Canada’s House of Commons elected Greg Fergus as its new speaker on Tuesday, making the Liberal lawmaker the first Black Canadian to hold the position.
The election follows the resignation of Anthony Rota, who left office last week after inviting – and paying tribute to – a man who fought for the Nazi army during World War II.
Shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Canadian Parliament last month, lawmakers greeted 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka with a standing ovation as Rota introduced him as a war hero who fought in the Ukrainian First Division.
Later, analysts began to highlight the fact that the Ukrainian First Division was also known as the Waffen-SS Galitzia Division, or the 14th Waffen SS Division, a volunteer unit under Nazi command. Rota later apologized, saying he was unaware.
Fergus, 54, is a Liberal legislator from Quebec.
After lawmakers elected him in a secret ballot, Fergus promised to lead with respect and encouraged his colleagues to respect each other. Canadians are watching us, he said.
“The Speaker (of the House), to use an old hockey analogy, is nothing more than a referee,” Fergus said in his first speech in office. “And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that no one pays a lot of money to see the referee. They’re going to see the stars: you.
“Devoted organizer. Incurable thinker. Explorer. Tv junkie. Travel buff. Troublemaker.”
