Facing calls to resign, Speaker Rota meeting with House leaders Tuesday: sources

House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota will be meeting with the House leaders of all parties today, sources confirm to CTV News.

The meeting comes amid acrimony over his invitation to and the House’s subsequent recognition of a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War.

The meeting, expected to take place at noon, was initiated by a Bloc Québécois request. Rota then reached out to all party House leaders to arrange the sit-down. 

The incident that’s put the Speaker in an unprecedented position of acrimony took place during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to Parliament on Friday. 

Following Zelenskyy’s remarks, Rota drew the room’s attention to a man in the viewing gallery that he described as “a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran… who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians” and “a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service,” prompting a standing ovation. 

While all sides have condemned the mistake as deeply embarrassing, the New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois have publicly called for Rota to step down. 

The Liberals have suggested Rota needs to personally reflect over whether or not he can maintain the confidence of the House. 

So far, the Conservatives have centred their condemnation of there being “a Nazi in the chamber” and the impact this international incident has had on Canada’s reputation, on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

The prime minister office has said the federal Liberal government had no advanced notice that 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, a Ukrainian veteran who fought in a volunteer unit under Nazi command, would be present, as he was a guest of the Speaker and the list of attendees was not shared, per parliamentary protocol. 

Rota apologized to all MPs Monday, saying he takes full responsibility for the mistake, and for not being aware until after the controversy exploded of his constituent’s historic involvement with the Waffen-SS Galicia Division.

If Rota was to resign, it’s likely that deputy speaker Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont would take the chair and preside over the secret-ballot election of a new speaker. 

According to the latest edition of the House of Commons Procedure and Practice, only two of the 36 speakers elected since Confederation were elected mid-session. In 1899, it was because the Speaker died while in office, and then in 1984 a replacement was needed because the Speaker resigned to become governor general.

There are also procedural options—albeit arguably unprecedented—for MPs to move a motion indicating a loss of confidence or desire for the Speaker to vacate the chair. 

With files from CTV News’ Annie Bergeron-Oliver