Following the criticism against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for meeting and honouring a veteran of a Nazi division, Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota issued an apology to the Jewish community on Sunday. The apology came after Canada’s Leader of Opposition Pierre Poilievre pointed out Trudeau’s “appalling error in judgment”.Trudeau met with and honored a veteran of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, a Nazi division, during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Canada this week. Poilievre, in criticism, took to social media and demanded an apology from the Prime Minister.
In his tweet, Poilievre said Liberals arranged for a Nazi veteran to be recognized on the floor of the House of Commons during Zelenskyy’s visit. He emphasized that it was an “appalling error in judgment” on Trudeau’s part, as the Prime Minister’s office is responsible for arranging and vetting all guests and programming for state visits.The Canadian-based human rights group, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC), also voiced its outrage on X, stating that it was “appalled that Canada’s Parliament gave a standing ovation to a Ukrainian veteran who served in a Nazi military unit during the Second World War implicated in the mass murder of Jews and others.”
Responding to the criticism, Speaker Anthony Rota extended apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. He regretted recognizing an individual in the gallery during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address at the Canadian Parliament, a decision he made independently.Rota clarified that no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukrainian delegation, was aware of his intention or remarks before he delivered them. He took full responsibility for his actions and expressed deep apologies.During his address to the Canadian Parliament, President Zelenskyy stressed the importance of ending Russia’s aggression, and expressed gratitude for Canada’s continued support of Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression.Zelenskyy, accompanied by Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, received a standing ovation upon their arrival in the House of Commons.In his address at the Canadian Parliament, Zelenskyy said that Russian aggression “must end with our victory so that Russia will never bring back genocide to Ukraine”. “Moscow must lose once and for all and it will lose,” he said.
