Canada government mulling release of Nazi collaborator report

There is a sign of movement from the Canadian government as Jewish groups push the feds to declassify a report from the 1980s examining those who associated with Nazis who came to Canada after World War II.

It comes in the wake of the controversy in the House of Commons when a Ukrainian veteran who fought with the Waffen-SS was recognized by the Speaker.

Over a week after the incident sparked embarrassing headlines around the world, a statement from the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration says it is looking to see if any additional information can be released from the Deschênes Commission report.

“What happened in Canada’s House of Commons was unacceptable. It was a horrendous violation of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust and Canadians who fought to liberate Europe from the Nazis, and it was deeply painful for Jewish people, Polish people, Roma people, 2SLGBTQI+ people, people with disabilities, racialized people, and the many millions who were targeted by the Nazi genocide.”

“It is vital that we ensure that this tragic chapter in world history is never forgotten,” the statement said.

“The Government of Canada is aware of requests for the release of the full report of the Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals (also known as the Deschênes Commission report) and will look to see if any additional information can be released, subject to requirements of the Privacy Act and related to national security.”

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There are redacted portions of that report including a list of Nazis that came to Canada after the war, which Jewish groups have been pushing for decades to be made public.

Michael Levitt, President and CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center in Toronto tells CityNews there are lessons that can be learned from this information.

“How did it happen? What went wrong back in the 40s and 50s that allowed our immigration officials and RCMP and others to really turn a blind eye or not have the right processes in place?” he said.

“How can we ensure that our immigration system, our legal system does not fall into the same pitfalls? This is the value of history in this case.”

Levitt says he’d like to see more transparency from the government on the information both inside, and surrounding the Deschenes report.

“What’s been released so far is insufficient, with insufficient explanation as to why the rest of it has not been provided,” he said.

One element of the confidential information is a list of names of people involved with the Nazis. the feds say they have to weigh the release of information against the Privacy Act and any possible national security issues.

The controversy has led to the resignation of speaker Anthony Rota, whose replacement will be elected on Tuesday.