cubans on that corner of their island that the U.S.
controls? A hellish, military prison beyond the reach of
U.S. laws, where hundreds of men have been held, most
without charge, and many beaten and tortured.
President Obama rightly chastises Egypt for imprisoning
three Al-Jazeera journalists, Peter Greste, Mohamed
Fahmy and Baher Mohamed. “They should be released,”
Obama told reporters last August. Yet, sadly, Egypt only
needs to look to the U.S. to determine acceptable
page 5
treatment of Al-Jazeera journalists. Sami al-Hajj was a
cameraman for the network. He was covering the U.S.
invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 when the Pakistani
military picked him up and handed him over to U.S.
forces.
After 17 brutal days at Bagram Air Field, Sami al-Hajj
was transferred to Guantánamo Bay, where he was held
without charge for more than six years. He was tortured,
beaten and humiliated. Al-Hajj went on a hunger strike
for 480 days, and was subjected to forced feeding
through nasal tubes. He was released in May 2008.
I sat down with Sami al-Hajj in December 2012 at AlJazeera’s headquarters in Doha, Qatar, where he was
heading the network’s Human Rights and Public
Liberties desk. He said the U.S tried to coerce him into
spying while he was imprisoned:
“They [offered] to give me a U.S.A. nationality and take
care about my family if I work with them in [the] CIA to
continue my job being journalist with Al-Jazeera, [to]
just send them information about the link between AlJazeera and al-Qaida and the terrorist people and some
people in the Middle East. Of course, I refused to do that.
I told them, ‘I’m journalist, and I will die as a
journalist.’”
The United States knew he was innocent, but wanted him
to spy on Al-Jazeera, so it subjected him to years of harsh
imprisonment in an attempt to break him.
The United States took Guantánamo Bay by force in
1898, during the Spanish-American War, and extracted
an indefinite lease on the property from Cuba in 1903.
Returning Guantánamo Bay to Cuba will begin to right
more than a century of wrongs that the U.S. government
has perpetrated there. Most importantly, the return of the
Guantánamo Bay prison and naval base will make it
harder for any future war criminals, whether in the White
House, the Pentagon or the CIA and their enthusiastic
cheerleaders in Congress, to use Guantánamo as their
distant dungeon, to inflict torture and terror on prisoners,
many of them innocent, far from the eyes of the people of
the United States, and far from the reach of criminal
courts.
Amy Goodman is the host of
“Democracy Now!,” a U.S. daily
international TV/radio news hour airing
on more than 1,300 stations in North
America. She is the co-author of “The
Silenced Majority,” a New York Times
best-seller.
[Ed. Note: Every country got their own
citizens illegally detained/captured by the USA out of
Guantánamo – except for Harper’s Canada!]
Amistad
July/Aug 2015
7th Convention of the
Canadian Network on Cuba
CCFA Toronto helped host the Canadian
Network on Cuba’s (CNC) successful
7th Biennial Convention held May 30 31 with delegates from Halifax to
Vancouver.
The Convention also had the distinct honour of hosting
Fernando González Llort, one of the Five Cuban Heroes
who had been unjustly imprisoned in the U.S. for
defending Cuba from terrorist attacks launched from the
U.S. Fernando González, Vice-President of ICAP
(Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples) was
accompanied by Sandra Ramírez Rodríguez, Director of
the North American Desk of ICAP. Also, present was Dr.
José de Jesús Portilla García, concluding a cross-Canada
tour on Cuba's internationalist medical solidarity
Special invited guests included His Excellency Julio
Garmendía Peña, Ambassador of Cuba to Canada, Javier
Dómokos Ruiz, Toronto Consul General of Cuba and
other Cuban diplomats. On behalf of la Table de
concertation de solidarité Québec-Cuba, Christine
Dandenault and Geneviève Royer delivered a warm
message of greetings to the Convention. The National
Network on Cuba from the United States also sent a
written greeting of support.
A convention highlight was a public meeting on Saturday
night, where Fernando González Llort spoke to a
standing-room-only audience at the Steelworkers Hall.
"On behalf of my four brothers and our families, thank
you. This victory belongs to all of you."
Dr. José de Jesús Portilla García also addressed the
gathering about the role of Cuban doctors in the fight
against Ebola in West Africa. He emphasized that in
Cuba, healthcare is not a business, but a human right
enshrined in the constitution and guaranteed by the
Cuban state.
At the public meeting Ambassador Garmendía Peña
announced the launch of Cuba Pan Am 2015, the new
website to provide the latest news and information about
Cuban sport and the country's participation at the 2015
Pan American Games in Toronto from July 10-26, 2015.
A new CNC executive was elected to implement the
convention's decisions and realize the work plan for
2015-2017: Michel Dugré, Julio Fonseca, Don Foreman,
Elizabeth Hill, Isaac Saney, Aaron Shields and Saleh
Waziruddin. The executive subsequently selected
Elizabeth Hill and Isaac Saney to continue as co-chairs.
Isaac Saney was also re-appointed National
Spokesperson and Elizabeth Hill Treasurer, with Saleh
Waziruddin assuming the position of Secretary.
page 6
For more details see 7th Biennial Convention at
www.canadiannetworkoncuba.ca
Cuba Experiencing Serious Drought
Havana, Cuba, June 3, 2015
The head of the Cuban Civil Defense Staff, Division
General Ramón Pardo Guerra called for efficient use of
water given the prolonged drought affecting the country
and warned that the situation is serious.
During a working meeting at the Civil Defense
headquarters on Tuesday on the impact of drought on the
country and the measures to be adopted, the division
general said that the hydrologic situation is serious and
poses risk to human health if water is not distributed with
the necessary and sanitary quality.
The Civil Defense chief called on representatives of
several sectors like the Science Ministry, Agriculture,
Economy and others to work shoulder to shoulder in
order to minimize the impact of drought, Granma
newspaper reported on Wednesday.
He said that from November 2014 to April this year, 11
provinces were affected by scarce rainfall.
“Despite the measures already adopted, there is lack of
understanding about the risk and danger posed by this
situation and particularly if such measures are not
effectively adopted in sectors like agriculture, industry
and services,” he noted.
Over the past six months, 75
percent of the island has been
affected by the lack of rainfall,
said the scientific director of the
Meteorology Institute Abel
Centella at the working session.
In his report, Centella said that
by the end of May the severe
drought has mostly affected
western Matanzas, Havana,
Pinar del Rio provinces as well
as the eastern territories, which
translates into 41 percent of the whole nation.
Some of the general measures proposed by the officials at
the session included the intensification of an educational
program for the people through the mass media on the
need to save water; a definitive solution to water sources
that are systematically being exhausted and the
reinforcement of actions against illegal activities along
the water distribution infrastructure.
Amistad
July/Aug 2015
Cuba Can Now Export Cancer Vaccine
to U.S., New York Governor Confirms
The New York government and business delegation to
Cuba also hope to pressure the U.S. Congress to end its
blockade on Cuba. The Cuban Immunology Center and
the Roswell Park Cancer Institute of New York signed an
agreement Tuesday for the U.S. to import a therapeutic
vaccine against lung cancer developed by Cuba.
“Signing this agreement means we can immerse
ourselves in clinical trials when we return to New York,”
said Candace Johnson, director of the U.S.-based
Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
The agreement was signed as part of a business
delegation visit to Cuba headed by New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo. “We are very excited to be able to bring
the vaccine to the U.S. and to treat patients,” Candace
said. Cuba created the vaccine in 2011 after 15 years of
research. Brazil, Argentina and Colombia are currently
applying to have access to the vaccine, while the U.K and
Australia have already carried out their own clinical
trials.
page 7
residents here, but also those who came for medical
attention in Cuba.
The health center, which is part
of the Cuban heath system,
contributed nine million Cuban
convertible pesos (similar to US
dollars) to the country’s
economy. It was a modest
contribution to the country and
to public health, Garcia said.
In Cuba, health care is free of
charge for the Cuban people, but
the system counts on a group of
facilities that charge services to
foreigners to help with a source
of income [and to help counteract the US blockade that
restricts Cuba’s ability to obtain needed medical
supplies]. The Havana health care center offers services
in all clinical and surgical specialties, along with
pediatrics and gynecology.
Cuba Opens Third Pill-Packing Plant
The business delegation also saw an agreement between
New York Company Infor, and a Cuban organization.
“We are surprised by the level and experience that there
is in Cuba in health and technology,” company
representative Charles Phillips stated.
Cuomo and Cuban First Vice President Miguel DiazCanel also talked about relations between Cuba and the
U.S. “Through a complete relationship we can have
dialogue where we can discuss any issues and reach an
agreement,” Cuomo said. The visit by the governor and
businesses represented the first state-based visit to Cuba
after dialogue began between the two countries to
normalize relations.
Source: http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/New-YorkGovernor-Agrees-to-Import-Cuban-Cancer-Vaccine20150422-0014.html
Cuban Health Tourism Centre Expands
Services
Abel González Alayón, Cuban News Agency
Havana, Cuba, June 4, 2015
The Havana-based Cira Garcia Health Center, offering
excellent services to foreigners, is expanding services to
compete with other similar centers in The Americas.
“We are expanding our services, not only in terms of
space, but also in our attention capacity,” said health
center director Joaquin Garcia.
The institution was set up in the 1980s to offer health
services to the diplomatic corps accredited in Havana.
In the 1990s the facility began to assist not only foreign
Abel González Alayón, Cuban News Agency
Havana, Cuba, June 4, 2015
A new pill-packing plant will open in the western Cuban
province of Pinar del Rio. It is considered of great
importance to the Cuban economy because it will help
replace costly imports and increase the production of
pharmaceuticals, previously hindered by the lack of
containers and packs.
First Cuban vice-president Miguel Diaz-Canel stressed
the significance of the new facility, which will have as its
major client the Biotechnological and Pharmaceutical
industry, in charge of producing 70 percent of all
medications included in the Cuban health agenda to meet
local demand.
The new plant, operating with German, Chinese and
Norwegian technology, will produce 183 million pill
packs in the second half of 2016 after its first production
line enters in operations.
Once the project is concluded in
December of this year, the plant will
join with another two similar
facilities in the country.
The pill-packing plant in Pinar del
Rio will also contribute to the
standardization of medication packs
on the island and will also export
part of its production according to
international standards.
Amistad
July/Aug 2015
Report on CCFA Toronto 2015 AGM
By Mara Glebovs, CCFA Toronto
This year’s AGM was held in a venue that was new for
the CCFA Toronto: the 2nd floor ballroom of 519 Church
Street Community Centre — a beautifully restored
historical building. Decorated with Cuban items, the
ballroom had a light and airy atmosphere.
In his greetings, Javier Dómokos Ruiz, Consul General
of Cuba, emphasized the importance of Cuba and the
U.S. re-establishing economic relations on equal terms.
He also thanked the CCFA Toronto for its ongoing
solidarity work with Cuba.
Julio Fonseca, from the Juan Gualberto Gómez
Asociación de Cubanos en Toronto and a professor of
Spanish and Latin American culture at York University,
thanked the CCFA for its solidarity work and said that he
would be encouraging his students to go to Cuba to see
the effects of the embargo on Cuban life.
Jean Augustine, former Etobicoke-Lakeshore Member of
Parliament and Ontario’s first Fairness Commissioner,
was to be a special guest speaker. However as she was
out of the country, her daughter, Mrs. C. J. AugustineKanu (Canada-wide Honourable Consul General for
CCFA Toronto Statement:
The Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto is active in
promoting friendship, respect and co-operation between Canadian
and Cuban peoples. We work with other Canadian groups and
overseas.
Our activities are directed to:
-providing info/events about Cuba to the public and media in areas
such as culture, health, education, sports, Canada-Cuba relations, etc.
-ending the illegal US blockade of Cuba
-defending both Cuban and Canadian sovereignty from US
interference
-counteracting the deliberate misinformation about Cuba by the US.
page 8
Grenada) addressed the AGM and stressed the need to
end the blockade and return Guantánamo to Cuba.
After reports from the various CCFA Toronto
committees, attendees discussed the plan of work for the
coming year. In addition to our on-going projects,
prominent activities throughout the year will take place
on the 17th of every month (marking December 17th, 2014
when the Five Cuban Heroes were finally freed and
returned to Cuba) focusing on ending the U.S. blockade
and returning Guantanamo to Cuba. These activities will
be announced on the CCFA Toronto website and in
future issues of Amistad — stay tuned.
The following executive members were re-elected by
acclamation: Sofia Champion, David Foreman, Mara
Glebovs, Ardis Harriman, Elizabeth Hill, Paula
Larrondo, Honey Novick, John Richmond, Sharon Skup,
Sean Smith, Sara Sutcliffe, Carole Umana, Brien Young.
At the end of the AGM’s meeting, attendees were treated
to a fruit platter, cookies, coffee, juice and Elizabeth
Hill’s famous Cuban flan (recipe will be in a future
Amistad). Guest musician, Zach Morgenstern played
guitar and sang folk, protest, and his own original songs.
Amistad is the newsletter of the CCFA Toronto produced six times
a year with volunteer labour. The Editorial Committee reserves the
right to edit submitted material. The opinions expressed are not
necessarily those of the editorial committee.
We encourage everyone interested to submit media
articles, editorial ideas, letters or to join the committee.
Deadlines are the 10th
of every even month.
Editorial Committee::
Mara Glebovs, Ardis Harriman, Liz Hill, Sharon Skup, Brien Young,
Printed by union employees
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includes a subscription to the bi-monthly
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Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto P.O. Box 99051 - 1245 Dupont Street Toronto Ontario M6H 2A0
Tel: 416-410-8254 | Fax: 905-951.8499 | Email: [email protected] | Website: www.ccfatoronto.ca
Amistad
July/Aug 2015
page 9
INSERT
Toronto-Cuba Friendship Day
Celebrate 70 years of Canada-Cuba Diplomatic Relations
Saturday, 29 August, 2015 - 7 pm
Toronto Steelworkers Hall - 25 Cecil Street
(2nd blk east of Spadina, 1 blk south of College St.)
Please note time and Location
(Toronto City Hall’s Nathan Phillips Square is unavailable this year due to Pan Am Games)
Featuring Pablo Terry and Sol de Cuba Band
*** Free Admission ***
Salsa Lessons | Display Tables | Cash Bar| Cuban Dinner $10.
Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto
www.ccfatoronto.ca
and
Juan Gualberto Gómez Asociación de Cubanos en Toronto
Produced by volunteer labour