In Defence of the Revolution: A Cuba Solidarity Podcast

This episode features an address by Dr. Isaac Saney to the Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee and friends, recorded in Winnipeg at the Ukrainian Labour Temple on May 23rd, 2026. 

Thanks to Paul Graham for the recording and Diane Zack for the program. A video recording of the full event is linked below.

LINKS:

Let Cuba Live: Why Would We Should Care About Cuba (Recorded May 23rd, 2026 at the Ukrainian Labour Temple, Winnipeg, MB) 

‘U.S. bullies Canada’s Sherritt corporation out of Cuba’ by C.J. Atkins, People’s World (May 13th, 2026)

‘Cuba: Declassified records on the ‘Brothers to the Rescue’ shootdown’ by Defend Democracy Press (May 22, 2026)

‘Letter to PM Carney: Responding to the humanitarian crisis and economic threats to Cuba and Canada’ by Lana Payne, National President of Unifor (May 20, 2026)

'Defend Canadian Sovereignty: Ottawa Must Reject Washington’s Illegal Economic War Against Cuba' by the Canadian Network on Cuba Executive Committee (May 7, 2026)

Cam is joined by Isaac Saney for a discussion on the present state of the US blockade of Cuba; some possible outcomes of US-Israeli attacks on Iran; and Cuba’s approach to leadership and economic development.

Isaac Saney is a Black Studies and Cuba specialist at Dalhousie University and coordinator of the Black and African Diaspora Studies program. He is the author of several books, including Cuba, Africa and Apartheid’s End: Africa’s Children Return.

RECOMMENDED READING:

‘Democracy Under Siege: Popular Participation and Socialist Renewal in Cuba in a Time of Crisis’ by Isaac Saney and James Count Early (MR Online, March 30 2026): https://mronline.org/2026/03/30/democracy-under-siege-popular-participation-and-socialist-renewal-in-cuba-in-a-time-of-crisis/

Robert and Cam discuss their recent trip to Havana with Samantha, touching on the state of the power grid; the Nuestra América Convoy; and the persistence of everyday life under blockade—plus a tribute to the late Jorge Gómez Barranco,  founder of the legendary Grupo Moncada. 

As major Canadian airlines suspend service to Cuba, Samantha and Cam discuss the impacts of these suspect cancellations on both tourism and international solidarity. 

Sign and share the Parliamentary petition: 

https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7082

Further reading:

‘Waiting and watching in Cuba’ by Tyler Searle (Winnipeg Free Press, February 9, 2026): https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/02/09/waiting-and-watching-in-cuba

‘An Open Letter from the Cuba Tourist Board to the Canadian Travel Industry’ (Travel Press Staff, February 11, 2026): https://www.travelpress.com/an-open-letter-from-the-cuba-tourist-board-to-the-canadian-travel-industry/

Samantha, Robert, and Cam discuss Trump’s total blockade of Cuba, preventing any fuel from reaching the island and intending to asphyxiate the Cuban people.

This has been one of the most dangerous weeks in the history of the Revolution, and now is the time for action. Sign and share the Canadian Network on Cuba’s Parliamentary Petition (linked below) and get connected to a solidarity group in your city at canadiannetworkoncuba.ca

LET CUBA LIVE!

Petition to the Government of Canada:

Whereas:

• Canada is a signatory to the United Nations Charter and to other international conventions upholding international law, peaceful coexistence, and sovereign equality of states;
• U.S. military attacks on Venezuelan civilians and the kidnapping of President Maduro constitute flagrant violations of international law, national sovereignty, freedom of navigation, and the fundamental principles of peace and self-determination, constituting an immediate and ongoing threat to regional peace;
• Washington has directly singled out Cuba, Colombia and Mexico for military intervention;
• The U.S. is waging an escalating economic war - with other coercive measures and threats - against Cuba, which has been repeatedly rejected by the UN General Assembly as contravening the principles and norms of international law, especially the right of self-determination; and
• Washington's actions are a threat to Canada's sovereignty and independence.
  

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:

1. Publicly condemn U.S. aggressions as violations of international law;

2. Refuse to participate in, support, or legitimize military, economic, or political aggressions against Venezuela and other countries;

3. Reaffirm and actively support the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, free from external military intervention;

4. Actively reject any and all interventions and military aggressions against Cuba, Colombia and Mexico;

5. Firmly oppose U.S. economic and other coercive measures against Cuba and vigorously advocate for their removal;

6. Deepen economic ties, trade and assistance to Cuba; and

7. Unequivocally uphold and promote the right of self-determination of the peoples and countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7082

Robert and Cam discuss the dangerous escalations in Latin America and the Caribbean, including US attacks on Venezuela, the kidnapping of President Maduro, and new threats against Cuba. Robert delves into Marco Rubio’s links to organized crime.

Recommended reading:

‘The Narco-Terrorist Elite,’ by Maureen Tkacik (The American Prospect): https://prospect.org/2025/12/23/narco-terrorist-elite-rubio-south-america-iran-contra/

‘The mythomaniac Marco Rubio’ by Hedelberto López Blanch (Granma): https://en.granma.cu/mundo/2026-01-08/the-mythomaniac-marco-rubio

‘No to Imperial Aggression! No to Might-Makes-Right! Condemn U.S. Aggression Against Venezuela!’ (CNC Statement): https://canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/2026/01/04/no-to-imperial-aggression-no-to-might-makes-right-condemn-u-s-aggression-against-venezuela/

‘Cuba’s Strong Condemnation of the Cowardly U.S. Aggression Against Venezuela and its Absolute Support for that Sister Nation’ - Statement of the Revolutionary Government: https://misiones.cubaminrex.cu/en/articulo/cubas-strong-condemnation-cowardly-us-aggression-against-venezuela-and-its-absolute-5

Robert and Cam are joined by Isaac Saney to discuss the life and example of Assata Shakur; the 65th anniversary of the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution; recent US manoeuvres against Venezuela; and a new digital campaign by the Canadian Network on Cuba. 

Support the Campaign! Email your representative today and demand that they oppose the illegal US blockade: http://canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/campaigns

Further Reading:

A Letter to the Pope from Assata Shakur (March 1998): http://www.assatashakur.org/pope.htm

65 Years of Power: The Explosive Legacy of the CDR anniversary in Cuba’s Revolutionary Defense (teleSUR, September 28 2025): https://www.telesurenglish.net/cdr-anniversary/

Speech of Fidel Castro at the United Nations General Assembly (September 1960): http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/castro/db/1960/19600926.html

Condemn U.S. Imperialism in the Caribbean by Isaac Saney: https://canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/2025/09/03/condemn-u-s-imperialist-aggression-in-the-caribbean/

Robert and Samantha talk about the selection of Miss Universe Cuba 2025 and the uses of pageantry for empire; exaggerated rumours of Cuban fighters in Russia; Cuba’s role in confronting colonialism in Africa; rising pension rates; and more on the Code of Childhood, Adolescence, and Youth. 

Samantha and Cam discuss recent attacks on Cuba’s youth athletes by the United States; the significance of the new draft Code of Children, Adolescents, and Youth; and a demonstration in the National Assembly of Cuba's responsibility for its most vulnerable people. 

Further reading:

‘Cuban Girls Softball Team Benched by Travel Ban’ (Belly of the Beast): https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/news/cuban-girls-softball-team-benched-by-travel-ban

‘The Council of State analyzed draft laws, prior to their submission to the National Assembly,’ by Enrique Moreno Gimeranez (Granma): https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2025-07-11/the-council-of-state-analyzed-draft-laws-prior-to-their-submission-to-the-national-assembly

‘Código de la Niñez, Adolescencias y Juventudes’ by Isabel Díaz González (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular): https://www.parlamentocubano.gob.cu/noticias/aprueba-asamblea-nacional-codigo-de-la-ninez-adolescencias-y-juventudes

Samantha and Cam discuss recent threats to Cubans from Mike Hammer, Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Havana; the denial of U.S. visas to Cuban athletes; more spurious rumours of Chinese spy bases in Cuba; and new evidence of a Spanish cyberattack on Cuban government institutions. 

Additional reading:

‘Mysterious hacking group Careto was run by the Spanish government, sources say,’ by Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai (Techcrunch): https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/23/mysterious-hacking-group-careto-was-run-by-the-spanish-government-sources-say/

‘Collateral Damage: The Environmental Cost of Cuba’s Terrorism Designation,’ by Vinicius Pereira (Who What Why): https://whowhatwhy.org/international/collateral-damage-the-environmental-cost-of-cubas-terrorism-designation/