Several Jewish advocacy organizations strongly condemn members of Parliament for giving a standing ovation to a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War.
During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Ottawa on Friday, MPs honored 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka in the House of Commons.
Hunka was invited by Speaker Anthony Rota, who introduced him as a war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.
“I am very proud to say that he is from North Bay and from my riding of Nipissing, Timiskaming,” the Ontario MP said as an introduction.
“He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service.”
MPs cheered and Zelenskyy raised his fist in acknowledgement as Hunka saluted from the gallery during two separate standing ovations.
The First Ukrainian Division was also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies issued a statement Sunday, stating that the division “was responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians with a level of brutality and malice that is unimaginable.”
“An apology is owed to every Holocaust survivor and veteran of the Second World War who fought the Nazis, and an explanation must be provided as to how this individual entered the hallowed halls of Canadian Parliament and received recognition from the Speaker of the House and a standing ovation,” the statement said.
B’nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn expressed his outrage, stating that it is beyond outrageous that Parliament honored a former member of a Nazi unit. He mentioned that Ukrainian “ultra-nationalist ideologues” who volunteered for the Galicia Division “dreamed of an ethnically homogenous Ukrainian state and endorsed the idea of ethnic cleansing.”
“We understand an apology is forthcoming. We expect a meaningful apology. Parliament owes an apology to all Canadians for this outrage, and a detailed explanation as to how this could possibly have taken place at the center of Canadian democracy,” Mostyn said.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, representing Jewish federations across the country, expressed deep concern over the incident.
“Canada’s Jewish community stands firmly with Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression. But we can’t stay silent when crimes committed by Ukrainians during the Holocaust are whitewashed,” the group said in a statement published on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Members of Parliament from all parties rose to applaud Hunka. A spokesperson for the Conservative party stated that the party was unaware of his history at the time.
“We find the reports of this individual’s history very troubling,” said Sebastian Skamski, adding that the Liberals would have to explain why he was invited.
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