Challenging times for Canada

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East Once a well-respected nation on the world stage known for a balanced approach to domestic and international politics, the Canada of today is an embarrassment, rapidly sinking to the lowest level of the political spectrum. A quick look at Canada’s position on the world stage is something to make one shudder. With China, the second largest economy in the world, relations are at the lowest possible ebb. Our recent spat with India sank that relationship to an embarrassing low. Not to mention the latest achievement of the Liberal leadership, having Canada honour a Nazi collaborator in the House of Commons on the advent of the most important Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur. One has to wonder at this appalling level of historical ignorance on the part of all the parliamentarians present in the House of Commons. Frenetically applauding a former enemy of Canada gives a sad but accurate reflection of how the affairs of this country are managed. Not one of the parliamentarians stood up and left his/her parliamentary seat following the Speaker’s announcement. It shows not only a lack of culture, but unacceptable disrespect for the nation’s history and the sacrifices made by generations of Canadians. We are living in sad state of our nation’s unravelling identity, and there is no excuse for this kind of behavior from any of the political parties present in today’s House of Commons. As the events unfolded, Canada became an embarrassment on the world stage. A state visit from a nation at war and in a complicated geopolitical situation on the world stage, made worse by illustrating the incompetence of the political leadership of Canada. How did this issue, that has sparked such grave repercussions for Canada’s international prestige, come about? The incident that has put the Speaker, Anthony Rota, in an unprecedented position of acrimony, which took place in Parliament last Friday. Speaker Rota drew the room’s attention to a man in the viewing gallery, whom he described as “a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran… who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians” and “a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service,” prompting a standing ovation. The person at the center of this issue was 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, a Ukrainian veteran who fought in a volunteer unit under Nazi command. As he was a guest of the Speaker, the list of attendees was not shared, as per parliamentary protocol, but never mind nobody asked questions including security, staff and MPs. Subsequently, Rota apologized to all MPs, saying he takes full responsibility for the mistake, and for being unaware, until after the controversy exploded, of his constituent’s historic involvement with the Waffen-SS Galicia Division and finally resigned. With such tremendous damage to Canada’s credibility in promoting democratic values, international reactions are flooding in, wondering how many of these kinds of people have found refuge in Canada. For example, the response of one of Canada’s NATO allies is as follows: "In view of the scandalous events in the Canadian Parliament, which involved honouring, in the presence of President Zelenskyy, a member of the criminal Nazi SS Galizien formation, I have taken steps towards the possible extradition of this man to Poland," Przemyslaw Czarnek, Poland’s education minister, said in a social media post Tuesday. With all parties in the House of Commons embarrassed, it emerges that a call for the resignation of the Speaker was on the table and later the Speaker resigned. However, it should be noted, that none of the parliamentarians present in the House walked out, when the Speaker made his atrocious remarks. All clapped frenetically, which makes them all complicit with the Speaker. The Speaker’s introductory remark by itself was enough for educated people, with the slightest knowledge of Canadian history, to understand that this was out of context and an insult to Canadians who fought and lost their lives in the WW2, fighting the Nazis. This is a tough lesson to be learned from (let us hope). We will probably hear of more domestic and international reactions to this incident. The apologies of the Speaker of the House, Anthony Rota, for honouring a man who fought in a Nazi unit during the Second World War, are too little too late as his resignation, and do nothing to mitigate the immense damage to the image Canada has suffered due to this incident. From now on, all politicians would do well to finally concentrate on taking care of the interests of Canada and its citizens first, and putting their personal interests second. After all, MPs were elected by Canadians for Canadians, so do your job! Enough of the profuse and useless words and debates spewed, especially during the farcical theater known as Question Period. Buckle down to some serious work instead. Canadians need you to be steadfast for Canada. Enough is enough!