Following a 30-second applause by all MPs, Mr. Rota added that “he’s a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service.”
“I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Mass Atrocities
From 1932 to 1933, Ukraine’s population was decimated by a famine that was made worse by policies implemented by the Soviet Union. The Communist Party’s decision to collectivize agriculture led to a drop in food production in Ukraine, leading to the deaths of up to five million Ukrainians in a famine known as the Holomodor.When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, they were greeted as liberators by many Ukrainians, who believed the fascist country would be a natural ally in the country’s quest for independence. While the Ukrainians’ new occupiers continued to brutalize them, by 1943 the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists had organized a multinational force to fight on behalf of the retreating Nazi army.
The unit, also called SS Galichina, was formed in 1943. It consisted of recruits from the Galicia region in western Ukraine and was armed and trained by the Nazis, the article said.
During the Nuremberg Trials following the war, the International Military Tribunal declared the Waffen SS to be a criminal organization that carried out mass atrocities.
‘Shocking’
The Canadian Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said on Sept. 24 on X that it was “deeply troubled and disturbed” to hear that a former member of the SS Galichina, “which actively participated in the genocide of Jews - was celebrated with a standing ovation in the Canadian Parliament.”‘Appalling Error in Judgement’
While Mr. Rota’s apology said “no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or my remarks [about Mr. Hunka] before I delivered them,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre provided different information that “has come out today.”In a post to X on Sept. 24 shortly following Mr. Rota’s apology, Mr. Poilievre wrote that “[Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau personally met with and honoured a veteran of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (a Nazi division). Liberals then arranged for this Nazi veteran to be recognized” in Parliament during the Ukrainian President’s visit that day.
“This is an appalling error in judgement on the part of Justin Trudeau, whose personal protocol office is responsible for arranging and vetting all guests and programming for state visits of this kind,” Mr. Poilievre added.
“Mr. Trudeau must personally apologize and avoid passing the blame to others as he always does.”
‘The PM Did Not Meet Him’
In response to Mr. Poilievre’s statement, Liberal MP Karina Gould, leader of the government in the House of Commons, posted to X in defence of Mr. Trudeau.“The Speaker has now made it clear that he was responsible for inviting this individual to the House. The government played no role. It did not know he would be there,” she wrote.
“The PM did not meet him. I am deeply troubled this happened. I urge MPs to avoid politicizing this incident.”
“Now that the Speaker’s apology has been issued I want to make sure we do not allow this mistake to divide Jewish Canadians, Ukrainian Canadians and all Canadians who stand together supporting Ukraine against the aggression of the Russian government,” he wrote.
Support for Ukraine
During the Ukrainian president’s two-day visit to Canada from Sept. 21 to 22, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged a new investment of $650 million in military aid over three years for the country’s defence against Russia.“President Zelenskyy, you and the Ukrainian people are holding the rules-based order in the balance,” Mr. Trudeau told the Ukrainian president in the House of Commons.