Poland's education minister says he's 'taken steps' to extradite Yaroslav Hunka
Hunka was introduced in Canadian Parliament as 'Ukrainian hero' but served in Nazi SS unit
On Friday, Hunka was invited to sit in the parliamentary gallery by Speaker Anthony Rota for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to Parliament. Rota introduced Hunka as a "Ukrainian hero" and a "Canadian hero," prompting a standing ovation in the House of Commons.
Over the weekend, it was reported that Hunka was part of the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis.
"In view of the scandalous events in the Canadian Parliament, which involved honouring, in the presence of President Zelenskyy, a member of the criminal Nazi SS Galizien formation, I have taken steps towards the possible extradition of this man to Poland," Przemysław Czarnek said in a social media post Tuesday.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani told reporters Tuesday that he can't comment on Czarnek's move because no extradition request has come across his desk and no one from the Polish government has reached out to him.
Rota apologized to the House on Monday, insisting the decision to invite Hunka, who lives in Rota's riding of Nipissing–Timiskaming, was entirely his own. Calls for Rota to step down continue to grow.
Rota said Monday he personally regrets inviting Hunka and pointing him out in the gallery following Zelenskyy's remarks.
"I am deeply sorry I offended many with my gesture and remarks," Rota said. "This initiative was entirely my own. I want to really tell you that the intention was not to embarrass this House."
While Rota appeared emotional as he issued his statement, he gave no indication he intended to resign.
Rota expected to meet House leaders
On Monday, the Bloc Québécois requested a meeting with Rota and the other parties' House leaders, according to a letter obtained by CBC News.
The letter, from Bloc House Leader Alain Therrien, said Hunka's invitation has created "a crisis of confidence without precedent" in the House of Commons. The meeting was expected to take place at noon Tuesday.
On his way into Parliament Tuesday, Rota was asked if he expects to retain his position as Speaker of the House.
"We'll have to see about that, and I'm sure you'll hear more later on today," he said.
On his way into a cabinet meeting Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was sure the meeting would involve "very important conversations."
"As I said yesterday, this was deeply embarrassing for the House and for Canada," Trudeau said. "It is a good thing that Speaker Rota apologized personally and I'm sure he's reflecting now on how to ensure the dignity of the House going forward."
Calls to step down
Opposition parties have said it's not enough for Rota to apologize for inviting Hunka.
NDP MP Peter Julian, the party's House leader, said that "regretfully and sadly" Rota cannot continue in his role.
"The Speaker has to be above reproach," Julian said. "This is an unforgivable error that puts the entire House in disrepute. Unfortunately, I believe a sacred trust has been broken."
On Tuesday, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Diane Lebouthillier and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters they think Rota should resign.
On Monday afternoon, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet issued a statement calling for Rota's resignation, saying his error caused damage and he has lost the confidence of the House.
Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, the party's House leader, said he doesn't accept that Rota alone was to blame for the invitation. He said the Liberal government should have done a better job of vetting who was in attendance for Zelenskyy's speech.
"This is a grave incident," said Scheer, who was House Speaker from 2011 to 2015.
"[Rota's] statement doesn't answer the questions around how this person was allowed to be in the chamber. A straightforward Google search will show he served in this particular division. If basic, rudimentary vetting as to who might be in the gallery isn't done — that's remarkable."
Rota did not share invite with PMO: Speaker's office
The Speaker doesn't report to the Prime Minister's Office. While Rota is a Liberal MP, the Speaker is elected by all members of the House.
A spokesperson for the Speaker said Rota did not share his list of invitees with the Prime Minister's Office or any of the opposition parties before Friday's event.
The Speaker was allocated a set number of spots in the viewing gallery and the list of potential guests was shared with Parliament's Protocol Office, which co-ordinates the sending of invitations.
The names of confirmed guests were passed to the Corporate Security Office to "facilitate accreditation of guests," Amélie Crosson, the Speaker's communications director, said in a statement to CBC News.
"Mr. Hunka's son contacted Mr. Rota's constituency office and asked if it would be possible for Mr. Hunka to attend the address in the House of Commons by Mr. Zelensky. This request was accepted by the Speaker's Office," Crosson said.
A controversial figure
Czarnek is a controversial figure in Poland, with a history of coming under fire for making anti LGBTQ comments. According to the English language Polish news website Notes From Poland, last year he had to retract a statement linking the LGBTQ rights movement with Nazism.
Czarnek is a member of Poland's ruling Law and Justice party, along with Poland's right-wing president Andrzej Duda, who was re-elected last year on a platform condemning LGBT "ideology".
Czarnek also has been criticized for describing a memorial for Jews killed by Poles during the Holocaust as an "anti-Polish scandal" and calling for the removal of the memorial created by artist Dorota Nieznalska.
According to the Polish government website, Czarnek earned a PhD from the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin in 2006.
In the fall of 2020, he was appointed minister of education and science, putting him in charge of pre-school, general, special and vocational education in the country. He also oversees the approval of textbooks and issues related to the employment of teachers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from the CBC's John Paul Tasker
The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich (German: 2. SS-Panzerdivision "Das Reich") or SS Division Das Reich was an elite division of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II, formed from the regiments of the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT). The division served during the invasion of France and took part in several major battles on the Eastern Front, including in the Battle of Prokhorovka against the 5th Guards Tank Army at the Battle of Kursk. It was then transferred to the West and took part in the fighting in Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, ending the war fighting the Soviets in Hungary and Austria. The division committed the Oradour-sur-Glane and Tulle massacres along with others on the Eastern Front.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/13167112
We should avoid war in the first place and try to end those waging e.g. in Ukraine but there appears little Canadian interest in ending that or having avoided it to begin with. The only reason Zelenskyy was in parliament was because of a proxy war.
Quite the week to be proud of on many fronts.
Do let me know what attire the Honourable Prime Minister will wear for his next photo opportunity.
These are messy days in world affairs. Now, some say Canada has egg on its face
Ottawa draws deluge of international criticism in its second foreign-affairs crisis in a week
Not after the veteran of a Nazi unit being celebrated in the House of Commons snowballed into a major global news story.
It was among the top-read stories on some foreign news sites, carried by the BBC, The Guardian, NBC, ABC, Fox News, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Politico and countless others.
It led the morning newsletter of the conservative National Review, which noted Canada is already smack in the middle of that other international incident, involving India.
"For once, the Canadian government, our neighbors to the North, are actually outpacing us in political insanity and intrigue," said the U.S. publication.
That claim is deeply debatable, but the piece does make the serious point that Canada has now twice placed allies in a tough spot, most recently by unwittingly creating propaganda for Russia.
Russia Today, for example, had no less than four headlines about the Nazi-related debacle on its homepage and also promoted the story in other languages, including Spanish.
(Unsurprisingly, the Indian media were also all over it, with headlines carrying the words "slammed," "appalling," "red-faced" and "embarrassment.")
But National Review also expressed more sympathy in Ottawa's feud with New Delhi, saying its alleged act — the murder of a Canadian on Canadian soil — is unacceptable, no matter how important India is to the U.S.
'Flapping in the wind'
Events of the last week fulfil a prediction made two decades ago in a major review of Canada's foreign policy.
The study under the Paul Martin government argued, in summary, that the world was about to get a lot more complicated, with new powers challenging the U.S.-led order, and that Canada had better up its game.
It obviously didn't predict China's hostage diplomacy, or Saudi Arabia's cutting off of relations for five years, let alone the latest crises involving Russia and India.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau, left, walks past Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi as they take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Raj Ghat,
Mahatma Gandhi's cremation site, during the G20 Summit in New Delhi, on
Sept. 10. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
It did not predict Canada losing votes, for the first time in its history, then the second, for a seat on the UN Security Council (losing to Germany and Portugal in 2010, then more recently to Norway and Ireland).
But the crises of recent days crystallize its key argument: We're entering choppier international waters and navigating them will take new diplomatic skill.
"A lot of our foreign policy is a rhetorical exercise aimed at domestic political gain," said David Carment, director of the School of Canadian Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa.
"We're like a flag flapping in the wind. At the mercy of other countries."
There is no simple solution, but Carment suggests three possible paths forward: more investment in diplomacy, less emphasis on domestic politics in foreign affairs, and maintaining independent positions, with or without U.S. backing.
That last point raises its own challenges.
Former
diplomat Michael Kovrig embraces his wife Vina Nadjibulla following his
arrival on a air force jet after his release from detention in China,
at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Sept. 25, 2021. (Cpl. Justin Dreimanis/DND-MDN Canada/Reuters)
Roland Paris, a professor of public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa, notes that Canada at least got supportive-sounding statements from the U.S. in the crisis with India. It's not clear what would happen under a future American administration.
He describes this as a third era in Canada's foreign policy. In the first half of its history, its closest ally, the U.K., was the world's leading superpower; in the second half the U.S. held and relished that role.
"Canada has long been sheltered from the rough and tumble of the brutal world of geopolitical competition," said Paris.
"No longer. And so we have to face the reality that Canada and Canadian citizens are more susceptible to these outside forces than they have been before."
What new risks might the country face?
An ongoing U.S. criminal case offers the hint of one possibility — that countries on poor terms with the U.S. might use Canada as a punching bag.
The indictment of six people accused of trying to force U.S. citizens to return to China, includes references to Canada.
One of them, a New York businessman, is alleged to have told his target, on behalf of Beijing, of the potential risks to him and his family unless he returned to China.
He also allegedly advised his target to meet some senior Chinese officials in Toronto.
Why? Because, according to the indictment, he said they'd rather meet him there, on Canadian soil, than in the U.S.
The implication being that while Beijing was content to issue threats in the U.S. through a middleman, it was less willing to have its own, high-ranking people cross that same legal line. If laws were to be broken, anything rough and tumble, they'd rather do it in Canada.
There are many differences in these latest controversies, and at least one key similarity. The dispute with India is a question of who is at fault, while with this latest debacle there can be no doubt.
One case involves a recent death. The other, historic atrocities.
One is fuelled by outrage. The latest? Embarrassment.
And that's where the similarities begin. Because just as the government and opposition lined up, more or less, alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he levelled his accusation against India, so were both sides of the aisle singing together during question period on Monday, when they collectively referred — approximately two dozen times — to the Ukraine incident as an embarrassment.
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WOW
I do not believe that no one vetted a person that was going to be acknowledged as being a Ukrainian war hero....the PMO dropped the ball and made Rota the fall guy.
Trudeau apologizes after a Nazi veteran was praised by parliamentarians at Zelenskyy event
Yaroslav Hunka was a member of the 1st Galician division, a unit of Adolf Hitler's war machine
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologized on behalf of Canada's Parliament after a veteran of Adolf Hitler's Nazi forces was included in an event last week honouring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"This was a mistake that has deeply embarrassed Parliament and Canada. All of us who were in this House on Friday regret deeply having stood and clapped even though we did so unaware of the context," Trudeau said in a brief statement to reporters.
"It was a horrendous violation of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust," he said, adding the celebration of ex-soldier Yaroslav Hunka was "deeply, deeply painful" to Jewish people, Poles, Roma, the LGBT community and other racialized people in particular — some of the groups that were targeted by the Nazi regime in the Second World War.
Trudeau also said that "Canada is deeply sorry" for involving Zelenskyy, who was pictured applauding Hunka — an image that has been exploited by Russian propagandists.
Canada has sent an apology to Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian delegation through diplomatic channels, Trudeau added.
Liberal caucus sources have told CBC News that Trudeau told MPs Wednesday they should avoid speaking to the press about Hunka's invitation and the subsequent fallout, and that the media frenzy would die down if they stayed tight-lipped.
Trudeau's remarks come after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said inviting Hunka to attend Zelenskyy's historic address to Parliament is the "biggest single diplomatic embarrassment" in the country's history.
Poilievre is blaming Trudeau for the mishap, despite outgoing Speaker Anthony Rota's assertion that he alone was responsible for inviting Hunka.
Rota called the Ukrainian veteran a "Canadian hero" in the Commons and prompted a standing ovation.
Hunka was part of the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division — a voluntary unit part of Hitler's forces.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre arrives at West Block in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
Speaking to reporters before a Conservative caucus meeting on Parliament Hill, Poilievre said Trudeau was responsible for making Zelenskyy's visit to Canada a success — and Hunka's inclusion in the event has sullied Canada's reputation on the global stage.
"Every single person ought to have been vetted for their diplomatic and security sensitivities if the prime minister and his massive apparatus were doing their jobs," Poilievre said.
In question period, Poilievre again hammered Trudeau over the incident, saying it's not enough for the prime minister to apologize on behalf of Canada or Parliament. He said Trudeau should wear this personally.
"This prime minister allowed for a monumental, unprecedented and global shame to unfold in this chamber," Poilievre said. "Will he take personal responsibility for this shame and personally apologize on behalf of himself?"
Trudeau stopped short of a personal apology, saying it's not appropriate for the Prime Minister's Office to police who can enter the House of Commons.
He said it would be a "grievous attack" on the rights and privileges of MPs to have his office vet everyone invited to the Commons galleries.
Trudeau said that, as a long-time MP and a former minister of democratic institutions, Poilievre should know how Parliament works — that the Speaker is independent of the Prime Minister's Office and free to invite whoever they want.
"To demonstrate such little knowledge for how Parliament functions to make a partisan attack is truly disgraceful," Trudeau said.
German
politician Christine Anderson, centre, poses with a group that includes
Niagara West–Glanbrook MP Dean Allison (fourth from right), Oshawa
MP Colin Carrie (third from left) and Haldimand–Norfolk MP Leslyn Lewis
(fourth from left). (Twitter)
During a particularly testy exchange, Trudeau pointed out that some of Poilievre's Tory MPs dined earlier this year with Christine Anderson, a far-right German politician who has downplayed the Holocaust and pushed anti-Muslim ideology.
"To this day, the leader of the Official Opposition has not apologized — no recognition, no apologies, no consequences for those three MPs who engaged with a far-right German politician," Trudeau said.
"If the leader of the Opposition wants the government to help him vet who his MPs meet with, we'd be more than happy to give him some better advice."
As for who vetted Hunka, Rota's spokesperson has said that the Speaker's guest list for the event was not shared with the Prime Minister's Office.
Rota's picks to be in the gallery were sent to the House of Commons protocol office and the confirmed list of attendees was then shared with corporate security, which is partly responsible for security in the parliamentary precinct, including the Commons chamber in West Block.
Rota resigned from his post Tuesday.
Regardless, Poilievre said Trudeau and his team should have had some oversight of who was on hand.
"What has he done with that responsibility? He's been hiding out in his cottage," the Tory leader said.
Trudeau has been on Parliament Hill this week but, until Wednesday, he'd been notably absent from question period.
Unlike some of his ministers, including Government House Leader Karina Gould and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Trudeau did not explicitly say Rota should resign over the recognition of a former Nazi soldier.
Yaroslav
Hunka, right, waits for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Friday. Several Jewish
advocacy organizations condemned members of Parliament on Sunday for
giving a standing ovation to a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the
Second World War. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)
The shockwaves from the 98-year-old's appearance in Parliament are still being felt.
Poland's education minister has said he wants Hunka be extradited to face criminal penalties for his role in the Galician division, a unit that committed atrocities against Poles in the Second World War. Przemysław Czarnek said he has "taken steps" to get Hunka to Poland.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre (FSWC), a Jewish rights group, said Rota's action "compromised all 338 MPs" and "handed a propaganda victory to Russia."
The FSWC is also calling on the Commons' Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) to hold public hearings, investigate what took place and examine "vetting process failures."
B'nai Brith, another Jewish group, said the government must make the Deschenes Commission's 1980s-era report public in its entirety so the country can learn the true extent of Ukrainian Nazi activities in post-Second World War Canada.
Reports suggest as many as 2,000 Ukrainian members of Hitler's Waffen-SS were admitted to Canada after the war — after some British prodding. The commission said the number is likely lower than that.
But Jewish groups have long been critical of how these collaborators have been allowed to live in peace in Canada after voluntarily serving in Hitler's forces.
Historians have documented how soldiers like Hunka were trained at SS facilities in Germany, swore an oath to Hitler and received an education in Nazi doctrine.
"We cannot move forward as a country from Friday's humiliating debacle without the government committing to finally opening its wartime records," said Michael Mostyn, B'nai Brith Canada's CEO.
Asked if the Deschenes report should be unsealed, Justice Minister Arif Virani did not give a clear answer.
One part of the commission's work was made public while a second, with the names of alleged Nazis in Canada, was kept secret.
"I will always support ensuring that people who have perpetrated war crimes or crimes against humanity or crimes like genocide are brought to justice," Virani told reporters.
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With files from the CBC's David Cochrane
Anthony Rota resigns as Speaker after inviting former Ukrainian soldier with Nazi ties to Parliament
Rota lost support of key Liberal ministers on Tuesday
Liberal MP Anthony Rota is stepping down as House of Commons Speaker after inviting a Ukrainian veteran who fought in a Nazi division to Parliament — a dramatic turn of events that will be welcomed by MPs on all sides who said the embarrassing incident was unforgivable.
Rota's resignation will take effect at the end of the sitting day on Wednesday.
"I have acted as your humble servant, carrying out the important responsibilities of this position to the very best of my abilities. The work of this House is above any of us. Therefore, I must step down as your Speaker," Rota said ahead of Tuesday's question period.
"I reiterate my profound regret for my error in recognizing an individual in the House."
Rota said the "public recognition" he gave to a former Nazi soldier "caused pain to individuals and communities," including Jewish people, Poles and "other survivors of Nazi atrocities."
Rota's decision to step aside means MPs will need to pick another presiding officer soon so the Commons can continue to function.
On Friday, Rota invited Ukrainian veteran Yaroslav Hunka, a constituent of his from North Bay, Ont., to sit in the parliamentary gallery during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to Parliament.
Over the weekend, it emerged that Hunka was part of the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division — a voluntary unit under the command of the Nazis.
The shockwaves from the 98-year-old's appearance in Parliament are still being felt.
Poland's education minister has said he wants Hunka be extradited to face criminal penalties for his role in the Galician division, a unit that committed atrocities against Poles in the Second World War. Przemysław Czarnek said he has "taken steps" to get Hunka to Poland.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre (FSWC), a Jewish rights group, said Rota's action "compromised all 338 MPs" and "handed a propaganda victory to Russia."
The FSWC is also calling on the Commons' Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) to hold public hearings, investigate what took place and examine "vetting process failures."
B'nai Brith, another Jewish group, said the government must make the Duchesne Commission's 1980s-era report public in its entirety so the country can learn the true extent of Ukrainian Nazi activities in post-Second World War Canada.
Yaroslav
Hunka, right, waits for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy in the House of Commons on Friday. Several Jewish advocacy
organizations condemned members of Parliament over the weekend for
giving a standing ovation to a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the
Second World War. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)
Reports suggest as many as 2,000 Ukrainian members of Adolf Hitler's Waffen-SS were admitted to Canada after the war — after some British prodding. The commission said the number is likely lower than that.
But Jewish groups have long been critical of how these collaborators have been allowed to live in peace in Canada after voluntarily serving in Hitler's war machine.
Historians have documented how soldiers like Hunka were trained at SS facilities in Germany, swore an oath to Hitler and received an education in Nazi doctrine.
"We cannot move forward as a country from Friday's humiliating debacle without the government committing to finally opening its wartime records," said Michael Mostyn, B'nai Brith Canada's CEO.
Anthony
Rota leaves the speakers entrance of West Block after announcing his
resignation as Speaker of House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa
on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
Government House Leader Karina Gould, who is of Jewish descent, said she's horrified she celebrated Hunka. The Ontario MP also posed for a picture with the man after Friday's festivities.
"This is very emotional for me," Gould said, holding back tears as she spoke to reporters after Rota's departure.
"My family are Jewish Holocaust survivors. I would have never in a million years stood and applauded someone who aided the Nazis."
She said Rota should have never invited "someone like this."
She said the outgoing Speaker was also "very misleading" when he encouraged parliamentarians to stand and applaud a Nazi collaborator.
NDP MP Peter Julian, the party's House leader, also welcomed Rota's decision to leave.
It was Julian who first called for the northern Ontario MP to step away from the Speaker role.
"It's not a happy day for us. It's a sad day, of course. But the reality is, he made the right decision. The Parliament has been tarnished and so many people have been hurt by what happened last Friday," Julian said. "Canada's parliamentary reputation has taken a real hit.
"Imagine the Jewish community sitting down to Yom Kippur and having somebody that is affiliated with the SS and the horrific murders taking place in Eastern Europe being honoured in the House of Commons," Julian added, referring to the Jewish high holiday.
For a second day in a row, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was absent from question period Tuesday as the Opposition peppered the government with questions about the Rota mishap.
"Where is the prime minister? Why is he hiding?" Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said.
"Our nation's reputation is in tatters. Will he stand up and apologize for this mess he helped create?" he added, trying to link Rota's invitation to the Prime Minister's Office.
"Has there ever been a greater diplomatic embarrassment in the history of our country? I mean it literally. In coffee shops, in gyms and businesses and boardrooms around the world, people are reading about this massive and shameful disgrace that unfolded under the watch of a Liberal Speaker and a Liberal prime minister.
"And yet he can't even show up for work. Where is he? Why is he hiding under a rock today?"
While Trudeau was in Ottawa early Tuesday for a cabinet meeting, he later left for Toronto to participate in a "fireside chat" with an automotive parts group.
Rota initially resisted calls to resign. But he lost the support of some key Liberal cabinet ministers — a sign that his position had become increasingly tenuous.
It wasn't just the invitation — Rota also recognized Hunka as a "Canadian hero" in the House of Commons and prompted a standing ovation.
It wasn't enough for Rota to apologize, some parliamentarians said.
Composite illustration featuring Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, left, and House Leader Karina Gould. (Hanna Johre/NTB/Reuters, Justin Tang/The Canadian Press )
"What happened on Friday is completely unacceptable. It was an embarrassment to the House and Canadians," Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters on Tuesday.
Joly also said she's spoken to her Ukrainian counterpart about the incident, which has had global repercussions.
Trudeau stopped short of saying Rota should resign but made it clear where he stands.
"This was deeply embarrassing for the House and for Canada," Trudeau said.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau walks to make a statement to reporters after
Rota, not shown, accepted responsibility for honouring a man who fought
with a Nazi unit during a recent Parliamentary address from the
Ukrainian president. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Rota had to step down to protect Parliament's reputation, something that has been on shaky ground since Hunka's past came to light.
"This is the Parliament of Canada, which will outlast all of us. I'm really thinking about the institution, the office, and doing what is in the best interest of preserving the integrity of the institution," Champagne said.
Health Minister Mark Holland, who recently served as government House leader and worked closely with the Speaker in that role, said Rota is "a profoundly good man" and the last few days have been "incredibly difficult" for him and those who know him well.
"I know he puts Parliament first," Holland said.
While the NDP and Bloc Québécois said Monday that Rota needed to go, Poilievre and Conservative MPs spent the day blaming Trudeau for Hunka's presence in Parliament.
A spokesperson for Rota has said the Speaker's guest list was not shared with the Prime Minister's Office or any of the other parties.
Rota's picks to be in the gallery were sent to the House of Commons protocol office and the confirmed list of attendees was then shared with corporate security, which is partly responsible for security in the parliamentary precinct, including the Commons chamber in West Block.
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The Speaker isn't supposed to be a problem — and that's a big problem for Anthony Rota
Rota is sorry — but he's barely hanging on to his speakership
The Speaker of the House of Commons is not supposed to be the problem.
The Speaker of the House is the individual chosen by their fellow members to preside over their business, check their behaviour, protect their privileges and represent the institution. The Speaker is the officer in robes overlooking the proceedings from his throne, the one responsible for dealing with problems and demanding apologies from MPs who can't restrain themselves — for protecting and upholding the reputation of Parliament.
What makes all of this especially bad for Anthony Rota is the context and the gravity of the error for which he apologized on Monday. He didn't merely invite a Ukrainian-Canadian veteran of a Nazi-aligned military unit to Parliament to witness the remarks of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also called on every parliamentarian in attendance to recognize and applaud that man.
So Rota's mistake was not merely hurtful and embarrassing. It was highly public — and it handed a propaganda victory to the Russian regime that invaded Ukraine.
All that explains why Rota sounded so stricken when he addressed the House at the earliest opportunity on Monday. It also explains why Rota is now only barely hanging on to his speakership.
"I wish to apologize to the House," the Speaker said, "and I am deeply sorry that I have offended many with my gesture and remarks."
'We trusted you'
Rota sounded choked up a moment later after Government House Leader Karina Gould, who is Jewish and whose grandfather was imprisoned at Auschwitz, expressed her disappointment.
"I would say that as parliamentarians, we place our trust in you, Mr. Speaker," Gould said. "There are many times when we recognize people in the gallery, and we do so on your good advice … All of us here did that in the chamber on Friday, because we trusted you on that."
Gould noted that Monday was Yom Kippur, a day of atonement and repentance. But then NDP House leader Peter Julian stood and, sounding quite saddened himself, called on Rota to resign.
"While we appreciate the Speaker's apology yesterday and his comments today, it is with great regret and sadness that I say that I do not believe it is enough," Julian said.
If Rota's speakership was hanging in the balance, this was clearly a shove.
Bloc Quebecois MP Alain Therrien, speaking next, merely called on Rota to search his own soul. But less than two hours later, BQ Leader Yves-François Blanchet released a statement calling on Rota to resign.
If the Conservatives did not immediately issue their own call for the Speaker's resignation, it's only because they're apparently intent on blaming the prime minister.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre seemed keen to blame the whole thing on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was pointing the finger at Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government even before Rota took responsibility on Sunday. But Rota's admission did nothing to push the Conservatives away from their original position.
"State visits are organized by the government," Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer, himself a former Speaker, said Monday.
That may be true — but that doesn't mean the government has purview over the Speaker or decides who gets to attend Parliament. In fact, it would raise serious questions about the sovereignty of Parliament if the government was able to exert such control over access to the parliamentary precinct and the House of Commons.
By question period, the Conservatives were pointing to the fact that the director of the Parliamentary Protective Service, which is responsible for security on Parliament Hill, is a member of the RCMP who reports to the commissioner of the RCMP on operational matters (the RCMP commissioner then reports to the minister of public safety).
It's not clear whether anyone at the PPS or RCMP would have flagged this individual as a security risk, as opposed to a political risk. But the Parliament of Canada Act also states that the Speakers of the Senate and House of Commons "are, as the custodians of the powers, privileges, rights and immunities of their respective Houses and of the members of those Houses, responsible for the [Parliamentary Protective Service]."
A statement issued by Rota's office also said that the names of guests invited to attend a special address to Parliament — those invited either by the Speaker or by a political party — are not shared with the Prime Minister's Office.
"It was my decision and my decision alone," Rota said on Monday. "This was a constituent who wanted to be here, and I recognized him. It was my decision and I apologize profusely."
But in their zeal to damage the prime minister, the Conservatives spared Rota from facing a united front of all opposition parties — representing a majority of MPs — on Monday.
Is Rota's eventful turn as Speaker nearing an end?
Rota is hardly the first Speaker to run into some kind of trouble. Speaker Louis-René Beaudoin faced a motion of censure and offered to resign during the infamous Pipeline Debate in 1956.
But Rota's mistake was a glaring one and it would be an embarrassing end to his nearly four years of service as the 37th Speaker since Confederation.
Rota was elected Speaker by his peers in 2019 — beating out four other contenders — and re-elected in 2021. Within months of taking the chair, he was presiding over a pandemic-era Parliament. He then oversaw the transition to virtual and hybrid sessions — an innovation that may prove to be a permanent part of how the House of Commons conducts its business.
When the Liberal government sought to challenge in court Parliament's power to compel documents, Rota became the institution's public defender.
"I want to confirm that the argument is that the legal system does not have any jurisdiction over the operations of the House. We are our own jurisdiction," Rota told the House in 2021. "That is something we will fight tooth and nail to protect, and we will continue to do that."
And all the while, Rota evolved into a more aggressive enforcer of decorum during question period, one who was willing to take questions away from an unruly party or even eject an MP.
But on Monday, the main topic at question period was what Rota had done — even as the Conservatives were trying to blame someone else. That's an uncomfortable position for the Speaker of the House of Commons to be in. It might also be an untenable one.
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Trudeau calls invite for Ukrainian who fought with Nazis 'deeply embarrassing'
Yaroslav Hunka fought in the 1st Galician division
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday the decision to invite a Ukrainian veteran who fought in a Nazi unit to a recent parliamentary event honouring Ukraine's president was "deeply embarrassing."
House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota is facing calls to resign from the NDP and Bloc Québécois after he extended an invitation to Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian Canadian who now lives in North Bay, Ont., to witness Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to Parliament on Friday.
The two opposition parties said it's not enough for Rota to apologize for inviting Hunka to the day's festivities.
Speaking briefly to reporters on Parliament Hill, Trudeau stopped short of calling for Rota to step aside from the role he's held since 2019.
"It's extremely upsetting that this happened. The Speaker has acknowledged his mistake and has apologized," Trudeau said.
"But this is something that is deeply embarrassing to the Parliament of Canada and by extension to all Canadians."
Trudeau warned that this event may fuel Russian propaganda. Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed the Ukraine conflict is about rooting out Nazis.
"I think it's going to be really important that all of us push back against Russian disinformation and continue our steadfast unequivocal support for Ukraine," Trudeau said.
Rota had praised Hunka, a constituent of his Nipissing–Timiskaming riding, as a "Ukrainian hero" and a "Canadian hero" and prompted a standing ovation for the man.
The Speaker apologized to MPs in person at the opening of Parliament on Monday.
Rota said he personally regrets inviting this constituent and giving him attention after Zelenskyy's remarks.
"I am deeply sorry I offended many with my gesture and remarks," he said. "This initiative was entirely my own.
"I want to really tell you that the intention was not to embarrass this House."
WATCH: Speaker apologizes for honouring veteran of Nazi unit
While Rota appeared emotional as he issued his statement, he offered no suggestion he intends to resign.
NDP MP Peter Julian, the party's House leader, said "regretfully and sadly" Rota cannot continue in his role after this incident.
"The Speaker has to be above reproach," he said. "This is an unforgivable error that puts the entire House in disrepute. Unfortunately, I believe a sacred trust has been broken."
CBC News reported Sunday that Hunka fought in the 1st Galician division, a branch of Nazi Germany's Waffen-SS, during the Second World War.
In a decade-old article in a Ukrainian-language magazine, Hunka recounted his time in the division.
"None of us asked what our reward would be … or even what our tomorrow would look like. We felt our duty to our native land — and left!" Hunka wrote.
A request for comment sent to Hunka and his relatives went unanswered.
Hunka has defended his war service in local media, describing it as part of a fight for Ukrainian independence.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre blamed Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau personally for the fact that Hunka was invited. (Sean
Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre placed the blame on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau personally, saying the Prime Minister's Office should have vetted a guest list drawn up by the Speaker.
He also blasted Trudeau for not showing up to question period to face the opposition.
"Canadians are sick and tired of a prime minister who never takes responsibility for the things that happen on his watch," Poilievre said, adding there's "constant international embarrassment" with Trudeau at the helm.
"He always finds someone else to throw under the bus. Are you that person?" Poilievre said while pointing to Rota.
Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, the party's House leader, said he doesn't accept that Rota alone was to blame for the invitation.
He said the Liberal government should have done a better job of vetting who was in attendance for Zelenskyy's speech.
The Speaker doesn't report to the Prime Minister's Office. While Rota is a Liberal MP, the Speaker is elected by all members of the House.
A spokesperson for the Speaker said Rota did not share his list of invitees with the Prime Minister's Office or any of the opposition parties before Friday's event.
The Speaker was allocated a set number of spots in the viewing gallery and the list of potential guests was shared with Parliament's Protocol Office, which coordinates the sending of invitations.
The names of confirmed guests are then passed on to the Corporate Security Office to "facilitate accreditation of guests," Amélie Crosson said in a statement to CBC News.
"This is a grave incident," said Scheer, who was House Speaker from 2011 to 2015.
"[Rota's] statement doesn't answer the questions around how this person was allowed to be in the chamber. A straightforward Google search will show he served in this particular division. If basic, rudimentary vetting as to who might be in the gallery isn't done — that's remarkable," he said.
"Many, many questions need to be answered. The Prime Minister's Office so completely dropped the ball on this."
Government House Leader Karina Gould said that as a Jewish person, she's deeply hurt by what happened.
"A majority of my family walked into Auschwitz-Birkenau and only my grandfather and his brother walked out," she said.
She said parliamentarians trusted the Speaker when he signalled to those assembled that Hunka deserved praise.
"We trusted you," she said to Rota. "I think this unfortunate situation has been deeply embarrassing for Canada's Parliament and for Canada. It was deeply embarrassing for the president of Ukraine."
Gould, a member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet, stopped short of asking Rota to resign.
"I think it's very important that we collectively work together to strike this recognition from the record," she said.
Pushing back against Conservative claims, Gould stressed that Rota alone was responsible for the invitation.
"This was your initiative," she said addressing Rota in the chamber. "The government of Canada had no knowledge this individual was coming."
On Monday afternoon, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet issued a statement calling for Rota's resignation, saying his errors have caused damage and he has lost the confidence of the House.
Jewish groups are outraged that MPs, senators and dignitaries applauded Hunka.
"The fact that this individual, and by proxy the organization he was a member of, was given a standing ovation in the House of Commons is deeply troubling," Dan Panneton, a director with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, told CBC News.
"I think association with this unit makes you a Nazi collaborator. To be part of this unit, you swore allegiance to Hitler and you were involved with the massacre of civilians. So it doesn't matter if you try and claim that you were defending against communism, you were still involved with the Nazi war machine. That makes you complicit."
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Russia blasts Canada over 'outrageous' war veteran reception in Parliament
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov took aim at the celebration for WW II veteran Yaroslav Hunka
The Kremlin said on Monday it was "outrageous" that a Ukrainian man who served in one of Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS units during the Second World War had been presented to Canada's Parliament last week as a hero.
Yaroslav Hunka, 98, received two standing ovations from Canadian lawmakers during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The speaker of Canada's Parliament has since apologized to Jewish groups for the incident.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the episode showed a careless disregard for historical truth, and that the memory of Nazi crimes must be preserved.
"Such sloppiness of memory is outrageous," Peskov told reporters. "Many Western countries, including Canada, have raised a young generation that does not know who fought whom or what happened during the Second World War. And they know nothing about the threat of fascism."
Speaker Anthony Rota introduced Hunka as "a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians" and "a Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero."
During the Second World War, when Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union, some Ukrainian nationalists joined Nazi units because they saw the Germans as liberators from Soviet oppression.
Jewish rights group demands apology
Hunka served in the Second World War as a member of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, according to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights group that demanded and received an apology from Rota.
"I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to [honour Hunka]. I wish to make clear that no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them," Rota said.
"I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world," he added.
The episode plays into the narrative promoted by Russian President Vladimir Putin that he sent his army into Ukraine last year to "demilitarize and de-Nazify" the country, a European democracy whose Jewish president lost family members in the Holocaust.
Peskov told reporters that Russia was waging an "irreconcilable fight" against fascism that was "trying to find its feet in the centre of Europe, in Ukraine."
With files from CBC News
House Speaker apologizes for honouring Ukrainian who fought in Nazi unit in WW II
Yaroslav Hunka sat in the gallery and received an ovation during Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit
Speaker of the House Anthony Rota apologized Sunday for honouring a man who fought in a Nazi unit during the Second World War.
Rota was responding to condemnation from Jewish groups and others stemming from a moment during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Parliament on Friday. During the visit, Rota said the man was "a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service."
Those gathered in the House responded with applause and a standing ovation.
"I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to [honour Hunka]. I wish to make clear that no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them," Rota said.
"I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world," he added.
Rota said he accepted "full responsibility" for his actions.
Yaroslav Hunka, 98, was part of the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis.
CBC News has attempted to contact Hunka and his family for comment, but have not been successful.
In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office said the decision to invite and honour Hunka was made by the Speaker's office alone.
"The independent Speaker of the House has apologized and accepted full responsibility for issuing the invitation and for the recognition in Parliament. This was the right thing to do," said a PMO spokesperson.
Government House Leader Karina Gould also said Sunday that the government did not know about Hunka's presence.
"The PM did not meet him. I am deeply troubled this happened. I urge MPs to avoid politicizing this incident," she said in a statement on social media.
Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
recognize Yaroslav Hunka (not pictured). Speaker of the House Anthony
Rota is now apologizing for honouring the man, who fought with a Nazi
unit in the Second World War, saying no one else was aware of his
intentions to recognize the man. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)
Jewish groups and others had raised the alarm about Hunka's past actions.
"The fact that this individual, and by proxy the organization he was a member of, was given a standing ovation in the House of Commons is deeply troubling," Dan Panneton, a director with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, told CBC News on Sunday.
"I think association with this unit makes you a Nazi collaborator. To be part of this unit, you swore allegiance to Hitler and you were involved with the massacre of civilians. So it doesn't matter if you try and claim that you were defending against communism, you were still involved with the Nazi war machine. That makes you complicit," he said.
Panneton said he believes that solidarity with Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion is incredibly important.
"However, solidarity cannot tolerate the distortion or outright celebration of Nazi collaboration or war crimes. So in future events, people have to be a lot more careful about who they're associating with when they're expressing support and solidarity for the very just cause of Ukraine," he said.
In a statement on Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused the prime minister of being responsible for the incident and called for him to apologize. The Prime Minister's Office says it was Rota's office who was in charge of Hunka's invitation.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh issued a statement Sunday saying his party shared the concerns of those condemning the incident and noting that the NDP was not aware of the man's background at the time of the visit.
'Obviously the optics are not good,' historian says
Dominique Arel, chair of Ukrainian studies at the University of Ottawa, told CBC News on Sunday that the division Hunka was part of had attracted thousands of Ukrainian volunteers, many joining with hopes they could achieve Ukrainian independence.
Only Germans from Germany itself were able to fight in the German army, Arel explained, so non-German volunteers who believed in Nazi aims or sought to use Nazi power for their own ends were organized into SS divisions.
"We have the issue of symbolism here, the optics of serving in a military unit whose logo is that of arguably the greatest criminal organization in the 20th century ... So obviously the optics are not good."
Arel said it was difficult to determine whether specific groups of a division had committed any atrocities, though he did say that by the time Hunka's division would have reached the Eastern Front in 1944 after training in Germany, Nazi operations related to the Holocaust in the area would have already concluded.
Arel said there was an extremely "complex, if not somewhat dark legacy" left by Ukrainian nationalist movements at the time of the Second World War that sometimes adhered to far-right ideologies and collaborated with the Nazis against the Soviet Union.
"For them, the ultimate evil was Moscow occupation," Arel said.
"They were ready to fight for what they believed to be their own independence. That's the take-away from between today and then. But the association with the SS and the constant use of symbolism to this day, that is highly problematic."
In 1985, then-prime minister Brian Mulroney called for a royal commission to examine whether Canada had become a haven for war criminals.
The Deschênes Commission found there were about 600 former members of the Waffen-SS Galicia Division living in Canada at the time. But Justice Jules Deschênes said membership in the division did not itself constitute a war crime.
Arel said the commission had found there was no evidence the division was implicated in atrocities specifically against Jews, though the division was implicated in later attacks on Polish civilians.
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With files from The Canadian Press, John Paul Tasker and Max Paris
BREAKING NEWS: Trudeau welcomes a Nazi SS officer to Parliament
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