Only in Canada you say

An irreparable stain has been added to the Canadian postcard of friendly, law-abiding, peace-loving people, pristine mountains of snow, virgin forests and sparkling lakes.

Recent headlines around the world have painted us as fools and Nazi lovers. 

I wear my patriotism on my sleeve. I tear-up when our Olympians win a gold medal and our flag is lowered to the playing of O Canada, when a diverse group of grateful immigrants proudly swears allegiance to their new home and old vets in uniforms and heavy coats shuffle their way to the local Cenotaph on Remembrance Day.

Veterans especially warm my heart because they represent generations of patriots who have been willing to lay down their lives to win and protect our rights and freedoms for future generations.

All of which brings us to a new political firestorm in Ottawa that started out with an innocent gesture by House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota to recognize and reward a constituent. This has cost Rota his prestigious job and reputation and thrown our government into turmoil.  

It would be one of those “you can’t make this stuff up” moments if it wasn’t so serious and gut wrenching for Canadians and people around the world who thought better of us and our country.

On Friday September 22, in Parliament—cherished symbol of our democracy—a packed house of our nation’s senior legislators and their special guests witnessed an assault so heinous that historians are generally agreed there has never been anything to rival it.

A 98-year-old virtually unknown veteran from North Bay represented by MP and House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota was introduced to the large audience, which included visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as a Second World War and Canadian “hero.”

The old soldier instantly turned into a rock star. Our parliamentarians and their guests, including Zelensky, turned their faces skyward to the public gallery and gave their guest two standing ovations and he responded with gratitude.

To make things worse, Rota thanked his guest for “all his service.” 

It turns out this was only the storm before the cyclone that follows. The incident not only rained on Zelenskyy’s triumphant parade in which he thanked Canada for its support in the war with Russia and encouraged continued funding. It also handed Russian President Vladimir Putin considerable ammunition for his lying propaganda machine.

Parliamentary guest Yaroslav Hunka may have been a hero to some but not to Canada. “All his service” included fighting in Ukraine for the Germans against the Russians. It later emerged that Hunka fought with the 14th Waffen Division of the Nazi SS known for the killing and torturing of untold targets—including civilians-- of the Nazi regime.

Holocaust survivors and victims and their families have reason to react with horror at the sight of a Nazi being celebrated in the Parliament of Canada. So does every, single Canadian---especially families of those who have fought on many battlefields over the years.

It is embarrassing that an enemy who was part of the most evil regime of genocide in world history was not just at our gate but welcomed in to sit at the head of the table and praised to the hilt by a room full of Canada’s political leaders, including military brass.

To those who know their history, Canada earlier won a black eye for turning away the HMS St. Louis loaded with 937 passengers, most of them Jews, attempting to flee Nazi persecution in Europe in the build up to WW 2. Because of our antisemitic immigration policies at the time, Canada, Cuba, and the U.S. refused most of them admission, the ship returned to Europe and it’s estimated at least one third of those aboard were killed in the Holocaust.

With studies showing an increase today in antisemitism in Canada and elsewhere, leaders in the Jewish community are calling on Ottawa to initiate a policy to open war records to reveal how many former Nazi leaders have been allowed into Canada.

Historian Irving Abella is often quoted as saying: “Following the war, it was easier to immigrate to Canada if you were a Nazi than if you were a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust.”  

The U.S. and U.K. have made their war crime documents public while Canada’s remain sealed.

It will not be an easy process. Truth to tell, there may be a significant number of Canadians---including some in high places---who don’t want their family history exposed. Think, for example, of leaders of the political, corporate, military and social world who might have wondered what their relatives did during the war but may regret finding out the truth and its ramifications.

Meanwhile, former Speaker Anthony Rota says he had no knowledge of Hunka’s war record. One report suggested the old man’s son approached Rota’s staff in his North Bay office with the request that his father be included in the parliamentary ceremony to honour the visiting Ukrainian president.

Somewhat naively and perhaps suffering from a bout of hubris, Rota proceeded without further ado. As Speaker, he was not required to seek approval or even notify anyone in advance about who was on his guest list for the event.

The independence of Commons Speaker Rota from political parties and partisan influences such as the Prime Minister’s Office is sacrosanct in his role as arbiter. 

That the former Nazi could be treated with such reverence and without apparent regard for the safety of the Ukrainian Prime Minister and others whose presence was similarly not vetted, is something hard to understand in today’s world of social unrest, terrorism, assassination and deadly wars. None of the political parties was advised that the Speaker would invite and introduce his constituent in the Commons.

Critics tried to nail Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his staff for allowing this apparent breach of security but parliamentary experts were quick to point out the Speaker is independent, elected by and reports only to the Commons---that the Prime Minister has no right to approve the guest lists of MPs, who regularly invite guests to their offices and Commons procedures.

In light of this whole fiasco, Rota, an MP since 2004 and a highly regarded parliamentarian and popular Speaker, has apologized to everyone, including President Zelenskyy, and has resigned his post and its many perks. His future remains undetermined.

No one believes he knowingly made the mistake of failing to question his guest’s credentials or that his apologies are anything but heart felt. It’s clear that he recognizes the damage he has done to Canada’s reputation and to Ukraine’s determined efforts to save itself from the parasitic Putin. 

 If nothing else, the whole episode has reminded us of the dangers of extremism, the high cost of racism and intolerance, and what can happen when people lose trust in their democratic institutions and leaders and anger and fear replace hope and faith.