Selloff or Market Correction? Either Way, Here's What to Do NextSee Overvalued Stocks

Canada's Trudeau apologizes after Nazi veteran praised in parliament

Published 27/09/2023, 20:19
© Reuters. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media outside his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday formally apologized after the speaker of the House of Commons praised a Nazi veteran in the chamber while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was present.

Trudeau also said Ottawa had already reached out to Kyiv and Zelenskiy through diplomatic channels to apologize.

Anthony Rota, who publicly acknowledged veteran Yaroslav Hunka in the House last Friday and called him a hero, quit as speaker of the chamber on Tuesday and said he bore sole responsibility for what happened. Hunka, 98, was a Polish-born Ukrainian who served in one of Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS units during World War Two. He later emigrated to Canada.

Russia says the incident backs up its assertion that the war in Ukraine aims to "denazify" the country, a charge Kyiv and Western allies say is baseless.

"On behalf of all of us in this House, I would like to present unreserved apologies for what took place on Friday and to President Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian delegation for the position they were put in," Trudeau told the House on Wednesday.

"For all of us who were present to have unknowingly recognized this individual was a terrible mistake and a violation of the memory of those who suffered grievously at the hands of the Nazi regime."

The Kremlin earlier in the day said the whole Canadian parliament should publicly condemn Nazism.

"It is extremely troubling to think that this egregious error is being politicized by Russia and its supporters to provide false propaganda about what Ukraine is fighting for," Trudeau said in earlier remarks to reporters.

© Reuters. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media outside his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo

Hunka lives in Rota's parliamentary constituency. Trudeau said the Liberal government had no responsibility for vetting who the speaker had invited.

The official opposition Conservatives say Trudeau was ultimately responsible for what happened, given he had invited Zelenskiy to address the Canadian parliament, and accused him of negligence.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.