Sept 2023 UKR Vet Recognition Incident (merged from several threads)

[Czech_pivo]

Here’s a fun twist. Poland is apparently now seeking to have Mr. Hunka extradited.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/yaroslav-hunka-poland-minister-extradite-1.6978266

And if that's the case - I'm certain there are a few other remaining SS Galicia vets still around here in Canada that should be watching this very, very carefully.

 

[brihard]

Seems odd that the Polish Minister for Education would write that -- not their Justice Minister.


Also - from the same article
The Speaker was allocated a set number of spots in the viewing gallery and the list of potential guests was shared with Parliament's Protocol Office, which co-ordinates the sending of invitations.

The names of confirmed guests are then passed on to the Corporate Security Office to "facilitate accreditation of guests," Amélie Crosson, the Speaker's communications director, said in a statement to CBC News.

Seems to be a fail on multiple parties.

Security wouldn’t be checking for stuff like that; they’d be assessing for physical threat, not political.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Here’s a fun twist. Poland is apparently now seeking to have Mr. Hunka extradited.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/yaroslav-hunka-poland-minister-extradite-1.6978266

Man, this just gets better and better.

I wonder what foreign policy marvels the Liberals have in store for us this week? The collapse of NATO? Dissolution of the UN? Causing Global Thermonuculear war?

When Trudeau said that Canada was back, he wasn’t kidding…

 

[KevinB]

Security wouldn’t be checking for stuff like that; they’d be assessing for physical threat, not political.

I was more thinking the Protocol Office, to ensure no Faux Pas are created...

But again I'm slightly biased by living down here, and entry to the Capital building or WH is very stringently vetted.

 

[Czech_pivo]

Seems odd that the Polish Minister for Education would write that -- not their Justice Minister.


Also - from the same article
The Speaker was allocated a set number of spots in the viewing gallery and the list of potential guests was shared with Parliament's Protocol Office, which co-ordinates the sending of invitations.

The names of confirmed guests are then passed on to the Corporate Security Office to "facilitate accreditation of guests," Amélie Crosson, the Speaker's communications director, said in a statement to CBC News.

Seems to be a fail on multiple parties.

On a good note, its looking like the Liberals have now lost the Polish-Canadian, Jewish-Canadian and quite possibly the Ukrainian-Canadian vote going forward.

 

[KevinB]

On a good note, its looking like the Liberals have no lost the Polish-Canadian, Jewish-Canadian and quite possibly the Ukrainian-Canadian vote going forward.

If voters actually pay attention -- given the results of Canadian elections of the past few decades, I wonder about that...

Socks could probably invite him surfing, and it would be the Right's fault.

 

[Czech_pivo]

If voters actually pay attention -- given the results of Canadian elections of the past few decades, I wonder about that...

Socks could probably invite him surfing, and it would be the Right's fault.

Lol, good points.
Good money says the Speaker resigns after his meeting at Noon with the House Leaders for the various parties.
Even money says, that the next Speaker will be a NDP'er, I'm willing to take bets on that. The Liberals don't want to touch this role now with a 10 foot pole and they won't let the Cons take it up, so who better to keep things slightly tilted in their favour than having their coalition buddies take that role on.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Lol, good points.
Good money says the Speaker resigns after his meeting at Noon with the House Leaders for the various parties.
Even money says, that the next Speaker will be a NDP'er, I'm willing to take bets on that. The Liberals don't want to touch this role now with a 10 foot pole and they won't let the Cons take it up, so who better to keep things slightly tilted in their favour than having their coalition buddies take that role on.

I would not put money on any particular candidate.

Speakers are elected by the Members of the House. Individual MPs may be angry enough at what top down party control has gotten them to date to do some pretty unpredictable things.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Good money says the Speaker resigns after his meeting at Noon with the House Leaders for the various parties.

You're more optimistic than I am, but I'm happy to be wrong

Even money says, that the next Speaker will be a NDP'er, I'm willing to take bets on that. The Liberals don't want to touch this role now with a 10 foot pole and they won't let the Cons take it up, so who better to keep things slightly tilted in their favour than having their coalition buddies take that role on.

If the Speaker becomes the previous speaker, more than likely.

Here’s a fun twist. Poland is apparently now seeking to have Mr. Hunka extradited.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/yaroslav-hunka-poland-minister-extradite-1.6978266

It's an interesting sign having a cabinet minister say "hey, guys, you should look into this", but not unexpected given the more nationalist bent of the latest Polish government. It WILL be interesting to see how the Institute of National Remembrance Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, which appears to be part of the federal Prosecutor's office, will respond.

 

[The Bread Guy]

... The CPC had better heed well and learn the lesson- do basic research, don’t suborn the good of Canada to the good of Party and insist as an iron clad rule upon Ministerial Responsibility.

They can even look back at the the Mulroney years, when this guy got the Order of Canada in 1987. Like others smarter than me have said before unthread, history is often in the eye of the beholder.

 

[OldSolduer]

If voters actually pay attention -- given the results of Canadian elections of the past few decades, I wonder about that...

Socks could probably invite him surfing, and it would be the Right's fault.

I bet you know how lacking our history lessons are in high school. Absolutely incredibly lacking in talking about things like the Holocaust.

ADDING: Apparently a moment several moments of stupidity and lack of concern about your institution can have nasty repercussions.....

 

[Halifax Tar]

They can even look back at the the Mulroney years, when this guy got the Order of Canada in 1987. Like others smarter than me have said before unthread, history is often in the eye of the beholder.

The current Gov and speaker of the house ought to have already known better?

 

[Blackadder1916]

Lol, good points.
Good money says the Speaker resigns after his meeting at Noon with the House Leaders for the various parties.
Even money says, that the next Speaker will be a NDP'er, I'm willing to take bets on that. The Liberals don't want to touch this role now with a 10 foot pole and they won't let the Cons take it up, so who better to keep things slightly tilted in their favour than having their coalition buddies take that role on.

It would take a deep dive to see how they came to their offices, but the current Deputy Speaker is a Conservative MP and the Assistant Deputy Speakers are NDP and Liberal in that order of precedence. Protocol and procedure would dictate, that in the absence of the Speaker and until a new one is elected, the chair would be filled by the deputy. Despite this stupendous gaffe by the current Speaker, the office is still (or should be) considered prestigious, and will likely be coveted by a few honourable members. The financial and housing perks ain't too shabby either. Though it is normally considered a position suited for a 'parliamentarian' in the best sense of the word who caps their public career in impartial service to the House, and not used as a stepping stone, it has been sought after by some less worthy. Remember Sheer.

 

[Eaglelord17]

I bet you know how lacking our history lessons are in high school. Absolutely incredibly lacking in talking about things like the Holocaust.

Actually thats a big talking point for them. Along with Native history and Women in the workforce.

If anything the issue with holocaust education is its so superficial like all the history taught in school. Can’t really blame them, there is so much history to learn and so little time to do it. If we tried to deep dive on anything we would be seriously neglecting so much more.

 

[OldSolduer]

The current Gov and speaker of the house ought to have already known better?

History doesn't repeat itself but it rhymes, doesn't it? In my mind Hunka should be extradited forthwith. If he isn't I hope the spirit of Simon Wiesenthal smites a few incompetent nincompoops.

 

[The Bread Guy]

The current Gov and speaker of the house ought to have already known better?

No doubt, and we're seeing the fallout now. I'm just saying that having a range of views about the history of fighting Communists is far from new in Canadian government circles.

 

[mariomike]

I would suggest that this conversation needn't even have necessitated a Google search.

Mr. Hunka was known to have fought the Soviets during the Second World War.

Without receiving any further information, the conversation should have ended in that moment.

Right.

I hope any Canadian with the most basic education knows Canada and Russia were allies during the war.

 

[captloadie]

As for the argument to extradite the individual, there would need to be plausible evidence he can be linked to actual war crimes, and not just because he belonged to the SS. Like it or not, there are going to be many thousands of individuals in Canada that have a past for which they have not been held accountable, but for which some had no choice in which to be involved, or were unable to comprehend what they were involved with. How many Serbian, Bosnian, Rwandan, Chilean, Irish, etc. etc. individuals have immigrated to Canada and have remained under the radar and led valuable productive lives here? This isn't to say that something shouldn't be done when they are found, but I think that it needs to be linked to actual acts that can be proven they are responsible for.

 

[FSTO]

I think I heard that this fellow has been quite active in the veteran community in Rota’s constituency. Did no one go “Wait a minute, he fought against who in WWII?”

 

[OldSolduer]

As for the argument to extradite the individual, there would need to be plausible evidence he can be linked to actual war crimes, and not just because he belonged to the SS. Like it or not, there are going to be many thousands of individuals in Canada that have a past for which they have not been held accountable, but for which some had no choice in which to be involved, or were unable to comprehend what they were involved with. How many Serbian, Bosnian, Rwandan, Chilean, Irish, etc. etc. individuals have immigrated to Canada and have remained under the radar and led valuable productive lives here? This isn't to say that something shouldn't be done when they are found, but I think that it needs to be linked to actual acts that can be proven they are responsible for.

You make some good points. But Hunka should still be the subject of an investigation