Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologized after Canada’s parliament honored a man who served with Nazi forces during World War II, saying the “horrible mistake” hurt the memory of all those who suffered during the Holocaust.
On the afternoon of September 27, local time, Trudeau said in French in the House of Representatives, “On behalf of everyone here, I would like to express my most sincere apology for what happened last Friday.”
“To pay tribute to this man without knowing who he was is a terrible mistake and violates the memory of those who suffered cruelly at the hands of the Nazi regime.”
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended a special meeting in Ottawa calling on Canada to continue supporting Ukraine against Russia’s military offensive, while 98-year-old veteran Yaroslav Honka twice received standing ovations from House of Representatives attendees. .
Jewish community groups later reported that Honka served in the 14th SS Grenadier Division, a Nazi military unit during World War II, and they demanded an explanation and apology from Canada.
Canadian Parliament gives standing ovation to WWII Nazi personnel (Al Jazeera)
Trudeau also apologized to Zelensky and the Ukrainian delegation that went to Canada to attend a parliamentary meeting on the 27th, saying that the incident contributed to Russia’s “propaganda.”
“It’s extremely disturbing that Russia and its backers are politicizing this serious mistake to promote disinformation about their fighting goals in Ukraine,” Trudeau told reporters at a news conference before speaking in parliament. Condition.”
Russia, which launched a full-scale military campaign against Ukraine last year, called the decision to honor Honka “outrageous.”
“Many Western countries, including Canada, are raising younger generations who have no idea who was fighting whom during World War II or what happened. They have no idea of the threat of fascism,” Kremlin Palace spokesman Dmitry Peskov said previously.
Russian authorities have argued that their continued attacks on Ukraine are part of a push to “denazify” the country. Kyiv and its allies deny this and accuse Moscow of trying to grab land.
Trudeau’s office and senior members of the Liberal government said they had no prior knowledge of the parliamentary invitation to Honka.
Trudeau reiterated on the 27th that House Speaker Anthony Rota bears “full responsibility” for his decision.
“All of us in the House last Friday deeply regretted the standing ovation, even though we were not aware of the context at the time,” Trudeau said.
On September 22, Ukrainian President Zelensky stood with Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau during a meeting of the Canadian House of Representatives, and Honka was commended at this meeting (Reuters)
Rota announced his resignation earlier this week and said it would take effect at the end of Wednesday, amid growing pressure to step down over the incident.
“I reiterate that I deeply regret my mistake in honoring an individual in the House of Representatives,” the speaker said on Tuesday.
Still, Trudeau, whose approval ratings have been declining in recent months, has been hammered by political rivals, with opposition Conservative Party leader Pierre Poliyev accusing the prime minister of failing to adequately vet Honka’s status.
Poliyev said earlier on the 27th, “This is by far the biggest blow to Canada’s diplomatic reputation in its history, and this happened under the leadership of the Justin Trudeau government.”
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the progressive New Democratic Party, also said that “real damage has been done – real damage to the Jewish community, real damage to the war effort in Ukraine, real damage to Canada’s reputation.”
Singh also asked in the House of Representatives: “What exactly will Trudeau do to clean up this mess?”
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2023-09-28 02:06:37
