Governor General of Canada apologizes for honoring individual who served in a Waffen SS unit during the Nazi era

Canada's Governor General Mary Simon has apologized for the Order of Canada bestowed upon a former Nazi soldier, Peter Savaryn, in 1987. It was discovered recently that Savaryn had served in Nazi Waffen SS units. This apology comes after a controversy in Canada's parliament involving the invitation of an elderly Ukrainian man, Yaroslav Hunka, who had fought with Nazi Germany. Hunka was applauded in the House of Commons, unaware of his history, during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the incident as "deeply embarrassing," and the Speaker of the House, Anthony Rota, took responsibility for inviting Hunka and resigned. Jewish groups in Canada have urged the government to investigate other Nazi veterans in the country. During World War II, many Ukrainians served in the Soviet Red Army, but others fought on the German side in units like the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS. Some of these Ukrainian soldiers later migrated to Canada. Savaryn, one of these veterans, received the Order of Canada for his contributions to the country. However, his background as a Waffen SS soldier was revealed in a journal article in 2012 and resurfaced recently in a report by the Jewish publication Forward. Governor General Simon expressed "deep regret" over the situation and issued an apology. The Order of Canada is awarded by the governor general on behalf of the monarch. Jewish groups have called for the release of a redacted report from the 1980s that investigated the presence of war criminals in Canada, which the government is now considering publishing. The University of Alberta, where Savaryn was chancellor, has initiated a review of donations from individuals known to have served in Nazi Germany's Waffen SS, including a donation from Hunka, which the university plans to return.