In Canada, after the tribute paid in error to a former Nazi soldier, Justin Trudeau presents his “most sincere apologies”

Speaking of the“profound embarrassment of Canada”Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented, Wednesday, September 27, his “deepest apologies” for the tribute paid in Parliament to a Ukrainian veteran who fought with the Nazis, during Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit.

Apologizing in front of all the deputies “for the situation in which President Zelensky and the Ukrainian delegation were placed”, he described this tribute as “terrible mistake” and of “violation of the memory of those who cruelly suffered at the hands of the Nazi regime”. Justin Trudeau also said that Ottawa had already contacted kyiv and President Volodymyr Zelensky to apologize.

On Friday, MPs from all parties, Justin Trudeau, his government and Volodymyr Zelensky, of Jewish faith, stood up to applaud Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian veteran, unaware of the details of his past. The latter is in reality a former member of the “SS Galicia”.

Resignation of the Speaker of the House of Commons

Ottawa has been under pressure for several days in this affair described as “greatest diplomatic embarrassment” of the country’s history by the leader of the conservative opposition, Pierre Poilièvre.

The Prime Minister, however, explained that “the sole responsible” was the Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota, who “accepted responsibility” and submitted his resignation on Tuesday. It was the latter who had Mr. Hunka applauded, presenting him as a “Ukrainian hero”coming from his electoral district.

According to the Canadian Jewish community advocacy group, Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC), Mr. Hunka served in the 14^e Waffen Grenadier division of the SS, a Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well documented.

An error exploited by Russia, according to Justin Trudeau

“It is disturbing to think that this blatant error is being politicized by Russia and its supporters in order to spread false propaganda”also underlined the Prime Minister.

Since the start of its offensive in Ukraine, Russia has in fact accused the Ukrainian leaders of being “neo-Nazis” and advances, as justification for war, the necessity of “denazify” his neighbour.

The Canadian episode therefore risks further fueling this rhetoric: the Russian ambassador to Canada, Oleg Stepanov, also spoke of “scandalous commemoration”asking the Canadian Prime Minister on Tuesday to also apologize to Russia for the “multiple war crimes” committed by this SS brigade against the Russian people.

In Poland, the government has launched an investigation to verify whether this Ukrainian veteran had not committed crimes on its territory, with a view to his possible extradition.

Canada has the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world after Russia, with some 1.4 million people of Ukrainian origin. Friday was the Ukrainian president’s first official visit to Canadian soil since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.