By Canadian Press

Who is Anthony Rota, the House of Commons Speaker who has been asked to resign?

Sep 26, 2023 | 9:00 AM

OTTAWA — Until Friday afternoon, Anthony Rota was considered a highly respected Speaker of the House of Commons on both sides of the parliamentary aisle.

That day, he invited a Ukrainian veteran who fought for the Nazis to the House of Commons to witness a speech by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and lauded the man as a Canadian and Ukrainian hero.

Rota apologized to the House on Monday amid international criticism over the incident.

He is now facing calls to resign from all four major parties represented in the Commons.

Rota was first elected as a Liberal member of Parliament in 2004, and took on the job as Speaker in 2019 after winning a ranked ballot with the support of opposition parties.

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He won the job again in 2021, and told MPs he would treasure their confidence in him for the rest of his life.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2023.

The Canadian Press