Warren Kinsella, a former adviser to Jean Chrétien, published an open letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky apologizing after a former Nazi soldier received a standing ovation in the House of Commons.
“We are sorry and deeply apologize for the embarrassment you experienced during your recent visit to Canada and your appearance in our country’s top legislative chamber,” Kinsella wrote in the Toronto Sun.
“We are very, very sorry,” he repeated.
“When you were there, as you and the world now know, you were asked to applaud a man who was a proud member of the Nazi SS during World War II. A man whose compatriots massacred countless Polish, Jewish and other civilians. Fascists who killed innocent people,” concluded the political advisor.
House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota resigned from his position on Tuesday, accepting responsibility for this monumental mistake that reverberated around the world.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later apologized on behalf of Parliament.