Justin Trudeau: After the speaker of the House of Commons lauded a Nazi veteran in the chamber while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was present, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a formal apology on Wednesday. Additionally, Trudeau stated that Ottawa had already apologised to Kyiv and Zelenskiy through diplomatic channels.
Anthony Rota Takes Responsibility for Praise of WWII Veteran
After publicly praising veteran Yaroslav Hunka in the House last Friday and referring to him as a hero, Anthony Rota resigned as speaker of the house on Tuesday and claimed sole responsibility for what transpired. Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian of Polish descent, participated in one of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen SS divisions during World War Two. Later, he moved to Canada. The episode, according to Russia, supports its claim that the goal of the Ukrainian conflict is to “denazify” the nation. Kyiv and its Western allies reject this claim as unfounded.
Canadian PM Expresses Regret Over Nazi Veteran Incident
“On behalf of all of us in this House, I would like to present unreserved apologies for what took place on Friday and to President Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian delegation for the position they were put in,” Trudeau told the House on Wednesday. “For all of us who were present to have unknowingly recognized this individual was a terrible mistake and a violation of the memory of those who suffered grievously at the hands of the Nazi regime.” The Canadian Parliament should formally condemn Nazism, according to a statement from the Kremlin earlier in the day.
Accusations of Politicization Amidst Nazi Veteran Fallout
“It is extremely troubling to think that this egregious error is being politicized by Russia and its supporters to provide false propaganda about what Ukraine is fighting for,” Trudeau said in earlier remarks to reporters. Hunka resides in the legislative district of Rota. Trudeau asserted that the speaker’s invitations were not subject to review by the Liberal government. Given that he had asked Zelenskiy to address the Canadian parliament, the official opposition Conservatives claim that Trudeau was ultimately to blame for what transpired and have accused him of incompetence.
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