Several Ministers Say House Speaker Rota Should Step Down Over Nazi Invite

Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota rises in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Sept. 25, 2023. Rota says he is deeply sorry that he has offended many people by praising a former member of a Nazi unit as a Ukrainian war hero. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

Several Liberal cabinet ministers have openly called for House of Commons Speaker and Liberal MP Anthony Rota to resign from his post over his parliamentary tribute to a man who previously fought for the Nazis.

“I think it’s time for him to do the honourable thing,” Government House Leader Karina Gould told reporters in Ottawa on Sept. 26 before the cabinet meeting.

Ms. Gould, who is Jewish and a descendent of Holocaust survivors, said Mr. Rota should step down for having invited to the House Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian Canadian who fought for Hitler’s Waffen SS during World War II.

He was not only invited to the address of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sept. 22, but Mr. Rota recognized him in the gallery “without informing either the government or the Ukrainian delegation or any parliamentarian that he was going to do this,” said Ms. Gould.

“I can’t see based on the conversations that I’ve had that he will continue to have the support of Liberal members of parliament.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said that what happened was “unacceptable” and an “embarrassment” to the House of Commons and Canadians.

“I think the speaker should listen to members of the House and step down,” said Ms. Joly, who would not say whether this is a broader position with the cabinet. The foreign affairs minister also said she’s been in contact with her Ukrainian colleagues on the matter, but didn’t provide more details.

Minister of Fisheries Diane Lebouthillier also told reporters in Ottawa she believes Mr. Rota should step down and specified that this is her personal stance.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not take a position on the matter when asked by reporters on Sept. 26 but said that party House leaders will be meeting later in the day to discuss the situation with Mr. Rota.

“It was a good thing that speaker Rhoda apologized personally and I’m sure he’s reflecting now on how to ensure the dignity of the House going forward,” said Mr. Trudeau.

Apology

Mr. Rota made an official apology in the House as the first order of business on Sept. 25. He said that he was solely responsible for inviting Mr. Hunka.

“I would also like to add that this initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my riding and having been brought to my attention,” said Mr. Rota, who represents the Nipissing–Timiskaming riding. Mr. Hunka is a resident of North Bay in Ontario.

Mr. Rota said his intention in honouring the former Nazi was to show that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is “not a new one.”

“I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to recognize this individual,” he said.

During the World War II, Nazis recruited Ukrainians to fight against the Soviet Union.

Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk, who is of Polish heritage, rose on a point of order after Mr. Rota made his apology and remarked that September marks the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and by Soviet Russia.

“The presence of the gentleman in the gallery was deeply hurtful to Polish Canadians and to Poles,” said Mr. Kusmierczyk. “He was a member of the First Ukrainian Division, or the Waffen-SS Galicia Division. This was a particularly and exceptionally cruel unit that viciously murdered thousands of Jews and Poles in eastern Poland.”

A Polish government minister has reportedly taken steps to seek an extradition request for Mr. Hunka.

When asked by reporters about the extradition status Justice Minister and Attorney General Arif Virani said the matter was still under investigation.

“Commenting on an early stage of an extradition process is not appropriate and I wouldn’t do so,” he said.