Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday offered an “unreserved” apology in parliament after the legislature publicly — if unwittingly — celebrated a Ukrainian World War II veteran who’d fought alongside the Nazis.
The incident last week during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shaken Canada, prompted the speaker of parliament to step down and triggered diplomatic turmoil.
“I would like to present unreserved apologies for what took place on Friday and to President Zelensky and the Ukrainian delegation for the position they were put in, for all of us who were present,” Trudeau told lawmakers.
“To have unknowingly recognized this individual was a terrible mistake and a violation of the memory of those who suffered grievously at the hands of the Nazi regime.”
The Canadian leader was referring to an embarrassing incident that marred a visit by Zelensky last week, sparking an uproar that led to the resignation of the speaker on Tuesday.
Zelensky was in the chamber as guest of honor when the speaker, Anthony Rota, name-checked the elderly veteran as a World War II hero, prompting a standing ovation.
It emerged afterward that the veteran had served in a Nazi-linked military unit.
Trudeau said earlier Wednesday that the mistake “deeply embarrassed Parliament, and Canada,” and he was apologizing in front of all Canadians and the Jewish people around the world.
“It was a horrendous violation of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust,” Trudeau said.
Rota stepped down, saying he had “profound regret for my error” and the pain he caused to Jewish communities in Canada and elsewhere.
Trudeau’s government has been under intense pressure over the affair, which Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre described as the “biggest single diplomatic embarrassment” in Canada’s history.
AFP