For almost a decade, I have represented Canadian diplomats and their families who became seriously ill while serving their country in Havana, Cuba.
I have watched my clients live with unexplained neurological symptoms, uncertainty about what happened to them, and frustration as they sought answers from the very government they were serving when they became sick.
I have also watched the Government of Canada maintain that, despite extensive investigations, there is no evidence that a foreign actor was responsible for their illnesses.
New information reported by The Globe and Mail is now challenging that position. As a personal injury lawyer who has spent my career representing people who have suffered serious injuries, I believe that when significant new information emerges in an ongoing case, the appropriate response is not to dismiss it. The appropriate response is to investigate it.
What Has Changed?
On September 27 and 28, The Globe and Mail published a two-part investigation into what was happening in Havana during the period when Canadian diplomats and their families began experiencing serious and unexplained neurological symptoms.
The reporting revealed previously unreported information about Canadian intelligence activities in Cuba, including allegations that Canadian diplomats were gathering intelligence for U.S. intelligence agencies.
The reporting also described the presence and use of U.S. intelligence equipment at the Canadian embassy and at the residences of some Canadian diplomats. These revelations matter because of their timing.
They concern activities taking place during the same period in which Canadian diplomats and family members were becoming ill. The reporting does not, in itself, establish what caused my clients’ illnesses. That remains an important question to be determined through evidence and the ongoing litigation.
But it changes the questions we need to ask: What activities were taking place around Canadian diplomats? What risks were associated with those activities? What did Canadian officials know? When did they know it? What information was shared between Canadian and U.S. intelligence agencies? Were Canadian diplomats and their families adequately protected? And, ultimately, could these activities have any connection to the injuries suffered by the people I represent? Those questions deserve serious, independent examination.
Former Intelligence Officials Are Asking For One
This is not simply a request from injured diplomats or their lawyers. Following the Globe and Mail reporting, former Canadian intelligence officers and senior security officials called for an independent parliamentary examination into whether Russia targeted Canadian diplomats and whether the diplomats’ intelligence activities may have contributed to making them targets.
One former senior CSIS official, Andy Ellis, has publicly expressed the view that there is little doubt Russia targeted Canadians and Americans in Cuba. He has also called for the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians to review the matter. These are serious statements from people with direct experience in Canada’s national-security and intelligence community.
They deserve examination, not dismissal. The question is not whether we should reach a predetermined conclusion about who caused these illnesses. The question is whether Canada should make every reasonable effort to determine what happened. I believe the answer is yes.
The Government’s Response
The Government of Canada’s response has been disappointing. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand referred the matter to her deputy minister for follow-up, but did not announce an independent investigation or reopen the government’s previous examination.
Prime Minister Mark Carney subsequently said he would wait to be briefed on the new information before deciding how the government should respond. I welcome the fact that the Prime Minister is willing to be briefed. But my clients have already been waiting for years. They should not have to wait another decade for the government to seriously examine information that may be relevant to their injuries.
The Government of Canada’s 2024 report concluded that the unexplained health incidents were not the result of a malicious act by a foreign actor. At the same time, the government acknowledged that the symptoms experienced by affected employees and their dependants were real and that they suffered significant consequences.
That distinction is important. No one should be questioning whether these people are sick simply because the cause of their illness remains uncertain. The Canadian government itself has acknowledged the legitimacy of their symptoms. The issue is what caused them.
We Need To Know What Caused These Illnesses
As a personal injury lawyer, I know that establishing causation is fundamental. When someone suffers a serious injury, we need to understand what caused that injury. That is important for determining responsibility. But in this case, causation matters for another reason.
It could affect treatment.
My clients have lived with neurological symptoms for years. Some have struggled with cognitive problems, headaches, dizziness, vision problems and other debilitating effects. Their family members have also been affected.
And, as The Globe and Mail has now reported, some of the children of Canadian diplomats continue to experience health problems years after their families returned from Cuba. We cannot tell people how to properly treat an injury if we do not fully understand what caused it. Finding the cause is therefore not simply about litigation. It is about helping people who are still suffering.
The Children Cannot Be Forgotten
One of the most difficult aspects of this case has always been the impact on family members. More than half of the people affected by Havana Syndrome in the Canadian diplomatic community were family members, including children. These were not diplomats making decisions about intelligence operations or foreign policy. They were children living with their parents while their parents served Canada.
The Globe and Mail’s recent reporting that children continue to experience health problems is a painful reminder that this story is not confined to events that happened in Havana almost a decade ago.
For some families, the consequences continue every day. That is why I believe the discussion needs to remain focused on the people at the centre of this case. Not intelligence agencies. Not political reputations. Not bureaucratic conclusions. People.
This Case Is Still Ongoing
Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP continues to represent Canadian diplomats and their families in the litigation against the Government of Canada.
The lawsuit alleges that the Government failed in its obligations to these Canadians after they suffered serious injuries while serving in Havana. The Government denies liability and has advanced its own legal position in the litigation.
The litigation remains ongoing. That means the ultimate factual and legal issues have not yet been determined. As counsel, my responsibility is not to prejudge the outcome. It is to pursue the evidence, challenge conclusions where appropriate, and ensure that my clients have a meaningful opportunity to have their claims heard on the full factual record. That responsibility becomes even more important when significant new information emerges.
Canadians Who Served Their Country Deserve Better
My clients did not choose to become part of an international controversy. They went to Cuba to represent Canada. They became ill. They reported their symptoms. They sought medical care. And for years, they have asked what happened to them.
The latest reporting from The Globe and Mail has raised new questions about what was happening around them at the time they became ill. Former intelligence and security officials have called for an independent examination. The Prime Minister has said he will review the new information before deciding how to respond. I believe that is not enough.
My clients deserve a process that can answer the difficult questions raised by this new information. They deserve transparency. They deserve access to the relevant evidence. They deserve appropriate medical support. And they deserve to know what caused their injuries.
They served Canada. They became seriously ill while doing so. After all these years, they deserve answers.
Further reading
The Globe and Mail has published a series of reports examining the circumstances surrounding the Canadian diplomats’ illnesses:
- “Canadians were spying for U.S. in Cuba at time of alleged sonic attacks.” (September 27, 2026)
- “Security experts call for inquiry into Havana Syndrome cases at Canada’s embassy in Cuba.” (September 28, 2026)
- “Anand refers Havana Syndrome file to deputy, sidesteps calls for inquiry.” (September 29, 2026)
- “Carney will wait to be briefed on new Havana Syndrome details before deciding response.” (September 30, 2026)
- “Canada, U.S. failed to properly probe allegations that Russia was behind Havana Syndrome, Bolton says.” (October 2026)
- “Canadian diplomats say their children still suffer from Havana Syndrome.” (October 2026)
For more information about the ongoing litigation, visit HSH’s Havana Syndrome case page.
