Lawyer insists foreign adversary is behind Canadian diplomats' Havana Syndrome
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.'
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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.'
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The report adds that the findings 'do not cast doubt on the authenticity of the symptoms reported by staff members and their dependants.'
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Paul Miller, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told The Canadian Press he is 'very confident' a foreign actor is to blame for the Canadians' health difficulties.
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'I really trust the people that I have spoken with and met with,' he said.
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'I have absolutely no faith in the (Global Affairs Canada) report because they are trying to put out the narrative that works for them.'
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The plaintiffs' court action, filed in 2019, remains unresolved.
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Three years ago, the parties agreed to the appointment of a former Supreme Court judge to mediate the claims of nine family members in the case.
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Miller said the two days of talks in early 2023 'just went nowhere.'
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He said he has made efforts to file new information in the case but the material is being treated as confidential pending the resolution of concerns about the disclosure of sensitive or potentially injurious information, as defined by the Canada Evidence Act.
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