Foreign Policy Blogs

Edging out Canada

Archibald Ritter of the Canadian Foundation for the Americas speaks about Cuba-Canada relations in this video. He says that Canada’s policy toward the island has long been “correct” (presumably as opposed to U.S. policy and the policy of exclusion followed by most of the hemisphere for years). Ritter also pointed out that Canadian agricultural trade with Cuba declined after the United States relaxed the related embargo provisions and Cuba began importing U.S. agricultural goods, and warned that if (and when) the embargo is further weakened, the island will likely turn to the United States over Canada for other goods as well.

 

Author

Melissa Lockhart Fortner

Melissa Lockhart Fortner is Senior External Affairs Officer at the Pacific Council on International Policy in Los Angeles, having served previously as Senior Programs Officer for the Council. From 2007-2009, she held a research position at the University of Southern California (USC) School of International Relations, where she closely followed economic and political developments in Mexico and in Cuba, and analyzed broader Latin American trends. Her research considered the rise and relative successes of Latin American multinationals (multilatinas); economic, social and political changes in Central America since the civil wars in the region; and Wal-Mart’s role in Latin America, among other topics. Melissa is a graduate of Pomona College, and currently resides in Pasadena, California, with her husband, Jeff Fortner.

Follow her on Twitter @LockhartFortner.