Belarus expects ‘official apologies’ from Canada after parliament honours Nazi soldier

The Belarusian foreign ministry on Monday (September 25) said that they expected an “official” apology from officials in Ottawa after a Ukrainian immigrant who fought for a Nazi unit during World War II was honoured in the Canadian parliament.

The statement comes a day after the speaker of the Canadian Parliament issued an apology overthe incident which happened on Friday (Sept 22) during Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Ottawa.

Belarus expects an ‘official apologies’

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“Belarus, where one in three people was killed in WWII, is outraged and deeply insulted by the photos of members of the Canadian House of Commons honoring a Nazi veteran,” said the Belarusian foreign ministry, in a strongly worded statement.

It added, “We demand that international and public organizations, as well as associations and foundations created in memory of World War II victims, give a proper legal and moral assessment to this incident. We expect official apologies from the Canadian leadership.”

What happened in Canadian parliament?

Yaroslav Hunka (98), who fought for the First Ukrainian Division, was welcomed with claps and cheers by lawmakers including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in the House of Commons.

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.

“I am very proud to say that he is from North Bay and from my riding of Nipissing--Timiskaming,” said Speaker Anthony Rota who introduced him.

He added, “He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service.”

Rota's apology

It was not until late Sunday afternoon that Rota – who had also invited Hunka – apologised for the glaring error saying he recognised an individual in the gallery on Friday, and that he had “subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so.”

“I wish to make clear that no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them,” added the Member of Parliament from the Trudeau-led Liberal Party of Canada.

“I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world.” However, he did not mention what he was apologising for and did not name Hunka or give any details about the information learned since Friday.

The apology on Sunday also came after the incident drew widespread condemnation from the opposition parties and the Jewish community in Canada.

(With inputs from agencies)

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