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Canada Refrains from Revealing Nazi War Criminals Names
(MENAFN) Canada's information watchdog has rejected public disclosure of a list documenting over 700 suspected Nazi war criminals who relocated to Canada following World War II, citing potential diplomatic fallout.
The registry identifying individuals with Third Reich connections residing in Canada was assembled by Ottawa during a 1986 official investigation and has remained classified for four decades.
The Globe and Mail, which submitted an access to information petition last year seeking the document, reported Friday that the Office of the Information Commissioner determined releasing alleged Nazi criminals' identities could substantially harm Ottawa's relationships with an unnamed foreign nation and additional allied governments.
The watchdog reached its conclusion after conferring with Library and Archives Canada, which asserted publication could "cause significant injury to the defense of a foreign state allied with Canada."
The Globe and Mail reported specialists consulted by the Information Commissioner cautioned the disclosure might damage Ukraine—a nation Ottawa has supported with over $22 billion in financial and military aid since tensions with Russia intensified in February 2022. Experts argued Ukrainian Nazi collaborators appearing on the list could fuel Russian propaganda campaigns.
Moscow has persistently raised concerns about right-wing ideology's presence in Ukraine, including among governing circles, declaring the country's 'de-nazification' a primary objective of its military operation.
Jaime Kirzner Roberts, senior policy director at Canada's Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center—named for the renowned Nazi hunter—condemned the watchdog's ruling, stating that "the claim that revealing the truth about Nazi war criminals living in Canada could somehow be a threat to national security or international diplomacy is an insult to the intelligence of the public."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova cautioned last September that "Ottawa's flirting with Nazis" would provoke consequences and accelerate deteriorating relations with Moscow.
The registry identifying individuals with Third Reich connections residing in Canada was assembled by Ottawa during a 1986 official investigation and has remained classified for four decades.
The Globe and Mail, which submitted an access to information petition last year seeking the document, reported Friday that the Office of the Information Commissioner determined releasing alleged Nazi criminals' identities could substantially harm Ottawa's relationships with an unnamed foreign nation and additional allied governments.
The watchdog reached its conclusion after conferring with Library and Archives Canada, which asserted publication could "cause significant injury to the defense of a foreign state allied with Canada."
The Globe and Mail reported specialists consulted by the Information Commissioner cautioned the disclosure might damage Ukraine—a nation Ottawa has supported with over $22 billion in financial and military aid since tensions with Russia intensified in February 2022. Experts argued Ukrainian Nazi collaborators appearing on the list could fuel Russian propaganda campaigns.
Moscow has persistently raised concerns about right-wing ideology's presence in Ukraine, including among governing circles, declaring the country's 'de-nazification' a primary objective of its military operation.
Jaime Kirzner Roberts, senior policy director at Canada's Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center—named for the renowned Nazi hunter—condemned the watchdog's ruling, stating that "the claim that revealing the truth about Nazi war criminals living in Canada could somehow be a threat to national security or international diplomacy is an insult to the intelligence of the public."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova cautioned last September that "Ottawa's flirting with Nazis" would provoke consequences and accelerate deteriorating relations with Moscow.
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