Canadian Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre is demanding an apology from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing him of approving a Ukrainian veteran who reportedly fought in a Nazi battalion during WWII to be honored in Canada’s House of Commons, Poilievre said on Twitter.
It has come out today that 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 on the floor of the House of Commons during the visit of the… https://t.co/9JFUEqsdW8
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) September 24, 2023
“It has come out today that Justin Trudeau personally met with and honoured a veteran of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (a Nazi division),” Poilievre tweeted.
“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,” the Conservative MP declared. (RELATED: Vivek Ramaswamy Says There Are ‘Open Questions’ About Zelenskyy’s Treatment Of ‘Religious Minorities’ Like Jews)
98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka received a bipartisan standing ovation from the Canadian Parliament when he was recognized shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Canadian politicians in Canada for the first time, Politico reported.
MASSIVE OUTRAGE after Canada’s parliament gave a standing ovation during Zelensky joint address Friday to Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian Nazi collaborator who served in a Nazi military unit during the Second World War implicated in the mass murder of Jews and others.… pic.twitter.com/PFWQNEoM76
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) September 24, 2023
Hunka was introduced and invited to Parliament by Canada’s House Speaker Anthony Rota, who told his fellow lawmakers “We have here in the chamber today a Ukrainian-Canadian veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today, even at his age of 98,” per Politico.
Rota apologized after numerous Jewish advocacy groups took exception to Hunka’s presence in Parliament. “On Friday, September 22, in my remarks following the address of the President of Ukraine, I recognized an individual in the gallery,” Rota said in a statement. “I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so,” he continued.
“We are deeply troubled & disturbed that a Ukrainian veteran of the infamous 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the Nazi SS – which actively participated in the genocide of Jews – was celebrated with a standing ovation in the Canadian Parliament,” the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs tweeted.