Yaroslav Hunka (right) attends a special meeting of the Canadian Parliament, Friday (9/22/2023), in Ottawa, Canada. The meeting was specifically aimed at listening to a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Hunka is a former Nazi volunteer in Ukraine. He is now a Canadian citizen.
OTTAWA, TUESDAY — Canadian Parliament Speaker Anthony Rota has been asked to resign. This pressure followed Rota’s welcoming of former Nazi member from Ukraine, Yaroslav Hunka. The man, who is now a Canadian citizen, was present when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Canadian Parliament last week.
The call for resignation was launched by the president of the New Democracy Fraction, Peter Julian, and the president of the Quebec caucus in Parliament, Yves-François Blanchet. Blanchet said Rota had lost confidence in Parliament.
“For the sake of the institution of the DPR, I am not sure that you can continue to serve. “With regret, I respectfully ask you to resign,” Julian said as quoted by Associated Press on Monday (25/9/2023 ) evening Ottawa time or early Tuesday morning WIB.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Rota’s reception to Hunka was very disappointing. “The president acknowledged his mistake and apologized. “This is a huge embarrassment for Parliament and for all Canadians,” he said.
Rota did indeed apologize. However, he refused to resign from his post. “In my speech after the Ukrainian president’s speech, I recognized one of the people in the room. “I then became aware of other information that made me regret this action,” he said.
He said MPs and the Ukrainian delegation were unaware of his decision to welcome Hunka. The man, according to Rota, is a resident of his constituency. “I particularly apologize to the Jewish community in Canada and around the world. “I am fully responsible for my actions,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (front right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Yaroslav Hunka who was also present at the Canadian Parliament on Friday (9/22/2023). Hunka is a former Nazi volunteer in Ukraine. He is now a Canadian citizen.
Conservative Party of Canada spokesperson Sebastian Skamski said MPs at the time did not know Hunka. They reacted spontaneously after Rota welcomed Hunka. “We received a report that this person’s story was very problematic,” he said.
He urged Trudeau’s Liberal Party to explain Hunka’s presence in Parliament. Explanations must be given directly and immediately.
Nazi member
The incident occurred while Zelensky was visiting the Canadian Parliament on September 22, 2023. After Rota mentioned Hunka, Trudeau and several MPs applauded as they stood up. Meanwhile, Zelensky was waving. Rota called Hunka a Canadian and Ukrainian hero. “We thank him for his service,” Rota said.
Hunka is a Ukrainian immigrant who has been a long-time Canadian citizen. During World War II he was a member of the First Ukrainian Division. The unit was better known as the Galician Waffen-SS Division or 14th SS Division. The members of the unit were made up of volunteers commanded by the Nazis.
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After the Rota maneuver, the Simon Wiesenthal Friends Center for Holocaust Studies issued a statement. They warned that the division was responsible for killing civilians with unimaginable cruelty.
“Apologies must be offered to all victims holocaust and World War veterans who fought the Nazis. “An explanation must be provided as to why this person (Hunka) was able to enter the hall of honor of the Canadian Parliament and receive a welcome from the Speaker of Parliament,” the statement said.
The Jewish rights group in Canada, B’nai Brith Canada, expressed outrage over the incident. The body’s head, Michael Mostyn, said it was shameful that the Canadian Parliament was honoring a former Nazi member.
Canadian Parliament Speaker Anthony Rota shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) at the Canadian Parliament, Friday (9/22/2023).
Furthermore, this person voluntarily became a member of the Nazis and carried an ultranationalist ideology. People like Hunka dream of racial cleansing in Ukraine.
“We understand that there are excuses. We expect a serious apology. Parliament owes all Canadians an apology for this embarrassment. “There needs to be a detailed explanation of why this could happen at the heart of Canadian democracy ” said Mostyn.
Some Ukrainians who resisted Soviet occupation in the 1930s later joined Nazi Germany. In the book Time-Life World War II SeriesRussia under siege It is said that the Ukrainian people initially believed that Nazi Germany had liberated them. It turned out to be the opposite. Ukraine was treated cruelly by the Nazis. (AP/Reuters)
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