Canadian opposition politician Pierre Poilievre on Sunday, September 24, demanded that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologize for the scandal with the invitation of a Ukrainian nationalist veteran from the SS Galicia division during a visit to the country by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
“This is a horrific error of judgment by Justin Trudeau, whose personal protocol department is responsible for organizing, vetting, and programming all guests for state visits of this nature,” he wrote on his X page.
Poilievre believes no MP other than Trudeau had the opportunity to check the man’s background before he was introduced and honored in the House of Commons. The opposition leader added that the prime minister should apologize and not shift responsibility.
At the same time, the Prime Minister’s office refused to admit his guilt, but welcomed the apology of the Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota.
“He did the right thing. Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the Ukrainian delegation were notified in advance of the invitation or honor,” the publication quotes the office’s statement as saying. “RIA News”.
Earlier, on September 23, the Associated Press published a photo in which Vladimir Zelensky, during a speech in the Parliament of Canada, greeted the 98-year-old Ukrainian nationalist Yaroslav Hunka, who during the Second World War served in the 1st Ukrainian division, also known as the SS division “Galicia”.
According to historical data, the SS division “Galicia/Galicia” was formed in 1943 from residents of Western Ukraine as a tactical formation of SS troops of Nazi Germany. This division fought against the Red Army, and was subsequently noted for atrocities against Jews, Poles, Belarusians and Slovaks.
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