The accidental honouring of a Nazi unit veteran in the House of Commons was caused by Canada’s “indifference and inaction” over its history with Nazis, according to Irwin Cotler, a former federal justice minister. In an interview with CTV News, Cotler stated that successive Canadian governments failed to address the issue, leading to Canada becoming a sanctuary for Nazi war criminals without any accountability. The incident occurred during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Parliament, where House Speaker Anthony Rota recognized Yaroslav Hunka as a “veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians” and a “Canadian hero”. However, it was later revealed that Hunka fought with the 4th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, a military wing of the Nazi Party. As a result of the controversy, Rota resigned as House Speaker.
According to the Canadian military magazine Esprit de Corps, approximately 2,000 members of the 14th SS Division Galicia, including Hunka, settled in Canada in the 1950s. The unit had changed its name to the First Division Ukrainian National Army to hide its Nazi past, and Canadian immigration officials did not thoroughly investigate its history. Cotler noted that during that time, it was easier for Nazis to enter Canada compared to Jewish individuals. He believes that the incident with Hunka reflects Canada’s unconscious acceptance of former Nazis living in the country.
The incident in Parliament prompted calls from various Jewish groups to unseal portions of the report from the 1985 Deschênes Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals. This commission examined 800 cases of suspected war criminals who had escaped to Canada after World War II. Although the commission found that many former members of the Waffen-SS Galicia Division were living in Canada, membership in the division alone did not constitute a war crime. Cotler, who was chief counsel to the Canadian Jewish Congress during the commission, also supports the unsealing of these records. He believes that transparency is necessary to understand and address the extent of Nazi involvement in Canada.
Cotler emphasizes the importance of “necessary justice” regarding Nazis in Canada and argues that unsealing the Deschênes Commission would correct the historical record. He asserts that pursuing justice requires transparency and a rejection of false historical narratives, such as the inadvertent indulgence of Nazi history in the Canadian Parliament.