Trudeau ponders release of names of ex-Nazis in Canada

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that he has ordered a review of a secret report on Nazi war criminals in Canada and may make their names public.

The list is contained in the Deschenes Commission report, which was completed in the 1980s. The first part of the report recommended methods of making extradition of war criminals more expedient and was made public. But the second part, marked secret, was never released. There may be as many as 2,000 names of alleged Nazis on the list who were admitted into Canada following the war.

"There are top public servants looking very carefully into the issue, including digging into the archives," Trudeau told reporters. "We're going to make recommendations."

Meanwhile, more Nazi ties have been uncovered, including the awarding of the prestigious Order of Canada medal to a former Nazi veteran who died in 2017. Peter Savaryn served in the Waffen-SS Galician Division in the Second World War and was appointed to the Order in 1987. He also served as chancellor of the University of Alberta from 1982 to 1986.

Through her office in Rideau Hall, Canadian Governor General Mary Simon apologized Wednesday for honoring Savaryn.

"We express our sincere apology to Canadians for any distress or pain his appointment may have caused," a spokesperson for Simon said.

Savaryn served in the same unit as Yaroslav Hunka, who was honored in parliament recently during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to lawmakers. The incident made headlines internationally. It was the revelation about Hunka’s past that focused the spotlight on former Nazis in Canada.​​​​​​​

Jewish organizations such as B’nai Brith Canada and the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre said the “secret” part of the Deschenes report should be disclosed so that it can be revealed how many ex-Nazis were shamefully admitted into Canada following the war.