In an embarrassing incident, the Canadian Parliament cheered for a
98-year-old veteran who reportedly fought for the Nazis during World War II, calling him a "Ukrainian Hero". The baffling incident happened during the visit of Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
The incident snowballed into a major controversy, with several Jewish advocacy organisations seeking a public apology from the House of Commons.
Zelenskyy, who was at the House of Commons, had thanked Canada for its assistance in his country's war against Russia. Just after this, House Speaker Anthony Rota introduced Hunka as a war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.
"I am very proud to say that he is from North Bay and from my riding of Nipissing, Timiskaming," the Ontario MP said as an introduction. "He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service." The MPs cheered and Zelenskyy raised his fist in acknowledgement as Hunka saluted from the gallery.
However, Hunka served in World War II as a member of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, according to Jewish human rights group The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center. The First Ukrainian Division was also known as the SS 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center also sought an apology from the House of Commons, saying the division "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 statement said.
Rota soon tendered an apology, saying he took responsibility for the oversight, calling the initiative "entirely my own." "I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision," he said, adding his "deepest apologies" to Jewish communities.
Meanwhile, Russia's RIA state news agency cited Russia's ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov said the embassy will send a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a note to the Canadian foreign ministry on Monday. "We will, of course, demand clarification from the Canadian government," RIA cited Stepanov. Russia's claim to launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine was "to de-nazify and demilitarise the country."
B'nai Brith Canada's CEO, Michael Mostyn, said it was outrageous that Parliament honoured a former member of a Nazi unit, saying Ukrainian ultra-nationalist ideologues who volunteered for the Galicia Division dreamed of an ethnically homogenous Ukrainian state and endorsed the idea of ethnic cleansing.