Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said on Wednesday that inviting a Ukrainian veteran who fought with a Nazi unit to attend a parliamentary function is the "single greatest diplomatic embarrassment" in the country's history, blaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for this unfortunate incident.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a Conservative party meeting on Parliament Hill, Poilievre said Trudeau was responsible for ensuring the success of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Canada, and that including Yaroslav Hunka in the event tarnished Canada's reputation on the world stage.

Poilievre said, "Every person should have been vetted for their diplomatic and security sensitivity if the Prime Minister and his vast apparatus were doing their job."

Anthony Rota, the outgoing Speaker of the House of Commons, takes full responsibility for Hunka's presence in the chamber.

Rota described the veteran as a "Canadian hero" and drew a standing ovation. Hunka was a member of the First Galician Division, which was part of Adolf Hitler's war machine.

Rota's spokesperson said that the Speaker's guest list for the event was not shared with the Prime Minister's office.

Rota's selections for attendance at the exhibit were sent to the House of Commons protocol office, and the confirmed list of attendees was then shared with company security, which is partially responsible for security in the parliamentary precinct, including the House of Commons in the West Block.

Poilievre said, "The Prime Minister is now responsible for the greatest diplomatic embarrassment in Canada's history, and what has he done with this responsibility? He has been hiding in his cottage. He has hidden there for three days instead of coming to the House of Commons and taking responsibility."

Trudeau was in Parliament this week, but he was notably absent from question period.

Trudeau chaired the regular Cabinet meeting on Tuesday with his ministers, but later left for Toronto around lunchtime to participate in a "fireside chat" with a group of auto parts industry executives. This meant he did not face Poilievre or other opposition leaders in the House of Commons.

Unlike some of his ministers, including House Speaker Karina Gould and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, Trudeau did not explicitly say that Rota should resign for recognizing a former Nazi soldier, instead describing the incident as "extremely embarrassing."

Poilievre said, "The Prime Minister must show the world that he is taking responsibility for this massive failure." He added, "He needs to come to the House of Commons today and apologize to the Jews and the Poles and the Ukrainians and all Canadians. Justin Trudeau, do your job."

The shocks from the 98-year-old man's appearance in Parliament are still being felt.

The Polish education minister said he wants to hand over Hunka to face criminal sanctions for his role in the Galician division, a unit that committed atrocities against Poles during World War II, adding that he has "taken steps" to transfer Hunka to Poland.

The Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC), a Jewish human rights organization, stated that Rota's actions "harmed all 338 members of parliament" and "gave a propaganda victory to Russia."

The Jewish group is also urging the House of Commons Procedures and House Affairs Committee to hold public hearings and investigate what happened and examine the "failure of the vetting process."

Another Jewish organization, B'nai Brith, stated that the government must fully release the 1980s Deschênes Commission report so the nation can understand the true extent of Ukrainian Nazi activities in Canada after World War II.

Reports suggest that as many as 2,000 Ukrainian members of Adolf Hitler's 14th Waffen SS Division were accepted into Canada after the war, following some British prodding. The committee stated that the number is likely to be lower.
But Jewish organizations have long criticized how these collaborators were allowed to live peacefully in Canada after voluntarily serving in Hitler's forces.

Historians have documented how soldiers like Hunka were trained in Nazi security forces facilities in Germany, swore oaths to Hitler, and received education in Nazi ideology.

Michael Mostyn, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada, said, "We cannot move forward as a country after the disgraceful defeat that occurred on Friday without the government committing to finally open its wartime records."