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Trudeau apologizes after a Ukrainian Nazi veteran was celebrated at Zelenskyy speech

Yaroslav Hunka was a member of the 1st Galician division, a unit of Adolf Hitler's war machine.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives at a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives at a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologized on behalf of Canada after a veteran of Adolf Hitler's Nazi forces was included in a parliamentary event last week honouring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"All of us who were in this House on Friday regret deeply having stood and clapped even though we did so unaware of the context," Trudeau said in a brief statement to reporters.

"It was a horrendous violation of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust," he said, saying the celebration of ex-soldier Yaroslav Hunka was "deeply, deeply painful" to Jewish people, Poles, Roma, the LGBT community and other racialized people in particular — some of the groups that were targeted by the Nazi regime in the Second World War.

Trudeau also reiterated that "Canada is deeply sorry" to Zelenskyy, who was pictured applauding Hunka — an image that has been exploited by Russian propagandists.

This is a breaking news story. Below is an earlier version of this file.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Wednesday that extending an invite to a Ukrainian veteran who fought with a Nazi unit to attend a parliamentary function is the "biggest single diplomatic embarrassment" in the country's history and he's blaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the mishap.

Speaking to reporters before a Conservative caucus meeting on Parliament Hill, Poilievre said Trudeau was responsible for making Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Canada a success — and that Yaroslav Hunka's inclusion in the event has sullied Canada's reputation on the global stage.

"Every single person ought to have been vetted for their diplomatic and security sensitivities if the prime minister and his massive apparatus were doing their jobs," Poilievre said.

Liberal caucus sources told CBC News that Trudeau told MPs Wednesday they should avoid speaking to the press about Hunka's invitation and the subsequent fallout, and that the media frenzy would die down if they stay tight-lipped.

Anthony Rota, the outgoing House of Commons Speaker, has taken full responsibility for Hunka's presence in the chamber.

Rota called the veteran a "Canadian hero," and prompted a standing ovation. Hunka was a member of the 1st Galician division, a part of Adolf Hitler's war machine.

Rota's spokesperson has said that the Speaker's guest list for the event was not shared with the Prime Minister's Office.

Rota's picks to be in the gallery were sent to the House of Commons protocol office and the confirmed list of attendees was then shared with corporate security, which is partly responsible for security in the parliamentary precinct, including the Commons chamber in West Block.

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Author: Editors Desk

Source: CBC News:

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