Canadian men rocked by discovery they were switched at birth

MANITOBA, Canada -- Two grown men from the western Canadian province of Manitoba have learned through DNA testing that they were switched at birth, the second such case to emerge from the remote community in less than a year. 

Reuters reported that David Tait and Leon Swanson were switched as newborns in 1975 in the federally-run Norway House Hospital. The two men were born three days apart.

According to the CBC, both men grew up knowing each other, and continue to live in the Canadian community. Through DNA tests prompted by news of another case of babies switched at birth, the men learned that they were raised by the biological mother of the other.  

At a press conference this weekend, both men appeared devastated by the news, choking back tears. 

“I want answers, I want answers,” Tait repeated several times. 

This isn’t the first time this community north of Winnipeg has been rocked by news of babies switched at birth. 

In November, officials said two men, also born in 1975 at the same hospital, and who grew up as close friends, learned they were swapped as newborns, Reuters reported. 

Canadian Health Minister Jane Philpott said the second case “deeply troubled” her, and that the health department would hire an independent party to investigate further, Reuters reported.