Table of Contents
After the legislature openly honored a Ukrainian WW2 veteran who fought alongside the Nazis, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau made an “unconditional” apology in front of the House on Wednesday.
In his address to the lawmakers, Canadian PM said he wanted to offer his sincerest regrets for what happened on Friday and the predicament they were in. He also acknowledged that having mistakenly recognized the individual was a grave error and a disgrace to the memories of those who suffered immensely at the hands of the Nazi government.
What really was the Canadian PM referring to?
The Canadian PM was referring to a humiliating episode that overshadowed Zelensky’s visit last week and caused a stir that resulted in the speaker of the house resigning on Tuesday.
As part of a visit to increase Western support for his nation’s fight against the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian president was in Canada. Zelensky was there in the room as the guest of honor when Anthony Rota, the speaker, mentioned the ailing soldier as a World War II hero, drawing a standing ovation.
It was later discovered that the veteran had served in a military outfit with Nazi ties. The Jewish advocacy groups referred to the episode as “shocking” and “incredibly disturbing” and urged that the lawmakers issue an explanation and an apology.
Backlash from all corners
The incident overshadowed Zelensky’s visit. The decision to honor Hunka has been branded as “outrageous” by Russia, which started an all-out invasion of Ukraine last year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier stated that many western countries, including Canada, have raised a generation that has no idea who fought whom or what happened during WWII. According to him, the younger generation has no idea of the threat posed by fascism.
Trudeau expressed regret to Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian delegation that traveled to Canada to participate in the legislative session, claiming that the episode had fueled Russian “propaganda”.
The Canadian PM’s office and senior Liberal Party officials have stated that they were unaware of Hunka’s invitation to Parliament.
On Wednesday, the prime minister underlined that the House of Commons speaker, Anthony Rota, was “solely responsible” for his recognition.
Rota offered his resignation earlier this week, saying it will take effect at the end of Wednesday, after rising demand to resign in the aftermath of the incident. “I reiterate my profound regret for my error in recognizing an individual in the House,” stated the speaker on Tuesday.
Still, Trudeau, whose popularity has fallen in recent months, has been pounded by his political opponents, with the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, criticizing the prime minister for failing to fully vet Hunka. He stated that the event was by far the most damaging to Canada’s diplomatic prestige in its history.
The Jewish community, the Ukrainian war effort, and Canada’s reputation have all suffered serious harm, according to progressive New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh.
“What specific actions will Trudeau take to fix this mess?”, Singh posed the question in the Commons.
