'Dark history' Parliament's Nazi amnesia reignites row over its past

Standing in the House of Commons last week, Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, apologised after a war veteran who fought alongside the Nazis was invited into the country's parliament, called a "hero" and celebrated with two standing ovations.

- Leyland Cecco

Trudeau said all lawmakers "regret deeply" having stood and clapped "even though we [did] so unaware of the context", adding that the event was a disservice to the memory of millions "targeted by the Nazi genocide".

But the momentary amnesia - a forgetfulness seemingly shared by all lawmakers who applauded that day - has transformed into a costly political scandal and prompted a broader re-examination of the legacy of Nazilinked Ukrainian groups in Canada.

During the second world war, Ukraine was one of the main battlefields of the eastern front. About 4.5 million Ukrainians fought in the Red Army; far fewer - approximately 250,000 - aligned themselves with Nazi Germany. Some factions at different times fought both Soviet and German forces; some were involved in the mass killing of Ukrainian Jews.

Yaroslav Hunka, the 98-year-old veteran lauded in Canada's parliament, was a member of the SS 14th Waffen Division, a volunteer unit also known as the Galicia Division. Toward the end of the war, the group was known as the First Ukrainian Division of the Ukrainian National Army, which helped obscure its links to the Nazi regime.