A Montreal woman was in federal court Wednesday trying to launch a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian government for Cold War-era brainwashing experiments.

Janine Huard, who wants to be the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, is asking a federal court judge to extend the statute of limitations to allow her to file the suit.

Huard says experiments were carried out on her and hundreds of other patients at McGill University's Allan Memorial Institute more than five decades ago.

Huard, who turns 79 later this January, says she was a young mother of four with mild post-partum depression when she checked herself in for psychiatric treatment.

The woman says she received massive electroshocks and was fed more than 40 experimental pills a day.

She says she was so sick that her mother had to live with her for 10 years because she lost memories and suffered from migraines.

The McGill experiments were jointly funded by the CIA and the Canadian government.

The federal court hearing is expected to last until Jan. 12.