Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

House Speaker Anthony Rota resigns over honouring man who fought for Nazis

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 26 Sep, 2023 12:39 PM
  • House Speaker Anthony Rota resigns over honouring man who fought for Nazis

House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota announced his resignation on Tuesday over having invited a man who fought for the Nazis to attend Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to Parliament.

"This House is above any of us. Therefore, I must step down as your Speaker," Rota, who was first elected to the role in December 2019, told the House of Commons ahead of question period on Tuesday.

All sides had called for Rota to resign after he invited and recognized in the House a Ukraine military veteran now living in Canada who had served in a Nazi unit during the Second World War.

Government House leader Karina Gould said earlier Tuesday that members of Parliament had lost confidence in Rota, the Liberal MP for the northern Ontario riding of Nipissing-Timiskaming.

During his resignation speech, Rota reiterated his "profound regret" for recognizing 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, a veteran of the First Ukrainian Division, last Friday in the House of Commons. Hunka lives in his riding.

The voluntary unit was under the command of the Nazis and was also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division during the Second World War. 

All members of Parliament who were in attendance had stood twice and applauded Hunka without knowing the details of his past, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and main opposition leaders.

Zelenskyy had also joined in the applause.

Many MPs, some of whom are Jewish, later expressed their disgust in participating in the ovation. 

"That public recognition has caused pain to individuals and communities, including the Jewish community in Canada and around the world, in addition to survivors of Nazi atrocities in Poland among other nations," Rota said in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Only two Speakers elected since Confederation have left partway through a parliamentary session, including one who died and another who was named governor general.

Rota has apologized in the House twice after issuing an initial apology over the weekend. He said he alone was responsible for the decision and that neither the Prime Minister's Office nor the Ukrainian delegation were aware. Still, MPs felt there was no other alternative than for him to step down. 

Rota, who as Speaker was tasked with remaining impartial and maintaining order in the House of Commons, has been facing an international uproar over the recognition of Hunka.

Russia has used the news to advance its propaganda in an attempt to legitimize its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin paints his enemies in Ukraine as "neo-Nazis." 

The Holocaust, the Second World War and Nazism have been important tools for Putin in his bid to legitimize Russia's war in Ukraine, but historians see their use as disinformation and a cynical ploy to further the Russian leader’s aims.

Zelenskyy is Jewish and has said his great-grandparents were victims of the Nazis.

His visit to Canada was meant to shore up support for Ukraine during the war, but now the opposite is happening, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday. 

"The visit was marred by this incident that is now being used by the aggressor, Russia, in propaganda to attack or take away from — in a deleterious way — the efforts of the war."

Singh called on Trudeau to apologize for how things have unfolded, and present a plan to try and undo the harm.

The Conservatives have said Trudeau is throwing Rota under the bus and that the prime minister should take responsibility for the invitation.

Trudeau, who was in Toronto on Tuesday afternoon, was not present in the House of Commons when Rota announced his resignation.

Earlier Tuesday the prime minister, who called the mistake "deeply embarrassing," said he expected Rota was reflecting on how to maintain dignity in the Commons.

Rota's resignation came after he met with House leaders for the main federal parties. It is set to take effect at the end the sitting on Wednesday.

This will allow preparations for new a Speaker to be elected. Until that time, deputy speakers will chair House proceedings. 

One of those deputy speakers, Conservative MP Chris D'Entremont, immediately replaced Rota in the chair for question period.

A garden party the Speaker was set to host at the Farm, the official residence in Kingsmere, Que., on Tuesday evening was also cancelled.

MORE National ARTICLES

Ottawa police identify 15 suspects in storming of Senegalese Embassy

Ottawa police identify 15 suspects in storming of Senegalese Embassy
Ottawa police are asking for help identifying 15 people accused of storming the Embassy of Senegal. The Senegalese Embassy says in a statement that people violently took over the premises, causing serious damage to the consular section and hurting staff and visitors.

Ottawa police identify 15 suspects in storming of Senegalese Embassy

Man and his dog attacked by racoons

Man and his dog attacked by racoons
Jake Moss says he and his dog Pingu were walking down West 1st Avenue when the dog stopped to sniff the bushes and the raccoons pounced. Pingu lost an eye in the attack and Moss was treated in hospital, where fragments of raccoon tooth were removed from his puncture wounds.

Man and his dog attacked by racoons

Census workers logged hundreds of cases of violence, harassment by public: documents

Census workers logged hundreds of cases of violence, harassment by public: documents
Statistics Canada documents show workers who went door-to-door to collect data for the 2021 census logged hundreds of workplace injuries and at least 15 assaults by members of the public. The data tables obtained by The Canadian Press under access-to-information law list 680 injury reports, including more than 280 cases of harassment or violence.   

Census workers logged hundreds of cases of violence, harassment by public: documents

Terms of new contract that resolved British Columbia port dispute are released

Terms of new contract that resolved British Columbia port dispute are released
The terms of the new contract are being shared by the Canada Industrial Relations Board, highlighting how the two sides finally got to together following months-long dispute, which included a disruptive 13-day strike.

Terms of new contract that resolved British Columbia port dispute are released

Moon mission with Canada's Jeremy Hansen remains on schedule for November 2024: NASA

Moon mission with Canada's Jeremy Hansen remains on schedule for November 2024: NASA
Officials at NASA say the mission that will send a Canadian astronaut into lunar space for the first time is still on track to launch in November of next year.  Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, from London, Ont.,  was on hand in Florida today for a public update on Artemis II, the first trip to lunar space in 52 years.

Moon mission with Canada's Jeremy Hansen remains on schedule for November 2024: NASA

Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers

Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers
Under the "recognized employer pilot" program, companies with a good track record would only need to prove that they require temporary foreign workers every three years, instead of every 18 months. n The employer's trusted status would also be flagged to potential workers in the government's job bank.

Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers