The Speaker of the Parliament of Canada I quit this Tuesday after the scandal caused by his tribute to a Ukrainian who fought in the ranks of the Nazi army during world war II.
“It is with a heavy heart that I rise to inform members of my resignation as speaker of the House of Commons,” he said. Anthony Rota to his parliamentary colleagues.
“I accept full responsibility for my actions”he continued, assuring that his resignation will take effect late Wednesday.
Last Friday, during Volodimir Zelensky’s visit to the country, Rota paid tribute to Yaroslav Hunkaa 98-year-old Ukrainian immigrant.
He greeted Hunka as “a Ukrainian-Canadian war veteran of World War II who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians” and described him as “a Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero,” prompting a standing ovation from lawmakers.
But Hunka, actually, served in the 14th SS Waffen Grenadier Division“a Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well documented,” according to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal, an organization dedicated to education programs about those events and anti-Semitism.
The Jewish advocacy group called the incident “shocking” and “incredibly disturbing”.
Parliamentary recognition of Hunka “caused pain to people and communities, including the Jewish community in Canada and around the world, as well as Nazi survivors in Poland, among other nations,” Rota added in his message.
This Tuesday, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Joly, had joined the calls for the legislator’s resignation: “What happened on Friday is completely unacceptable.”
“Es a shame for the House and for Canadiansand I think the president should listen to the members of the House and resign,” he told reporters in Parliament.
Apology
First elected in 2004 under the liberal banner, Rota, 62, was re-elected five times. As of 2019, he was Speaker of the House, a key position in the Canadian parliamentary system, above the parties.
However, amid the scandal, several political movements had also urged Rota to resign.
On Sunday, the liberal deputy He apologized, saying he had “subsequently learned of more information.” which made him regret his comments about Hunka.
“This initiative was entirely mine… In particular, I want to apologize to the Jewish communities in Canada and around the world,” he said.
The first Minister Justin Trudeau On Monday, he described Rota’s statements as shameful.
Leading opposition Conservatives criticized the Trudeau government for failing to properly investigate Hunka, despite stating that He had no prior knowledge that he had been invited to the event.
Zelensky’s visit to Canada was the third leg of a tour aimed at bolstering international support, after addressing the United Nations and visiting US President Joe Biden in Washington.
Canada is home to the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world and Zelensky, in his speech to Parliament, thanked Kiev for its support since Russian troops invaded Ukrainian borders in February 2022.
