Calls are growing for more action from the government in the wake of Anthony Rota’s resignation as speaker of the House of Commons after he invited a man who fought for the Nazis to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to Parliament.
Both the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies and B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy group, are calling on Canada to release the unredacted Deschenes Report, which investigated Nazis who came to Canada after the Second World War and if they were implicated in war crimes.
“That report has been heavily redacted and we still, as Canadians, do not know what took place in this country,” said B’nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn.
“B’nai Brith is demanding right now that leadership be shown by this government. And that starts with the prime minister.”
On his way into the weekly Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not take questions from reporters nor make a statement.
Several caucus members and ministers were asked about the Deschenes Reports and if Canada should issue a formal apology.
Most, including House Leader Karina Gould, deferred to Rota taking full responsibility for the incident.
“The Speaker needed to resign because this was his decision,” Gould said on her way into the meeting. She added his actions “hurt all of us as parliamentarians, but indeed all Canadians.”
Some, like Montreal MP Anthony Housefather suggested more needs to be done.
“I think certainly we have to take responsibility for the fact that there was a Nazi in the chamber. And so I think that the Speaker has properly taken responsibility and stepped down, but it doesn’t mean that there’s no responsibility elsewhere,” he said.
When asked about specific actions, Housefather said the guest vetting process for head of state visits needs to be looked at.
Ottawa MP David McGuinty said discussing any potential apology should happen in caucus and that parliamentarians needs to work to mend Canada’s international reputation.
“I think we have to come together. So if we make this anymore further partisan, it’s just not good for our country and it’s not good for countries that are watching this country,” McGuinty said.
Prior to the Conservative caucus meeting, leader Pierre Poilievre called on the prime minister to issue an apology for the situation.
“Responsibility and power go together. If he wants the power, he must take the responsibility and come to the floor of the House of Commons today and apologize to Jews, Poles, Ukrainians and all Canadians,” Poilievre said.
As for the Deschenes Report, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said he’s read it twice this week and said removing redactions is something that could be worth examining, but he would need to learn more to form a concrete opinion.
However, he says Canada cannot shy away from its history with Nazis.
“There was a point in our history where it was easier to get in as a Nazi than it was as a Jewish person. I think that’s history. I think we have to reconcile,” Miller said.
Any changes to those redactions would go before Attorney General Arif Virani, who said there’s always room to learn more about human rights abuses but would not give a specific answer on whether the Deschenes Report should be reopened.
“What I will always support is ensuring that people who perpetrated war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide [are] brought to justice,” Virani said.
Still, those like Mostyn who advocate for more transparency on how Canada handled Nazis in the country after the war will keep pushing for answers.
“There has been essentially no accountability for the many Nazis that were welcomed into this country. And like Mr. Hunka, who was feted by our Parliament last Friday, he’s led a long and peaceful life,” Mostyn said.
“And victims who, by the way, also include ethnic Poles and other Ukrainians, not just Jews in Ukraine. They did not have that long life. So, we have we have a lot to answer for.”
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