Anthony Rota has announced his resignation as Speaker of the House following his recognition of a former member of a Nazi unit in Parliament.
“This House is above any of us. Therefore, I must step down as your Speaker,” Mr. Rota said in the House of Commons before Question Period on Sept. 26.
“I reiterate my profound regret for my error in recognizing an individual in the house during the joint address to Parliament of President Zelenskyy.”
After becoming aware that Mr. Hunka had fought alongside Nazis, Mr. Rota apologized in a statement on Sept. 24, noting that he was solely responsible for inviting the man to Parliament.
Mr. Rota said when announcing his resignation that his recognition of Ukrainian-Canadian Yaroslav Hunka had caused pain to many 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.”
“I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he said.
Mr. Rota said his resignation would take effect at the end of the day on Sept. 27, at which time preparations would begin for the election of a new House Speaker. Until then, deputy speakers will chair proceedings in the House of Commons.
During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Parliament in Ottawa on Sept. 22, Mr. Rota recognized Mr. Hunka as a “veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians.”
Following a 30-second round of applause by all MPs present, Mr. Rota added that “he’s a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service.”
During World War II, Mr. Hunka fought with the 4th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, a military wing of the Nazi Party.
In February 1944, the unit perpetrated a massacre of Polish villagers in Huta Pieniacka, Ukraine, burning between 500 and 1,000 Polish people alive, according to various estimates.
‘Completely Unacceptable’
The Conservatives, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois had called for Mr. Rota to step down from his position, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a media scrum on Sept. 26 that House leaders would be holding a meeting on the subject later the same day.The Conservatives say the responsibility for the vetting failure should extend to the Liberal government as well, while the Liberals say the responsibility is the Speaker’s alone.
During a press conference on Sept. 26, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the incident was “completely unacceptable” and said she hoped Mr. Rota would “do the honourable thing” and step down.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, a Jewish rights group, said earlier in the day that Mr. Rota’s actions had “compromised all” MPs present and given a “propaganda victory” to Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since early 2022.
The group also called for the House of Commons Procedure and House Affairs Committee to hold public hearings and examine “vetting process failures” to determine what happened.
Polish Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek said in a statement on Sept. 26 that he had “taken steps” to have Mr. Hunka extradited to Poland. Mr. Czarnek also sent a letter to the Institute of National Remembrance, a Polish historical body that has prosecutorial powers, asking them to “urgently [establish] whether Yaroslav Hunka is wanted for crimes against the Polish nation or Poles of Jewish origin.”
