Canada presses Cuba on cases of detained Canadians

Agence France-Presse
July 28, 2010

OTTAWA — Canada has called in Cuba's envoy to voice concern at the detention of seven Canadians in the Caribbean nation, warning Havana it could lose tourists its economy needs, the foreign affairs ministry said.

Peter Kent, Canada's top diplomat for the Americas, said Ottawa called in Havana's representative in Ottawa to a meeting Tuesday on Canadians now detained in Cuba, including Cody LeCompte, a 19-year-old Canadian man who has been unable to leave after a car accident in April.

Freedom To Travel

U.S. Travel Ban on Cuba

For more than four decades, the United States has tried to isolate Cuba, economically and diplomatically.

When we look at Cuba news, we see an increasingly public and vigorous debate about the economy. We see the nations of the region conducting ordinary and even extraordinary relations with Cuba. What we don't see is a story line involving the United States, the effectiveness of U.S. policy, or even much of a presence or a role as the possibilities of change unfold.

Top 10 List

"This top ten list is a powerful reminder to Congress and all Americans that sanctions against Cuba do nothing but violate American values, cost American jobs, stain our image overseas, and breach our basic rights," said Sarah Stephens of the Center for Democracy in the Americas. "As Cuba enters a new era, so should America, and replace our policy of isolating Cuba with one favoring engagement, travel and trade."