Trudeau, Canada House Of Commons Honour Man Who Fought For Nazis. Speaker Issues Apology
Speaker of Canada's House of Commons, Anthony Rota, issued an apology after the House and PM Justin Trudeau honoured a Nazi unit veteran.
Canadian House Speaker Anthony Rota on Sunday apologised for honouring a man, who had fought for Nazis, in the House of Commons with a standing ovation that drew sharp criticism from the opposition leader and Jewish groups. During the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Canadian House of Commons stood to honour 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, of North Bay, Ontario and the speaker introduced him as a "war hero", as reported by the Washington Post. Furthermore, opposition leader Pierre Poilievre said that Canadian PM Justin Trudeau personally met with and honoured a veteran of the "14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (a Nazi division)".
"Liberals then arranged for this Nazi veteran to be recognized on the floor of the House of Commons during the visit of the Ukrainian President," Poilievre said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Thanking Hunka for his service, Rota said, "He’s a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service," which was followed by a standing ovation.
Issuing an apology over the development, Rota said he "accepts full responsibility" for his actions and extended an apology to "Jewish communities in Canada and around the world".
"In my remarks following the address of the President of Ukraine, I recognized an individual in the gallery. I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so," Rota said in a statement on Sunday
"I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I accept full responsibility for my actions," he added.
He added that no one in the entire House as well from the Ukrainian delegation was aware of his act.
Oppn Triggers Guns At Trudeau
Meanwhile, the opposition has sought a 'personal' apology from PM Trudeau calling his meet with Hunka an "appalling error in judgement". Pierre Poilievre claimed that without warning or context, it was impossible for any parliamentarian in the room (other than Mr. Trudeau) to know of this dark past.
"This is an appalling error in judgement on the part of Justin Trudeau, whose personal protocol office is responsible for arranging and vetting all guests and programming for state visits of this kind."
It has come out today that Justin Trudeau personally met with and honoured a veteran of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (a Nazi division).
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) September 24, 2023
Liberals then arranged for this Nazi veteran to be recognized on the floor of the House of Commons during the visit of the… https://t.co/9JFUEqsdW8
"No parliamentarians (other than Justin Trudeau) had the opportunity to vet this individual’s past before he was introduced and honoured on the floor of the House of Commons," he said.
"Mr. Trudeau must personally apologize and avoid passing the blame to others as he always does," Poilievre wrote on X.
Human Rights Body Seeks Explanation
Amid all the developments, a human rights group involved in educating about the Holocaust, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) has sought an explanation as to how the Nazi veteran was called in the House of Commons.
"The fact that a veteran who served in a Nazi military unit was invited to and given a standing ovation in Parliament is shocking," FSWC stated.
"At a time of rising antisemitism and Holocaust distortion, it is incredibly disturbing to see Canada’s Parliament rise to applaud an individual who was a member of a unit in the Waffen-SS, a Nazi military branch responsible for the murder of Jews and others and that was declared a criminal organization during the Nuremberg Trials," it said, adding that the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center calls for an apology and an explanation as to how Hunka came to be invited to the Canadian Parliament.
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