‘Justice denied!’ Trudeau faces fury after ‘disgracefully’ refusing to name 900 Nazis who fled to Canada after WW2
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has provoked outrage after refusing to release the names of 900 Nazis who escaped to Canada after World War Two.
This decision has been called “disgraceful” by Jewish groups who claim it dishonours victims of the Holocaust.
Numerous Ukrainian SS Waffen soldiers relocated to Canada following the war. The list of members of the Nazi-led SS Galicia unit was put together by the Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals in Canada, led by retired Superior Court of Quebec judge Jules Deschênes.
They then met with members of the Ukrainian community and a “discrete group of individuals or organisations” to help decide if the names should be released.
However, they did not meet with advocates pushing for the list to be released, or with any Holocaust survivors.
B’nai Brith, a Jewish non-profit organisation, claimed this secrecy denied justice.
“For decades, B’nai Brith & David Matas, B’nai Brith Canada’s senior legal counsel, have fought for full access—only to face endless delays and stonewalling,’ the organisation said.”
“Canada is withholding hundreds of Nazi war-crimes files from the public. This disgraceful secrecy dishonours [sic] survivors and denies justice.”
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Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, senior director of advocacy and policy at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, also expressed her frustration.
She told GB News: “It’s utterly disgraceful that the federal government has determined once again that Canadians do not deserve to know the truth about the many Nazi war criminals who entered this country and went on to enjoy a life of freedom and impunity.”
She added: “Our government has the opportunity to right past wrongs by being honest and transparent about the many Nazis who were able to escape justice and accountability for their crimes by enjoying safe haven in Canada.”
“By opting to conceal this information, the government not only insults those who suffered at the hands of these criminals but also dishonours our brave veterans, who sacrificed so much to defeat Hitler’s forces in Europe. “
This list makes up the second part of the Deschênes report – the first part was released in 1986 and admitted that Nazis had been permitted to enter and live in Canada.
Trudeau’s Government said the decision was taken due to concerns about international relations, specifically regarding fears the disclosure of the list would aid Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Richard Provencher, a spokesperson for LAC, said: “This decision was based on concerns regarding risk of potential harm to international relations and Canadian interests.”
Prime Minister Trudeau was asked in February why the federal government took so long to release part one to which he replied: “I think people understand that this … has implications around privacy, around community cohesion, around the kind of country we are.”
He added: “These decisions are ones that are taken responsibly and never lightly.”