Canada’s war crimes program has not updated its activities in eight years

A federal government unit responsible for preventing war criminals from entering Canada has not released a report on its activities in over eight years.

The War Crimes Program is a collaborative effort involving the federal departments of justice and immigration, the Canada Border Services Agency, and the RCMP.

The concept of a joint government initiative on war criminals emerged in 1987 following the Deschênes Commission’s findings that Canada had allowed former Nazis into the country after World War II.

The program used to publish annual reports on its efforts to investigate, prosecute, and deport suspected war criminals for a decade. However, there have only been two reports released between 2008 and 2015, with no updates since then.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice mentioned that the program is currently working on gathering data since 2016 to prepare for a new report.

Canada’s actions in this area have faced increased scrutiny, particularly after a man was applauded in Parliament last September, only to be later identified as having served in a Nazi unit in Ukraine during World War II.

This article by The Canadian Press was originally published on Feb. 21, 2024.