The speaker of Canada’s House of Commons has apologised for praising an individual who served in a Nazi unit during World War II in a session attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Speaker Anthony Rota recognised Yaroslav Hunka, 98, as a “Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero”, saying “we thank him for all his service” before the Canadian Parliament on Friday.
Hunka served in World War II as a member of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, according to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights group, that demanded an apology.
The centre said Hunka’s ties to the Nazi war machine “are well-documented”. Both Zelenskyy and Trudeau joined in acknowledging Hunka during the parliament session with applause.
Rota took responsibility for what he characterised as an oversight, calling the initiative “entirely my own”.
The recognition came following the visit to parliament by Zelenskyy, who thanked Canada for its assistance in Ukraine’s war against Russia. Rota said no one, including fellow parliamentarians or the Ukrainian delegation, was aware of his plans or remarks beforehand.
Following Zelenskyy’s remarks, Rota acknowledged Hunka – who was seated in the gallery – praising him for fighting for Ukrainian independence against the Russians.
Hunka received two standing ovations from those gathered. As Canadian lawmakers cheered, Zelenskyy raised his fist in acknowledgement and Hunka saluted.
Russia’s RIA state news agency cited Russia’s ambassador to Canada, Oleg Stepanov, as saying the embassy will send a letter to Trudeau and a note to the Canadian foreign ministry on Monday.
Dominique Arel, chair of Ukrainian studies at the University of Ottawa, said the incident “is highly problematic”.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, saying the goal of the “special military operation” was to denazify and demilitarise its neighbour. Zelenskyy is Jewish and lost relatives in the Holocaust.
Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia’s attack, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, has been an unprovoked land grab. The United States says Moscow’s false justification for the war has been nothing but the Kremlin’s attempt to “manipulate international public opinion”.
B’nai Brith Canada’s CEO Michael Mostyn said it was outrageous that parliament honoured a former member of the Nazi Party.
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