The Speaker of Canada's House of Commons has issued an apology for commending an individual during a parliamentary session who had served in a Nazi military unit during World War II. 

During a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, a 98-year-old former Nazi Ukrainian soldier, Yaroslav Hunka, who had served in a Waffen-SS division during WWII, received a standing ovation from the Canadian Parliament.

At the time, Speaker Anthony Rota brought attention to him and introduced Hunka as a war hero who had served in the First Ukrainian Division.

"In my remarks following the address of the president of Ukraine, I recognized an individual in the gallery. I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so," Rota stated.

He further claimed that neither his fellow parliament members nor the Ukrainian delegation were informed of his intention to honor Hunka. Rota pointed out that Hunka hails from his electoral district.

"I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I accept full responsibility for my action," Rota said.

Scapegoating Rota!

Simultaneously, a statement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office indicated that Rota had apologized and acknowledged complete responsibility for extending the invitation to Hunka and for the acknowledgment in parliament.

"This was the right thing to do," the statement said. "No advance notice was provided to the prime minister’s office, nor the Ukrainian delegation, about the invitation or the recognition."

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies released a statement on Sunday, asserting that the division had been accountable for the mass killing of innocent civilians with an unprecedented degree of brutality and malevolence.

"An apology is owed to every Holocaust survivor and veteran of the second world war who fought the Nazis, and an explanation must be provided as to how this individual entered the hallowed halls of Canadian parliament and received recognition from the Speaker of the House and a standing ovation," the statement said.

A member of the Canadian Parliament Sebastian Skamski expressed concern about the individual's historical background, stating that Trudeau's Liberal party would need to provide an explanation for why he was extended an invitation in the first place.

The big picture

Zelensky visited Canada on Friday, delivering a speech before the Parliament where he sought continued support in the Ukraine war. Following his visit to the United States, he engaged in discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Hunka was among the attendees when the Ukrainian President addressed the Canadian Parliament, recognizing the historical animosity between Ukraine and Russia.

Former Nazi soldier Hunka received praise and a standing ovation from those in attendance "for his role in combat during World War II." However, it's noteworthy that Hunka was a member of the Nazi Division 14 of the Waffen-SS, which has historical associations with Nazi Germany and had committed genocide against Poles and Jews in Western Ukraine.

This issue triggered significant outrage on social media, as Canadian journalists and activists from various backgrounds pointed out that this individual's history had been glossed over by veterans' organizations in Western countries.

Read next: Kiev forces have big Nazi problem: former US soldier to RT

Others expressed astonishment at the recognition of "an immigrant who served in a military unit of the Third Reich and faced accusations of committing 'war crimes'."

It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin has emphasized, on multiple occasions, that Russian soldiers are fighting "to liberate their homeland from Nazism," underscoring the importance of preventing the resurgence of Nazism, which inflicted considerable suffering on various nations.