Rideau Hall apologizes for honouring former Nazi and U of A chancellor, university won't comment

Peter Savaryn (Source: ualberta.ca)

The University of Alberta is not offering any comment after the Governor General's office apologized for awarding the Order of Canada to former university chancellor and Nazi veteran Peter Savaryn.

Savaryn served as chancellor for the U of A from 1982 to 1986 and received the Order of Canada in 1987.

He also fought for the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a voluntary unit created by the Nazis to help fight the Soviet Union, before immigrating to Canada in 1949.

He died in 2017 at the age of 90.

"We express our sincere apology to Canadians for any distress or pain his appointment may have caused," Lynne Santerre, deputy director of public affairs for the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, said in a statement sent by email on Wednesday.

"Historical appointments to the Order of Canada reflect a specific moment in time and would have been based on limited information sources available at that time," Santerre wrote.

The apology came after Yaroslav Hunka, 98, who fought in the same unit as Savaryn, received a standing ovation in the House of Commons on Sept. 22 during the speech by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Liberal MP Anthony Rota resigned as House Speaker for his decision to invite Hunka.

On Sept. 27, the U of A made the decision to close a $30,000 endowment fund donated by and named for Hunka.

"Following the introduction of Yaroslav Hunka on September 22 in the Canadian House of Commons, the university began a review of a $30,000 endowment fund that existed in Mr. Hunka's name," Dr. Verna Yiu, the U of A's provost and vice-president (academic) said in a written statement.

"After careful consideration of the complexities, experiences, and circumstances of those impacted by the situation, we have made the decision to close the endowment and return the funds to the donor. The university recognizes and regrets the unintended harm caused."

Yiu also said the university is in the process of reviewing its general naming policies and procedures, including those for endowments, to make sure they align with the school's policies.

On Wednesday, CTV News Edmonton reached out to the school for comment on the apology by the Governor General on the Savaryn award.

"These types of reviews take time and diligence. We will not be disclosing further details while these processes are ongoing," U of A spokesperson Ross Neitz said in an email.

A memorial webpage created for Savaryn after his death was still live on the university website as of 3 p.m. MT on Thursday.

The page describes Savaryn as an "advocate for education" and a "force for multiculturalism."

"Peter Savaryn exemplified the best in public service," the page says.

"He had an irresistible optimism and compassion for others."

Advocates have previously called for the university to acknowledge its history with former Nazis.

In an interview with CTV News Edmonton on Sept. 28, Dan Panneton of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies called for an apology from the university.

"We'd like to see the University of Alberta conduct a review of any and all ties to the Waffen-SS unit in question and consider how their long-standing tolerance of this reflects upon their school and Canadian society as a whole," Panneton said.

"Acknowledgement and apology."

The constitution for the Order of Canada states a person's membership terminates when they die, so Savaryn's membership can no longer be revoked.

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson and Kyra Markov