Ethnic Ukrainian activists have lobbied Ottawa to keep a list of people who collaborated with Hitler’s Germany secret

Jewish groups in Canada have denounced the government’s decision to keep secret the names of up to 900 alleged Nazi war criminals who emigrated to the country after WWII. Ukrainian activists have argued that doing so could “help Russian propaganda.”

The list of names is included in part 2 of a report by the 1986 Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals in Canada, chaired by retired Superior Court of Quebec judge Jules Deschenes. The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) recently sought feedback on making it public, but ultimately decided against doing so.

“Canada is withholding hundreds of Nazi war-crimes files from the public. This disgraceful secrecy dishonors survivors and denies justice,” B’nai Brith Canada said after receiving a notice from the LAC. 

The group also accused the government of “endless delays and stonewalling,” as well as defying its commitment to open Holocaust-related archives.

“Absolutely disgusted by the government’s decision to continue to conceal the truth about the Nazi war criminals who moved to Canada and enjoyed total impunity,” Jaime Kirzner-Roberts of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said. “What a grave insult to those who suffered at their barbaric hands. What a slap in the face to our great veterans.”

Jewish and Polish groups urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to finally publish the full Deschenes Report, but were overruled. The document was originally scheduled for publication in August, but the LAC put it off until later, citing the need for “full review in accordance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.”

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Among the “stakeholders” consulted on the matter was the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, according to multiple media outlets. Some of the feedback received by the LAC expressed concern that “associating Ukrainian names with Nazis” could validate Russia’s claims about its military operation in Ukraine, or enable Moscow to “conduct disinformation campaigns in Canada” that might affect public support for Kiev.

Many of the alleged Nazi war criminals who immigrated to Canada after WWII were members of the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division (Galicia Division), composed of ethnic Ukrainians. One of them was Yaroslav Hunka, who received two standing ovations in the Canadian Parliament last year during a visit of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. The speaker of the parliament had to resign over the incident and Trudeau issued an apology for the incident.

Canada has also delayed the opening of the Victims of Communism memorial in Ottawa due to objections that it included many names directly linked to the Third Reich, including Croatian Ustasha leader Ante Pavelic and Ukrainian nationalist Roman Shukhevich.

Russia has long criticized Ukraine for allowing public processions and other ceremonies honoring Waffen-SS veterans and nationalist organizations that collaborated with Nazi Germany during WWII.