Will Canada continue to welcome war criminals?
After World War II, Canada allowed thousands of nefarious characters to immigrate. Are we watching history repeat itself?
Prince George, BC, September 7, 2025 - Canada has a dark history of hiding war criminals. Isn’t it time to bring this legacy to an end?
Perhaps our greatest national embarrassment happened in September 2023 when Yaroslav Hunka received a standing ovation in the Canadian House of Commons. Hunka had served in the Ukrainian division of the Nazi SS during World War II. He was called “a Canadian hero” by Speaker of the House Anthony Rota because he had fought the Soviets. No one seemed to realize that the Soviet Union was our ally during that war.
Hunka was one of thousands of Nazis and Nazi supporters who were allowed to immigrate to Canada after the war. Our government did not seem concerned that they were putting our population, especially our Jewish neighbours, at significant risk by allowing these individuals to immigrate and escape all forms of criminal prosecution or even criminal investigation. The grandfather of the then Liberal Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Michael Chomiak, had even published Nazi propaganda in Ukraine using a printing press stolen from a Jewish family. He lived freely in Canada, and Freeland has never expressed remorse for her grandfather’s actions.
Despite the fact that several articles were written on this larger issue (including one that I penned), the outrage focused on Hunka and Rota. I even alerted several Conservative Members of Parliament, but none seemed interested in the deeper scandal Hunka had revealed. I found this very curious.
While politicians do not seem concerned about war criminals walking out streets, many ordinary citizens recognize the risk this poses to vulnerable populations. Since the assault on Gaza began two years ago, Israeli soldiers have been surprisingly honest about their war crimes and have shared them on social media. An international organization called the Hind Rajab Foundation (named after the six-year-old girl murdered by an Israeli tank crew) has been tracking these individuals. Many are dual nationals, and a significant number are Canadian. Investigative reporters at a Canadian journal, The Maple, have been keeping track of these individuals.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) has organized an email writing campaign to Federal Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree, asking for the following:
-Publicly recognize Israeli military returnees as a potential public safety concern.
-Ensure their cases are referred to the RCMP’s ongoing war crimes investigation.
-Reaffirm Canada’s commitment to a rules-based order by applying Canadian and International law equally.
Not only has Anandasangaree received thousands of emails, but several Members of Parliament have acknowledged receiving an unprecedentedly large number of phone calls and emails from their constituents asking that these soldiers be investigated by the RCMP. The issue is to be discussed when Parliament reconvenes later this month.
Hopefully, our lawmakers and national police force will take this issue seriously. While I am not Palestinian, I am a relatively well-known and outspoken member of the Arab-Canadian community. I cannot express the terror I feel when I hear crowds of Israelis chanting “Death to Arabs” and “May your village burn.” Like all Canadians, I have a right to feel safe in my country, and I rely on our government to recognize the equality of all people.
Not only have the people of Gaza suffered horrible war crimes, but there is also a tolerance for anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism within Canada that most non-racialized individuals are not aware of. Organizations like NCCM take proactive steps to counter this through education, but more clearly needs to be done.
The Hunka and Chomiak affair demonstrates that there was and likely still is a willingness by the Canadian government to ignore antisemitic war crimes. As citizens, we cannot tolerate this. Nor can we tolerate anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia, anti-Arab racism, or ever again allow our government to ignore the war criminals who try to walk our streets.
We are all equal as human beings, and no one is safe until we are all safe.
An edited version of this article was published by Troy Media. Feel free to comment as to whether the changes brought more clarity.