Canada: House Speaker Apologizes for Praising Ukrainian who Fought for Nazis

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Image copyright: Ukraine's Presidential Press Service

The Facts

  • The speaker of Canada's House of Commons on Sunday apologized after commemorating a Ukrainian veteran who fought alongside the Nazis during World War II.

  • Speaker Anthony Rota honored the 98-year-old veteran, Yaroslav Hunka, during Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Canada's parliament on Friday. Rota described Hunka as a "Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero," adding that he was "a veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians."

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The Spin

Narrative A

The Canadian government did not know about Hunka's presence before hand. House speaker Rota was right to apologize for this lapse of judgement, but people are urged to not politicize this event so as to avoid further distress to Holocaust survivors.

CBC

Narrative B

While an apology is welcome, Canadians also deserve a full explanation of how such a grave mistake could take place at the heart of the country's democracy. It has to be ensured that such a blunder is never again allowed to occur.

CTVNews

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