Canada House Speaker Resigns After Praising Nazi Fighter
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
OTTAWA/MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – There was political turmoil Wednesday after the speaker of Canada’s House of Commons resigned for inviting a man who fought for a Nazi military unit during World War II to Parliament to attend a speech by the Ukrainian president.
Just after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an address in the House of Commons on Friday, Canadian lawmakers gave 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka a standing ovation when Speaker Anthony Rota drew attention to him. Rota introduced Hunka as “a war hero” who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.
Experts, over the weekend, began to publicize the fact that the First Ukrainian Division was also was known as the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the Schutzstaffel, a voluntary unit under the command of the Nazis.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC), a Canadian-based Jewish human rights group, said Hunka had served in that unit, known for atrocities, including the mass killing of Jews in the Holocaust, also called the Shoah.
The FSWC expressed outrage that Rota’s acknowledgment of Hunka during Zelensky’s visit resulted in the legislature giving the veteran a standing ovation. “Speaker Rota’s decision to invite a former member of the Waffen-SS, notorious for its involvement in Holocaust atrocities, to Canada’s Parliament has left a stain on our country’s venerable legislature with profound implications both in Canada and globally,” the center said.
“This incident has compromised all 338 Members of Parliament and has also handed a propaganda victory to Russia, distracting from what was a momentously significant display of unity between Canada and Ukraine,” the FSWC added.
It also called for the Parliamentary Procedure and House Affairs Committee to hold hearings to investigate the alleged “vetting process failures” and propose changes to ensure the incident never occurs again.
CANADA PREMIER
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the error was “extremely upsetting” for the country, particularly the country’s Jewish population, but he encouraged Canada to remain united with Ukraine.
Amid the turmoil, Rota announced his resignation late Tuesday, saying he had made a mistake. “On Friday, in my remarks following the address by the President of Ukraine, I recognized an individual in the gallery,” he told legislators. “My intention was to show that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not a new one — that Ukrainians have unfortunately been subject to foreign aggression for far too long and that this must end,” Rota explained. “I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to recognize this individual.”
Rota added, “No one in this House is above any of us. Therefore, I must step down as your speaker.”
He said his “public recognition” of Hunka “has caused pain to individuals and communities, including to the Jewish community in Canada and around the world, in addition to Nazi survivors in Poland, among other nations. I accept full responsibility for my actions.”
Rota stepped down after meeting with the House of Commons’ party leaders on Tuesday. All main opposition parties called for Rota to step down, and government House leader Karina Gould said lawmakers had lost confidence in Rota.
“This is something that has brought shame and embarrassment to all of Parliament and indeed all Canadians.
The speaker did the honorable thing in resigning,” Government Liberal House leader Karina Gould said.
JEWISH BACKGROUND
Gould said she is of Jewish origin and a descendent of a Holocaust survivor.
“This incident hurt me personally as it hurt all members of this House and all Canadians,” she stressed.
Yet in Moscow, a Kremlin spokesman said it was “outrageous” that Hunka received a standing ovation.
The incident was expected to be used by Russia to justify its Ukraine invasion further.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has painted his enemies in Ukraine as “neo-Nazis,” although Zelenskyy is Jewish and lost relatives in the Holocaust.
Przemyslaw Czarnek, Poland’s Minister of Education and Science, wrote on social media Tuesday that he had taken steps toward the possible extradition of Hunka to Poland.
Hunka’s military formation fought in Poland as well as in Ukraine, Slovakia, and the former Yugoslavia during the war.
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