Liberal MP Anthony Rota is stepping down as House of Commons Speaker after inviting a Ukrainian veteran who fought in a Nazi division to Parliament — a dramatic turn of events that will be welcomed by MPs on all sides who said the embarrassing incident was unforgivable.
While House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota has so far resisted calls to resign his post over a tribute to a constituent who fought with a Nazi unit, he lost the support of some key Liberal cabinet ministers on Tuesday — a development that makes his position increasingly tenuous.
On Friday, Rota invited 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka to sit in the parliamentary gallery for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to Parliament.
Government House Leader Karina Gould said Rota's lack of judgment in issuing the invitation requires that he step down from the position, which he's held since 2019.
Health Minister Mark Holland, who recently served as government House leader and worked closely with the Speaker in that role, said Rota is "a profoundly good man" and the last few days have been "incredibly difficult" for him and those who know him well.
While the NDP and Bloc Québécois said Monday that Rota needed to go, Poilievre and Conservative MPs spent the day blaming Trudeau for Hunka's presence in Parliament.
The original article contains 798 words, the summary contains 211 words. Saved 74%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!