Canada’s prime minister said Monday it was “unacceptable” and “embarrassing” that a former Ukrainian soldier who fought with the Nazis during World War II received a standing ovation in Parliament during President Zelensky’s visit last week .
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“This is deeply embarrassing for the Parliament of Canada and by extension for all Canadians,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters.
The comments come a day after controversy surrounding a criticized invitation that embarrassed his government.
During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Ottawa on Friday, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota, applauded Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian veteran whom Jewish community defense associations accuse of having fought in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS.
“It’s clear that this is unacceptable,” responded Justin Trudeau, recalling that “the Speaker of the House took responsibility and apologized.”
In the wake of this controversy, political parties demanded Mr. Rota’s resignation on Monday.
The Conservative Party, forming the official opposition in Ottawa, criticized the Trudeau government for not having checked Mr. Hunka’s background before paying tribute to him.
A Jewish organization on Sunday called the incident “shocking” and “particularly disturbing.”
“Once again, I want to apologize for what happened, I did not want to embarrass Parliament,” Anthony Rota reaffirmed in the chamber on Monday.
Justin Trudeau wanted to refocus the message on Canada’s support for Ukraine.
“The important thing in all of this is that we will continue to remain firm against Russia, against Russian propaganda and disinformation,” he said.