Ottawa has rejected calls to release a confidential report containing the names of nearly 900 Nazi war criminals who settled in Canada after World War II.
The Globe and Mail was one of three organizations that filed a freedom of information request to obtain Part 2 of the 1986 Commission of Inquiry into War Criminals in Canada, chaired by retired Quebec Superior Court Judge Jules Deschênes. This section of the report, which contains the names of alleged war criminals, has remained confidential.
Library and Archives Canada, which has been consulting with stakeholders for several months on whether to release the names, responded to The Globe and Mail on Monday: “The documents you have requested have been identified, evaluated, and will be retained in full.”
The secret report includes members of the Ukrainian SS Galicia Division who immigrated to Canada. Last year, outrage erupted when Yaroslav Hunka, a member of the Nazi-led division, received two standing ovations in the House of Commons during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Anthony Rota, who invited Hunka and praised him as a hero, later resigned as Speaker of the House of Commons.
Among those advocating for the report’s release is Sir Richard Evans, former Regius Professor of History at Cambridge University and author of Hitler’s People.
Ottawa: It would be in Putin’s interest to name the Nazis
Some groups consulted by the government argued that releasing these names could fuel Russian propaganda in the conflict with Ukraine. They worry this could bolster Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unsubstantiated claims that the invasion of Ukraine is a continuation of the fight against Nazis.
Library and Archives Canada announced that “after a thorough review, including consultations with external stakeholders and various Government of Canada departments—and in accordance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act—the decision has been made to withhold Part 2 of the Deschênes Commission report.”
Library spokesman Richard Provencher cited concerns about “potential harm to international relations and Canada’s interests,” as well as “issues related to personal privacy and the disclosure of informants.”
Jewish groups condemn the decision: ‘A deliberate silence’
Jewish groups criticized the decision, arguing that the consultation was too limited. Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, senior director of advocacy and policy at Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, stated: “We are disappointed and outraged that the government has once again decided to hide the truth about Nazi war criminals who came to our country and remain unpunished. This consultation process was deliberately designed to silence Holocaust survivors and advocacy organizations to secure this shameful outcome.”
Kirzner-Roberts stressed that Nazi war criminals should never have been allowed to enter Canada.
Another Jewish organization, B’nai Brith Canada, also filed a Freedom of Information request and condemned the government’s decision, calling for the unpublished section of the report to be released. Bernie Farber, son of a Polish Holocaust survivor, labeled the decision “a shameful stain on Canadian history.”
