Canadian diplomats and their families reported troubling symptoms in Havana beginning in 2017. Canada acknowledges that their symptoms were real. Yet its published conclusion says the incidents were not the result of a malicious foreign actor and moves the file from a security investigation to an occupational health matter.
That conclusion deserves a fresh look.
Canada’s own report says officials considered the 2023 U.S. intelligence assessment when reviewing the case. After that assessment, the RCMP and CSIS concluded their investigations. The Canadian report later stated that no evidence attributed the symptoms to a foreign actor.
But the U.S. story did not end there. American intelligence agencies have disagreed about whether a foreign actor could have caused a small subset of incidents. A U.S. Senate committee also examined serious shortcomings in how the CIA arranged care and benefits for affected personnel. None of that proves an attack occurred. It does mean the questions remain consequential.
Meanwhile, Canadian diplomats and family members are still pursuing a lawsuit alleging that Ottawa failed to protect them and downplayed the risks. Those allegations have not been decided in court, and the government denies wrongdoing. As of March 2026, Global Affairs Canada said it stood by its report.
So when I say this story was buried in Canada, I mean something specific: Canada publicly closed the security question while affected Canadians continue to challenge how their cases were handled. I am not claiming that a cover-up or a foreign attack has been proven.
Canadians deserve to know whether the evidence behind the U.S. reassessments has been reviewed here, whether it changes any Canadian finding, and what medical support the affected families are receiving. A conclusion should be open to revision when the evidence changes.
What is Havana syndrome?
“Havana syndrome” is the name commonly used for anomalous health incidents first reported by U.S. embassy personnel in Havana in 2016. Some people described a sudden sound or sensation of pressure in the head, followed by symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, balance problems and difficulty concentrating. Canadian diplomats and family members later reported symptoms in Havana too.
The name describes the reported experiences, not an established cause. A 2020 U.S. National Academies committee found that pulsed radio-frequency energy was a plausible explanation for some distinctive early symptoms; it did not establish that a weapon was used. A 2024 NIH study found severe symptoms among participants but no significant evidence of MRI-detectable brain injury compared with its control group. The cause remains disputed.
References
- U.S. National Academies —
An Assessment of Illness in U.S. Government Employees and Their Families at Overseas Embassies
- U.S. National Institutes of Health — 2024 study summary
- Global Affairs Canada —
Unexplained Health Incidents in Havana, Cuba
- Office of the Director of National Intelligence — 2023 statement on anomalous health incidents
- U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee — Review of the CIA’s medical care and benefits for affected personnel
- Reuters — 2025 U.S. intelligence assessment and differing agency views
- Global News — Ottawa stands by its report as the U.S. reconsiders a foreign role
- Global News — U.S. officials question the earlier assessment
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