MPs raised questions on Monday regarding how a former SS member managed to avoid being properly vetted before being honoured on Parliament Hill..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the cabinet stated that it had no involvement in any background check on Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old resident of North Bay, ON..“Obviously, it’s extremely upsetting that this happened,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters. .“The Speaker has acknowledged his mistake and has apologized. This is something that is deeply embarrassing to the Parliament of Canada and by extension to all Canadians.”.Hunka was presented to the Commons on Friday by Speaker Anthony Rota (Nipissing-Timiskaming, ON) as a “Canadian hero” who “fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians” in the Second World War. .Hunka was a volunteer with the 14 Waffen Grenadier Division, an SS unit cited as a criminal organization, and immigrated to Canada after the war..The Speaker's Office did not explain why it did not perform a basic vetting of Hunka..The former SS member detailed his service in a 2011 article in Combatant News, a Ukrainian-language website based in the United States..“My generation was united by two great forces, faith in God and love for Ukraine,” the website quoted Hunka. He wrote he was a prisoner of war in 1945 but enjoyed “a profitable and affluent life in Canada.”.“The Government House leader today confirmed in the House of Commons the government had vetted ‘everyone who was invited to Parliament,’” said Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre. .“The information confirming the individual’s involvement with the Nazi Waffen SS was easily found and accessible through a basic internet search.”.Parliament rejected a motion from Poilievre that it “condemn the prime minister and the Government of Canada for failing to do appropriate vetting on this individual.” .It also rejected a motion by the cabinet that the “hero” tribute be erased from the official Commons records, including video recordings of MPs applauding Hunka..“Today is Yom Kippur,” said Conservative MP Marty Morantz (Charleswood-St. James, MB). .“The Jewish community, my community, is horrified. Only one office in the country is responsible for vetting visitors to this place, the Prime Minister’s Office.”.“The prime minister has the massive security apparatus of the state at his disposal and yet a Nazi was honoured in this place,” said Morantz. .“I cannot believe I am even uttering these words.”.Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc expressed surprise after learning of Hunka's background..“All parliamentarians were taken by surprise with this particular individual being invited,” said LeBlanc..Rota took responsibility for organizing the tribute but did not explain why his office did not conduct a routine check. .Rota, a former North Bay councillor, has held the position of Speaker since 2019.
