Vote Fails to Strike From Appendix House Speaker’s Comments on Man Who Fought for Nazis

Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota rises in the chamber as he delivers a statement in the House of Commons in Ottawa on July 22, 2020. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

Liberal House Leader Karina Gould failed on Sept. 25 to win a unanimous vote to strike from the House of Commons appendix the House speaker’s comments regarding a former soldier who fought for the Nazis.

“It goes without saying that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” Conservative MP Marty Morantz said in the House of Commons following the failed vote. “What happened on Friday was shameful and brought embarrassment to this chamber. It was an ugly reminder of what survivors of the Holocaust know too well—that we must never forget.”

On Sept. 22, a former member of the Waffen SS, a Nazi division accused of war crimes during the Second World War, received a standing ovation from all MPs present in the House of Commons during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Parliament.

The man, Ukrainian-Canadian Yaroslav Hunka, was referred to as a “Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero,” by House Speaker Anthony Rota. The Liberal MP apologized two days later on Sept. 24, saying in a statement that the decision to recognize Mr. Hunka “was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my riding and having been brought to my attention.”

Mr. Rota also extended his “deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world.”

During the Second World War, Mr. Hunka fought with the First Ukrainian Division, which is another name for the 4th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, a military wing of the Nazi Party. During the Nuremberg Trials following the war, the International Military Tribunal declared the Waffen SS a criminal organization that carried out mass atrocities.

Ms. Gould, who is Jewish, asked for unanimous consent to adopt a motion that would strike Mr. Rota’s recognition of Mr. Hunka from the appendix, but several Conservatives voiced their opposition to it.

Mr. Morantz added that removing the text of Mr. Rota’s words from the Hansard transcripts would serve “only one purpose—to try and forget what happened, to wash the record clean.”

Conservatives Blame Prime Minister

During Question Period, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre blamed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the incident, claiming it was the duty of the Prime Minister’s Office and the RCMP to vet every person who comes in close proximity to foreign leaders.

“It was the job of the prime minister to protect that foreign leader from this massive embarrassment. If the prime minister failed to have that in place, then that in itself is a massive act of incompetence. Will he take responsibility and apologize for that?” Mr. Poilievre asked.

Ms. Gould repeatedly told the House of Commons that Mr. Rota alone was responsible for inviting and honouring Mr. Hunka, and called for the Conservatives not to “politicize” what happened. “[Mr. Poilievre] knows just as well as everyone else in this chamber that the decision to invite this individual was yours, Mr. Speaker, and yours alone, that you did not inform the government or the Ukrainian delegation that you were inviting him or that you would recognize him,” Ms. Gould said.

“You made that public yesterday. The Leader of the Opposition knows that, and I would ask that he sticks to the facts.”

Earlier in the day, New Democrat House Leader Peter Julian called for Mr. Rota to resign for the mistake, claiming a “sacred trust” had been broken. “It’s for that reason, for the good of the institution of the House of Commons, that I say, sadly, I don’t believe you can continue in this role,” Mr. Julian told Mr. Rota.

Mr. Trudeau told reporters the incident was “deeply embarrassing to the Parliament of Canada and, by extension, all Canadians,” and that it was “extremely upsetting that this happened.”