OTTAWA – The Canadian parliament recently ignited a firestorm of controversy by lauding Yaroslav Hunka, a Ukrainian war veteran associated with a notorious Nazi unit. This incident unveiled the complex interplay between Canadian recognition of historical figures, Ukraine’s role during World War II, and the echoing impacts of Russian propaganda.
Yaroslav Hunka served in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, commonly known as the Galicia Division. His acknowledgement in parliament drew sharp criticism from various quarters, leading Anthony Rota, the inviter, to resign from his role as the Speaker of the House of Commons.
While this particular incident made headlines, it is just the tip of the iceberg in the ongoing debate about Ukraine’s WWII role within Canadian discourse. Canada, home to the largest Ukrainian diaspora outside of Europe, has several monuments honouring Ukrainian WWII veterans, particularly those from the Galicia Division. These monuments have been a longstanding bone of contention. Jewish groups argue that soldiers in the Galicia Division, owing to their association with Nazi Germany, either played a role in or were complicit in the wartime atrocities.
The Waffen-SS, under which the Galicia Division operated, was implicated in numerous heinous crimes, including the extermination of Jewish civilians. Even though accusations of war crimes against the Galicia Division are prevalent, no legal convictions have been documented.
For some Ukrainians, especially those with family ties to the division, they were seen as resistance fighters. Their primary objective was to secure Ukrainian independence from Soviet control, especially given the fresh memories of the Holodomor, the devastating famine that claimed millions of Ukrainian lives. However, this narrative stands in stark opposition to those who view the Division purely as Nazi collaborators.
Adding another layer to the narrative, the 1985 Canadian Commission on Nazi War Criminals determined that there was no direct evidence implicating Ukrainians who collaborated with Nazi Germany in specific war crimes. However, as newer archives become available, this conclusion is frequently challenged.
Modern geopolitics further complicates the matter. Russian propaganda has been instrumental in amplifying and, at times, distorting the debate. By painting the Ukrainian government with a broad brush of Nazism, it sought to justify its actions and interventions in Ukraine. Many Ukrainian-Canadians feel that the recent controversies, including the Hunka recognition, are influenced by this skewed narrative.
This episode has rekindled the demand from the Jewish community in Canada for an in-depth reassessment of the nation’s understanding and acknowledgement of its ties with Nazi history. As the debates rage on, bridging the gap between historical understanding and recognition remains a challenge.
