The Left has zero grasp of history so illiterate interpretations are the norm, but this is on a new level. Oh, for sure, there will be “liberal fascism” quips, but this oversight is inexcusable in any situation. Canada’s parliament gave a standing ovation to a 98-year-old World War II veteran later revealed to be a literal Nazi. This public relations fiasco occurred during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the country (via Politico):
Not the results Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expected after welcoming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Parliament last week — an official ceremony in the House that included a tribute to a 98-year-old “Ukrainian hero.”
Canadian lawmakers later discovered the veteran they’d recognized was part of a Nazi division in WWII, the massive own goal set off a chain reaction for Trudeau’s Liberal government, already struggling to shake scandals and crises that have plunged his approval ratings into the depths.
And it’s thrown the government even further off its game after a week of dealing with tanking relations with India. On a day when the Liberals were talking up their efforts to bring down grocery prices, the nation was talking about Nazis.
[…]
Trudeau did not appear in the House of Commons Monday to speak to the issue, even though he was in Ottawa, the capital, meeting with the British Columbia Premier David Eby and only made brief remarks to media.
“Obviously it’s extremely upsetting,” he said. “This is something that is deeply embarrassing to the Parliament of Canada, and by extension, to all Canadians.”
[…]
That man was Yaroslav Hunka, 98, who fought for the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the Nazi SS.
Speaker of Canada's House of Commons, Anthony Rota, apologized for the incident and has faced calls for his resignation (via BBC):
Thousands of Ukrainians fought on the German side during the war, but millions more served in the Soviet Red Army.
In a statement, Mr Rota said that on 22 September "in my remarks following the address of the president of Ukraine, I recognised an individual in the gallery.
"I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so."
Mr Rota said that "no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them. This initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my riding [district] and having been brought to my attention."
[…]
"I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I accept full responsibility for my actions," the speaker said.
NEW - Justin Trudeau blames Russian propaganda for Canadian Parliament honoring a Nazi.
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) September 25, 2023
"Obviously, it's extremely upsetting that this happened... this is something that is deeply embarrassing to the Parliament of Canada...
It's going to be really important that all of us push… pic.twitter.com/Zvk5ytkxmC
But Trudeau’s response was also unhinged. After calling the incident an embarrassment, the Canadian prime minister launched into a tangent about Russian disinformation. Politico also described the debacle as a public relations win for Russia. The Canadian government honored a Nazi—nothing about Russian misinformation can be connected to this literal salute to national socialism in Ottawa. Stop trying to manufacture a conspiracy theory to cover for your incompetence.