Canadian PM Trudeau Apologizes for Speaker’s Praise of Nazi Veteran in Parliament

Anthony Rota, the speaker who publicly acknowledged veteran Yaroslav Hunka as a hero during a session in the House last Friday, resigned from his role on Tuesday, taking sole responsibility for the incident. Hunka, aged 98, was a Polish-born Ukrainian who had served in one of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen SS units during World War Two before immigrating to Canada.

Russia has seized upon the incident to bolster its claims that the conflict in Ukraine is centred on “denazification,” an assertion that Kyiv and its Western allies have vehemently denied.

Speaking before the House on Wednesday, Trudeau addressed the matter, saying, “On behalf of all of us in this House, I would like to present unreserved apologies for what took place on Friday and to President Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian delegation for the position they were put in.”

He went on to express deep regret for unknowingly recognizing Hunka, deeming it a “terrible mistake and a violation of the memory of those who suffered grievously at the hands of the Nazi regime.”

Earlier in the day, the Kremlin had called on the entire Canadian parliament to publicly condemn Nazism.

Trudeau condemned the politicization of the error by Russia and its supporters, emphasizing, “It is extremely troubling to think that this egregious error is being politicized by Russia and its supporters to provide false propaganda about what Ukraine is fighting for.”

Regarding the incident, Trudeau clarified that Hunka resides in Rota’s parliamentary constituency and asserted that the Liberal government bore no responsibility for vetting the speaker’s invitations.

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However, the official opposition Conservatives contended that ultimate responsibility rested with Trudeau, given his invitation to President Zelenskiy to address the Canadian parliament. They accused him of negligence in the matter.