Shillong, September 28: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a formal apology on behalf of Canada for honoring a Ukrainian man in Parliament who had served in a Nazi unit during World War II.
In a statement on Wednesday, Trudeau acknowledged the mistake, saying, “This is a mistake that deeply embarrassed parliament and Canada,” as reported by the BBC.
As per IANS, Trudeau expressed regret for the incident in Parliament on September 22 when lawmakers unknowingly applauded Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old veteran who had served in the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division, a unit mostly comprised of ethnic Ukrainians under Nazi command. This division faced accusations of killing Polish and Jewish civilians, though it has not been found guilty of war crimes by any tribunal.
Trudeau emphasized the deep pain caused by this incident to Jewish people and the millions targeted by Nazi genocide. He also personally apologized to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was present in Parliament during the event, saying, “Canada is deeply sorry.”
The incident led to the resignation of Parliament Speaker Anthony Rota, who took responsibility for inviting Hunka and recognizing him.
The controversy surrounding the incident drew widespread condemnation, with Canada’s opposition Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre describing it as the “biggest single diplomatic embarrassment” in Canada’s history.
The Canadian Jewish organization Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies raised questions about how the debacle occurred.
Additionally, Russia seized on the incident to level accusations that Ukraine is influenced by neo-Nazis, even though President Zelensky himself is Jewish.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed outrage about the Canadian honor and claimed that many Western countries, including Canada, have failed to adequately educate the younger generation about the events and participants of World War II.
