Statement from FSWC

Toronto (September 26, 2023) - As the spiraling fallout caused by a former Nazi Waffen-SS unit member being invited to and celebrated on the floor of the House of Commons continues to mount, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is calling for Anthony Rota to resign from his role as Speaker of the House of Commons.

While we acknowledge his apology, Speaker Rota's decision to invite a former member of the Waffen-SS, notorious for its involvement in Holocaust atrocities, to Canada's Parliament has left a stain on our country’s venerable legislature with profound implications both in Canada and globally. This incident has compromised all 338 Members of Parliament and has also handed a propaganda victory to Russia, distracting from what was a momentously significant display of unity between Canada and Ukraine. It has also caused great pain to Canada's Jewish community, Holocaust survivors, veterans and other victims of the Nazi regime.

As a result, for the credibility of the institution of Parliament, Speaker Rota must step down. We also call on the Parliamentary Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) to hold public hearings and investigate what took place, vetting process failures and propose measures to ensure that no such incident could ever happen again.

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