Do they just claim that a person is a hero without knowing anything about his experience?
At one point, Mr Rota pointed to Mr Hunka who sat in the gallery, saying the man was "a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service".
The Speaker of Canada's House of Commons, Anthony Rota, has apologised for praising a Ukrainian man who served in a Nazi unit during World War Two.
Yaroslav Hunka, 98, was sitting in the gallery and got a standing ovation in parliament after Mr Rota said he was a "hero" during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Canadian Jewish group CIJA said it was "deeply troubled" that a former member of a Nazi division that participated in the genocide of Jews had been celebrated.
It said this should never happen again.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was with Mr Zelensky in parliament at the time.
Mr Trudeau called the invite "deeply embarrassing" on Monday, but he did not call for Mr Rota to resign.
"It's extremely upsetting that this happened. The Speaker has acknowledged his mistake and has apologized," Mr Trudeau said. "But this is something that is deeply embarrassing to the Parliament of Canada and by extension to all Canadians."
Thousands of Ukrainians fought on the German side during the war, but millions more served in the Soviet Red Army.
In a statement, Mr Rota said that on 22 September "in my remarks following the address of the president of Ukraine, I recognised an individual in the gallery.
"I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so."
Mr Rota said that "no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them. This initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my riding [district] and having been brought to my attention."
At one point, Mr Rota pointed to Mr Hunka who sat in the gallery, saying the man was "a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service".
The Speaker of Canada's House of Commons, Anthony Rota, has apologised for praising a Ukrainian man who served in a Nazi unit during World War Two.
Yaroslav Hunka, 98, was sitting in the gallery and got a standing ovation in parliament after Mr Rota said he was a "hero" during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Canadian Jewish group CIJA said it was "deeply troubled" that a former member of a Nazi division that participated in the genocide of Jews had been celebrated.
It said this should never happen again.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was with Mr Zelensky in parliament at the time.
Mr Trudeau called the invite "deeply embarrassing" on Monday, but he did not call for Mr Rota to resign.
"It's extremely upsetting that this happened. The Speaker has acknowledged his mistake and has apologized," Mr Trudeau said. "But this is something that is deeply embarrassing to the Parliament of Canada and by extension to all Canadians."
Thousands of Ukrainians fought on the German side during the war, but millions more served in the Soviet Red Army.
In a statement, Mr Rota said that on 22 September "in my remarks following the address of the president of Ukraine, I recognised an individual in the gallery.
"I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so."
Mr Rota said that "no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them. This initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my riding [district] and having been brought to my attention."
Canada's House Speaker apologises for praising Ukrainian who fought for Nazis
The House of Commons Speaker apologises for honouring a Ukrainian who served in the Waffen-SS.
www.bbc.com
