Trudeau slammed for Canadian Parliament's standing ovation to Nazi veteran
Canada's leader of the opposition, Pierre Poilievre, has slammed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accusing him of personally meeting and honoring Yaroslav Hunka (98), a Nazi who participated in the genocide of Jews, in the Canadian Parliament. The incident took place during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent visit to Canada. He termed it Trudeau's "appalling error in judgment." Meanwhile, House Speaker Anthony Rota issued an apology saying it was "entirely" his decision and that the others weren't aware of his intention.
Why does this story matter?
Canada is in hot waters in the wake of its spat with India, which has allegedly called it a haven for terrorists. Now, the parliamentary honor to a Nazi veteran will further denigrate its image. Canada is one of the most staunch supporters of Ukraine in the latter's ongoing war with Russia, which was at the forefront of defeating Nazi Germany and ending World War II. Notably, Ukraine's military has been accused of fostering neo-Nazi elements in the ongoing war.
Apology after standing ovation
Rota, the speaker of Canada's House of Commons, hailed Hunka as "a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from World War II who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians" and a "Ukrainian and Canadian hero." The entire House even gave a standing ovation to Hunka. Canadian Jewish group Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), along with Canada-based Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC), objected to the incident, following which Rota issued an apology to the Jewish community.
Trudeau shifting blame: Poilievre
Poilievre attacked Trudeau, saying he shouldn't pass the buck "as he always does." He said the prime minister's personal protocol office has the duty of arranging and vetting all guests for state visits. "No parliamentarians had the opportunity to vet this individual's past before he was introduced and honored on the floor of the House of Commons. Without warning or context, it was impossible for any parliamentarian in the room to know of this dark past," he said.
What's the big deal?
Hunka is a Ukrainian immigrant in Canada who fought for the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division or the Galicia Division, a military formation under Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. The division was formed by volunteers from the Galicia area who were of Ukrainian descent. The Galicia Division and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, an anti-Soviet Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary, fought together against the Nazis, allegedly committing massacres against Jews, Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks, among others. After the war ended, Hunka moved to Canada.
Canada admitted 2,000 Ukrainian SS troopers after war
Notably, the Waffen-SS was declared a criminal organization in the Nuremberg Trials. The Galicia Division was renamed as the First Ukrainian Division before it surrendered to the Western Allies in 1945. In 1997, CBS reported that after the war ended, Canada admitted at least 2,000 Ukrainian Waffen-SS troopers in the country in 1950, allowing them to settle. In 2021, however, Zelenskyy and the governments of Israel and Germany denounced the Galicia Division in Kyiv.
