A stillness pervaded the vicinity of Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota’s constituency office in North Bay on Wednesday, a sharp contrast to the preceding day’s tumult. The placidity of the scene belied the recent controversy that brought Rota, in his role as Speaker of the House of Commons, into the eye of an international storm, resulting in his resignation.
Caught in an incident of international ignominy, Rota had introduced Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old resident of North Bay, as a “Ukrainian-Canadian war veteran” on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Parliament Hill. Praises were sung of Hunka’s fight for Ukrainian independence against Russia, and MPs collectively offered him a standing ovation. However, the mood darkened when it was revealed that Hunka had previously served in the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a unit of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime in the Second World War.
His constituents offered mixed responses to the debacle. One local opined that the situation could have been avoided with more careful vetting, while others expressed disappointment that North Bay had been brought to international attention under such dubious circumstances.
Rota issued a sincere apology, twice. He took full responsibility for his unfortunate oversight and expressed deep remorse for the inadvertent hurt caused to the Jewish community, both within Canada and globally. Despite being at the heart of the controversy, Rota confirmed that he plans to fulfill his term as an active MP.
Pundits observed the damaging effect the incident had on Rota’s political career. David Tabachnick, a political science professor at Nipissing University, expressed his belief that despite it being a single incident, it may overshadow Rota’s service in the collective memory. He did, however, deem such an outcome to be profoundly unjust.
In the midst of this controversy, the president of the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in North Bay voiced a demand for an investigation into Hunka’s residence and citizenship in Canada, while graciously accepting Rota’s apology.
With decades of service under his belt, Rota has been representing his constituency since 2004, and assumed office as Speaker of the House of Commons in 2019. His long-standing tenure as an MP and his commitment to his role have endeared him to his constituents, who voiced their unwavering support for him and acknowledged that even the most diligent of public servants are not impervious to error. For now, the general consensus seems to be to accept Rota’s heartfelt apology and to move forward, focusing on the future representation of the constituency.
