The Speaker of the Lower House of the Parliament of Canada, Anthony Rota, resigned this Tuesday due to the global controversy that arose after his invitation and recognition, last Friday in the central hall, of a former member of the Waffen-SS.

Rota communicated its decision to the Canadian government at the start of the monitoring day. His resignation will be effective from Wednesday.

“This room is above all of us. Therefore, I must resign from my position as president,” said Rota, who reiterated his apologies for the “mistake” made.

On the occasion of the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who delivered a speech in the Lower House on Friday, Rota invited a 98-year-old Canadian of Ukrainian origin, Yarsolav Hunka, to Parliament.

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In the presence of Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and to the applause of all Canadian MPs and senators, Rota presented Hunka as a veteran who fought against the Soviet Union to achieve independence for Ukraine.

“We have in this chamber a Canadian of Ukrainian origin, a veteran of the Second World War, who fought for the independence of Ukraine against the Russians and who continues to support the troops even at the age of 98 “, did he declare.

But over the weekend, Canadian Jewish organizations revealed that Hunka was actually a member of the 14th SS Grenadier Division, an SS division made up of Ukrainians who fought against the Soviet Union during World War II (1939- 1945).

After Hunka’s true identity was known, Russia, which justified its invasion of Ukraine to “denazify” the country, criticized the “scandalous” presence of the ex-Nazi.

For his part, Trudeau said Monday that the incident had been “very embarrassing” for Canada.

With information from the EFE

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