Canadian House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota on Tuesday announced his resignation 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, as quoted by The Canadian Press.
Rota was facing pressure 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.
Rota introduced the man, 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, as a “war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.”
That division was also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis.
Government House leader Karina Gould said earlier Tuesday that members of Parliament had lost confidence in Rota.
During his resignation speech, Rota reiterated his “profound regret” for recognizing Hunka.
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.
“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, according to CP.
Jewish groups had demanded an apology over the incident and Rota did apologize on Sunday, but that was not enough to quiet down the calls on him to step down.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) welcomed Rota’s resignation in a statement on Tuesday.
"Although important questions remain as to how this debacle occurred, Anthony Rota’s stepping down is the correct decision in the aftermath of the hurt this incident has caused to Canada's Jewish community, Holocaust survivors, veterans and other victims of the Nazi regime. It’s also paramount that Parliament investigates this incident and shares the results with all Canadians,” said FSWC President and CEO Michael Levitt.
"If there’s to be any silver lining, it must be the reaffirmation of the critical importance of Holocaust education and remembrance, particularly as the number of Holocaust survivors dwindles and antisemitism escalates in Canada and around the world. We hope all Canadians see this as an example of how important it is to learn from history, including the darkest chapters,” he added.
"This incident also reminds us of Canada's shameful past in not only failing to hold accountable thousands of Nazi war criminals involved in the Holocaust but granting them safe haven and allowing them to live out their lives in comfort and security in Canada. The Jewish community has long been critical of the failures of the Deschenes Commission and deeply hurt by multiple Canadian governments for not bringing Nazi war criminals in Canada to justice. It's now time for Ottawa to not only release the unredacted files related to the Deschenes Commission, but to also address the stark reality that there are still former Nazis with blood on their hands living in Canada," concluded Levitt.