Re – Trudeau and Castro

Helen Forsey | Nov 30, 2016

Fidel Castro was a controversial and legendary figure, with amazing accomplishments in health and education - exactly as Justin Trudeau said. I am proud that our Prime Minister has the guts to speak the truth about the late Cuban President.

Despite flaws and errors, Castro was too great a leader and too complex a man for small reactionary minds to understand. It's Donald Trump and Kellie Leitch who should be ashamed of their pettiness and ignorance.

Having lived in non-revolutionary Latin America, I know something of what the Cuban leadership had to overcome and how huge an accomplishment their revolution was.

I visited Cuba myself, first in the glory days of 1978 and then in 1993 during the “special period.” Since my Spanish is fluent, I was able to talk with "ordinary Cubans" about both the achievements of the Revolution and its problems. Farmer friends of mine have toured the urban agriculture sites and rural co-operatives that produce local organic food to help counteract the vindictive US blockade. Bravo!

As well, when I worked with CUSO in the early '70s, I knew two Cuban Embassy people in Ottawa – a Black former construction worker and an enthusiastic young veteran of the volunteer student literacy brigades. The fact that these fine grassroots people were representing their country abroad spoke volumes about the Revolution’s ideals and practice.

May the Cuban people and the rest of us continue to build on the best of Fidel’s legacy.