Anthony Rota, leader of Canada’s House of Commons, resigned his post on Tuesday after he unknowingly honored a man who had fought for the Nazis in World War II.
House Speaker Anthony Rota removed himself from the powerful post with a brief statement to fellow lawmakers on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I rise to inform members of my resignation as speaker of the House of Commons,” he said.
Canadian lawmakers on Friday had honored Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old who fought for Ukraine’s independence during World War II.
It later emerged that Hunka, who was given a standing ovation in the presence of visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had in fact fought as part of a notorious Nazi unit.
In an apology on Sunday, Rota said he “subsequently became aware of more information” about Hunka’s past.
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