Putin ridicules Canada's former Speaker over Nazi incident

Russian President Vladimir Putin has, predictably, weighed in on the scandal that has enveloped Parliamentand led to the resignation of the House of Commons' Speaker, Anthony Rota, calling Rota an "idiot" if he didn't understand that a veteran who fought against Russia during the Second World War, fought on the side of the "Nazi forces."

He saidif the Speaker did know and called Yaroslav Hunka a hero anyway, "he's a bastard."

Either way, Putin, who spoke to aforum in Sochi, Russia, for more than threehours Thursday, saidthe incident shows "the kind of people we have to deal with ...in certain Western countries."

It's not surprising that Putin, who repeatedly claims he is waging war on Ukraine in order to "de-Nazify" it, would seize on the scandal, but his remarks were prompted by a question from a Canadian,Radhika Desai, who is a professor in the department of political studies at the University of Manitoba.

WATCH | Putin mocks Anthony Rota overNazi invitation:

Putin ridicules former Speaker Anthony Rota

12 months ago

Duration 2:06

Russian President Vladimir Putin says former House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota is 'an idiot' if he didn't know that a Ukrainian veteran fighting against Russia during the Second World War was fighting alongside Nazi forces. Putin made the comment in Sochi in response to a question from a Canadian university professor who pointed out that Canada and Russia were allies at the time.

Canadian professor poses question toPutin

Desaiwas in the audience as Putin delivered his annual speech at the Valdai Discussion Club, a Russian think-tank that is holding its annual meeting in thepopular resort cityon the Black Sea coast.

She began her question by stating that Canada was "the laughingstock of the world" becauseit applauded the veteranand asked Putin what he thought of the West's"ignorant, hubristic notions" and the fact that "people have forgotten how much Russia has done for the defeat of Nazism."

On Sept. 22, 98-year-oldHunkawas given a standing ovation by Parliament while Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenkyy, was visiting the House of Commons.

It later emerged that Hunka was part of the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division a voluntary unit under the command of the Nazis during the Second World War.

Rota later resigned, acknowledging his "profound regret for my error in recognizing an individual in the House."

Putin responded to Desai'squestion by saying that although hehadn't agreed to take the question, he had been expecting itand proceeded to pull out notes quoting Rota's introduction of Hunka to Parliament, in which he called Hunka "a hero of Ukraine and a hero of Canada."

WATCH | House Speaker resigns over Nazi scandal:

Anthony Rota resigns as Speaker of the House of Commons

12 months ago

Duration 2:50

Liberal MP Anthony Rota is stepping down as House Speaker after inviting a former Ukrainian soldier who fought in a Nazi division during the Second World War to Parliament. Many MPs on all sides of the House have said the embarrassing incident was unforgivable and had called on him to resign.

Russia respects Canada, Putin says

During his criticism of Rota, Putin noted that he didn't want to say anything negative about Canada.

"We still treat Canada with respect, especially its people," he said.

Desaihad earlier given an interview to a Russian state media channel, Russia 24, where she talked about the incident and about Canada's immigration policy after the Second World War, which, she said, at times "turned a blind eye to some people's involvement in fascism."

In an interview with CBC News, Desai said she has attended ValdaiDiscussion Clubforums before and was required to submit her question to the moderators ahead of time, so she doesn'tunderstand why Putin said he didn't agree to it.

Desai saidit was important to raise the issue asshe thinks "anti-Russian propaganda has been wall to wall in countries like Canada."

"Wehave convinced ourselves thatbasically everything Russian is bad," she said. "If it hadn't been for Russia's contribution to the Second World War, the Second World War would have been lost by the Allies."

Desai said she thinks Russia's "special operation," as the war in Ukraine is called in Russia,was provoked by the West,and that it was important for Canadians to take part in events like the Valdai forumin order to "have dialogue with the other side."

The University of Manitoba said in a statement to CBC News that it doesn't comment on the personal opinions of faculty members but that there is no record of university funds being used to attend the conference.

Freeland warns of Russian propaganda

When asked about Putin's comments, Chrystia Freeland, Canada's deputy prime minister and minister of finance,acknowledged the "terrible mistake" of honouring Hunkabut urged Canadians to be aware of howeffective "Vladimir Putin is at weaponizing that mistake" and to understand that "Russian propaganda is real."

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that senior bureaucrats are reviewing the Deschnes Commission report an independent inquiry that looked into alleged Nazi war criminals whohad immigrated to Canada after the Second World War.

After they review, it's possible that moreof the 1986 report, particularly a section including the names of alleged Nazis living in Canada,will be made public.

WATCH | Why Canada let in former soldiers who fought with Nazi forces:

How soldiers with Nazi ties ended up in Canada after WW II

12 months ago

Duration 7:29

Canada has been home to many people some historians say thousands who fought for the Nazis in the Second World War. But how did they get into the country and why isnt more being done to bring them to justice?