RANT: YCMTSU!

 

I’M SURE we all recall last September’s face-plant the Trudeau government performed when the entire House of Commons in Ottawa gave a standing ovation (twice!) for a former WWII Nazi member of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician), one Yaroslav Hunka, who was invited by the Speaker of the House to be “recognized” in parliament for his efforts “fighting Russia” in WWII. (Yaroslav actually fought against the USSR, but I digress.) Charitably, one assumes the vetting process was lax in both the Speaker’s office and the PMO when checking this character’s past. Problem was, the elderly Ukrainian Canadian was a former Nazi—not a Neo-Nazi, but a dyed-in-the-wool real Nazi, whose SS division he joined, was “…made up of Ukrainian volunteers […] responsible for atrocities against Poles, Jews, and the Soviet resistance.” (RT) One hopes ignorance of Hunka’s past was the reason our governing elites ‘beclowned’ themselves in this manner, or else it was an equally embarrassing lack historical knowledge. For the record: The USSR (now Russia) and Germany signed a non-aggression pact in 1939 which lasted until 1941 when Hitler made the fatal mistake of attacking the Slavic giant. Hunka joined the SS 1^st Galician division in 1943. He was eighteen years old. He must have known what the Waffen SS was about, he’d trained in Germany after all. So, for at least two years he was part of an army that participated in war crimes. We don’t know what he did prior to joining, but I’m sure choir practice didn’t rank high among his daily routines.

 

LAST YEAR, Poland requested Hunka’s extradition so he could stand trial for genocide, but Canada doesn’t have a formal extradition treaty with the Poles and the request was denied. Russia’s request for Hunka’s extradition was also denied this February on similar grounds. In both cases it would mean a legal and paperwork quagmire that might take years to slog through, and Hunka, at 99, would probably not live to see the process completed. Russia has not rescinded its extradition request for the nonagenarian Nazi as a matter of form. And the gormless Trudeau government would rather drink hot tar than carry out any kind of diplomatic negotiation with the Russians.

 

   Yaroslav  Hunka

BUT that’s not the end of this FUBAR! Ukraine, specifically the Ternopil Region administration in western Ukraine, earlier this month gave Hunka the “Yaroslav Stetsko” medal (his niece accepting the award for him) for his “significant personal contribution to the provision of assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, active charity and public activity.” (RT) Yaroslav Stetsko was a chief administer in the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN-B) led by Stepan Bandera, who, during WWII, collaborated with the Nazis in the early stages of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. In Western Ukraine, Nazi-collaborator and war criminal Bandera is honoured by many as a Ukrainian hero. There is a reason why one of Russia’s goals in launching its “special military operation” against Ukraine in 2022 was “denazification” of the country. That the Kiev regime allows one of its oblasts (it's like a province) to give a medal to an ex-Nazi, is another 'red flag' for Russia. After all, the then-USSR bled mightily at the hands of the Nazi regime in WWII, losing over 24,000,000 soldiers and civilians during the four years of war battling Germany, far more than any other country in the conflict.

 

TODAY, THERE IS A PROBLEM in Ukraine, particularly its western half, with Neo-Naziism seen with groups like the Azov battalion, a militia which has been incorporated into the regular Ukrainian military, while its political wing is active in Ukraine’s parliament. And it's a problem that Russia, quite rightly, wants to see go away. Note that, prior to Russia’s invasion, the Azov militia was considered by many in the West to be rife with Neo-Nazi ideology. For example, complaints were made around Canada's participation in training activities with the Azov Regiment. A short, helpful article in The Maple examines the changing media portrayal of the Azov batallion, from Neo-Nazis to squeaky clean Ukrainian nationalists:

 

“The shameless shift toward sympathetic coverage of the Azov Regiment is another useful reminder that Canadian media are perfectly happy to valorize anyone, including Nazis, so long as doing so serves the West’s interests. These media outlets should be continuously reminded of their coddling of fascists, including if, and when, the grim consequences of it play out over the coming years in blowback. [Like the blowback that came from Islamic “freedom fighters” supported by the United States in Afghanistan against the USSR in the 1980s, and how they later morphed into the Taliban. Oopsie!]

 

AND FINALLY, in early March, in Oakville Ontario, a cenotaph dedicated to the 14^th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, a Nazi military unit “predominantly composed of Ukrainian soldiers during World War II” was removed from the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery, following complaints from the public and from Jewish community groups. Groups like the Friends of Simon Wisenthal Centre (FSWC) have been complaining for years about the monument, and I guess it took last fall's cock-up in Ottawa to compel the builders of the monument to remove it. Where to? Who knows.

A final point: Apparently, there are similar monuments in Edmonton cemeteries. It will be interesting to see if there is enough public pressure in Alberta to have these highly inappropriate memorials removed. It should be noted there is a large Ukrainian diaspora* in Western Canada.

 

Cheers, Jake.___________________________________

 

* There's more to this story here and here which provide a complex history of migration and changing ideologies, and the formation of various associations, committees, lobby groups and political organizations among the worldwide Ukrainian diaspora, particularly after WWII. Today, Canada has the second-largest Ukrainian population after Russia. Ukrainians have been coming to Canada since the late nineteenth century with large waves coming in the the 1930's and post-WWII when Ukrainian-Canadians made 2.2% of the population. Today, it's nearly 4%. Of those coming after WWII, many came with strong Ukrainian nationalist sentiments, including strong anti-communism beliefs. Stepan Bandera represented for many a hero who fought for Ukrainian independence during the war, and remains a hero despite his obvious collaboration with Nazi forces and his own organization's cited examples of pogroms and other war crimes. His problematic legacy lives on today.

 

      

 

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RANT: WHEN WILL IT STOP?

 

👉ARMING ISRAEL—On 18 March 2024 our FOREIGN MINISTER, Melanie Joly, announced that Canada is halting exports of military goods to Israel in protest over that country’s bombing campaign in Gaza. The non-binding legislation stated Canada would “cease the further authorization and transfer of future arms exports to Israel.” Which looks good, but we should note the original proposal demanded the suspension “of all trade in military goods and technology with Israel.” Which seems a little stiffer, with less wiggle room. It all depends on how you define “arms”, I guess. And it’s important to remember that so-called non-lethal military equipment is a bit of a scam: Components, spare parts, communication equipment, etc. can, and are, used to perform lethal military operations. Note also that the original proposal called for a ban on arms shipments exported and imported from Israel—a two-way embargo. This was changed to just a one-way export ban in the final draft. In addition, Canadian firms export a variety of military equipment and spare parts to the U.S. that could then be ‘forwarded’ to Israel, presumably by-passing Ottawa’s new export regulations. Canadian firms that manufacture military equipment for export must apply for export permits. These permits, with respect to Israeli sales, Joly states, will not be issued, going forward.

 

“Despite the non-binding nature of the document, Joly confirmed that the government will cease the transfer of weapons to Israel. ‘It is a real thing,’ she said, answering a reporter’s question.” (RT)

 

THE NEW ARMS REGULATION was part of a larger NDP initiative calling on Israel to "work with international partners to pursue the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace [...] as part of a negotiated two-state solution". Again, it was watered down from the original text which called for Canada to “officially recognize the state of Palestine.” Another section would have imposed sanctions “on Israeli officials who incite genocide." [My italics. Ed.] New language in the bill limited sanctions only to "extremist [Israeli] settlers", primarily in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and does not use the word “genocide”.   

 

“The original motion was proposed by NDP MP for Edmonton-Strathcona Heather MacPherson, calling for the House to demand ceasefire and release of hostages, suspend military trade to Israel, ending the occupation of Palestine and recognizing Palestinian statehood.” (Press Progress)

 

AS for the arms export ban, Canada’s Foreign Minister says, "it's a real thing”. Let’s hope so, Melanie.

 

CANADA  had previously called for a “humanitarian pause”* so relief supplies can be distributed to the captive Palestinian population, now crammed into the northern corner of the enclave. But, in this initiative, NDP, Greens, Bloc Québécois, as well as some Liberal parliamentarians call for Canada to support a “ceasefire” to end the conflict. So that's an improvement.

Since December, Canada has pledged $40 million for Gazan aid to be shared with several international relief organizations in addition to its annual $25 million United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) pledge. Recall that in February, Canada, among several Western countries including the United States, said it would withhold funds to the UN agency when claims were made by Israel—still unsubstantiated—accusing members of UNRWA of working with Hamas during the 7 October raids that killed 1100 to 1200 Israelis, with over 200 kidnapped. Canada has subsequently reinstated its funding of UN aid agency. The United States, the largest donor-nation for UNRWA with an annual contribution of over $300 million, has yet to do so. 

 

    Chart from IFPRI

And, unconscionably, a recent bill before the American congress proposes a funding freeze until March of next year! Note that UNRWA “provides vital services to millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and across the Middle East.” (Aljazeera). This can only exacerbate the famine conditions occurring now in Gaza. As we witness every day, getting relief aid into Gaza has been greatly hampered by the conflict, both at the border and inside Gaza, with so much of its infrastructure destroyed and where people are growing desperate.⁺

 

IN TERMS of the arms embargo, the Conservative opposition is in the pro-Israel camp, urging Canada to supply Israel with whatever munitions it can. The Liberals, with NDP support, passed the NDP-sponsored arms embargo legislation. Since January, civil society activists and agencies like Oxfam Canada, Save the Children, Amnesty International, and a roster of NGOs have urged Canada to stop exporting arms to Israel. In March, the federal government seems to have listened and is taking steps to stop the flow of military equipment.¹ Stay tuned.

 

Cheers, Jake.______________________________________

 

* For a short discussion on the difference between a “humanitarian pause” and a “ceasefire” read the Oxfam explainer, here.

 

+ One reason that only a trickle of aid trucks get in is that Israeli extremist settlers are protesting at the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, blocking and slowing down relief trucks from entering. Also, the onerous inspection regimes of Israeli authorities slow the thousands of aid trucks queued in line at the Egyptian/Israeli. They are ‘slow walking’ aid supplies into Gaza where people are literally starving to death. If it wasn’t for videos shared on social media forums and podcasts that bring to light the ethnic cleansing and genocidal policies of Israel with respect to Palestinians, I would find such a thing hard to believe. How utterly wrong and immoral.  

 

1.    But not before sending $28 million dollars of military equipment to Israel following the Hamas attacks last year, more than the previous year’s shipments. “This means that Canada approved more exports of military goods to Israel in just the first three months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza than in any single year in the last 30 years.” (CJPME)

 

 

     

 

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