OTTAWA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Governor General Mary Simon Wednesday apologized for awarding a Nazi veteran in 1987 with the Order of Canada, a top civilian honor in Canada, local media reported.
"It is with deep regret that we acknowledge that Mr. Peter Savaryn was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1987, and we express our sincere apology to Canadians for any distress or pain his appointment may have caused," said a statement by Simon's office shared with reporters.
Savaryn's Order of Canada biography includes his experience as a law firm partner, former Chancellor of the University of Alberta, and a World Leader of the World Congress of Free Ukrainians.
However, Savaryn also served in the Nazi Waffen-SS Galicia Division during World War II.
Concerns arose over Savaryn's background in the wake of a scandal over Yaroslav Hunka, a Ukrainian-Canadian veteran who served in the same Waffen-SS unit as Savaryn. On Sept. 22 Hunka was praised by then-Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons Anthony Rota, who later apologized and stepped down on Sept. 26.
Simon's office said that historical appointments would have been made relative to the specific moment and "limited information sources available at that time."
In instances where more information comes to light after an appointment, termination is possible. Yet Savaryn's appointment was terminated when he died in 2017, per protocol. ■