Trudeau fell short of asking for Rota to resign but the Speaker will be meeting House leaders to discuss his future
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OTTAWA — Speaker of the House Anthony Rota has finally stepped down from his position, after facing increasingly growing calls to resign for honouring a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War in the House of Commons.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I rise to inform members of my resignation as Speaker of the House of Commons,” he said in a brief statement to a partially full House on Tuesday afternoon.
“The work of this House is above any of us. Therefore, I must step down as your Speaker. I reiterate my profound regret for my error in recognizing an individual in the House during the joint address to Parliament of President Zelenskyy,” he added.
“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 reiterated he accepts “full responsibility” for his actions and said his resignation will be effective at the end of day, Wednesday September 27. Until then, he added, deputy Speakers Chris d’Entremont and Alexandra Mendes will be chairing the House proceedings.
His resignation comes after all four recognized parties in the Commons, including senior Liberals, asked him to leave his post following this embarrassing incident for Canada.
Tuesday morning, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly was the first one to publicly call the shots from her party, saying the incident was completely unacceptable and an embarrassment to the House of Commons.
“I think the Speaker should listen to members of the House and step down,” she said.
“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 and I think it’s time for him to do the honourable thing,” she said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fell short of asking for Rota to resign but would not say if he still has confidence in him to stay in his position.
“It is a good thing that Speaker Rota apologized personally and I am sure he is reflecting now on how to ensure the dignity of the House going forward,” said Trudeau.
On Friday, Rota recognized 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka as “a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero” moments before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to Parliament, prompting MPs and dignitaries in the House to offer a standing ovation.
During the weekend, Hunka was publicly identified as having served in the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division which was a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis.
Rota met with parliamentary leaders of all recognized parties at noon today to discuss his future. The meeting lasted approximately 30 minutes.
The NDP and the Bloc had already asked Rota formally to resign, arguing that he had lost the confidence of the House. On Tuesday, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre joined the calls for Rota’s resignation, while continuing to place the blame on Trudeau.
“The Liberal Speaker will have to resign,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “But that does not excuse Justin Trudeau’s failure to have his massive diplomatic and intelligence apparatus vet and prevent honouring a Nazi.”
In a statement, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) said while they acknowledge Rota’s apology, his decision to invite an individual with ties to the Nazis has “compromised” all members of Parliament and “handed a propaganda victory to Russia”.
“It has also caused great pain to Canada’s Jewish community, Holocaust survivors, veterans and other victims of the Nazi regime,” said the FSWC.
“As a result, for the credibility of the institution of Parliament, Speaker Rota must step down.”
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/speaker-anthony-rota-to-meet-house-leaders-trudeau
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