If Justin Trudeau’s apologies for the tribute paid to an ex-Nazi in parliament last Friday did not convince the conservative opposition, organizations in the Jewish community welcome the Canadian Prime Minister’s act of contrition.
“He had the elegance to do the right thing on behalf of parliamentarians,” according to Jacques Saada, president of the Montreal Holocaust Museum. As far as I’m concerned, he went to the limit of what he could do internally. There is obviously still a lot of work to be done now on an international level to break the game.”
Mr. Saada emphasizes that he particularly liked that the liberal leader’s apologies were extended, beyond the Jewish community, to all communities victims of Nazi crimes.
As for the international repercussions, this former Liberal member of the Commons reiterates the importance of repairing Canada’s reputation abroad.
“I understand that the Prime Minister will be in communication with the Ukrainian president. There will be, I presume, all kinds of diplomatic initiatives that will be made with different countries to explain what happened in detail and to be sure that there is no misunderstanding. Especially in terms of engagement with Ukraine. »
That said, Jacques Saada “does not believe that there is any doubt about the good faith of everyone, including on the part of the President of the Chamber”. That said, in his opinion, given the scale of the scandal, Anthony Rota had no choice in resigning.
Still work to do
Richard Marceau, vice-president of the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations (CIJA), an organization that represents Jewish federations across Canada, agrees.
“What happened last Friday is a black eye on Canada’s international reputation,” he said. I believe that not only did the Speaker of the House have no choice in resigning, but Prime Minister Trudeau also had no choice in apologizing on behalf of Canada. »
Especially since the distinction between Parliament and the government is not obvious to everyone, explains the former Bloc MP.
According to him, the government should not stop at excuses. “First, I think there needs to be a better process established to ensure that the people who are officially recognized by Parliament are people who deserve it. » He insists on the importance of education and calls on Canadian provinces to take inspiration from Ontario, which has made teaching about the Holocaust compulsory in schools from the sixth year of elementary school.
The vice-president of the CIJA recalls that the Deschênes commission, created by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 1985 to investigate the presence of Nazi war criminals in Canada, produced a report which contains, in a confidential section, allegations against particular individuals. “The idea of having the censored elements of the Deschênes commission open to the public generally is something to consider,” according to Mr. Marceau.
On Wednesday, Immigration Minister Marc Miller expressed openness to the possibility of releasing the names of former soldiers who fought alongside the Nazis during the Second World War and were later allowed to immigrate to Canada.
With The Canadian Press