Anthony Rota
The speaker of Canada’s House of Commons lower chamber announced his resignation on Tuesday, just days after publicly praising a former Nazi soldier in Parliament, an episode that Russia said helped justify its assault on Ukraine.
Anthony Rota informed lawmakers that inviting ex-soldier Yaroslav Hunka, 98, to a House session honoring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last Friday was a mistake. Rota publicly recognized Hunka as a hero.
After it was revealed that Hunka, who received two standing ovations from MPs, had served in one of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen SS groups during WWII, the speaker’s position quickly became unsustainable. Russia condemned the incident as heinous.
“That public recognition has caused pain to individuals and communities, including the Jewish community in Canada and around the world … I accept full responsibility for my actions”, Rota, a member of the ruling Liberal Party, said, adding that his resignation would take effect on Wednesday. Until then, a deputy speaker shall preside.
The incident contributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s narrative that he sent his army into Ukraine last year to demilitarise and denazify the country, a charge Kyiv and Western allies deny.
The uproar tainted Zelenskiy’s visit, during which he thanked Canada for the billions of dollars in aid and weapons it has delivered since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly had suggested Rota resign, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged him to consider his options.
Although opposition parties blamed Trudeau’s Liberal administration for the scandal, Rota claimed sole responsibility for what had occurred. Yaroslav Hunka lives in Rota’s parliamentary constituency.
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