On Sept. 22, MPs gave a standing ovation in the House of Commons for Ukrainian-Canadian Yaroslav Hunka, who was introduced as “a Canadian hero” by House Speaker Anthony Rota and thanked for his military service.

A firestorm erupted a few days later after it emerged that Mr. Hunka was a former member of the Waffen SS, a Nazi division accused of war crimes during World War II.

The incident, which has now taken centre stage in Canadian politics, happened during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Parliament as Russia’s war against Ukraine rages on.

Mr. Rota apologized following the incident on Sept. 24, saying the decision to recognize Mr. Hunka was “entirely my own” and extended his “deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world.” He added that before recognizing Mr. Hunka in Parliament, he had not been aware of his connections to the Nazi regime.