Peter Savaryn

{{Short description|Ukrainian-born Canadian lawyer and Waffen-SS veteran (1926–2017)}}

{{use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Peter Savaryn

| image = Peter Savaryn.jpg

| order =

| honorific-suffix = CM

| office = 6th President of the World Congress of Free Ukrainians

| term_start = 1983

| term_end = 1988

| predecessor = Ivan Bazarko

| successor = Yuri Shymko

| office1 = Chancellor of the University of Alberta

| term_start1 = 1982

| term_end1 = 1986

| predecessor1 = Jean Beatrice Forest

| successor1 = Tevie Miller

| party = Progressive Conservative

| birth_date = {{birth date |1926|9|17}}

| birth_place = Zubrets, Second Polish Republic (now in Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine)

| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|4|6|1926|9|17}}

| death_place = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

| allegiance = {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}

| branch = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Schutzstaffel.svg|link=Waffen-SS}} Waffen-SS

| unit = {{flagicon image|Dyvizia Galychyna-rukav.svg|link=14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician)}} SS Galizien

| alma_mater = University of Alberta

| spouse = Olga Prystajecky

| occupation = Lawyer

}}

Peter Savaryn {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM}} (September 17, 1926 – April 6, 2017) was a Ukrainian-born Canadian lawyer. During World War II, he belonged to the SS Division Galicia.{{Cite journal |last=Rudling |first=Per Anders |date=2012 |title='They Defended Ukraine': The 14. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (Galizische Nr. 1) Revisited |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13518046.2012.705633 |journal=The Journal of Slavic Military Studies |language=en |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=329–368 |doi=10.1080/13518046.2012.705633 |s2cid=144432759 |issn=1351-8046|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite news |date=2023-10-02 |title=University of Alberta facing calls to return thousands more in donations connected to Waffen SS veterans |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-university-of-alberta-facing-calls-to-return-thousands-more-in/ |access-date=2023-10-03}} Savaryn was among the approximately 2,000 Waffen-SS Galicia fighters allowed to immigrate to Canada.{{cite web | last=Golinkin | first=Lev | title=Exclusive: Canada apologizes for honoring another veteran from unit that fought with Nazis | website=The Forward | date=2023-10-04 | url=https://forward.com/fast-forward/562864/canada-nazi-ss-galachina-peter-savaryn-yaroslav-hunka-mary-simon/ | access-date=2023-10-04}}

Savaryn arrived in Canada in 1949, and attended the University of Alberta (B.A. 1955, LLB 1956). Savaryn was a partner in the law firm Savaryn & Savaryn. He was married to Olga (Olya) Prystajecky (1951) with whom he had three children. He served as Chancellor of the University of Alberta from 1982 to 1986 and was involved with the university Board of Governors and Senate.

Savaryn was the president of the Ukrainian World Congress, at the time called the World Congress of Free Ukrainians, from 1983 to 1988.{{Cite web |date=2017-04-09 |title=UCC expresses condolences for Loss of Peter Savaryn - The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) official website |url=https://www.ucc.ca/2017/04/09/ucc-expresses-condolences-for-loss-of-peter-savaryn/ |access-date=2023-10-02 |website=www.ucc.ca |language=en-US}} He was also president of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and vice-president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Peter Savaryn |url=https://hermis.alberta.ca/paa/Details.aspx?st=edmonton&cp=670&sort=department&ReturnUrl=/paa/Search.aspx?st=edmonton&cp=670&sort=department&dv=True&DeptID=1&ObjectID=PR0671 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2017-04-13 |website=HeRMIS}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Peter Savaryn (1982-1986) |url=http://www.ualbertacentennial.ca/organization/chancellors/savaryn.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2017-04-13 |website=University of Alberta}}

Savaryn was awarded an honorary degree in 1987 from the University of Alberta, and was also awarded Order of Canada the same year. He died on April 6, 2017.{{Cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/edmontonjournal/obituary.aspx?n=peter-savaryn&pid=185022180&fhid=6003|title=Peter Savaryn Obituary|last=|first=|date=April 8, 2017|website=The Edmonton Journal|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-04-13}} In 2023, after international scrutiny and outrage when the Canadian government honoured fellow SS Galician veteran Yaroslav Hunka, the Governor General of Canada Mary Simon expressed "deep regret" for Savaryn's award of the Order of Canada in a response to an enquiry from The Forward magazine.