By Rozhin Emadi
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit Cuba on behalf of my union. What I witnessed was nothing short of remarkable. Despite the brutal and criminal US sanctions and embargo, Cuba has managed to build some of the strongest public infrastructures in the world, especially in education and healthcare.
Even more inspiring is how workers and unions are integrated into Cuba’s political system. Every union has representation in the National Assembly, giving workers direct influence over legislation and governance. That is a reality far removed from our own, and one our labour movement must learn from.
When we met with the union representing education, sports and science workers, we learned that 80 percent of its leadership are women. This reflects broader gender equity across Cuban society, where over 60 percent of government members are women. Again, this stands in stark contrast to our reality in Canada – something we must reckon with and strive to change.
Cuba’s achievements are not accidental. They are the result of a socialist system, one that prioritizes the liberation and wellbeing of working people over the pursuit of profit. A system that upholds education, housing, healthcare and food as rights, not privileges. A system that values environmental protection over destruction for private gain. A system that strives to unite people across race, cultures, gender and sexuality, rather than divide them for the benefit of the powerful.
As such, these values are reflected in Cuba’s foreign policy. Unlike imperialist countries that export war and violence, Cuba exports doctors, solidarity and hope. Rooted in internationalism and a love for humanity, Cuba has always stood with Palestine – calling for an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people long before most people in our world even knew what was going on. Fidel Castro himself demanded an end to that violence decades ago.
In contrast, during the ongoing genocide in Palestine today, imperial powers – led by the US and supported by Canada – have doubled down on their military and political backing of Israel, working to crush Palestinian self-determination.
But Palestine is not an isolated case. The current genocide is part of a much broader imperialist project. From Iraq and Afghanistan to Libya, Syria, Iran, China, Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, we see the same pattern – nations and peoples who resist imperial domination are targeted, destabilized and punished.
The erasure of Palestine from the map is no accident. It has been a longstanding goal of Western powers seeking economic and strategic control over the Middle East. And it is no coincidence that the only two countries that consistently vote to maintain the US embargo on Cuba are the US and Israel. So, the same forces actively supporting the genocide of the Palestinian people are the same forces that have been attempting to destroy the Cuban revolution and socialism for decades.
Canada is not innocent either. As mentioned, it remains one of Israel’s closest allies – militarily, politically and economically. This alliance is unsurprising, given Canada’s own colonial foundations and its ongoing displacement of Indigenous peoples. In fact, Canada’s reserve system directly influenced both South African apartheid and Israel’s regime of occupation and segregation.
People in Canada must demand better. We must hold our government accountable. We must call for an immediate end to arms sales to Israel and fight for a foreign policy rooted in justice.
Since launching Labour for Palestine in Vancouver, we have done this. We’ve built a growing network of union members committed to this struggle. We’ve passed resolutions in our unions, led educational workshops, launched the national Hot Cargo Campaign, and worked to keep Palestine front and center in our labour work. Because Palestinian liberation is a labour issue.
We must take inspiration from Cuba’s example of internationalist solidarity. We must push our unions to rise to the moment: to support boycotts, raise awareness and answer the call from Palestinian workers for global solidarity – just as workers did in the fight against South African apartheid, which Cuba very much opposed as well.
Some Canadian factories developing weapons or sending off weapons from Canada directly to Israel are unionized. That is why we have launched our Hot Cargo Campaign – so unions refuse to handle any goods directly enabling the genocide.
As the saying goes, “an injury to one is an injury to all.” The Cuban people have lived by that principle since the start of their revolution – despite decades of imperialist aggression, Cuba has never backed down. It continues to fight for sovereignty and for a world where people and the planet come before profit. Palestinians do the same. In the face of military occupation and genocidal violence, they resist with courage and dignity. Working people in Canada have much to learn from both.
Think of these words from Fidel Castro:
“Why should some people walk barefoot so that others can travel in luxurious cars?
Why should some live only thirty-five years so that others can live to seventy?
Why should some be miserably poor so that others can be immensely rich?
I speak on behalf of the children in the world who have no bread.
I speak on behalf of the sick who have no medicine, of those whose right to life and human dignity has been denied.”
Working people must carry this vision forward. Fidel’s words and the ongoing resilience of the Cuban and Palestinian people should inspire us to act, to organize and to believe in the possibility of a better world. We must continue to educate, mobilize and fight – for justice, for the planet, and for a future where no one is disposable.
Because when we fight, we win. And we have to fight harder than ever because we have a whole world to win.
Speech delivered on behalf of Labour for Palestine at Vancouver’s Moncada Day event hosted by the Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association
[Photo of Cuban rally in solidarity with Palestine: Cuba MinRex]
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