When Volodymyr Zelenskyy dropped in on the Canadian Parliament, shaking his tin cup looking for more funds, House Speaker Anthony Rota thought it would be nice to honor 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka.
“We have here in the chamber today a Ukrainian-Canadian veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today, even at his age of 98,” Rota announced. “He’s a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service. Thank you.”
Hunka then saluted the group, got a wave from Zelensky, and received not one but two standing ovations.
Although, what sounded like a warm greeting was actually a major gaffe on Rota’s part. Hunka served in the first Ukrainian Division, which is also known as the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division/Galician Division of the SS, a volunteer Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well-documented. Members of the division were accused of killing Polish and Jewish civilians, and during the Nuremberg tribunals, the Waffen SS division was found guilty of war crimes.
This mindless, outrageous mistake would be unacceptable at any time, but to Jewish communities that began celebrating Yom Kippur on Sunday evening, this was reopening and rubbing salt in an old wound.
Justifiably, outrage quickly followed. The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies issued a statement on Sunday concerning the SS division, stating that it “was responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians with a level of brutality and malice that is unimaginable.”
“An apology is owed to every Holocaust survivor and veteran of the second world war who fought the Nazis, and an explanation must be provided as to how this individual entered the hallowed halls of Canadian parliament and received recognition from the Speaker of the House and a standing ovation,” the organization said.
Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre wasted no time in taking advantage of this political layup. Calling it an “appalling error of judgment” by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He then stated that Trudeau’s office would have approved inviting and honoring Hunka. He also demanded that Trudeau apologize and dispense with “passing the blame to others as he always does.”
Whether he passed the blame or not, it was Rota, not Trudeau, who issued the official apology in the form of a statement on Sunday afternoon. Stating that he had become “aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision.”
“I wish to make clear that no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them,” he said. “This initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my riding [district] and having been brought to my attention.”
There are two other points of irony here. During the Freedom Convoy, supporters referred to Trudeau as “Blackface Hitler” based on an old picture of him in blackface and his political views.
Also, one of those present was Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who was photographed loudly applauding at the introduction. As reported in 2017 by the Ottawa Citizen, Freeland’s grandfather was a documented Nazi collaborator. Originally passed off as Russian disinformation, the Citizen provided photographic and documented proof in their article.
This is another embarrassment on a growing list for Trudeau. Perhaps subconsciously, his socialist views manifested this irresponsible act that offended so many of his citizens.
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