Comedian Rob Schneider says he’s cancelled a trip to Canada after Parliament honoured a man who fought for a Nazi military unit.
Comedian Rob Schneider says he’s cancelled a trip to Canada after Parliament honoured a man who fought for a Nazi military unit.
Schneider, 59, has Jewish roots and made several posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, expressing his disappointment with Canada and its leaders, saying the incident was “beyond the pale.”
“I just canceled my trip to Canada. Trudeau’s tyranny against peaceful trucker protesters seems insignificant to this despicable and outrageous act of honoring of one of ADOLF HITLER’S NAZI SS Soldiers by the Canadian Parliament,” he posted on Sept. 25.
Yaroslav Hunka, a former member of the Waffen SS, a Nazi division accused of war crimes during World War II, was celebrated during a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy on Sept. 22. Speaker of the House Anthony Rota called Mr. Hunka “a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero,” and thanked him for his service.
After becoming aware that Mr. Hunka had fought alongside Nazis, Mr. Rota apologized in a statement on Sept. 24, noting that he was solely responsible for inviting the man to Parliament.
Schneider also called on Canadian actor William Shatner to apologize for his citizenship, then posted an apology for dating a Canadian woman, and said “I also apologize for every Hockey game I’ve watched and for all the maple syrup I’ve drizzled on my pancakes.”
Mr. Rota announced his resignation on Sept. 26, noting that his recognition of Ukrainian-Canadian Yaroslav Hunka had caused pain to many individuals and communities, “including the Jewish community in Canada and around the world, in addition to survivors of Nazi atrocities in Poland, among other nations.”
“I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally apologized for the incident on behalf of Parliament on Sept. 27.
“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 Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian delegation for the position they were put in,” Mr. Trudeau said during question period on Sept. 27.
“For all of us who were present, to have unknowingly recognized this individual was a terrible mistake and a violation of the memory of those who suffered grievously at the hands of the Nazi regime.”
Mr. Trudeau said that as Speaker of the House, Mr. Rota was “soley responsible” for the invitation and recognition of Mr. Hunka.
“This was a mistake that has deeply embarrassed Parliament, and Canada. All of us who were in this House on Friday, regret deeply having stood and clapped even though we did so unaware of the context.”
Talking with reporters before the apology, Mr. Trudeau said the recognition of Mr. Hunka was a “horrendous violation of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust, and it was deeply, deeply painful for Jewish people.”
