Canada’s parliament gives standing ovation to Nazi veteran in botched attempt at solidarity with Ukraine
Canada’s Speaker of the House of Commons has apologised after introducing 98-year old Yaroslav Hunka as a ‘hero’ to honour the presence of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Jewish groups have condemned a standing ovation given by Canada’s parliament to a Ukrainian World War II veteran, who fought with the Nazi Waffen SS against Russia, which was meant to be a show of solidarity for visiting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Seemingly all members of Canada’s House of Commons on Friday (Saturday AEST) rose to their feet to pay tribute to 98 year old Yaroslav Hunka, who immigrated to Canada from Ukraine after the Second World War, for his efforts in fighting the Soviet Union in Ukraine.
“He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service,” said the House Speaker Anthony, who introduced him to the chamber, which also included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ukrainian president Zelesneky and his wife.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, a Canadian Jewish group, in a statement on Sunday (Monday AEST) said the praise was “shocking” and demanded an apology.
“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 organisation during the Nuremberg Trials,” it said.
Mr Hunka, who appeared to enjoy the approbation from more than 300 members of parliament, served in the First Ukrainian Division during WWII, which was also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia division.
Parts of Ukraine occupied by Germany during World War II, as in other European countries, collaborated with the Nazi regime, and provided troops for Hitler’s war effort against the Soviet Union, which ultimately prevailed.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Canada said in a separate statement that it “stood firmly with Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression” but was “deeply troubled and disturbed”, pointing out that the relevant Nazi division “actively participated in the genocide of Jews”.
Canada’s opposition and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who also applauded Mr Hunka, blamed prime minister Justin Trudeau’s office for deceiving the parliament.
Here is the moment the Canadian Parliament gave not one, but TWO standing ovations to a Nazi soldier.
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) September 24, 2023
Never forget. pic.twitter.com/r4A6myWOWn
“Liberals arranged for this Nazi veteran to be recognised on the floor of the House of Commons during the visit of the Ukrainian President,” he said in a statement on X.
“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”.
Mr Rota, a member of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party, later “extended his deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world”.
“I wish to make clear that no one, including fellow parliamentarians and Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them,” he wrote.
Mr Zelensky had travelled to Ottawa – his first visit to Canada since Russia’s February 2022 invasion – following meetings with world leaders in New York and Washington, where he met with President Joe Biden and congressional leaders in a bid to secure additional military and economic assistance.
“Moscow must lose once and for all. And it will lose,” Mr Zelensky said during his address to Canada’s parliament.
In his speech he linked the suffering of Ukrainians at the hands of Russia to a 1930s famine blamed on Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, which is estimated to have led to the deaths of millions of Ukrainians.
Mr Trudeau announced a further $C650 million in aid for Ukraine over the next three years and 50 military vehicles, part of around $C9 billion in total provided by Canada since the start of the war.
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