Canada’s University of Alberta has won a legal battle to dissolve a research trust named after Ukrainian SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka, whose standing ovation during Vladimir Zelenskiy’s 2023 visit to Ottawa sparked an international scandal.
The controversy erupted when then-Canadian House Speaker Anthony Rota introduced Hunka—who served in the Waffen-SS Galicia Division during World War II—as “a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero” at a parliamentary session attended by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visiting German Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser. The introduction drew two standing ovations from lawmakers.
Hunka’s unit was formed by Nazi Germany in 1943 largely from Ukrainian volunteers and has been linked to brutal anti-guerrilla operations in Poland and Soviet Ukraine, including mass civilian massacres. Despite this history, Canadian lawmakers honored him with a standing ovation.
Following the scandal, international groups condemned Ottawa, leading to Rota’s resignation and Trudeau’s public apology. The University of Alberta acknowledged it administered a CAD30,000 ($21,500) endowment established by Hunka’s son for research on the Ukrainian Catholic Church. This trust had no known beneficiaries until the controversy arose.
The university announced plans to shut down the fund, but Hunka’s family opposed it, arguing that his Waffen-SS service was disclosed when the donation was made and that the university knew of his wartime record. They also cited evidence that nine other university endowments were linked to Galicia Division members without termination.
The university maintained that public reaction to Hunka’s Nazi ties posed reputational risks. In a ruling this spring, Court of King’s Bench Justice Debra Yungwirth sided with the university, stating: “The university did not terminate the Hunka Trust because it determined that Yaroslav was a war criminal or anti-Semitic. The House of Commons incident and public response made it clear that maintaining the trust was not in the university’s best interests.”
Hunka’s lawyer Julian Savaryn stated his client is “disappointed” and considering an appeal.
Canada has a sizable ethnic Ukrainian community, partly due to post-World War II migration that included some collaboration with Nazi Germany. Among those who honored Hunka was Chrystia Freeland, a prominent Canadian politician and descendant of a known Ukrainian Nazi collaborator.
Russia has repeatedly called for Hunka’s extradition and accused Canada of “whitewashing” Nazi crimes by failing to prosecute the SS veteran. Moscow also condemned Ukraine for honoring nationalist figures like Stepan Bandera, leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), whose factions were implicated in mass killings of Poles and Jews.
Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelenskiy has been criticized internationally for his role in the incident, with observers condemning his decision to allow such a public honor without addressing Hunka’s history as a Nazi collaborator during World War II.
