House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rotte delivers speech after speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, September 22, 2023.
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House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rotte delivers speech after speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, September 22, 2023.
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TORONTO – The speaker of Canada’s House of Commons resigned Tuesday over inviting a man who fought in a Nazi military unit during World War II to Parliament to attend a speech by the Ukrainian president.
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the House of Commons on Friday, Canadian lawmakers applauded 98-year-old Jaroslav Hunka when Parliament Speaker Anthony Rutte called attention to him. Ruta presented Hunka as a war hero who fought in the ranks of the 1st Ukrainian Division.
Over the weekend observers began spreading the fact that the 1st Ukrainian Division was also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a volunteer unit that was under the command of the Nazis.
“No one in this House is above any of us. Therefore, I must step down as Speaker of Parliament,” Rutte said in Parliament. “I repeat my deep regret for my mistake in identifying someone in the House of Representatives during President Zelenskyy’s joint speech to Parliament.
He added: “This public admission has caused pain to individuals and communities, including the Jewish community in Canada and around the world as well as Nazi survivors in Poland and other countries. I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Rutte resigned after meeting with party leaders in the House of Commons. All major opposition parties called on Rutte to step down, and House of Representatives government leader Karina Gould said lawmakers had lost confidence in Rutte.
“This has brought shame and embarrassment to all members of Parliament, and indeed to all Canadians,” Gould said. “The Speaker has done the honorable thing by resigning.”
Ruta invited and recognized Hunka without informing the government or the delegation from Ukraine, Gould said, adding that the fact that Ruta did not inform anyone and did not conduct any diligence led to a break in trust with lawmakers.
Members of Parliament from all parties rose to applaud Hunka on Friday, unaware of the details of his identity.
“Never in my life did I imagine that the Speaker of the House would ask us to stand up and applaud someone who fought with the Nazis,” Gold said.
“This is very emotional for me. My family are Holocaust survivors. Never in a million years would I stand up and applaud someone who helped the Nazis.”
Rota found out over the weekend, Gould said. She added: “Maybe he should have resigned as soon as he found out about it.”
Jaroslav Hunka, right, waits for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the House of Commons in Ottawa, Ontario on Friday, September 22, 2023.
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Jaroslav Hunka, right, waits for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the House of Commons in Ottawa, Ontario on Friday, September 22, 2023.
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Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland described the incident as “extremely embarrassing.”
The Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies said in a statement that the incident “left a stain on our country’s esteemed legislature and has profound implications both in Canada and globally.”
“This incident hurt all 338 Members of Parliament, and also provided a propaganda victory for Russia, distracting from what was a critically important show of unity between Canada and Ukraine. It also caused great pain to Canada’s Jewish community, Holocaust survivors, and war veterans.” “The old ones.” And other victims of the Nazi regime.”
In an earlier apology on Sunday, Rutte said he alone was responsible for inviting and recognizing Honka, who is from the region that Rutte represents. The speaker’s office said it was Honka’s son who contacted the local Ruta office to see if he could attend Zelensky’s speech.
The Prime Minister’s Office said it was not aware of Honka’s invitation until after the speech. The Speaker’s Office also confirmed that it has not shared its invitation list with any other party or group. The spokesman’s office said the vetting process for fair visitors relates to physical security threats, not reputational threats.
In Moscow, a Kremlin spokesman said it was “outrageous” that Honka received a standing ovation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has portrayed his enemies in Ukraine as “neo-Nazis,” even though Zelensky is Jewish and lost relatives in the Holocaust.
“It’s very unfortunate, and the only winner here is Putin’s regime, which is already spinning what happened on Friday to justify its continued military actions in Ukraine,” said Daniel Belland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.
Canada’s opposition Conservative Party blamed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but Belland noted that the Speaker’s role in Canada is as a parliamentary staffer who does not participate in caucus meetings and is not a member of the Cabinet.
Leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, said: “Canada’s reputation has been shattered. This is the biggest blow to Canada’s diplomatic reputation ever in history, and it happened under the leadership of Justin Trudeau.”
Poilievre said everyone in the House of Commons on Friday had to be examined in Zelensky’s presence.
Robert Bothwell, a historian and professor at the University of Toronto, described Rutte as ignorant for waiting so long to step down. He said Trudeau’s apology was also justified.
“He shouldn’t make it personal; he did nothing personally wrong, but the event embarrassed the country and as prime minister he takes responsibility,” Bothwell said.
“Trudeau does not have the strongest image and this will make other leaders view him as damaged goods.”
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