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The leader of Canada’s lower house of parliament apologized Sunday after he said he learned that the man he celebrated during a Ukrainian delegation’s visit had served in a notorious Nazi military unit during World War II.
Canadian House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota honored 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka of North Bay, Ont., on Friday during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit. After Zelensky’s address to Parliament, in which he thanked Canada for its support in Ukraine’s war against Russia, Rota introduced Hunka as a war hero “who fought [for] the independence of Ukraine against the Russians and continues to support the troops today.”
“He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service,” Rota said as members stood in ovation.
But on Sunday, Jewish groups condemned the honor, saying Hunka was a member of a Waffen SS unit – the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division – made up of ethnic Ukrainians. Heinrich Himmler, a leading member of the Nazi Party in Germany, founded the Waffen-SS, which dealt with mass shootings, combating partisans, and providing guards for Nazi concentration camps.
“The fact that a veteran who served in a Nazi military unit was invited to parliament and received a standing ovation is shocking,” said the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies.
The issue draws attention to controversial elements of Ukrainian history, as far-right nationalists like Stepan Bandera allied with the Nazis to oust the Soviets and gain Ukrainian sovereignty. Some Ukrainian forces participated in Nazi atrocities, but their fight for independence has led some modern Ukrainian troops to revere the old entity’s images and iconography. For example, in April the Ukrainian Defense Ministry published: then deleteda picture of a Ukrainian soldier wearing a patch with a skull and crossbones, a Nazi symbol.
Ukraine, led by a Jewish president, says it has purged extremist elements from its ranks, particularly the Azov Battalion. But the historical relationship remains delicate because Russian President Vladimir Putin falsely declared Ukraine a Nazi state, a claim he used to justify his illegal invasion.
“At a time of increasing anti-Semitism and distortion of the Holocaust, it is incredibly disturbing to see the Canadian Parliament rise to applaud a person who was a member of a unit of the Waffen-SS, a Nazi military branch responsible for the murder of Jews and others that was declared a criminal organization during the Nuremberg Trials,” said the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center demanded an apology and an explanation for how Hunka came to be invited to the Canadian Parliament.
Rota apologized for the incident on Sunday and said he took “full responsibility.” The office of the Speaker of the House of Commons did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking further information about the incident.
“In my remarks following the speech by the President of Ukraine, I recognized a person in the gallery. “In hindsight, I have become aware of additional information that causes me to regret my decision,” Rota said in a statement. “I especially want to deeply apologize to the Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Rota added that none of his parliamentary colleagues or members of the Ukrainian delegation were involved in inviting and recognizing Hunka.
Ann-Clara Vaillancourt, a spokeswoman for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, issued a statement Sunday calling Rota’s apology “the right thing.”
“Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the Ukrainian delegation was informed in advance of the invitation or recognition,” the statement said. “The Speaker had his own allotment of guest seating on Friday, determined solely by the Speaker and his office.”