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It was Fidel Castro’s plea his supporters withhold Christmas gifts from their children that led to the Cuban leader’s unexpected visit to Montreal only three and a half months after his triumphal entry into Havana.

As Castro’s rebel troops were capturing villages and cities in their inexorable push to overthrow Fulgencio Batista in the autumn of 1958, Castro implored his followers to sacrifice in order to save for the hardships of revolutionary war. He promised to rain presents on the children when he was victorious. By the end of December, Batista had fled the country.

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In Montreal, the Junior Chamber of Commerce saw an opportunity to do some good. Former president Raymond Daoust was in Havana soon after the overthrow and heard the Cuban government was planning to parachute toys to the children. In March 1959, Daoust contacted the group’s president at the time, 26-year-old Claude Dupras, to suggest the Junior Chamber of Commerce organize a Canada-wide toy drive.