When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed Canada’s parliament last week, it was revealed that a Ukrainian veteran who had fought in the Nazi forces was the featured guest. Lawmakers are calling for those involved to resign.
In a highly embarrassing turn of events for Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, his staff said the government had no prior knowledge of the invitation, nor did the Ukrainian delegation.
The guest, Jaroslav Hunka (98), was invited to the House of Representatives by Speaker Rota and introduced after Zelenskiy’s speech on the 22nd. He described Hunka as a Ukrainian-Canadian veteran who “fought against Russia for Ukraine’s independence” in World War II.
The entire venue gave Hunka a standing ovation, including Prime Minister Trudeau and President Zelenskiy, who raised his fist.
President Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Trudeau give a standing ovation (September 22)
Photographer:Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press/Bloomberg
However, Canadian Jewish groups pointed out over the weekend that Hunka had a history of serving in the 1st Galizien Division, a division of the German Waffen-SS (SS).for inviting himdemand an apologydid.
“The Speaker has acknowledged his mistake and has apologized, but this is a deeply embarrassing situation for the Parliament of Canada and, ultimately, for all Canadians,” Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters on the 25th.
Speaker Rota has apologized but has so far refused to resign despite opposition calls for him to do so. “I wanted to show that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not new,” he told Congress in a prepared statement on the morning of the 25th.
news-rsf-original-reference paywall">Original title:Nazi Veteran Lauded at Zelenskiy Speech Embarrasses Trudeau (3)(excerpt)
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2023-09-26 05:47:01
