Canadian PM Trudeau Apologizes for Honoring WWII Nazi Unit Veteran in Parliament

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a formal apology on Wednesday regarding the recent recognition of a man who had fought alongside the Nazis during an address by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Parliament. Trudeau emphasized that the Speaker of the House of Commons, who resigned on Tuesday, bore sole responsibility for the invitation and acknowledgment of the individual, acknowledging it as a grave error that deeply embarrassed both Parliament and Canada.

He stated, “All of us who were in the House on Friday regret deeply having stood and clapped, even though we did so unaware of the context. It was a horrendous violation of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust and was deeply, deeply painful for Jewish people.” Trudeau reiterated this apology within Parliament.

During Zelenskyy’s address, Canadian lawmakers gave a standing ovation to 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka when Speaker Anthony Rota introduced him as a war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division. However, it was subsequently revealed that the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division, had been a voluntary unit under Nazi command.

Trudeau expressed concern over the politicization of this error by Russia and its supporters, emphasizing that it was essential not to distort the true nature of Ukraine’s struggle. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized the standing ovation for Hunka as an affront to the memory of Nazi atrocities.

Speaker Anthony Rota resigned after meeting with party leaders and facing calls for his resignation from major opposition parties. House government leader Karina Gould stated that Rota had invited and recognized Hunka without informing the government or the Ukrainian delegation, eroding lawmakers’ trust.

Rota had previously issued an apology, taking sole responsibility for inviting and acknowledging Hunka, who hails from his district. The incident has drawn condemnation from organizations such as the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, which described it as “a stain on our country’s venerable legislature with profound implications both in Canada and globally.”