Trudeau calls invite for Ukrainian who fought with Nazis ‘deeply embarrassing’ | CBC News
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday the decision to invite a Ukrainian veteran who fought in a Nazi unit to a recent parliamentary event honouring Ukraine’s president was “deeply embarrassing.”
House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota is facing calls to resign from the NDP and Bloc Quebecois after he extended an invitation to Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian Canadian who now lives in North Bay, Ont., to witness Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to Parliament on Friday.
The two opposition parties said it’s not enough for Rota to apologize for inviting Hunka to the day’s festivities.
Speaking briefly to reporters on Parliament Hill, Trudeau stopped short of calling for Rota to step aside from the role he’s held since 2019.
“It’s extremely upsetting that this happened. The Speaker has acknowledged his mistake and has apologized,” Trudeau said.
“But this is something that is deeply embarrassing to the Parliament of Canada and by extension to all Canadians.”
Trudeau warned that this event may fuel Russian propaganda. Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed the Ukraine conflict is about rooting out Nazis.
“I think it’s going to be really important that all of us push back against Russian disinformation and continue our steadfast unequivocal support for Ukraine,” Trudeau said.
Rota praised Hunka, a constituent of his Nipissing–Timiskaming riding, as a “Ukrainian hero” and a “Canadian hero” and prompted a standing ovation for the man.
The Speaker apologized to MPs in person at the opening of Parliament on Monday.
“I am deeply sorry I offended many with my gesture and remarks,” he said. “This initiative was entirely my own.
“I want to really tell you that the intention was not to embarrass this house.”
WATCH: Speaker apologizes for honouring veteran of Nazi unit
Speaker Anthony Rota, who is facing calls to resign, said Monday in the House of Commons that he is deeply sorry for honouring a Ukrainian who fought with a Nazi unit during a historic visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The incident has sparked a growing backlash in Canada and abroad.
While Rota appeared emotional as he issued his statement, he offered no suggestion he intends to resign.
NDP MP Peter Julian, the party’s House leader, said “regretfully and sadly” Rota cannot continue in his role after this incident.
“The Speaker has to be above reproach,” he said. “This is an unforgivable error that puts the entire House in disrepute. Unfortunately, I believe a sacred trust has been broken.”
CBC News reported Sunday that Hunka fought in the 1st Galician division, a branch of Nazi Germany’s Waffen-SS, during the Second World War.
In a decade-old article in a Ukrainian-language magazine, Hunka recounted his time in the division.
“None of us asked what our reward would be … or even what our tomorrow would look like. We felt our duty to our native land — and left!” Hunka wrote.
A request for comment sent to Hunka and his relatives went unanswered. Hunka has said in the past he fought for Ukrainian independence during his war service.
Hunka has defended his war service in local media, describing it as part of a fight for Ukrainian independence.
Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, the party’s House leader, said he doesn’t accept that Rota alone was to blame for the invitation.
He said the Liberal government should have done a better job of vetting who was in attendance for Zelenskyy’s speech.
The Speaker doesn’t report to the Prime Minister’s Office. While Rota is a Liberal MP, the Speaker is elected by all members of the House.
“This is a grave incident,” said Scheer, who was House Speaker from 2011 to 2015.
“[Rota’s] statement doesn’t answer the questions around how this person was allowed to be in the chamber. A straightforward Google search will show he served in this particular division. If basic, rudimentary vetting as to who might be in the gallery isn’t done — that’s remarkable,” he said.
“Many, many questions need to be answered. The Prime Minister’s Office so completely dropped the ball on this.”
Members of Parliament — Liberal Karina Gould, New Democrat Peter Julian and Conservative Andrew Scheer — respond to Anthony Rota’s apology for recognizing a Ukrainian who fought with a Nazi unit. Julian has called for Rota’s resignation.
Government House Leader Karina Gould said that as a Jewish person, she’s deeply hurt by what happened.
“A majority of my family walked Auschwitz-Birkenau and only my grandfather and his brother walked out,” she said.
She said parliamentarians trusted the Speaker when he signalled to those assembled that Hunka deserved praise.
“We trusted you,” she said to Rota. “I think this unfortunate situation has been deeply embarrassing for Canada’s Parliament and for Canada. It was deeply embarrassing for the president of Ukraine.”
Gould, a member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, stopped short of asking Rota to resign.
“I think it’s very important that we collectively work together to strike this recognition from the record,” she said.
House Speaker Anthony Rota has apologized after arranging for a Ukrainian constituent to be honoured by MPs during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit. Yaroslav Hunka fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War.
Pushing back against Conservative claims, Gould stressed that Rota alone was responsible for the invitation.
“This was your initiative,” she said addressing Rota in the chamber. “The government of Canada had no knowledge this individual was coming.”
On Monday afternoon, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet issued a statement calling for Rota’s resignation, saying his errors have caused damage and he has lost the confidence of the House.
Jewish groups are outraged that MPs, senators and dignitaries applauded Hunka.
“The fact that this individual, and by proxy the organization he was a member of, was given a standing ovation in the House of Commons is deeply troubling,” Dan Panneton, a director with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, told CBC News.
“I think association with this unit makes you a Nazi collaborator. To be part of this unit, you swore allegiance to Hitler and you were involved with the massacre of civilians. So it doesn’t matter if you try and claim that you were defending against communism, you were still involved with the Nazi war machine. That makes you complicit.”
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