Letters to the Editor
Debacle Raises Serious Questions about Zelensky and Ukraine
My two uncles who died courageously fighting the Nazis would turn over in their graves if they knew that those who fought for the Nazis, as well as their modern-day descendants and promoters, have been "honoured" in the Canadian Parliament. A standing ovation, led by Prime Minister Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was given for a Nazi who fought with the 14th Waffen-SS Galician division, a vicious military gang ultimately commanded by Heinrich Himmler.
The Waffen-SS was declared to be a criminal organization at the Nuremberg Trials, yet at least 2,000 members were "legally" brought to Canada after WW2. Incredibly, one of its members was appointed Chancellor of the University of Alberta, served as President of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, and was given the Order of Canada. Other Waffen-SS members took other key positions.
Do we really understand who we are funding in Ukraine and to what purpose? Do we really grasp the critical danger of promoting such vile provocateurs as Zelensky and his ilk? Perhaps one clue to make us sit up and think is that it is crystal clear that they are fully backed by U.S. imperialism and NATO, the world's two largest terrorist organizations who have a long and bloody history of waging aggressive war against all who resist them.
An Educator in Edmonton
An Error Maybe, But Not an Aberration
CBC News reports that if the opposition parties force a vote on a motion in the House of Commons calling for the Speaker Anthony Rota to step down for leading the entire house in honouring a known Nazi, "several influential members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet told Radio-Canada they can't imagine a scenario where Liberal MPs would vote to save Rota's skin."
It is becoming clear that the rulers of Canada are desperate to distance themselves from such an open correlation between Canada's present warmongering path and the worst crimes ever committed against humanity and world peace. It is certainly problematic for Ukrainian president Zelensky in his desperate attempt to get more funding and more weapons for the U.S./NATO proxy war against Russia, especially at this juncture where the peoples of Europe and the U.S. are demanding an end to the funding of this war and where the very future of NATO as a warmongering alliance is put into question.
Right away the entire propaganda apparatus of the Canadian ruling circles went into action to create as much confusion as possible so that no correlation be made between Nazism and the assault against peace today in the form of the proxy war waged by U.S./NATO in their effort to impose a regime change in Russia, without any qualms at the horrible cost for the people of Ukraine. Two University of Ottawa professors were invited to comment on Radio-Canada to shamelessly try to justify the "mistake" of honouring Hunka as a veteran of the 14th Waffen-SS Division Galicia. Dominique Arel, chair of Ukrainian studies at the University of Ottawa, told Radio-Canada that the division Hunka was part of "had attracted thousands of Ukrainian volunteers, many joining with hopes they could achieve Ukrainian independence." He and the other guest hinted that this was understandable since "the Soviet Union had committed horrendous massacres in Galicia" and "don't forget the famine Stalin forced on the people of Ukraine." Arel said the argument that the Ukrainian nationalists committed crimes against the people of Poland and of Ukraine "is not very developed," but he seems to have no qualm in invoking the great lie of the Ukrainian famine which has been fully debunked and for which arguments have been fully "developed" over the last 70 years.
Honouring a known Nazi was a "mistake" only as inasmuch as getting caught is concerned, but it is not a departure from the entire warmongering outlook of Canada's ruling class and institutions. Many are wondering how come no-one in the House of Commons applauding Hunka was even bothered by the introduction given to him by the House Speaker who presented him as someone who "fought Russian aggressors" during World War II. Wasn't the Soviet Union our ally during World War II?
In a post on Twitter Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was important to "push back against Russian propaganda and disinformation" and said that Russia could stand to benefit from the scandal surrounding the standing ovation given to the Ukrainian Nazi.
The shameful and feeble complaints coming out of the ruling
circles and media that "this event may play in the hands of
Russian propagandists" is indicative of a bad conscience. It is
an entire period of historical mystification that is put into
question as the peoples are finding their ways to assert
themselves as the makers of history.
A reader in Gatineau
This Isn't "Embarrassing," Mr. Trudeau, It's a Shameless Affront
In a video clip about the standing ovation given to a Nazi collaborator by the House of Commons, Trudeau said, "It's extremely upsetting that this happened. The Speaker has acknowledged his mistake and has apologized. This is something that is deeply embarrassing to the Parliament of Canada and by extension to all Canadians, I think particularly of Jewish MPs and all members of the Jewish community across the country who are commemorating Yom Kippur today." He went on to say that it was very important to continue to fight against Russian propaganda and disinformation and to continue to unequivocally support Ukraine and stand in solidarity with Ukraine in the illegal war Russia is waging against it.
An "expert" speaking on monopoly media said that the Speaker of the House's "mistake" was due to the fact that he was historically misinformed in presenting the Nazi as a hero who fought against the Russians in the Second World War, because anyone who knows the facts of the history of that period knows that those who fought against the Russians in Ukraine – that is, the Soviets, as the expert pointed out – was on the side of the Nazis. What he didn't explain was why everyone stood up and applauded when the Speaker made the announcement, including the Jewish MPs Trudeau refers to. Does this mean that everyone involved is "uninformed" about the history of the Second World War and the anti-fascist struggle of the peoples? If so, everyone needs to explain themselves, apologize to all Canadians and Quebeckers, and commit to knowing their history, which is soaked in the blood of Canadians, Quebeckers and First Nations who made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat the Nazi beast.
It is not a matter, as Trudeau says, of the incident being "embarrassing for all Canadians," it's an abhorrent affront to Canadians, an affront he shamefully tries to sweep under the rug by talking about "Russian propaganda," which has absolutely nothing to do with this incident.
In fact, Trudeau's comments are unfathomably illogical and cowardly. If he pleaded ignorance, at least he might be able to get away with it. But in doing so, he's simply confessing unambiguously which side he's on.
A reader in Montreal
Deputy Prime Minister Freeland's Expertise on Full Display
Such is the extent to which the rewriting of history has gone that
everyone in the House of Commons on September 22 are supposed to be
exonerated by the Speaker falling on his sword for his misdeed while the
likes of Trudeau and his key ministers as well as their other guest,
Zelensky, get off scot-free. They had nothing to do with it allegedly.
It is noteworthy that not only has Chrystia Freeland been silent in all
this, but she for one, with her degrees from Harvard and Oxford in
Russian history and Slavic Studies, and having lived in Russia for
several years, etc. cannot claim ignorance of who it was that fought the
Russians in WWII when she wildly applauded the Nazi with a big smile on
her face. Nor can Zelensky, a Ukrainian of Jewish heritage raised under
the Soviet system who is said to have lost family members to the Nazi
onslaught when he immediately raised a clenched fist to the Ukrainian
called a "hero" for fighting Russia in WWII. They stand exposed, as is
the mission they are so passionate about today, but that is not to be
discussed. Even the fervent NATO member Poland is incensed over what
happened.
The whole anti-communist edifice in Canada, with the memorial to the
"victims of Communism," but also the whole post-war history of importing
Nazis, the refusal to sign on to the resolution denouncing the
glorification of Nazism presented every year to the United Nations
Gneral Assembly should be seen to be in total disrepute, with the
incident in Parliament rooted in all of that. The attempt to simply
expunge the record of what took place on September 22 in Parliament and
throwing the Speaker under the bus will never be able to wash away what
it represents, including for Canada's role in the criminal U.S./NATO
proxy war it is part of in Ukraine today.
A reader in Windsor
Take Down the Monuments!
Now is the time to put an end to the glorification of Nazis and their collaborators. Efforts by the parties in the parliament and members of parliament who are declaring their "mistake" will not be accepted by Canadians. Now is the time to demand that the monuments be torn down, and the role of the state, various institutions and organizations whose goal has been to promote a false narrative, including straight-forward lying about the history of Ukraine, so as to hide the reality of the current U.S. proxy war which is bringing enormous harm and destruction to the people of Ukraine.
It is 37 years since the Deschenes Commission closed the book on the war crimes committed by members of the 14th Division, Waffen SS Galizien, refusing the release their names and suppressing the work of Dr. Alti Rodal, which has to this date only been partially released in greatly redacted form. The glorification of Ukrainian collaborators, including members of the Waffen SS Galizien, greatly intensified in the wake of this travesty. Canadians should demand that all the documents be released in unredacted form to end this fraud that the members of the Waffen SS did not commit war crimes.
Canada has two monuments to the Waffen SS Galizien, one in Oakville and the other in Edmonton. In Edmonton, the monument at St. Michael's cemetery, operated by the Eparchy of Edmonton of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, is dedicated to "Fighters for the Freedom of Ukraine." Among the veteran organizations mentioned on the plaque is "1st UD UNA," which is an abbreviation for the 1st Ukrainian Division of the Ukrainian National Army, i.e. the Waffen SS Galizien.
A local Edmonton journalist is awaiting trial on charges that he "defaced" this monument by painting the words "Nazi monument" and "14th Waffen SS," a charge which was made after he reported that he had received an anonymous tip about the monuments. Outrageously, the incidents were investigated by the hate unit of the Edmonton Police Services and journalist Duncan Kinney was arrested by members of the "hate crimes unit" and charged with mischief. Edmontonians have called for the removal of these monuments for many years.
The monument to Roman Shukhevych stands outside the Ukrainian Youth Unity Centre. It was under Shukhevych's leadership that the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) forces committed the most heinous war crimes, killing at least 50,000 Polish citizens of Volynia/Wolyn. These monuments must be torn down! All charges must be dropped!
The Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) located at the University of Alberta, was founded in 1976, initially funded by the Alberta government, and has been a major source of disinformation, historical revisionism, and falsification of history about Ukraine. As well as awarding research grants, fellowships, and scholarships, it acts as a publisher, and is responsible for the internet "Encyclopedia of Ukraine". A significant source of funding has been endowments to memorialize members of the Waffen SS.
The CIUS has received significant funding in memory of former members of the Waffen SS and other criminal organizations. They include the following and together amounted to some $750,000 in 2011.
The Volodymyr and Daria Kubijovy Memorial Endowment Fund was established in November 1986 with a bequest from the estate of Professor Volodymyr Kubijovy and matched two-to-one by the Government of Alberta. The fund supports CIUS's encyclopedia projects, and now totals some $440,000 dollars.
Kubijovy edited the Encyclopedia of Ukraine under the auspices of the CIUS. A member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, and leader of the "Ukrainian Central Committee", Kubijovy was the most senior Ukrainian collaborator with Nazi Germany, working closely with Hans Frank, head of the General Government in Nazi-occupied Poland, and co-initiated the establishment of the 14th Waffen DD Galizien. A virulent anti-semite, and supporter of Hitler, he actively participated in organizing the deportation of mainly young workers as slave labourers to Germany, advocated ethnic cleansing to create a Ukraine without Jews and Poles.
The Roman and Halia Kolisnyk Endowment Fund, and Levko and Marika Babij Memorial Endowment Fund were both established in 2011, in the names and to honor the memory of two of the most prominent Ukrainian Waffen-SS veterans in Canada.* There are thematic conditions: the latter is earmarked for "the study of twentieth-century Ukrainian history, especially Ukraine in World War II." Recently, the field of endowments and donations in the name of Waffen-SS veterans has expanded with two more such endowments.[1]
Yaroslav Hunka is also listed as a donor.
Historian Per Ander Rudling comments on the so-called "Encyclopedia." "After the war, safely in the West, Kubijovy led the Shevchenko Scientific Society, edited the Encyclopedia of Ukraine under the auspices of the CIUS. His encyclopedia contains no entry for "Holocaust," while the entry on Kubijovy himself describes his wartime past as him having "revealed his exceptional ability as an organizer and statesman." The entry on anti-Semitism tells us that "there has never ... been a Ukrainian anti-Semitic organization or political party" and that "it is difficult to identify major instances of anti-Semitism, in the specific sense of prejudice and not simply hostility that have a demonstratively Ukrainian character." Contorted as this logic may be, it is not far-fetched to suspect that it had something to do with his own actions during the war. That the University of Alberta is connected with such trash is shameful, and even more so when serious inquiry like that carried out by Dr. Dougal Macdonald into the "Holodomor" is met with threats and attempts at character assassination.
Another major player in the creation of CIUS and the "Encyclopedia" was Peter Savaryn, also a former member of the SS Galizien. He served as Chancellor of the University of Alberta, a member of its Senate and Board of Governors, was President of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Association, and received the Order of Canada in 1987.
A reader in Edmonton
Note
1. They Defended Ukraine': The 14. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (Galizische Nr. 1) Revisited, Per Anders Rudling
This article was published in
Volume 53 Number 8 - September 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/MS53084.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca