Anand Sends Havana Syndrome File to Deputy, Rules Out New Inquiry
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has referred the file on unexplained illnesses among Canadian diplomats posted to Cuba to her deputy minister. She described the cases as a human-resources concern for her department.
Anand told reporters Monday she had asked Deputy Minister Arun Thangaraj to follow up. She identified Thangaraj as responsible for human resources and staff-related issues. The direction stops short of a fresh departmental inquiry. The Globe and Mail
Her office confirmed she is not ordering the department to reopen the 2024 interdepartmental report on the Havana health symptoms. Spokesperson Myah Tomasi said Anand has asked officials to review that report and provide a thorough briefing and complete analysis. Tomasi noted Anand was not in the role at the time of the report.
The 2024 report remains Ottawa's formal position. It concluded the diplomats' health concerns were not the result of "any malicious act of a foreign actor." It also concluded that "no definitive common cause could be identified for the health symptoms experienced in Havana." Anand said the RCMP probed the matter and had no conclusive findings.
The cases date to 2016 to 2018, when Canadian and American personnel in Cuba reported symptoms including nosebleeds, dizziness, headaches, blurred vision and memory loss. Global Affairs Canada leads an interdepartmental task force on Unexplained Health Incidents (UHI), in other words a joint team from several departments working on what is often called Havana Syndrome. Government employees and their dependants have commenced litigation against the Crown with respect to Havana Syndrome.
That litigation continues to shape handling of the file. Ottawa triggered a rare national security provision last year to keep secret details of a multimillion-dollar lawsuit brought by 10 Canadian diplomats stationed in Havana. The use of that tool limits what can be aired in open court. It also constrains ministerial comment.
Pressure for independent review persists. Former CSIS officers and former national-security adviser Jody Thomas have called for the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians to review the Havana matter. That committee is a group of MPs and senators that examines sensitive security files behind closed doors. Parliament has probed the issue before. House of Commons Hansard No. 8 dated Jan. 27, 2020 included a question regarding Havana syndrome where Canadian diplomatic employees in Cuba suffered health symptoms in 2017 and 2018. Hansard No. 49 dated Jan. 25, 2021 included a further question regarding Canadian diplomats and diplomatic staff suffering symptoms associated with Havana Syndrome.
In March, the government said it stands by its 2024 report into Havana syndrome, referred to as "unexplained health incidents." Canadians with Havana syndrome expressed outrage after Ottawa backed its 2024 report, according to Global News reporting at the time.
The broader context here is one Ottawa watchers will recognize. A minister can treat the file as an employer obligation while leaving the analytic conclusions untouched. That approach protects departmental process. It does not settle the credibility question with affected staff, nor does it answer the call for parliamentary review. For a department that must post people abroad, duty of care and trust are operational assets. NSICOP offers a closed forum where intelligence equities and personnel accounts can be tested together. A deputy-led follow-up and briefing may clarify services and supports. It will not, on its own, resolve competing accounts of causation.
