Global Courant
The speaker of Canada’s parliament is facing mounting calls to resign after he honored a man who fought in a Nazi unit during the Second World War last week when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the House of Commons.
Speaker Anthony Rota said this week that he “deeply regretted” inviting 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka to Friday’s special parliamentary session, where he recognized Hunka as a “Ukrainian hero.”
“What happened on Friday is completely unacceptable,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters on Tuesday morning.
“It was an embarrassment to the House of Representatives and to Canadians, and I think the speaker should listen to the members of the House of Representatives and resign.”
Hunka served in the 14th Waffengrenadier Division of the Nazi SS military unit. said Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish community group.
He received standing ovations in the House of Commons, including from Zelenskyy and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who were in attendance.
“This initiative was entirely my own initiative,” Rota said in parliament on Monday when faced with questions from Canadian lawmakers. “No one, including you – my fellow parliamentarians – or the Ukrainian delegation was aware of my comments before they were delivered.”
But despite his apology, Rota is facing increasing pressure to resign, including from the progressive New Democratic Party (NDP).
“This was an inexcusable mistake that brings the entire House of Representatives into disrepute, and unfortunately I believe a sacred trust was violated,” NDP House Leader Peter Julian said. “Unfortunately, I do not believe you can continue in this role.”
Also the Canadian broadcaster Radio-Canada reported on Tuesday, “several influential members” of Trudeau’s Liberal cabinet said they would not be able to publicly support Rota if a motion is introduced to remove him from his role as speaker.
The Speaker of the House of Commons is chosen by fellow MPs to preside over the proceedings.
“If we were to vote for him, it would be like supporting the actions he took last week,” a Liberal source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Radio-Canada. “Being stubborn and staying there will embarrass everyone, including the prime minister.”
The episode came as Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, addressed Canadian lawmakers on Friday for the second time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of his country last February.
Russian authorities justified their continued attack on Ukraine as part of an effort to “de-Nazify” the country. Kiev and its allies have dismissed this as Russian propaganda and accused Moscow of carrying out land grabs.
This week, Russia said it was “outrageous” that Hunka was being honored in Canada. “Such sloppiness of memory is scandalous,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“Many Western countries, including Canada, have raised a young generation that doesn’t know who fought who or what happened during World War II. And they know nothing about the threat of fascism.”
Roland Paris, director of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, said Rota’s swift apology was welcome but did not go far enough.
“It was so egregious – so damaging to Canada, our parliament and our Ukrainian partners, and so insulting to Jews everywhere – that he had to resign,” Paris wrote on social media.
I am pleased that the Speaker of the House of Commons quickly apologized and took responsibility for this mistake, but it was so egregious – so damaging to Canada, our parliament and our Ukrainian partners, and so insulting to Jews everywhere – that he should resign.
— Roland Paris (@rolandparis) September 25, 2023
Trudeau also faced questions from opposition Conservative Party lawmakers about what he knew about Hunka’s background and how he was vetted.
CBC News reported that Rota is expected to meet with government and opposition leaders around noon on Tuesday.
“It’s obviously extremely disturbing that this has happened,” Trudeau told reporters this week.
“The speaker has acknowledged his mistake and apologized, but this is something that is deeply embarrassing for the Parliament of Canada, and by extension, all Canadians.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24851937/spider_man_2_screenshot_peter_mi.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1 "SAG-AFTRA votes for strike approval for video game performers")
