Feds say disclosing ‘Nazi blacklist’ could aid Russia’s war in Ukraine

Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP, File

The Trudeau government warned disclosure of Nazi war criminals who entered Canada would aid Russia’s war against Ukraine. Ninety eight known Nazi Party members immigrated to Canada in 1946.

A confidential blacklist of 27 Nazi fugitives recommended for prosecution remains sealed as of writing, reported Blacklock’s Reporter. The feds have yet to release the Nazi blacklist despite pressure from Opposition parties.

B'nai Brith Canada has also advocated for the disclosure of the Deschene Commission’s findings since the 1980s, but to no avail. 

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is in consultation on whether to publish Part 2 of the 1986 Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals in Canada. The commission, led by retired Superior Court of Quebec judge Jules Deschênes, held back names of Nazi war criminals living in Canada.

“LAC is still refining and concluding its analysis to respond to the ATI requests,“ spokesman Richard Provencher said, in accordance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

The Liberals try to wipe Parliament honouring a Nazi from official House records.

Conservatives oppose the motion: "Those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it," says MP Marty Morantz.https://t.co/Vhj0vAGxHm pic.twitter.com/nBsrKfukgD

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) September 25, 2023

The Globe and Mail earlier filed access to information requests asking for the report to be released. It contains the names of 98 known Nazi Party members, as well as 738 German prisoners of war permitted entry as labourers. Among them include members of a Ukrainian SS division.

Last year, Yaroslav Hunka, a Ukrainian SS veteran, received a standing ovation in the House of Commons during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Disclosure is being opposed for fear it would legitimize Russian claims that invading Ukraine amounts to a purge of Nazis.

Many stakeholders, according to the LAC, expressed concern with its release, claiming the implications “of associating Ukrainian names with Nazis, especially considering that this was part of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.” 

They alleged the report could “further … disinformation campaigns in Canada,” which might affect public support for Ukraine.

Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman calls out PM Justin Trudeau for slandering Canadians as Nazis but refusing to take responsibility when an actual Nazi is being honoured in Parliament. pic.twitter.com/cxPXJtPnQY

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) September 27, 2023

Canadians are unsure of continued aid for Ukraine, says in-house Privy Council research, with federal focus groups questioning the point of billions in aid.

Internal Department of Finance polling last year showed that fewer than a third (32%) of Canadians support more financial aid for Ukraine. 

Ihor Michalchyshyn, chief executive officer and executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, told The Globe it should “remain confidential.”

However, some stakeholders expressed concern that people who committed atrocities during the Second World War “were allowed to live peacefully in Canada and never faced any justice measures due to insufficient evidence.”

Michalchyshyn clarified:  “If evidence of wartime criminality by any person found in Canada exists, that information must be communicated to the proper authorities for investigation.”

Alti Rodal, researcher of the report, cautioned the individuals named are alleged to have committed war crimes. “They were not well researched let alone proven in a court,” she told The Globe.

Chrystia Freeland provides a vague answer when asked if the government will reopen a report to establish how many people who fought with the Nazis are currently in Canada. https://t.co/q3IGy1jPSt pic.twitter.com/2BKnpw9vOJ

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) September 26, 2023

In 1967, then justice minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau did not revoke the citizenship of a former Nazi alleged to have killed 5,128 Jews by a firing squad during the Second World War. He claimed the case "could not be established."

The elder Trudeau did not take action against “Subject F,” after his supposed conviction in a Soviet court.

The Department of Immigration disclosed February 1 a summary of confidential records detailing the arrival of suspected war criminals, said the report, Nazi War Criminals In Canada: The Historical And Policy Setting From The 1940s To The Present. 

A reporter asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on February 2 why the federal government took so long to unseal the records and when to expect more declassified records. 

"I think people understand that this is both an important part of the historical record, but also one that has implications around privacy, around community cohesion, around the kind of country we are," he said.

"These decisions are ones that are taken responsibly and never lightly."