Amid widespread outrage over alleged Chinese interference in the past two elections and governance, the Trudeau government has shifted focus by accusing India of involvement in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, despite a lack of evidence. Canada quickly expelled Indian diplomats, while India firmly rejected the "absurd" allegations and recalled its High Commissioner. While some are surprised by the Trudeau government’s defense of a Khalistani extremist, Canada has a long history of supporting controversial figures, including Nazis.
In 2018, the Trudeau government expelled four Russian diplomats and barred entry to three others after Russia exposed the Nazi ties of Chrystia Freeland, then Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister. According to reports from The Globe and Mail and other media outlets, Freeland had known for nearly two decades that her maternal grandfather was a Nazi collaborator. Freeland dismissed these claims as Russian 'disinformation' intended to 'destabilize' Canada’s democracy.
Canada PM Justin Trudeau (Image Source: ETV Bharat)
Although Freeland’s office denied that her grandfather, Mykhailo Chomiak, collaborated with Nazi Germany, substantial evidence proves otherwise. Chomiak worked for German military intelligence during World War II, serving as the editor of a Ukrainian newspaper that praised Hitler and promoted anti-Semitism. This publication was instrumental in spreading Nazi propaganda and downplaying the Holocaust. After the war, Chomiak immigrated to Canada with other Ukrainian Nazi collaborators and SS members, settling in Alberta and continuing his involvement with pro-Nazi causes.
Archival records from Alberta confirm that Chomiak edited the Nazi-aligned newspaper Krakivski Visti, which was printed on equipment confiscated from a Jewish owner. Interestingly, Freeland herself co-edited a scholarly article with her uncle in 1996, shedding light on the newspaper’s role in 1943. Despite her long-standing knowledge of her grandfather’s Nazi past, Freeland kept it private, later dismissing the revelations as Russian 'propaganda' when they resurfaced in the media.
Freeland's decision to blame Russia and her role in expelling Russian diplomats based on reports of her grandfather’s Nazi connections, which were already part of public records, is striking. In line with its 'liberal' stance, the Trudeau government chose to back Freeland, expelling Russian diplomats and accusing Russia of attempting to 'destabilize' Canadian democracy. Now, the government is making similar accusations against Indian diplomats, claiming they pose a "threat to Canadian citizens," while overlooking Nijjar’s status as a Khalistani extremist with dubious citizenship.
What did Freeland tell the media earlier?
“American officials have publicly said, and even Angela Merkel has publicly said, that there were efforts on the Russian side to destabilize Western democracies, and I think it shouldn’t come as a surprise if these same efforts were used against Canada,” Freeland told the media back then.
The Trudeau government pays tribute to a Nazi World War II veteran
In September 2023, the Canadian House of Commons honored Yaroslav Hunka, a World War II veteran who fought for "Ukrainian independence" against Russian forces, with a standing ovation. This introduction was made by the Speaker of the House, Anthony Rota. However, it later emerged that the 98-year-old veteran had been a member of an SS unit formed by the Nazis in 1943. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also present at the event.
The Associated Press described Hunka as a war veteran who “was in attendance and fought with the First Ukrainian Division in World War II before later immigrating to Canada,” alongside a photo featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau applauding Hunka in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada.
Comment by Rota
In his address, Rota said, “We have here in the Chamber today a Ukrainian-Canadian World War II veteran who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russian aggressors then and continues to support the troops today, at the age of 98. Mr. Yaroslav Hunka is in the gallery, and I am so proud to say he is from North Bay in my constituency of Nipissing–Timiskaming. He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for his service.”
The History of the First Ukrainian Division
The 14th SS-Volunteer Division "Galicia" was a military unit formed during World War II by Nazi Germany, primarily composed of Ukrainian volunteers from the Galicia region. This area, under Soviet control, had a population that largely opposed communism. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, many Ukrainians initially viewed the Germans as liberators.
In his book The SS: Hitler’s Instrument of Terror, Gordon Williamson details the formation and demise of the First Ukrainian Division. Originally named the 14th Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS (Ukrainische Nr. 1), or the "Galicia" Division, it was established in western Ukraine in 1943 by SS-Brigadeführer Wächter, a high-ranking Nazi Party and SS official, with around 70,000 volunteers stepping forward to join.
It is important to note that the SS was the primary paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany, responsible for conducting Holocaust operations. The 14th SS-Volunteer Division Galicia consisted of volunteers, indicating that Yaroslav Hunka joined the unit of his own volition rather than through conscription.
By mid-1944, the division engaged in its first significant combat to counter the Soviet summer offensive, forming a battle group called SS Kampfgruppe Beyersdorff to confront Soviet and Polish partisans. Initially, the division found success and received commendations from German military leaders.
However, Galicia encountered significant challenges in later battles, suffering heavy losses and leaving only about 3,000 survivors from an original 14,000 troops. After the war, many of the lost soldiers operated as partisans behind Soviet lines due to their staunch anti-communist beliefs.
Subsequently, new recruits joined the division, which was sent to Czechoslovakia to suppress the Slovak uprising and to Yugoslavia to combat Tito’s partisans. In the war's closing days, it came under the command of the Ukrainian National Army and surrendered to Anglo-American forces. Due to some confusion, many members managed to evade forced repatriation to the Soviet Union.
In conclusion, it can be asserted that Yaroslav Hunka, who has been portrayed as a Canadian and Ukrainian war hero, fought for Hitler during World War II.
Connections between Canadian individuals and World War II war criminals
Members of the First Ukrainian Division have been labeled as war criminals by various experts. However, a Canadian investigation into their past did not classify them as such. Notably, there is substantial evidence indicating that Canada sheltered at least 3,000 war criminals. In response, Canadian authorities established a commission led by Justice Jules Deschenes to investigate war crimes, which submitted its report in December 1986, titled "Commission of Inquiry on War Crimes."
According to this report, the Canadian authorities rejected the immigration applications of members of the Galicia Division in February 1949, citing their affiliation with the German Wehrmacht or the SS. Yet, in May 1950, the Canadian Cabinet decided to admit Ukrainians who were residing in the United Kingdom at that time, contingent on special security screening. The Cabinet explicitly stated that these individuals should "not be rejected on the grounds of their service in the German Army."
The Canadian Jewish Congress opposed the entry of war criminals, referred to as "prisoners of war" in official documents. After the CJC raised concerns, the Ministry of Immigration instructed a hold on immigration applications, assuring the CJC that these individuals would undergo careful scrutiny.
The CJC provided two sworn statements, one of which was dated after the conflict and included a list of 94 suspects from the Galicia Division. Unfortunately, they were unable to present witness statements to substantiate the allegations, allowing the Ministry of Immigration a clear pathway to admit members of the division into Canada. The report indicated that approximately 600 members of the Galicia Division were residing in Canada as of 1985.
Canada has long served as a refuge for various criminal and terrorist groups, including Nazis, Islamists, and Khalistanis
In addition to its historical sympathies for the Nazis, Canada has also provided refuge for Islamic terrorists. In the 1990s, Canada sheltered Algerian terrorist Ahmed Ressam, who later attempted to execute a plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport in late December 1999. Ressam sought political asylum in Canada, claiming he was falsely accused of terrorism and tortured in Algeria. Not only did he succeed in staying in Canada, but he also traveled to Afghanistan to receive further terrorist training before returning through Pakistan, South Korea, and Los Angeles to carry out his bombing plan. Fortunately, he was apprehended en route.
Under Justin Trudeau, Canada has now become a haven for Khalistani terrorists, who directly threaten India's territorial integrity and seek to separate Punjab from the country. Daily, Khalistani separatists engage in anti-India protests, burn Indian flags, and disparage the Indian Prime Minister and diplomats with apparent impunity, as Trudeau protects these anti-India elements under the guise of safeguarding freedom of expression and the right to protest. In truth, the Liberal Party's unwavering support for Khalistani terrorists appears driven by political gains, even at the expense of damaging relations with a crucial ally like India.
The recent diplomatic tensions between India and Canada can be viewed as a second phase of the absurd allegations first made against India months after the killing of Nijjar. Trudeau, known for his tolerance of Khalistani terrorists and their anti-India and anti-Hindu activities in Canada for political advantage, accused the Indian government of assassinating the Khalistani terrorist. Historically, Canada has shown sympathies for Nazis and has been a refuge for Islamists and Khalistani extremists; yet the Trudeau administration has the audacity to blame the Modi government in India for its own terrorist-importing policies.
Trudeau's explicit support for Khalistani terrorists has driven bilateral relations between India and Canada to a new low. By aligning with pro-Khalistan leader Jagmeet Singh’s NDP and accommodating Khalistani extremists, Trudeau has attempted to appease his anti-India voter base while diverting domestic attention from the NSICOP report, which revealed the Liberal Party's benefit from Chinese interference in the last two federal elections in Canada. While governments and prime ministers may change, the Canadian leadership's support for Nazis, Islamists, and Khalistanis at the cost of straining international relations remains a shameful constant.
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