According to a confidential source, a Canadian diplomat was sharing intelligence with American operatives in Havana, while other officials were reportedly using satellite equipment covertly introduced by the United States between 2016 and 2018. During that two‑year window, Canadian and U.S. personnel began reporting a cluster of debilitating symptoms—dizziness, headaches, blurred vision and memory loss—believed to stem from sonic attacks linked to Russian operatives. The government has invoked a rarely used national‑security provision, Section 38 of the Canada Evidence Act, to block disclosure of details surrounding a multimillion‑dollar lawsuit filed by ten diplomats and their families in 2019. The case, later amended in the summer of 2024, alleges inadequate medical care and a systematic downplaying of brain injuries sustained during the attacks. Former spies and senior officials are now pressing for an independent parliamentary investigation to determine whether Ottawa mishandled both the alleged espionage and the subsequent treatment of its own people.
Intelligence Sharing and Covert Activities
The Globe reported on Saturday that a Canadian diplomat working within the elite Global Security Reporting Programme (GSRP) was gathering human intelligence and occasionally passing it directly to U.S. spies in Havana. A second source said that Canadians were using satellite equipment that had been smuggled into Cuba under American diplomatic cover. Global Affairs Canada responded on Friday, insisting that GSRP officers are not engaged in covert operations and do not recruit, handle or pay sources. Andy Ellis, a former assistant director of operations at CSIS, expressed long‑standing concern that diplomats lack proper espionage training and often drift from overt duties into covert work. “They would take risks that nobody else would do. They would do whatever the CIA asked them to do. [The CIA] absolutely owned them,” he remarked. Martin Green, who served as assistant secretary to the cabinet for intelligence assessment at the Privy Council Office from 2015 to 2024, offered a contrasting view, saying GSRP diplomats did “some really good things.” He also described Russian intelligence services as “thugs” and backed an independent probe by parliamentarians.
Legal Battle and National Security Secrecy
The Department of Justice confirmed on Friday that, in a lawsuit over the allegations, it had invoked Section 38 of the Canada Evidence Act. This provision, typically reserved for terrorism and classified information, shields details that could harm national security, defence or international relations. The legal move keeps secret new elements of a multimillion‑dollar claim brought by Canadian diplomats posted in Havana from 2016 to 2018. The suit, filed in 2019, alleges that the government denied the diplomats access to cutting‑edge health care and withheld crucial information about brain injuries caused by the alleged attacks. The complaint was amended in the summer of 2024 after U.S. media reported that Havana Syndrome symptoms might be linked to sonic weaponry deployed by Russian military operatives targeting foreign intelligence networks. Peter Jones, a former senior PCO official, warned that Ottawa appears to be shirking responsibility. “When we send people abroad,” he said, “we have responsibilities to these people.” Pamela Isfeld, president of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers, accused the government of treating the diplomats and their families poorly. “They should be the government’s highest priority for all of our postings,” she said. “They deserve to be believed as the first premise.”
Expert Analysis and International Context
Former CSIS intelligence officer Dan Stanton does not doubt that Russia targeted Canadian personnel, especially if they were suspected of cooperating with U.S. spies. “If local counter‑intelligence identified them as collaborating with U.S. intelligence and were involved in similar activities, a hostile intelligence service could have viewed them as part of the same target,” he explained. He added that Russian and Chinese agencies often see Canada as an extension of U.S. intelligence, making Canadian officials “very easy to get caught up in that web of targeting.” A joint investigation in April 2024 by CBS’s 60 Minutes, Germany’s Der Spiegel and Russia‑focused The Insider tied the syndrome to a radio‑frequency energy weapon used by GRU Unit 29155. Earlier this year, 60 Minutes also reported that the United States had acquired and tested a similar sonic device—sourced from a Russian criminal network—that can cause injuries consistent with Havana Syndrome. U.S. President Donald Trump disclosed in January that American forces employed a “secret sonic” weapon during the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Scientific opinion remains divided: researchers at the University of Pennsylvania examined 21 American diplomats and concluded their injuries resembled concussions, while other theories point to pre‑existing conditions, psychosomatic factors or even environmental noise such as chirping crickets. The Department of Global Affairs stated on Friday that there is “no definitive common cause” for the illnesses affecting staff at Ottawa’s embassy, and declined further comment due to ongoing court proceedings.
Parliamentary Oversight and Public Accountability
Both Andy Ellis and Jody Thomas, a former national‑security adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have called for the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) to examine the affair. “The fact that the Canadian government invoked national security about something that affected people’s health is something that needs to be reviewed by NSICOP,” Ellis said. “It is a moral, ethical and legal responsibility.” Thomas echoed the sentiment, noting, “I think it is entirely reasonable for NSICOP to look into it. It’s the reason they exist.” NSICOP, composed of MPs and senators with top‑secret clearance, reports directly to the Prime Minister and is designed to shed light on sensitive matters. Martin Green stressed its relevance, saying, “Absolutely, NSICOP is designed to shed light on these things.” Meanwhile, questions persist about whether the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is operating in Cuba. A 2013 leaked NSA document from Edward Snowden alleged that CSE used Canadian embassies for electronic eavesdropping in coordination with a parallel U.S. programme. The Globe’s report also highlighted that the diplomat in question was part of the GSRP, a unit that gathers human intelligence and occasionally shares it with foreign partners, raising further scrutiny over Canada’s covert activities abroad.
Why it Matters
The unfolding saga forces Ottawa to confront the extent of its intelligence cooperation with the United States, the duty of care owed to diplomats exposed to potential foreign attacks, and the balance between national security secrecy and public accountability. Calls for a transparent parliamentary inquiry signal a broader demand for oversight of covert operations and for recognition of the human cost of geopolitical rivalry. How Canada responds will set a precedent for the protection of its agents, the integrity of its diplomatic corps, and the nation’s standing in the delicate arena of international intelligence relations.
