House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota is facing calls to resign after apologizing to the House of Commons after inviting, recognizing and leading the chamber in a standing ovation for a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War.
The incident took place during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Friday address to Parliament.
"My intention was to show that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not a new one; that Ukrainians have unfortunately been subject to foreign aggression for far too long and that this must end. I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to recognize this individual. I wish to apologize to the House. I am deeply sorry that I have offended many with my gesture and remarks," Rota said Monday morning in the House of Commons.
"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. No one—not even anyone among you, fellow parliamentarians, or from the Ukrainian delegation—was privy to my intention or my remarks prior to their delivery. "
Government House Leader Karina Gould then rose to call for the record of the recognition to be stricken from Parliament's record.
"This unfortunate situation has been deeply embarrassing for Canada's Parliament," Gould said.
Going a step further, NDP House Leader Peter Julian called Rota's error "unforgiveable," and put the entire House of Commons in "disrespect" and "disrepute."
"Unfortunately, I believe a sacred trust has been broken. It's for that reason, for the good of the institution of the House of Commons that I say, sadly, I don't believe you can continue in this role. Regrettably, I must respectfully ask that you step aside," Julian said.
On Sunday, in writing, Rota issued a similar apology to the one he gave in-person Monday morning, taking full responsibility for inviting and drawing the gallery's attention to 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, who fought for the First Ukrainian Division, a volunteer unit under Nazi command.
Controversy exploded over the weekend when it came to light that MPs from all parties, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Zelenskky honoured this individual with cheers, salutes and applause
"We have here in the chamber today a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today even at his age of 98," Rota said on Friday. "I am very proud to say that he is from North Bay and from my riding of Nipissing—Timiskaming. He is a Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service. Thank you."
On Sunday, the PMO placed responsibility for the incident on Rota, noting his office acts independently and was able to invite his own allotment of guests to Friday's address at his sole discretion.
"The independent Speaker of the House has apologized and accepted full responsibility for issuing the invitation and for the recognition in Parliament. This was the right thing to do," said PMO spokesperson Mohammad Hussain in a statement. "No advance notice was provided to the Prime Minister’s Office, nor the Ukrainian delegation, about the invitation or the recognition."
VETTING QUESTIONS, PMO: TRUDEAU DIDN'T MEET
Amid further questions about the level of vetting done, and whether, as social media posts from his family had suggested, Hunka, attended reception with Trudeau, the prime minister's office confirmed on background Monday morning that Trudeau "did not meet this person, nor did he cross paths with him."
The PMO said Trudeau did not attend any reception on the Hill, and to his office's knowledge, there was no reception, noting a photo circulating of Hunka waiting in a reception hall, appears to have been taken in the Speaker's office, not Trudeau's.
Over the weekend, attendees took to social media to express their dismay and condemnation. Jewish advocacy groups also used their platforms, to call for an apology.
Representatives of the Jewish community in Canada called for the federal government to provide a full explanation of the vetting process undertaken that saw— as The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies put it—the House welcoming a member of the Waffen-SS Galicia Division "responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians."
"We appreciate the apology issued… Proper vetting is imperative to ensure such an unacceptable incident does not occur again," said The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), in a post on "X" formerly known as Twitter, after initially posting that it was "deeply troubled and disturbed" about the incident.
"Canada's Jewish community stands firmly with Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression. But we can't stay silent when crimes committed by Ukrainians during the Holocaust are whitewashed," CIJA said.
Both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh issued statements indicating they were not aware of Hunka's history when attention was drawn to him in the House on Friday.
"New Democrats will be raising our concerns about how this was allowed to happen with the government directly," Singh said, apologizing to the Jewish community.
"No parliamentarians (other than Justin Trudeau) had the opportunity to vet this individual’s past before he was introduced and honoured on the floor of the House of Commons. Without warning or context, it was impossible for any parliamentarian in the room (other than Mr. Trudeau) to know of this dark past," Poilievre said, calling for the prime minister to "personally apologize."
Trudeau is not scheduled to participate in question period on Monday, but Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to attend.
The House of Commons begins sitting at 11 a.m.
FWIW here's some of what the rulebook says about the 'impartiality of the Chair' and what would happen if a Speaker election is required during a session.
(Snippets pulled by me) Full read: https://t.co/TNa9CAC1EX #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/85xUBs52lq
— Rachel Aiello (@rachaiello) September 25, 2023
