February 7, 2019 – John Phillips in the news – Washington Post “Five Canadian diplomats sue Canadian government for handling of Cuba mystery illness” —
Find the full article here.
TORONTO – Five Canadian diplomats and their families filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging the Canadian government failed to sufficiently deal with the mysterious brain injuries that they suffered while posted to the embassy in Cuba and actively interfered with their ability to seek medical care.
“Throughout the crisis, Canada downplayed the seriousness of the situation, hoarded and concealed critical health and safety information, and gave false, misleading and incomplete information to diplomatic staff,” the statement of claim alleged.
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At a news conference Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “There’s no question that the health impacts on diplomats in Cuba have been visible and real.”
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Why Canada kept its diplomats in place even as the United States was evacuating its own is one of the questions at the center of the lawsuit, said John Kingman Phillips, a lawyer representing some of the plaintiffs.
“The stakes are the degree to which Canada will step up, protect and keep from harm our diplomats at their postings,” he said.
