Hunka's membership in theWaffen-SS was reported initially byThe Forward, which quoted a tweet by academic Ivan Katchanovski.[1] The story was picked up by the Canadian media, receiving international attention.
The incident, seen as a political blunder[2][3] and a scandal, such that it drew comparisons to the most embarrassing moments in Canada's history,[4] was leveraged by the Russian establishment to further its justifications forwaging war in Ukraine, which had been started under a pretext of "denazification", amongother stated reasons. Rota resigned as speaker five days later, and the House unanimously adopted a motion to condemn Nazism and withdraw its recognition of Hunka. Prime Minister Trudeau and Canadian government officials apologized to the worldwideJewish community. Thehandling of suspected World War II war criminals in Canada became a renewed matter of public interest.
Yaroslav Ilkovych Hunka (Ukrainian:Ярослав Ількович Гунька;Polish:Jarosław Hunka; born March 19, 1925) is a Ukrainian-CanadianWorld War II veteran of the14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician)—abbreviated[a] asSS Galizien—a military formation ofNazi Germany.[b] Hunka was born inUrman,[8]Second Polish Republic (now Ukraine).[9] In 1943, Hunka volunteered to joinSS Galizien at 18 years old. According to Hunka, his reason for enlisting was following the call of the Ukrainian Central Committee to fight for the idea of "Unified Ukraine".[10][8] During his time in the unit, he was photographed training inMunich and Neuhammer (present dayŚwiętoszów).[11]
In 1944, Hunka was deployed into combat againstRed Army forces on theEastern Front of World War II.[12] Dominique Arel, the chair of Ukrainian studies at theUniversity of Ottawa, toldCBC News that thousands of Ukrainian volunteers had been drawn to the division, and that many aspired doing so could help attain Ukrainian independence from theSoviet Union. According to Arel, it was "difficult to determine" whether specific groups of the division took part in atrocities, but he said that by the time Hunka's unit reached the front, German operations relating to theHolocaust would have ended in that area. He said, however, that theSS Galizien had been implicated in thekilling of Polish civilians.[12] In his memoir, Hunka referred to theWehrmacht as "mystical German knights".[13]
Following the conclusion ofWorld War II in Europe, Hunka, now adisplaced person, settled in theUnited Kingdom and joined the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain.[14] In 1951, he married Margaret Ann Edgerton (1931–2018), and the couple emigrated to Canada three years later, settling inToronto, where they raised their two sons, Martin and Peter, and became active in theUkrainian-Canadian community.[15][14][page needed] After graduating from a technical college, Hunka worked in the aircraft industry, eventually becoming an inspector forDe Havilland.[14] In retirement, Hunka was heavily involved in the Ukrainian community; his sons established theYaroslav and Margaret Hunka Ukrainian ResearchEndowment Fund at theUniversity of Alberta to advance academic research in the undergroundUkrainian Catholic Church.[14] On 20 August 2004, Hunka was named an Honorary Citizen of the City ofBerezhany in Ukraine by the Berezhany city council.[16] In 2007, theUkrainian Canadian Congress awarded Hunka and other former members of theSS Galizien the Medal of Merit.[17][failed verification][18]
Hunka contributed to ablog by an association ofSS Galizien veterans on the Internet in 2010 and 2011. In 2022, Hunka travelled toGreater Sudbury toprotest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine that year.[9] Describing the situation in Ukraine, Hunka toldCTV News that the "Destruction is just unbelievable but it will take years and years to rebuild it, ... But Ukrainian [sic] will win and God Bless Ukraine and I pray for it."[9] As of 2023, he was a resident ofNorth Bay, Ontario. On 6 February 2024, theparliament ofTernopil province in Ukraine awarded Hunka with a Badge "for Merits to Ternopil Region" for his significant personal contribution to providing assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, active charitable and public activities, and on the occasion of the 112th anniversary of the birth ofYaroslav Stetsko.[19]
Handling of suspected World War II war criminals in Canada
In the years after World War II, Canada's permissive immigration policies enabled many allegedNazi war criminals to settle in the country.[20][21][22] An especially large number of formerSS Galizien members (relative to their total number) migrated to Canada from the United Kingdom, where they had been detained.[23][24] While there existed a policy of denying entry to former Nazi military personnel, members of this unit were exempted by a 1950 cabinet-level decision.[23]
In 1985, thegovernment of Canada formed theDeschênes Commission to investigate claims that Canada had become a haven for Nazi war criminals.[25] The commission's final report was issued at the end of 1986 in two parts. It alleged that Nazi war criminals had immigrated to Canada and in some cases were still residing in the country,[26] and recommended changes to criminal and citizenship law to allow Canada to prosecute war criminals.[26] The second part of the final report, which concerns allegations against specific individuals, and contains an appendix listing 240 individuals suspected of war crimes, has never been made public.[26][25]SS Galizien was a significant topic of the investigation;[22] according to the report, "Charges of war crimes against members of the Galicia Division have never been substantiated."[25]
Canada subsequently enacted war crimes legislation by amending theCriminal Code to enable Canadian courts to adjudicate cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed outside Canada.[27] The only individual to be prosecuted under this legislation for his actions in relation to Nazi war crimes wasImre Finta,[28][29] who was acquitted in 1990. In 1994, after several similar cases in which charges had been dropped, Canada said it would no longer prosecute Nazi war criminals.[30][31]
After the February 2022Russian invasion of Ukraine, Canada sanctioned Russia and sent weapons to Ukraine.[32] An important element of Russia's pretext for the invasion was Ukraine's "denazification".[33][34] On 8 May 2022, Canada's prime ministerJustin Trudeau made a surprise visit toKyiv to meet with Ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy.[35] Zelenskyy is Jewish and previously condemned a march in Kyiv in honour of theSS Galizien in 2021;[36] he emphasised then that "the defeat of Nazism was a victory for our people", and called for law enforcement and the Kyiv city administration to investigate.[37] Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to Canada on 22 September 2023 (his first since the invasion) and spoke to the House of Commons.[38]
Volodymyr Zelenskyy's House of Commons of Canada visit
After Zelenskyy's visit became publicly known, the constituency office ofAnthony Rota, thespeaker of the House of Commons, was contacted by Yaroslav Hunka's son Martin Hunka, a resident of Rota's district ofNipissing—Timiskaming, with a request for his father to be present in the Parliament during the address.[39] Rota accepted the request.[40][41] According to a later statement by thegovernment house leader,Karina Gould, he did so without informing the government or the Ukrainian delegation.[42]
On 22 September 2023, Rota recognized Hunka's presence in the chamber, saying: "We have here in the chamber today a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today even at his age of 98."[43][44] Rota further praised Hunka, asserting: "He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service."[40][45] After Rota's praise, the chamber gave twostanding ovations to Hunka, which Zelenskyy and his wife also joined.[11][46]
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau also invited Hunka to attend a rally in Toronto for Zelenskyy's visit. TheUkrainian Canadian Congress had nominated Hunka to attend, but he did not go to the event.[47]
Aftermath
Reactions
Reactions to the celebration of Hunka were negative and generated international headlines. The Friends ofSimon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies said that Hunka's unit's "crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well-documented",[48] and condemnedSS Galizien as "responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians with a level of brutality and malice that is unimaginable",[40] referencing events such as the 1944Huta Pieniacka massacre of Polish civilians.[11] In a statement released on 24 September, Rota accepted responsibility for inviting Hunka to the ceremony,[49] stating that he "particularly want[ed] to extend [his] deepest apologies toJewish communities in Canada and around the world" and accepting "full responsibility" for the incident.[41][50] Ann-Clara Vaillancourt, a spokeswoman for Trudeau, called Rota's apology "the right thing to do" and emphasized Rota's responsibility for inviting Hunka to the ceremony.[51]
Prime Minister Trudeau said, "This is a mistake that deeply embarrassed parliament and Canada" and apologized to President Zelenskyy.Leader of the OppositionPierre Poilievre called it the "biggest single diplomatic embarrassment" in Canadian history.[52]
The event renewed interest in the topic of the handling of suspected war criminals who immigrated to Canada,[21][22] and led to calls to declassify the second part of the Deschênes Commission's report.[53] Canadian politician and human rights advocateIrwin Cotler, who was chief counsel to theCanadian Jewish Congress at theDeschênes Commission,[54] said on behalf of theRaoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights: "While the apologies are necessary and welcome, it raises a larger question. How did Yaroslav Hunka, a notorious Nazi war criminal, enter Canada to begin with? How is it that he was never held accountable?"[55][56]
On 27 September, University of Alberta interim provost and vice president Verna Yiu announced the school would close the Hunka Ukrainian Research Endowment Fund and return its approximately CA$30,000 to Hunka's sons, saying that the university "recognizes and regrets the unintended harm caused."[57][58][59]
The president of theUkrainian National Federation of Canada defended Hunka and stated that there was nothing wrong with the Canadian Parliament applauding a man "who fought for his country", although acknowledging in the circumstances "this may not have been correct".[60] TheUkrainian Canadian Congress said in a statement that there were "difficult and painful pages in the common history of the communities that have taken up residence in Ukraine" and said it recognized that "recent events that have brought these pages to the forefront have caused pain and anguish".[60] President Zelenskyy did not comment on the incident.[61]
Following the incident, an image of a fake Ukrainian postage stamp featuring Hunka was shared onTwitter by multiple users,[62] including the Russian embassy in the U.K.[63][64][65] According toJames L. Turk, Russian responses were designed to cause their conduct of war in Ukraine to appear more legitimate. He called the scandal "a gold mine for Russian propagandists".[66] According to Marcus Kolga of theMacdonald–Laurier Institute, the scandal has had an effect of damaging Canada's reputation abroad, and Russia is aiming to amplify this effect through propaganda.[4]
In the days following the scandal several neo-Nazis laid flowers on theSS Galicia monument inOakville, Ontario. On social media they thanked Hunka and said the SS division fought to defend Europe from "the Asiatic-Communist pestilence". Those actions were condemned by Jewish groups and renewed their demands for the demolition of the memorial.[67]
In a speech on 5 October 2023 at the annual meeting of theValdai Discussion ClubRussian presidentVladimir Putin stated that the fact that Hunka was applauded by President Zelenskyy was "a sign of the Nazification of Ukraine" and: "This is precisely why it is necessary to denazify Ukraine."[68] He further said that Rota "essentially lumped together Nazi collaborators, SS troops and the Ukrainian military of today", which "only confirms [Russia's] thesis that one of [Russia's] goals in Ukraine is denazification".[69] Asked to comment,deputy prime minister of CanadaChrystia Freeland responded by saying that Putin was being effective at "weaponizing [the] mistake", urged the Canadian public to be cautious of Russian propaganda and to "push back very, very hard at everything Vladimir Putin says", and reiterated that actions causing Hunka to be recognized in the Parliament were a "terrible mistake".[70][71]
In the wake of the controversy, Hunka's family were reported to have gone into hiding in their hometown of North Bay, and did not respond to interview requests.[72] Hunka's daughter-in-law was quoted as saying her family was "shocked at what happened"; according to a family friend, they had not known in advance that Hunka would be publicly recognized by the House Speaker, and had only expected "he would be in the same room" as President Zelenskyy.[72]
Rota's resignation and House motion
On 26 September, Rota announced his resignation over the controversy.[73][74] The day prior, government house leaderKarina Gould had filed a motion to strike the recognition of Hunka fromthe official record. The motion ignited heated debate and failed to gain the necessary unanimous support.[75][76] On 26 September, the House of Commons unanimously adopted a motion byYves-François Blanchet to "utterly condemnNazism in all its forms" and express "full solidarity with allvictims of Nazism, past and present." The motion also condemned the invitation extended to Hunka, and formally withdrew his recognition by the House.[77]
Discussions of extradition
On 26 September, Polish education ministerPrzemysław Czarnek stated in aTwitter post that he had taken steps towards the possibleextradition of Hunka.[78][79] In the post, Czarnek said: "In view of the scandalous events in the Canadian Parliament, which involved honoring a member of the criminal Nazi SS Galizien formation in the presence of President Zelenskyy, I have taken steps towards the possible extradition of this man to Poland. #NOForFalsifyingHistory!" Czarnek asked theInstitute of National Remembrance to urgently research whether Hunka was wanted for "crimes against the Polish Nation and Poles of Jewish origin".[80][81]
On 20 October, Russia'sInvestigative Committee said in a statement that it had charged Hunka with "genocide of civilians on the territory of theUkrainian SSR during theGreat Patriotic War", stating that Hunka and other members of the division had killed "at least 500 citizens of the USSR" inHuta Pieniacka.[82] The statement also said that investigators were considering issuing an international arrest warrant for Hunka.[83]
^abHunka, Yaroslav (21 March 2011)."Моє покоління" [My Generation].Вісті Комбатанта (Combatant's News) (in Ukrainian).Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved25 September 2023.
^abMercer, Greg; Woolf, Marie (28 September 2023)."Yaroslav Hunka said in essay that he enlisted in Nazi unit to protect homeland".The Globe and Mail.Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved2 October 2023.The sight of a former serviceman for a Nazi-commanded unit, consisting mostly of thousands of ethnic Ukrainians, being applauded in the House of Commons has created all sorts of rancour: ... It's also renewed focus on the fact that several hundred or more former members of this unit were welcomed into Canada with the government's blessing.
^abcBrewster, Murray."After Parliament's humiliation, Canada has to reckon with its past treatment of Nazis, experts say".CBC.ca.Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved2 October 2023.Many historians will tell you that what we've witnessed over the last several days is history coming back to bite Canada — specifically over its refusal down the decades to acknowledge or own up to the decisions that allowed Yaroslav Hunka, who served with the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician), to immigrate to Canada in the 1950s.
^Coletta, Amanda; Kaur, Anumita (25 September 2023)."Canada's House speaker Anthony Rota sorry for honoring Nazi veteran".The Washington Post.Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved4 October 2023.Zelensky is Jewish, and many of his relatives were killed by the Nazis. His government says it has excised extremist elements from its ranks, most notably within the Azov Battalion.But Russian President Vladimir Putin has used the 'denazification' of Ukraine as a pretext for his invasion, part of a long-standing propaganda effort to sow disinformation, delegitimize Ukrainian nationalism and distort history for his political purposes.
^Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada."Information archivée dans le Web"(PDF).publications.gc.ca.Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved22 July 2022.
Nazi Germany