Trudeau apologises after Nazi unit war veteran honoured in Canadian Parliament
Ottawa (PTI): Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologised for the Canadian Parliament's recognition of a man who fought for a Nazi unit during World War II, an incident that drew global condemnation and was termed by the Opposition as the "biggest single diplomatic embarrassment" in the country's history.
Trudeau, already under pressure for jeopardising Canada's relations with India over the killing of a Khalistani separatist in Canada, said the Canadian government has reached out to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was present during the event last Friday, in the wake of the incident.
Russia has painted his enemies in Ukraine as "neo-Nazis" after the incident although Zelenskyy is Jewish and lost relatives in the Holocaust.
Speaker Anthony Rota, who has assumed responsibility for inviting Yaroslav Hunka, 98, resigned on Tuesday. The incident has drawn global condemnation.
Hunka, who fought with a Nazi unit in World War Two, got a standing ovation and was praised as a Ukrainian and Canadian "hero".
He served in the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division, a voluntary unit made up mostly of ethnic Ukrainians under Nazi command.
Division members are accused of killing Polish and Jewish civilians, although the unit has not been found guilty of any war crimes by a tribunal.
"This was a mistake that has deeply embarrassed Parliament and Canada. All of us who were in this House on Friday regret deeply having stood and clapped even though we did so, unaware of the context," Trudeau told reporters, indicating his plans to personally address the House of Commons about the controversy for the first time since it exploded.
He called the incident a "horrendous violation" of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust and said it was "deeply, deeply painful" for Jewish people, as well as members of the Polish, Roma, and LGBTQ2S+ communities who were also "targeted by the Nazi genocide", CTV News reported.
"Every year, there are fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors to share firsthand the horrors of what they experienced. And it is therefore incumbent upon us all to ensure that no one ever forgets what happened," Trudeau added before entering the chamber to offer similar remarks.
It was the first time the prime minister personally addressed the House of Commons about the controversy since it exploded.
Facing a series of pointed questions about the internationally condemned situation that transpired during Zelenskyy's address last Friday, Trudeau noted the Speaker was "solely responsible" for Hunka's recognition.
Still, Trudeau said Canada is "deeply sorry" for the position this has put Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian delegation in, calling it "extremely troubling" that such an egregious error, and the images captured of the moment, are being used as propaganda by Russia and its supporters to amplify false narratives about what Ukraine is fighting for.
"Friday's joint session was about what Canada stands for, about our steadfast support of Ukraine's fight against Putin's brutality, lies and violence. It was a moment to celebrate and acknowledge the sacrifices of Ukrainians as they fight for their democracy, their freedom, their language and culture, and for peace. This is the side Canada was on in WW II, and this is the side we are on today," said the prime minister.
While Rota's resignation calmed some of the initial acrimony, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh were among those pushing for Trudeau to heed requests from Jewish advocacy groups for a personal apology, noting that it wasn't enough for the Canadians who were feeling the shame the mistake had caused.
Poilievre said inviting Hunka to attend Zelenskyy's historic address to Parliament is the "biggest single diplomatic embarrassment" in the country's history.
Poilievre blamed Trudeau for the mishap despite Rota's assertion that he alone was responsible for inviting the incident.
In the question period, Singh questioned why it took Trudeau so long to say sorry, while Poilievre said Trudeau's apology on behalf of the country didn't go far enough.
The Conservative leader repeatedly called on the prime minister to take personal responsibility for his "personal failure" to vet all attendees, despite the Speaker's guest list not being shared with the Prime Minister's Office in advance, per parliamentary protocol.
For events such as parliamentary addresses, each party in the House is granted a certain allotment of invitations and while a central protocol office compiles those submissions to send the invites, the lists are not shared between parties but are shared with corporate security to facilitate accreditation, according to the Speaker's office.
"When foreign heads of state come here they expect that they will be protected, not only against security threats, but against massive global scale embarrassments and shames like the one he allowed to unfold before Canadians. So, will the prime minister commit to personally calling President Zelenskyy?" Poilievre asked.
While the prime minister did not directly address this question about calling Zelenskyy, his office told CTV News that apologies were made to the Ukrainians at the "ministerial level."
At the moment, the prime minister instead clapped back, questioning why Poilievre has not apologised for a trio of his MPs meeting with far-right German politician Christine Anderson earlier this year.
"If the leader of the Opposition wants the government to help him vet those his MPs meet with, we'd be more than happy to give him some better advice," Trudeau said.
Bilateral relations between India and Canada came under severe strain following Trudeau's allegations of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.
Last week, India rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case.
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Not having memorial for Manmohan Singh deliberate insult to India's 1st Sikh PM: Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi, Dec 27: The Congress on Friday said that not finding a location for the cremation and memorial for Manmohan Singh is a deliberate insult to the country's first Sikh prime minister.
The Congress raked up the issue after the Union home ministry said in a statement that Singh's last rites will be held at New Delhi's Nigambodh Ghat at 11:45 AM on Saturday with full state honours.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said party president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to conduct Singh's last rites at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.
"The people of our country are simply unable to understand why the Government of India could not find a location for his cremation and memorial that is befitting of his global stature, record of outstanding achievements, and exemplary service to the nation for decades," Ramesh said in a post on X.
"This is nothing but a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh," the Congress leader said.
Kharge wrote the letter after speaking to Modi about setting up a memorial for Singh, who was a two-term prime minister revered by the people of the country.
"Apropos our telephonic conversation today morning, wherein I made a request to hold Dr Manmohan Singh's last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the great son of India.
"This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers at the very place of their funerals," Kharge said in his two-page letter.
The Congress chief said Dr Manmohan Singh holds a highly revered place in the psyche of the country and the people of this nation, and his contributions and achievements were phenomenal.
He also said that Dr Singh's erudition on economic and fiscal matters came from his vast experience as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, chief economic advisor to the government of India and in various other capacities in several organisations, and the respect and regard that world leaders had for him bears testimony to this fact.
Kharge said Singh's wise counsel, leadership and contribution in mitigating the global economic financial crisis is well-acknowledged. He also recalled President Obama's words when as the US president, he mentioned that "whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens to him".
He also said that when the nation was in the throes of a grave economic crisis, it was Dr Manmohan Singh, along with former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who took India out of the crisis and also led the country towards economic prosperity and stability.
The nation today reaps the benefits of the robust economic foundations built by them, Kharge noted.
"Coming from a humble background and having experienced the pains and sufferings of the Partition, it is through his sheer grit and determination that he rose to become one of the leading statesmen of the world. I hope and trust that befitting stature of Dr Manmohan Singh, request to have the funeral of Dr Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, will be acceded," Kharge said in the letter.
Congress Legislature Party leader in Punjab assembly Pratap Singh Bajwa also separately urged Prime Minister Modi to have Manmohan Singh's funeral at a place where a memorial could be built later in his honour.
"I urge Prime Minister @narendramodi to honour Dr Manmohan Singh, one of the most towering Sikhs of modern times, with a memorial befitting his immense contributions to our nation. Rising from humble beginnings in a historic state, representing a community that has always stood steadfast for India's unity and progress, Dr Singh's life is a testament to intellect, integrity, and selfless service," he posted on X.
Bajwa said Punjabis across faiths and political lines unite in their heartfelt plea to recognise this son of Punjab, who played an instrumental role in shaping India's destiny, with the respect he deserves.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed the Centre has "declined" the request of Manmohan Singh's family for performing the funeral and last rites at a place where an appropriate memorial may be built.
There is no official word from the government on Kharge's request.
However, Badal took to X to post, "Shocking and unbelievable! It is condemnable in the extreme that Union Govt has declined the request of Dr Manmohan Singh Ji's family for performing the funeral and last rites of the highly distinguished leader at a place where an appropriate and historic memorial may be built to commemorate his unparalleled services to the nation."
He further said this place should be Raj Ghat.
"This will be in keeping with the settled practice and tradition followed in the past," Badal said.
He said it is "inexplicable" why the government is "showing such disrespect to the great leader who was the only member of the Sikh community to rise to become the Prime Minister".
"As of now, the cremation is slated to be performed at the common cremation ground at Nigambodh ghat. I am unable to believe that the BJP govt's bias would go to such extremes in utter disregard of the towering global stature which Dr Manmohan Singh ji enjoyed and will always enjoy," Badal further said in his post.
He said Singh took the country to great international heights.
"Our political differences with the Congress apart, we have always held Dr Manmohan Singh in the highest esteem as he transcends politics and political affiliations. He belongs to the entire nation.
"Dr Sahib showed great sensitivity and compassion in his dealings with Shiromani Akali Dal over Sikh and Punjab issues," said Badal urging Modi to "intervene personally to change this deplorable decision of the government".
Singh passed away on Thursday night at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at the age of 92.
आज सुबह कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष ने प्रधानमंत्री को पत्र लिखकर प्रस्ताव दिया था कि पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री डॉ. मनमोहन सिंह का अंतिम संस्कार ऐसे स्थान पर किया जाए जहां उनकी विरासत का सम्मान करने के लिए एक स्मारक बनाया जा सके।
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 27, 2024
हमारे देश के लोग यह नहीं समझ पा रहे हैं कि भारत सरकार उनके वैश्विक…
