Canada: House Speaker Resigns After Honoring Nazi WWII Soldier

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Facts

  • Canada's House of Commons speaker resigned on Tuesday after inviting and honoring a Ukrainian man who fought for a Nazi unit in World War II.1
  • Anthony Rota invited the 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka to parliament as Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Canada on Friday and made an address to the country's legislators. Rota introduced Hunka as a 'hero' who 'fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today.'2
  • However, over the weekend it emerged that Hunka had served in the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis and has been directly linked to carrying out crimes against humanity. That prompted Rota to extend his 'deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world.'3
  • Despite the apology, cross-party calls for Rota to resign grew louder and louder as the week commenced. He ultimately did so on Tuesday, telling parliament: 'I must step down as your speaker. I reiterate my profound regret.'4
  • Earlier in the day, Poland's education minister Przemysław Czarnek said he had 'taken steps' towards extraditing Hunka to the country.4

Sources: 1Politico, 2Toronto star, 3Ctvnews and 4BBC News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Bbc news. While it is right that Rota resigned, he is not the only one that ought to go. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must also take responsibility for his part in this scandal and remove himself from his role.
  • Narrative B, as provided by The globe and mail. After such a monumental mistake, Rota's resignation was inevitable. However, calls for Trudeau to also resign are wrong-headed. The mistake was the speaker's alone.

Predictions