A Somali flag hangs on the wall behind Jasmine Mohamed. She says Somali officials were more helpful than their Canadian counterparts in 2017, when her father, en route from Somalia through Turkey, had a stroke and was hospitalized in Istanbul.
Shyan Desrosiers turned to Global Affairs Canada for help when her son found dead in Costa Rica. She feels failed by the government department responsible for assisting Canadians abroad.
In October, 2017, her son, Shawn Edmonds, 42, died at a resort in Costa Rica. The death was deemed accidental, but Ms. Hewitt feels foul play was involved and has been searching for answers for more than two years.
She said she has complained frequently to her contacts at Global Affairs about the poor assistance she feels she has received. But, she said, those complaints have not been heard: “They have been ignoring me since day one,” Ms. Hewitt said.