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House Speaker Anthony Rota resigns over honouring man who fought for Nazis
Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.
House Speaker Anthony Rota resigns over honouring man who fought for Nazis
Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang (The Canadian Press)
Tue, September 26, 2023
OTTAWA — House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota is resigning after he invited a man who fought for the Nazis to attend a speech that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered to Canada's Parliament last week.
The Liberal MP, who was first elected Speaker in December 2019, shared his decision ahead of question period in the House of Commons today, referring to his time in the role as "his greatest honour."
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.
All members of Parliament stood and applauded 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, who lives in Rota's northern Ontario riding, without knowing the details of his past last Friday during the official visit by Zelenskyy.
Rota, who as Speaker was tasked with remaining impartial and maintaining order in the House of Commons, has been facing international scrutiny over the controversy.
Only two Speakers elected since Confederation have left partway through a parliamentary session, including one who died and another who was named governor general.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2023.
The Canadian Press
Tue, September 26, 2023
OTTAWA — House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota is resigning after he invited a man who fought for the Nazis to attend a speech that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered to Canada's Parliament last week.
The Liberal MP, who was first elected Speaker in December 2019, shared his decision ahead of question period in the House of Commons today, referring to his time in the role as "his greatest honour."
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.
All members of Parliament stood and applauded 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, who lives in Rota's northern Ontario riding, without knowing the details of his past last Friday during the official visit by Zelenskyy.
Rota, who as Speaker was tasked with remaining impartial and maintaining order in the House of Commons, has been facing international scrutiny over the controversy.
Only two Speakers elected since Confederation have left partway through a parliamentary session, including one who died and another who was named governor general.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2023.
The Canadian Press
Canada’s House of Commons speaker resigns over standing ovation for Nazi
Graeme Massie
Tue, September 26, 2023
Canada’s Speaker of the House of Commons has resigned over his chamber invitation to a man who fought for the Nazis in the Second World War.
Anthony Rota announced he was stepping down from the position on Tuesday after meeting with leaders of all political parties following days of controversy.
The blunder took place during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Canada’s Parliament on Friday.
After Mr Zelensky’s speech to Parliament, Mr Rota introduced 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, a man he described as “a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran… who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mr Zelensky then led a standing ovation for Hunka, who was sat in the parliamentary gallery, which Mr Trudeau has since called “deeply embarrassing.”
Mr Trudeau’s office later said that it was given no notice of the presence of Hunka, a Ukrainian veteran who fought in a volunteer unit under Nazi command.
After Mr Zelensky’s speech, it emerged that Hunka had been part of the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division.
Mr Rota apologised to MPs on Monday and said he had not been aware of his constituent’s involvement with the Waffen-SS Galicia Division.
Yaroslav Hunka, right, waits for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Onatario on 22 September (AP)
“This House is above any of us, Therefore, I must step down as your Speaker,” Mr Rota said on Tuesday. “I reiterate my profound regret for my error in recognising an individual in the House.”
Polish officials have said they want Hunka to be extradited to face trial for his role with the unit, which committed atrocities against Poles during the war.
Jewish community groups had called for an apology, with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center demanding Mr Rota’s resignation.
“Speaker Rota’s decision… has left a stain on our country’s venerable legislature with profound implications both in Canada and globally,” said the organisation in a statement on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recognize Yaroslav Hunka, who was in attendance in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Ontario, on 22 September (AP)
“This incident has compromised all 338 members of Parliament and has also handed a propaganda victory to Russia, distracting from what was a momentously significant display of unity between Canada and Ukraine. It has also caused great pain to Canada’s Jewish community, Holocaust survivors, veterans and other victims of the Nazi regime.”
Mr Rota, who represents the Northern Ontario riding of Nipissing-Timiskaming, was first elected as Speaker in 2019
Graeme Massie
Tue, September 26, 2023
Canada’s Speaker of the House of Commons has resigned over his chamber invitation to a man who fought for the Nazis in the Second World War.
Anthony Rota announced he was stepping down from the position on Tuesday after meeting with leaders of all political parties following days of controversy.
The blunder took place during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Canada’s Parliament on Friday.
After Mr Zelensky’s speech to Parliament, Mr Rota introduced 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, a man he described as “a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran… who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mr Zelensky then led a standing ovation for Hunka, who was sat in the parliamentary gallery, which Mr Trudeau has since called “deeply embarrassing.”
Mr Trudeau’s office later said that it was given no notice of the presence of Hunka, a Ukrainian veteran who fought in a volunteer unit under Nazi command.
After Mr Zelensky’s speech, it emerged that Hunka had been part of the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division.
Mr Rota apologised to MPs on Monday and said he had not been aware of his constituent’s involvement with the Waffen-SS Galicia Division.
Yaroslav Hunka, right, waits for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Onatario on 22 September (AP)
“This House is above any of us, Therefore, I must step down as your Speaker,” Mr Rota said on Tuesday. “I reiterate my profound regret for my error in recognising an individual in the House.”
Polish officials have said they want Hunka to be extradited to face trial for his role with the unit, which committed atrocities against Poles during the war.
Jewish community groups had called for an apology, with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center demanding Mr Rota’s resignation.
“Speaker Rota’s decision… has left a stain on our country’s venerable legislature with profound implications both in Canada and globally,” said the organisation in a statement on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recognize Yaroslav Hunka, who was in attendance in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Ontario, on 22 September (AP)
“This incident has compromised all 338 members of Parliament and has also handed a propaganda victory to Russia, distracting from what was a momentously significant display of unity between Canada and Ukraine. It has also caused great pain to Canada’s Jewish community, Holocaust survivors, veterans and other victims of the Nazi regime.”
Mr Rota, who represents the Northern Ontario riding of Nipissing-Timiskaming, was first elected as Speaker in 2019
Canada parliament speaker resigns after calling Ukrainian Nazi veteran a ‘hero’
Anthony Rota steps down after meeting with party leaders in Ottawa having invited Yaroslav Hunka to special session
Leyland Cecco in Toronto
The speaker of Canada’s parliament has resigned after inviting a Ukrainian Nazi veteran to attend a special session of parliament, and then calling the man a “hero” amid two standing ovations.
Anthony Rota stepped down as speaker on Tuesday after meeting with party leaders in Ottawa amid growing cross-party calls for his resignation.
“This house is above any of us,” he told lawmakers.
Earlier in the day, Canada’s foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, called the situation “deeply unacceptable” and an “embarrassment”. The government house leader said Rota should do the “honourable thing” and step down. The Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, also criticized Justin Trudeau for the fiasco, saying the prime minister had “brought shame on Canada” after the government’s failure to have its “massive diplomatic and intelligence apparatus vet and prevent honouring a Nazi”.
The scandal began on Friday, when lawmakers in Canada’s parliament welcomed the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Following a speech by Zelenskiy, Rota singled out 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, whom he had invited to sit in the gallery, describing the man as a “Canadian hero”.
Canada’s house speaker apologises after praising Ukrainian veteran of Nazi unit
Zelenskiy raised his fist in acknowledgment as Hunka saluted from the gallery.
But over the weekend it emerged that Hunka had been a member of the Waffen-SS “Galicia” Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a volunteer unit that was under the command of the Nazis.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies said that the division “was responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians with a level of brutality and malice that is unimaginable”.
Other prominent Jewish groups joined in the condemnation of Hunka’s invitation and the incident quickly became a major political embarrassment for Canada’s government.
Rota later said he had “subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision” to invite the war veteran, who lives in Rota’s electoral district. “I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I accept full responsibility for my action.”
The prime minister’s office said there was no advance notice Hunka would attend Friday’s session of parliament because he was a guest of the speaker and the list of attendees is not shared.
In Canada, like others with Westminster-style parliaments, the speaker of the house of commons is a non-partisan role. The speaker is elected by all lawmakers and oversees the function of parliament.
On Monday, Trudeau called the moment “deeply embarrassing to the parliament of Canada and by extension to all Canadians”. But his party also attracted further scrutiny after the government house leader, Karina Gould, asked for Rota to “be struck” from the official records of parliament, including all recordings from the day.
Amid mounting condemnation of Rota, social media users speculated his resignation was imminent. The political commentator David Moscrop posted a picture of Rota and a head of lettuce, a nod to the final, embattled days of the former UK prime minister Liz Truss.
The focus on Hunka also prompted interest from Poland, where the country’s education minister said he had “taken steps” for Hunka to be extradited. “In view of the scandalous events in the Canadian Parliament, which involved honouring, in the presence of President Zelenskiy, a member of the criminal Nazi SS Galizien formation, I have taken steps towards the possible extradition of this man to Poland,” Przemysław Czarnek said in a social media post on Tuesday.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a statement the event had also “handed a propaganda victory to Russia, distracting from what was a momentously significant display of unity between Canada and Ukraine”.
Anthony Rota steps down after meeting with party leaders in Ottawa having invited Yaroslav Hunka to special session
Leyland Cecco in Toronto
THE GUARDIAN
Tue 26 Sep 2023
The speaker of Canada’s parliament has resigned after inviting a Ukrainian Nazi veteran to attend a special session of parliament, and then calling the man a “hero” amid two standing ovations.
Anthony Rota stepped down as speaker on Tuesday after meeting with party leaders in Ottawa amid growing cross-party calls for his resignation.
“This house is above any of us,” he told lawmakers.
Earlier in the day, Canada’s foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, called the situation “deeply unacceptable” and an “embarrassment”. The government house leader said Rota should do the “honourable thing” and step down. The Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, also criticized Justin Trudeau for the fiasco, saying the prime minister had “brought shame on Canada” after the government’s failure to have its “massive diplomatic and intelligence apparatus vet and prevent honouring a Nazi”.
The scandal began on Friday, when lawmakers in Canada’s parliament welcomed the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Following a speech by Zelenskiy, Rota singled out 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, whom he had invited to sit in the gallery, describing the man as a “Canadian hero”.
Canada’s house speaker apologises after praising Ukrainian veteran of Nazi unit
Zelenskiy raised his fist in acknowledgment as Hunka saluted from the gallery.
But over the weekend it emerged that Hunka had been a member of the Waffen-SS “Galicia” Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a volunteer unit that was under the command of the Nazis.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies said that the division “was responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians with a level of brutality and malice that is unimaginable”.
Other prominent Jewish groups joined in the condemnation of Hunka’s invitation and the incident quickly became a major political embarrassment for Canada’s government.
Rota later said he had “subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision” to invite the war veteran, who lives in Rota’s electoral district. “I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I accept full responsibility for my action.”
The prime minister’s office said there was no advance notice Hunka would attend Friday’s session of parliament because he was a guest of the speaker and the list of attendees is not shared.
In Canada, like others with Westminster-style parliaments, the speaker of the house of commons is a non-partisan role. The speaker is elected by all lawmakers and oversees the function of parliament.
On Monday, Trudeau called the moment “deeply embarrassing to the parliament of Canada and by extension to all Canadians”. But his party also attracted further scrutiny after the government house leader, Karina Gould, asked for Rota to “be struck” from the official records of parliament, including all recordings from the day.
Amid mounting condemnation of Rota, social media users speculated his resignation was imminent. The political commentator David Moscrop posted a picture of Rota and a head of lettuce, a nod to the final, embattled days of the former UK prime minister Liz Truss.
The focus on Hunka also prompted interest from Poland, where the country’s education minister said he had “taken steps” for Hunka to be extradited. “In view of the scandalous events in the Canadian Parliament, which involved honouring, in the presence of President Zelenskiy, a member of the criminal Nazi SS Galizien formation, I have taken steps towards the possible extradition of this man to Poland,” Przemysław Czarnek said in a social media post on Tuesday.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a statement the event had also “handed a propaganda victory to Russia, distracting from what was a momentously significant display of unity between Canada and Ukraine”.
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