The speaker of Canada resigned on Tuesday, days after wrongfully hailing in parliament a Ukrainian veteran who fought for the Nazis during World War II.
“It is with a heavy heart that I rise to inform members of my resignation as Speaker of the House of Commons,” Anthony Rota told lawmakers from the parliamentary floor.
He expressed his “profound regret for my error” and the pain he caused to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world.
Rota faced calls to resign after paying homage to Yaroslav Hunka during Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to parliament on Friday.
He hailed the 98-year-old Ukrainian immigrant, who was visiting parliament and who is from his electoral district, as a hero for fighting for Ukrainian independence against the Russians.
But Hunka actually served in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, “a Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well-documented,” according to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center.
The Jewish advocacy group called the incident “shocking” and “incredibly disturbing.”
“This incident has compromised all 338 Members of Parliament,” the organization said, as MPs made a standing ovation on Hunka’s mention.
The FSWC also said Rota’s gaffe had “handed a propaganda victory to Russia, distracting from what was a momentously significant display of unity between Canada and Ukraine.”