“On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that top government officials are examining the Deschenes Commission report, an independent investigation from the 1980s that investigated claims of Nazi war criminals in Canada, in order to determine the possibility of releasing additional information to the public.”
Today, Governor General Mary Simon expressed regret on behalf of Rideau Hall for awarding the Order of Canada to Peter Savaryn, former chancellor of the University of Alberta who served in the same Nazi unit as Yaroslav Hunka.
The office of the vice-regal is investigating the Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals that were previously presented to Savaryn, who held the position of president of the Ukrainian World Congress, an organization that represents the Ukrainian diaspora.
The Deschenes Commission’s final report, which was released in 1986 and consists of two sections, was commissioned by former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.
The initial section, which proposed measures to simplify the extradition of war criminals, was made public. The second section, which contained the names of purported Nazis in Canada, was classified as confidential and was never disclosed.
The Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals in Canada, often referred to as the Deschênes Commission, was established by the government of Canada in February 1985 to investigate claims that Canada had become a haven for Nazi war criminals. Headed by retired Quebec Superior Court judge Jules Deschênes, the commission delivered its report in December, 1986 after almost two years of hearings.