Will the speaker of parliament responsible for the incident with the former SS man resign?
Breaking down how Canadian officials – and more – are reacting to what's going on.
The scandal with the honoring of a veteran of the SS division "Galicia" in the Canadian Parliament is not subsiding. Despite the apology of the Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota, who took responsibility for what happened, there are those who expect a more serious reaction.
Who wants Rota's resignation?
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and House of Commons member Karina Gould have called on Rota to resign. Interestingly, both Joly and Gould are Rota's Liberal Party colleagues. Previously, only representatives of rival parties had insisted on Rota's resignation: Peter Julian on behalf of the New Democratic Party and Yves-François Blanchet on behalf of the Bloc Québécois. The leader of the official opposition from the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, was also unequivocal in favor of Rota's resignation.
It seems that the Liberals have now decided that it would be better for their reputation to get rid of a colleague who has made a fatal mistake. Gould specifically mentioned in her speech that she herself is a descendant of holocaust survivors, and she is certain that Rota can no longer enjoy the party's support. At the same time, the Conservatives emphasize that they had to confirm the full list of those invited to the meeting on the day Zelensky arrived. Which means that the Liberals probably could not have been unaware of their fellow party member's initiative either. Thus, the opposition points to the negligence not only of Rota, but of the Liberal Party as a whole.
Trudeau on the situation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not dispute that Rota had put Canada in an extremely uncomfortable position. However, the head of parliament and part-time Liberal leader did not join the calls for his resignation:
"It’s a good thing that Speaker Rota apologized personally, and I’m sure he’s reflecting now on how you ensure the dignity of the House going forward."
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is also fully satisfied with the fact of Rota's apology. The only thing the organization expects from the parliament is an internal investigation to avoid such situations in the future.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Trudeau said he was extremely concerned about how the situation could affect Canada's international relations and the global agenda. The prime minister expressed concern about what a tidbit of Russian propaganda the incident had become.
Poland's reaction
In addition to Russian propagandists, the story of honoring an SS veteran also affected some of Canada's foreign partners. Poland was not left out: the country's ambassador to Canada criticized the parliament. And the Polish Minister of Education and Science has already filed a request for Gunka's extradition.
