Speaking of Canada’s “deep embarrassment,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his “deepest apology” on Wednesday, Sept. 27, for the tribute paid in Parliament to a Ukrainian veteran who fought for the Nazis during the visit by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He apologized to all MPs “for the situation in which President Zelensky and the Ukrainian delegation found themselves” and called this honor a “terrible mistake” and “injury to the memory of those who suffered cruelly at the hands of Ukraine.” Nazi regime. Justin Trudeau also said Ottawa had already contacted Kyiv and President Volodymyr Zelensky to apologize.
On Friday, MPs from all parties, Justin Trudeau, his government and Volodymyr Zelensky, of the Jewish faith, stood to applaud Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian veteran who remains unaware of the details of his past. The latter is actually a former member of the “SS Galicia”.
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers. In the middle of Zelensky’s visit to Canada, the unfortunate homage to a former soldier in a Nazi division
Resignation of the Speaker of the House of Commons
Ottawa has been under pressure for several days over this affair, which Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre described as “the biggest diplomatic embarrassment” in the country’s history.
However, the Prime Minister said that “the sole responsible person” was the Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota, who “accepted responsibility” and tendered his resignation on Tuesday. It was the latter who applauded Mr. Hunka and presented him as a “Ukrainian hero” from his constituency.
According to Canadian Jewish community advocacy group Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC), Mr. Hunka served in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, a Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well documented.
A mistake exploited by Russia, according to Justin Trudeau
“It is disturbing to believe that this blatant mistake is being politicized by Russia and its supporters to spread false propaganda,” the Prime Minister also emphasized.
Since the beginning of its offensive in Ukraine, Russia has actually accused Ukrainian leaders of being “neo-Nazis,” citing the need to “denazify” its neighbor as justification for the war.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In Russia, propaganda is being mobilized to incite hatred against a “Ukronazi” government
The Canadian incident therefore risks fueling this rhetoric even further: the Russian ambassador to Canada, Oleg Stepanov, also spoke of a “scandalous commemoration” and called on the Canadian Prime Minister on Tuesday to also apologize to Russia for the “multiple war crimes.” to apologize for what he had committed against the Russian people by this SS brigade.
In Poland, the government has opened an investigation into his possible extradition to verify that this Ukrainian veteran has not committed any crimes on its territory.
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Canada has the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world after Russia, with approximately 1.4 million people of Ukrainian origin. Friday marked the Ukrainian president’s first official visit to Canadian soil since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.