Comedian Rob Schneider cancels trip to Canada after veteran who fought for Nazis honoured in Parliament
Comedian Rob Schneider says he has cancelled an upcoming visit to Canada in light of last week’s incident in which a Ukrainian veteran who fought with a Nazi unit in the Second World War was given a standing ovation in the House of Commons.
The tribute, which has sparked international condemnation, occurred on Friday during an official visit from Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy. House Speaker Anthony Rota stated during his speech that a veteran was present who had “fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians,” prompting applause from the entire room.
Over the weekend it emerged that the division 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka had fought for was a volunteer unit under Nazi command.
Rota resigned on Tuesday, expressing “profound regret for my error.” He had explained in an earlier apology on Monday that he invited Hunka and that no one else had been aware of the intended tribute ahead of time.
Schneider, whose father is Jewish, said in a post on social media that the incident was “beyond the pale,” and that he had cancelled his trip to Canada in response.
The 59-year-old comedian and actor expressed disbelief in several posts on X, formerly Twitter, that the incident had occurred at all.
“This guy fought for Hitler! Not like what we call people Hitler today. THEE Hitler! Like in actual Adolf Hitler,” he wrote.
Schneider also stated that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “tyranny” in relation to “peaceful trucker protestors,” was “insignificant” compared to this recent incident, seemingly referring to the convoy which occupied Ottawa in early 2022 for three weeks in protest of COVID-19 public health measures, leading to dozens of arrests.
The former Saturday Night Live cast member has also come under fire previously for his anti-vaccine comments, referring to the COVID-19 vaccine in one 2021 post as “experimental gene therapy.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Marathon Conservative carbon tax filibuster ends after nearly 30 consecutive hours of House votes
The Conservative-prompted filibuster in the House of Commons ended Friday night, after MPs spent nearly 30 hours voting non-stop on the government's spending plans.
Ibrahim Ali found guilty of killing 13-year-old girl in B.C.
A jury has found Ibrahim Ali guilty of killing a 13-year-old girl whose body was found in a Burnaby, B.C., park in 2017.
Ryan O'Neal, star of 'Love Story,' 'Paper Moon,' 'Peyton Place' and 'Barry Lyndon,' dies at 82
Ryan O'Neal, the heartthrob actor who went from a TV soap opera to an Oscar-nominated role in 'Love Story' and delivered a wry performance opposite his charismatic 9-year-old daughter Tatum in 'Paper Moon,' died Friday, his son said.
'Very unusual and unique find': Stomach contents of dinosaur found preserved in Alberta
Alberta's Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology says stomach contents have been found preserved inside a fossilized tyrannosaur.
Shohei Ohtani watch kicks into higher gear in Toronto as Blue Jays fans track private plane
Shohei Ohtani watch in Toronto has kicked into another gear.
California teen becomes youngest to pass state bar exam
A county prosecutor's office says one of its law clerks passed the State Bar of California exam at age 17.
Michigan teen gets life in prison for Oxford High School attack
Parents of students killed at Michigan's Oxford High School described the anguish of losing their children Friday as a judge considered whether a teenager will serve a life sentence for a mass shooting in 2021.
Monster storm in North Atlantic stretches cloud from Atlantic Canada to Portugal
A large low-pressure system centred about 750 kilometres to the northeast of Newfoundland is causing clouds to stretch all the way to Portugal.
Influenza cases rise in second week of flu season, swine flu most prominent
Influenza cases were on the rise during the second week of the annual flu season, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, with swine flu being the most detected subtype.
W5 HIGHLIGHTS

W5 Investigates Who left little Dusty Bowers to die in the snow?
Avery Haines and W5's investigation team re-examine a baby's murder three decades after the case was closed. After a court acquitted the mother, why did police never try to find the killer?

'I'm never going to be satisfied': Ontario 'crypto king' lands in Australia as associate flees to Dubai
Ontario’s self-described ‘crypto king’ just landed in Australia, the latest destination in a months-long travel spree he’s prolifically posted about on social media, despite ongoing bankruptcy proceedings tied to the more than $40 million scheme he allegedly operated.

Canadian-owned mine will begin closure in Panama after contract deemed 'unconstitutional'
A Canadian mining company is expected to begin the process of closing its multibillion-dollar operations in Panama today after weeks of civil unrest and protests from civilians fearing the ecological repercussions of its open-pit copper mine that is twice the size of Manhattan.
W5 George Chuvalo: the boxer nobody could knock down
Canadian boxing great George Chuvalo went blow-for-blow with legends, but it came at a cost. W5's Sandie Rinaldo speaks with Chuvalo's children about the damage that 93 fights did to their father's cognitive health. 'Boom Boom Chuvalo' airs Friday at 10/9 on CTV.
W5 Owners of prized historic N.S. home in legal nightmare, thanks to local government
W5 investigates: A couple buys a historic house in Nova Scotia at auction and puts hundreds of thousands of dollars into renovations, but the local government says they don't own the property.
W5 Who was the Kenora bomber?: W5 digs up clues that could reveal his identity
CTV W5 investigates the dramatic explosion that occurred in a small Canadian city after an armed bandit attempted a bank heist. W5 digs up clues that could reveal his identity.
'Understudied and unregulated': Green Party pushes to investigate asbestos in tap water
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has tabled a petition calling on the federal government to take urgent action on Canada’s aging asbestos-cement pipes due to the potential dangers of drinking tap water containing the deadly fibre.
A young race car driver from Canada is inspiring people all around the world
Austin Riley has been drawing crowds to the race track for years. But his claim to fame isn’t just being fast on the speedway, he is breaking barriers on the track for those with disabilities.