Prime Minister Justin Trudeau extended an invitation to Yaroslav Hunka, a veteran of the Ukrainian Waffen-SS who was applauded in the House of Commons for a reception celebrating the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later that evening. The invitation was issued by the Office of Protocol of Canada on Sept. 19, 2023 and the reception was attended by roughly 1,000 individuals, including Mr. Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Mr. Zelensky, and his spouse Olena Zelenska, as well as other notable figures from Canada’s Ukrainian community.
The situation raised questions about vetting processes for guests appearing in Parliament, especially when the prime minister and special guests were in attendance. The Speaker of the House at the time, Liberal MP Anthony Rota, resigned over the incident on Sept. 26 and maintained that he was solely responsible for the incident. Conservatives questioned the responsibility of the Liberal government in the matter and called for Mr. Trudeau to take responsibility.
Mr. Trudeau subsequently issued an apology on behalf of Parliament, condemning the tribute to Mr. Hunka as disrespectful to the victims of Nazi brutality. In the aftermath of the incident, political leaders in Canada questioned the government’s response and actions in relation to the matter. The Conservative Party criticized the government for failing to protect President Zelensky and allowing for “massive diplomatic disasters” to potentially occur. Mr. Trudeau defended that the Office of Protocol and Mr. Rota were responsible for the invitation and recognition of Mr. Hunka.
The events also sparked concerns about the relationship between Canada and Russia, with Mr. Trudeau stating that Canada will “continue to stand strong against propaganda and misinformation stemming from Russia” and that “several direct messages” had been sent to the Ukrainian people and President Zelenskyy.