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19:02 GMT 10.10.2024 (Updated: 19:08 GMT 10.10.2024)
The Memorial to the Victims of Communism in Ottawa, originally scheduled for unveiling in November 2023, is experiencing yet another delay.
According to a report by the Ottawa Citizen, this setback is due to concerns that over half of the 550 names intended for the Wall of Remembrance are believed to be associated with Nazi affiliations, as indicated by a government statement.
Per the Department of Canadian Heritage’s report, between 50 and 60 list entries were likely directly connected to the Nazis, while in last year, the department recommended more than 330 names be removed as a precautionary measure due to possible “links to fascist organizations or the Nazis” as well as “no direct link to Canada.”
12 October 2023, 12:46 GMT
In September 2023, a 98-year-old Ukrainian Nazi collaborator was invited to attend Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to the Canadian Parliament. He was introduced as a hero who fought against the Russians during World War II and received a standing ovation from the entire Canadian legislature, leading to a significant international scandal and considerable embarrassment for Canada.
Subsequently, Hunka was charged in absentia with the genocide of civilians during World War II by the Russian Investigative Committee. He is accused of having a hand in the mass executions of at least 500 civilians in the Lvov region of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic between 1943 and 1944.
The monument has come up against charges of being linked to Nazis before. It has received private donations in the names of Nazi collaborators, the CBC reported in 2021.
