Canada’s last known Nazi suspect, targeted for deportation, dies at 97

Canada’s last known Nazi-era suspect died on Monday, ending the government’s quarter-century effort to deport him, in a case that critics said spotlighted the country’s poor record of bringing accountability for the atrocities of the 20th century.

Helmut Oberlander, 97, who served as an interpreter for a roving Nazi death squad that killed more than 20,000 people in the German-occupied eastern territories during World War II, died “surrounded by loved ones in his home” and “will be dearly missed,” his family said in a statement.

“Notwithstanding the challenges in his life, he remained strong in his faith,” his family said. “He took comfort in his family and the support of many in his community. He gave generously to charity, supported his church and was a loving family man.”

Ottawa has since 1995 sought to deport Oberlander, who immigrated to Canada in 1954 and became a real estate developer in Waterloo, Ontario. It alleged that he unlawfully obtained Canadian citizenship in 1960 by hiding his participation in a subgroup of the Einsatzgruppen death squads from immigration officials.

After a protracted legal battle and nearly eight decades after World War II, his case was sent to the Immigration and Refugee Board this year for a deportation hearing.

In a letter filed to the tribunal, his attorneys called for a stay of those hearings, arguing that Oberlander was “unable, on account of mental disorder, to conduct a defense.”

A geriatric doctor wrote in another submission that Oberlander had “declined markedly since January” and was not expected “to survive much beyond the summer.”