It is a tribute that seriously embarrasses Canada. Last Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky made an official visit to Ottawa. During a ceremony in the House of Commons, tribute was paid to veteran Yaroslav Hunka. The 98-year-old was introduced as a “Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero.” Problem: he is a former Nazi, former member of the Waffen-SS.
This applause, as expected, caused quite a stir. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau immediately criticized the tribute as “unacceptable” and “shameful.” Parties from all sides have called for the resignation of Anthony Rota, speaker of the House of Commons.
At the end of a weekend of tensions, the man announced his resignation on Tuesday, effective this Wednesday:
“The work of this House is above each of us. Therefore, I must resign from my position as President. I reiterate my deep regret for the mistake I made in paying tribute to a person in the chamber (…) “I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he declared.
Extradition request
Resignation is not enough to put an end to the diplomatic incident. The Polish Minister of Education shared a message on Twitter indicating that he was preparing an extradition of Yaroslav Hunka.
“Following the scandalous events that took place in the Canadian Parliament in honor of a member of the Nazi criminal group SS Galizien, also in the presence of President Zelensky, I took measures for a possible extradition of this man to Poland,” announced Minister Przemysław Czarnek . .
The Canadian government’s page dedicated to “international transfers of criminals”, put online in 2020, does not include Poland among the countries with a bilateral treaty with Canada.
One question remains. How could this ovation come about? Justin Trudeau’s office indicates that he was not aware of the list of guests at the ceremony, while Parliament would not have been aware of the former Nazi’s past.
It is also possible that the lack of prosecution of the veteran has blurred the issue. Canada does not have the same cultural relationship to the Second World War as Europeans and a legal nuance may have allowed the former Waffen-SS to escape trial.
Source: BFM TV
