By Ian Francis
Fidel Castro, Errol Barrow, Michael Manley, Eric Gairy, Maurice Bishop, Sir Alexander Bustamante, Pierre Trudeau, Eric Williams, Forbes Burnham, Bob Bradshaw, Vere Cornwall Bird, Edward Oliver Le Blanc, George Charles, Ebenezer Joshua and John Compton will always be remembered as strong and visionary leaders that made a valuable contribution in promoting fairness, equity and the building of the Caribbean integration movement.
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Ian Francis resides in Toronto and is a frequent contributor on Caribbean affairs. He is a former Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Grenada and can be reached at info@visminconsultancy.ca
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The Republic of Cuba must be singled out, congratulated and admired for its ongoing cooperation in development assistance to CARICOM states especially in the areas of health and education.
While Cuba’s role in the region will always be applauded, there are times when it becomes necessary to inform the Havana collective, past or present, that their position on the leadership of a nation is incorrect, unwarranted and ill-conceived. This brings the question into focus. Was Fidel’s recent attack on Canadian Prime Minister Harper fair and justified? To many who read Fidel’s diatribe, the answer is plain, straight and simple. Fidel was off base and a bit ill-informed about Canada.
It is a known fact that Fidel and Pierre Trudeau enjoyed a very good relationship. Contrary to the belief of many that Trudeau and Castro’s relationship evolved during their post graduate days at the London School of Economic (LSE), evidence indicates that Fidel was never a student at LSE, and completed undergraduate studies in law at University of Havana. Another interesting piece of the puzzle is whether or not Manley had graduated from LSE. It is still unknown and I assume of little interest to the global community.
Fidel’s article attacking Harper and development efforts in Canada’s oil sands was indeed unfortunate given Canada’s size and undeveloped natural resources. While I am in agreement with the critics about some of the tax and other concessions that the Harper government has approved, it does not in any way diminish Canada’s interest and goodwill in the Caribbean region.
It is interesting to note that when the Cuban Revolution triumphed, much to the disgust and annoyance of Washington, and led to Cuba’s isolation, at the time, the government of the day in Canada was Conservative, headed by John George Diefenbaker, otherwise known as “the Chief”. Canada resisted pressure from the United States to sever diplomatic relations with Havana and join in the blockade. Canada did not waver and supported Cuba throughout. Interestingly enough, it is again a Canadian Conservative government and, today, diplomatic and technical assistance between Cuba and Canada continues to be strengthened.
Yes, it is generally agreed that Trudeau was a flamboyant leader, who always preached the correct political jargon that some foreign leaders often fell for. At the same time, if an honest and realistic analysis is to be undertaken about Canada’s role in the region under Liberal and Conservative administrations, fairness dictates that the Caribbean governments have received more viable attention under various Conservative administrations headed by Diefenbaker, Clark, Mulroney and Harper. Therefore, Caribbean leaders must be reminded of the need for an individual analytical perspective, refrain from drinking bush for one’s fever and work feverishly to ensure increased and relevant assistance from Canada.
Therefore the Caribbean leadership’s assumption that the region fared much better under the Liberals is far from the facts. In my opinion, Fidel’s attack on Harper is personal and this is the way it should be seen. Frankly speaking, Fidel has become a spent force and, whilst he remains influential in the Havana collective, he must still be regarded and recognized as a leader of the past. Since Trudeau’s death, Canada has gone through many evolutionary processes that the New Democratic Party (NDC) is now the official opposition in the House of Commons.
Therefore, it was quite disappointing when Cuba joined with other Latin American and Caribbean nations to exclude Canada from attending the CELAC meeting in Caracas. While I have not detected any correlating hostility by Canada to Cuba, the mere fact that Canada and the United States are accused of shutting out Cuba from the Summit, my advice to the Havana collective is to speed up the process of democratic reform and re-enter the Organization of American States (OAS) as a fully fledged member.
In conclusion, to those who might have supported Fide’s ill-conceived article, the oil sands in Alberta remain a vital source for offshore labour from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. A Canadian Conservative government will not deviate on its responsibilities to CARICOM states.
