There is an interesting write up in The Walrus about Sherritt International and its CEO (Chief Executive Opportunist), Ian Delaney. It provides a brief history of how Delaney became "Castro's Favourite Capitalist," as the piece is entitled.

Here's a couple of excerpts:

The company’s [Sherritt International] expansion and success in Cuba raise some important questions about its relationship with the local workforce, however. Those lucky enough to find jobs with Sherritt remain, by North American standards, extremely poor. Rodolfo’s salary of 50 convertible pesos, which he regarded as princely, works out to about $60 a month. Discussing the company’s policies concerning workers in developing countries, Delaney says, “We have to be careful we don’t induce inflation. If the average wage is $2 a day, you can’t just start hiring people for $10 an hour.”

Yes, we can't have those subhumans in Cuba thinking they are worth any more than a couple of dollars a day. Just imagine the inflation!

Asked about Cuba’s rights record, Delaney poses a rhetorical question: “Do I like it? No. There is a lot wrong with Cuba, and it should be doing better.” That said, he continues, those who criticize the regime should consider the positives as well. “In Cuba, nobody is outside the system. Everybody gets some rudimentary degree of health care. Can you say that about Mexico City?”

Of course, Mr. Delaney, no one in Cuba is outside the system. The system is supreme and that system is what provides you and your company with all the slave labor it needs at prices no one can beat.

I recommend that everyone take the time to read this article. One day, things will be different in Cuba and we should never forget companies like Sherritt International and parasitic opportunists like Ian Delaney.