Lawyer ‘very confident’ a foreign adversary attacked Canadian diplomats in Cuba

A lawyer for Canadian diplomats affected by Havana Syndrome says a foreign actor is to blame, despite a federal report ruling out malicious activity in Cuba.

A lawyer for Canadian diplomats and their families says he believes the mysterious ailments they suffered in Cuba were caused by a foreign adversary, despite a federal government report that dismisses the theory.

Eight years after foreign service officials and their dependants began reporting such symptoms as headaches, memory loss, mood changes, vision problems, nausea and nosebleeds, a legal action against Ottawa over the health problems is still grinding along in Federal Court.

The 17 plaintiffs, who seek millions of dollars in damages, allege the Canadian government failed to protect them, hid crucial information and downplayed the seriousness of the risks. The government has denied negligence and wrongdoing.

Several U.S. personnel who worked in Cuba have reported similar health issues, commonly known as Havana Syndrome. Theories about the cause have included pesticide spraying, the effect of chirping crickets, malfunctioning eavesdropping devices, and targeted energy or sonic attacks by an enemy state.

The Canadian government says it has found no evidence of foul play by a foreign adversary.

A Global Affairs Canada report completed in August 2024 says the department has concluded that the unexplained health incidents “were not the result of a malicious act of a foreign actor.”

The report, drawing on the work of an interdepartmental task force and external experts, says pre-existing medical conditions, environmental factors and conventional illnesses “were likely to have been important factors in many of the symptoms experienced.”

The report adds that the findings “do not cast doubt on the authenticity of the symptoms reported by staff members and their dependants.”