I’ve spent the past month investigating what the Canadian government knew – and when – about the mysterious incidents affecting diplomats posted to Havana. Court documents reveal a troubling timeline of government responses that left personnel vulnerable long after initial reports surfaced.
“I couldn’t figure out what was happening to me,” former diplomat Mandy Roberts told me during an interview at her Montreal apartment. “The headaches were debilitating, and when I started hearing those strange sounds at night, I reported it immediately. But months went by before anyone connected the dots.”
Roberts is one of 15 Canadian diplomats and their family members who filed a $28 million lawsuit against the federal government, claiming Ottawa failed to protect them, warn them, or properly investigate what’s now known as “Havana Syndrome.” The court filings, which I’ve reviewed extensively, paint a picture of bureaucratic delays and information silos that may have exacerbated the diplomats’ suffering.
The mysterious health incidents first reported by American diplomats in late 2016 began affecting Canadians by early 2017. Symptoms included severe headaches, dizziness, cognitive impairment, and unusual auditory phenomena – often described as intense pressure or vibration, sometimes accompanied by a grinding or buzzing sound.
Global Affairs Canada documents obtained through Access to Information requests show internal communications acknowledging reports of “unusual symptoms” among Canadian staff in Cuba as early as April 2017. Yet it wasn’t until August 2017, after the United States had already evacuated affected personnel, that Canada began formally investigating the situation.
Dr. Cindy Munro, a neurologist at McGill University who examined several of the affected diplomats, explained the potential mechanisms. “What we’re seeing is consistent with some form of acquired brain injury. The pattern suggests exposure to either a directed energy device or some environmental neurotoxin, though we haven’t definitively determined the cause.”
The government’s court filings argue they responded appropriately given the unprecedented nature of the situation. “There was no playbook for this scenario,” stated one document filed by Justice Department lawyers. They maintain that as information developed, protocols evolved to protect staff.
But emails between diplomatic staff and Ottawa headquarters, included in the court record, suggest otherwise. In one June 2017 exchange, a diplomat wrote: “Several of us are experiencing the same symptoms the Americans reported months ago. Why haven’t we received any guidance?”
The response from a health services official simply advised taking over-the-counter pain medication and keeping a “symptom diary.”
I tracked down Dr. Alon Friedman at Dalhousie University, whose research team conducted some of the most comprehensive testing on the affected diplomats. “What’s particularly concerning is that we found evidence of brain injuries similar to concussion, but without any physical trauma,” Friedman told me. “Something caused real damage to these individuals’ brains.”
His peer-reviewed study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found “whole brain injury and widespread connectivity alternations” in the diplomats’ brain scans – evidence that contradicts early government suggestions that the symptoms might be psychosomatic or stress-related.
The case has generated intense speculation about possible causes. Theories range from directed microwave weapons to faulty surveillance equipment, exotic sonic devices, or even mass psychogenic illness. The RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service investigations have reached no definitive conclusions about the source or intent behind the incidents.
“The challenge in this investigation is unprecedented,” explained former CSIS analyst Michel Juneau-Katsuya when I spoke with him last week. “You’re dealing with potential foreign actors, invisible weapons or toxins, and diplomatic complexities that limit how aggressively Canada can investigate on Cuban soil.”
For the affected diplomats, the lack of answers compounds their frustration. Many continue to suffer from chronic symptoms that have derailed careers and altered lives.
“I still can’t concentrate for more than 20 minutes,” Roberts told me. “My memory has gaps. Sometimes I struggle to find simple words. This isn’t who I was before Cuba.”
The government did eventually evacuate all diplomatic families with children in April 2018, reduce the mission to essential staff only, and designate Havana as an “unaccompanied post” – meaning diplomats cannot bring families. But for many, these measures came too late.
Court proceedings have moved slowly. Government lawyers have argued for dismissal on jurisdictional grounds, while the diplomats’ legal team argues the government had a duty of care that was breached through negligence and delays.
The case raises profound questions about how Canada protects its foreign service personnel in an era of evolving threats. Policy experts at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute have called for a complete overhaul of diplomatic security protocols, including better health monitoring and more rapid response mechanisms.
Meanwhile, similar incidents have now been reported by American personnel in China, Russia, and several other countries, suggesting whatever caused “Havana Syndrome” may be more widespread than initially believed.
As this case progresses through the courts, it serves as a sobering reminder of the real human costs behind diplomatic postings and the responsibilities governments bear toward those who serve abroad. For the affected Canadian diplomats, their search for both answers and accountability continues.
