I have written on multiple occasions about how Canada, after the end of WW2, emerged as a sanctuary for Nazi war criminals and their Eastern European collaborators, especially Ukrainians, fleeing justice in Europe. This issue is important for a number of reasons, but mainly because the powers-that-be need to be held accountable for their actions.

Let’s approach this topic from another angle – being a change maker. The term ‘change maker’ or ‘change agent’ is one of the many corporate buzzwords that make the rounds. Lison Mage is a thoughtful and intelligent change makes, who writes a newsletter on her webpage. You may find her articles on LinkedIn.

She describes a particular incident, a change making episode, which has relevance for our purposes here. She goes to a local gym and sauna, which is supposed to be equipped with a digital clock timer. That timer is frequently broken, and a repair request has to be submitted to the appropriate contractors. Now, we wait….and wait….this period of waiting can take weeks, even months.

The digital timer is repaired, only to break down again soon afterwards. Another repair request is submitted, and the waiting period begins again. Needless to say, gym and sauna customers frequently grumble, venting their frustrations at the glacial pace of change.

One fine day, Lison Mage had enough. She went across the road to a shop, bought a cheap manual timer and gave it to the gym. The lesson here? Don’t wait for the authorities to move; if you see a practical solution, implement it according to your resources.

As Lison Mage stated, we do not always need permission from the top to make a difference and implement changes as individuals. That is a great lesson to learn. But I think that is only one side of the coin. We also need to hold the powers-that-be accountable for their decisions and actions.

From the 1950s onwards, members of armed Ukrainian Nazi-collaborating organisations – people who had actively assisted the Nazi military in carrying out the Holocaust – were provided sanctuary in Canada. Ukrainians belonging to the Waffen SS unit Galician were welcomed by Ottawa authorities as reliable anticommunists. What was the evidence of their anticommunism? Their SS tattoos.

Initially provided safe haven in the UK, the members of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) who had actively served the Nazi armies and SS, made their way to Canada. Ottawa required an influx of new migrants, not only as a labour force, but also to combat the largely left-leaning Ukrainian Canadians, who has organised themselves in the labour movement of the 1930s and 40s.

These ultranationalist Ukrainians were useful in the context of the Cold War. Ottawa, similarly to other capitalist governments, wanted to combat the labour movement and communist organising in its own ranks. Former members of the Waffen SS certainly had experience in fighting workers’ unions.

Not only were Ukrainian Nazi collaborators welcomed into Canada, their wartime leaders were honoured and valorised as heroes. Statues memorialising Srepan Bandera, Roman Shukhevych and other antisemitic killers have been erected in Canada. Ukrainian Canadian schoolchildren are taught that the OUN were patriotic heroes, dedicated to an independent Ukraine – conveniently left out of this picture is the role of an OUN-run state as a Nazi proxy.

The political scandal of welcoming Nazis – and this while Canadian authorities closed their doors to European Jews fleeing Nazi persecution during the war – has been swept under the carpet. Ottawa authorities have avoided accountability for these policies until this very day. The only reason that this scandal has come to light is through the dedicated efforts of Canadian Jewish organisations and individuals, as well as antifascist groups around the world.

Multiple historians and investigators have written about the ratlines; underground escape routes used by Nazi war criminals to escape justice in postwar Europe. Let’s face it, their escape was facilitated by powerful institutions, such as the Vatican. That topic requires its own essay.

The role of Ottawa in providing sanctuary for Nazi criminals is a particularly egregious example of Cold War politics superseding concern for human rights.

Individual Jewish voices and groups have spoken out about this shameful episode in Canadian history. As individuals, we can all do our part to push the wheel of justice forwards. I am certainly not suggesting that we are simply helpless, and at the mercy of forces we cannot control. Each person that speaks up, and makes their contribution for change is invaluable.

This must be accompanied by a collective commitment to hold the powers at the top accountable for their actions. Strong vibes from a quiet source can certainly make waves. Ottawa’s reputation as a haven for Nazi criminals is well deserved; more people should know about it. Let’s not ignore Australia’s role in receiving the travellers of the ratlines, and providing peaceful sanctuary for Nazi criminals as well. Small ripples add up to large waves.