The recent debacle that saw members of the House of Commons stand and applaud a man who fought on the side of Nazi Germany in the Second World War was truly deeply embarrassing for Canada. In the words of the prime minister, “A horrendous violation of the memory of the millions… who died in the holocaust.”
In offering a sweeping apology, Mr. Trudeau added while MPs deeply regretted standing and clapping, they did so “unaware of the context.”
That’s another embarrassing admission.
Introducing the man, who was a member of the Waffen-SS, the now ousted speaker of the house described him as a hero who fought for “Ukrainian independence against the Russians.”
Anxious to cheer Ukrainian independence in the presence of the popular president of the embattled country, the MPs jumped to their feet, seemingly unaware of our own history.
While our view of Russia is much different today, in the war against the Nazis, we were on the same side.
It is simply not possible to have fought Canada’s ally and be a Canadian hero, as stated by the former speaker and cheered by the whole house. It is mind boggling that no one on the speaker’s staff, or anyone in the prime minister’s office and apparently none of the country’s elected representatives, was able to immediately appreciate the context of the entire Second World War.
It is said those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
As Remembrance Day approaches, it is clear that even the country’s leaders have forgotten our history and the hard lessons of war. We owe it to those who fought and died, to do better.
