The Speaker of the Canadian Parliament, Anthony Rota, apologized for the blunder
Ottawa:
The speaker of Canada’s House of Commons said Tuesday he would resign, days after publicly praising a former Nazi soldier in parliament for an incident that Russia says helped justify the war against Ukraine.
Anthony Rota told lawmakers he made a mistake by inviting ex-soldier Yaroslav Hunka, 98, to a House of Representatives session in honor of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last Friday. Rota publicly recognized Hunka and called him a hero.
The speaker’s position quickly became untenable after it emerged that Hunka, who received two standing ovations from lawmakers, had served in one of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen SS units during World War II. Russia called the incident scandalous.
“That public recognition has caused pain for individuals and communities, including the Jewish community in Canada and around the world… I accept full responsibility for my actions,” said Rota, a member of the ruling Liberal party, adding that his dismissal would take place. effect on Wednesday. Until then, a deputy chairman will be in charge.
The episode played on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s story that he sent his army into Ukraine last year to “demilitarize and denazify” the country, an accusation that Kiev and Western allies say is unfounded.
The furor helped spoil the visit of Zelenskiy, who thanked Canada for the billions of dollars in aid and weapons the country has provided since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly previously said Rota should resign, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on him to consider his future.
While opposition parties blamed what they called the shortcomings of Trudeau’s Liberal government, Rota said he took sole responsibility for what happened. Hunka lives in the Rota parliamentary constituency.
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