Project MKUltra was a CIA program initiated in the 1950s to develop methods of mind control, often using highly unethical practices. In Canada, some of the most infamous experiments under this program occurred at the Allan Memorial Institute in Montreal, led by Dr. Ewen Cameron. Funded covertly by the CIA through front organizations, these experiments aimed to "depattern" individuals, erasing their memories and personalities to reprogram them.
Dr. Cameron subjected patients to extreme and invasive treatments, including prolonged drug-induced comas, repeated high-dose electroconvulsive therapy, and the relentless repetition of recorded messages, sometimes for hundreds of hours. These procedures were carried out without the informed consent of the patients, who were often seeking help for minor psychiatric issues like anxiety or depression. The devastating consequences left many patients permanently impaired, unable to recall basic life skills or their own identities
The Canadian government faced backlash for its role in allowing these experiments and eventually paid settlements to some victims in 1994, offering compensation of $100 000 to individuals subjected to his treatments between 1950 and 1965. To qualify for compensation, patients had to provide evidence that they had endured "full or substantial depatterning" leaving some victims and their family members without justice or compensation. Some victims and their families continue to seek settlements, as outlined in the great CBC reporting below.
The revelations about MKUltra remain a dark chapter in the history of both Canadian psychiatry and U.S.-Canadian relations, raising enduring questions about research ethics and governmental oversight.
Sources:
CBC News: Brainwashed: The echoes of MK-ULTRA
CBC News: Class action suit by families of those brainwashed in Montreal medical experiments gets go-ahead
CBC News: MK-ULTRA mind control experiments: Quebec high court says U.S. has immunity in Canada.
CBC News: U.S. argues for immunity in MK-ULTRA mind control case before Quebec Court of Appeal
CBC Video Report (21 min): MK Ultra
Hayes, Matthew. A History of Canada's UFO Investigation, 1950-1995. Trent University, 2018.https://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/objects/etd-776