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Justin Trudeau apologises after Nazi veteran honoured in parliament

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologised on behalf of Canada after a Ukrainian man who fought for a Nazi unit was unwittingly applauded in parliament.

“This is a mistake that deeply embarrassed parliament and Canada,” Mr Trudeau said on Wednesday.

Speaker Anthony Rota, who has assumed responsibility for inviting Yaroslav Hunka, 98, resigned on Tuesday.

The incident has drawn global condemnation.

Mr Trudeau also apologised directly to Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who was visiting Canada and present in parliament, saying: “Canada is deeply sorry.”

The Ukrainian leader was among those pictured applauding Mr Hunka, an image that has been exploited in Russian propaganda.

“All of us who were in this House on Friday regret deeply having stood and clapped even though we did so unaware of the context,” Mr Trudeau said. “It was a horrendous violation of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust.”

He said what happened was “deeply, deeply painful” to Jewish people and the many millions who were targeted by the Nazi genocide.

Mr Hunka, who fought with a Nazi unit in World War Two, got a standing ovation and was praised as a Ukrainian and Canadian “hero”.

He served in the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division, a voluntary unit made up mostly of ethnic Ukrainians under Nazi command.

Division members are accused of killing Polish and Jewish civilians, although the unit has not been found guilty of any war crimes by a tribunal.

Mr Rota has said he was not aware of Mr Hunka’s Nazi ties and made a mistake in inviting him to parliament.

“The Speaker was solely responsible for the invitation and recognition of this man, and has wholly accepted that responsibility and stepped down,” Mr Trudeau said.

But neither the prime minister’s comments nor the speaker’s resignation have slowed criticism from Canada’s opposition leader, the Conservative Party’s Pierre Poilievre.

“There’s always someone else to blame when it comes to Justin Trudeau. But, here’s the reality: responsibility and power go together,” he said.

“If he wants the power, he has to take the responsibility and come to the floor of the House of Commons today and apologise.”

Mr Poilievre called the incident the “biggest single diplomatic embarrassment” in Canada’s history.

Canadian Jewish organisations welcomed Mr Rota’s decision to step down, but the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies has said “questions remain as to how this debacle occurred”.

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RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

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EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.

Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.

Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.

Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.

Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.

RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.

Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.

“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.

But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.

“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.

While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

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RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.

Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.

The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.

It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.

Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.

The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

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VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.

Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”

However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.

McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.

He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.

The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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