Tom Mulcair: Why Anthony Rota had no choice but to resign
Anthony Rota has been an outstanding Speaker of the House of Commons. He is someone well-liked and respected by all parties, having practised the art of listening and compromising through two minority governments. He鈥檚 good at his job because he鈥檚 a good member of Parliament and a good person. MPs listen to him because there鈥檚 not a trace of fear or favour when he deals with the government or the opposition.
Rota also had no choice but to resign in the wake of the unprecedented political and diplomatic debacle that he caused when he invited 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, a Nazi veteran from his Northern Ontario riding of Nipissing鈥擳imiskaming, to hear the speech of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
One need only listen to the choice of words to understand that this was an MP writing his own stuff. Rota bone-headedly praised his constituent for fighting 鈥渢he Russians鈥 during the Second World War, forgetting that Russia, as the key component of the Soviet Union, was Canada鈥檚 ally throughout that war. If Rota had realized that, he wouldn鈥檛 have introduced the veteran. Make no mistake, this is entirely on Rota, as he himself admitted in a heartfelt apology issued on Sunday.
That obvious truth hasn鈥檛 stopped Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives from playing petty politics with this, trying lamely to pin responsibility on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Liberal leader has absolutely nothing to do with the Speaker鈥檚 totally independent choice of whom he puts in his own allotment of reserved seating for such an event.
The Conservatives sent out former speaker Andrew Scheer to try to muddy the waters by saying the federal government has an obligation to vet everyone. All he managed to do was to remind us of what a mediocre speaker he was under the tutelage of the 鈥渂oys in short pants鈥 of former prime minister Stephen Harper鈥檚 office. They could call the shots for Scheer, something that I witnessed first-hand. Rota is cut from a different cloth and always made his own calls. This was one of them. Period.
The Zelenskyy visit had been a perfect 10 for Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly. It managed to erase the bad taste left by his theatrical announcement of alleged Indian government involvement in the assassination of a Canadian on our own soil. That was timed to suck all of the oxygen out of the room in the return of Parliament and it largely worked. Opposition parties were erased for the day. But it came at a price 鈥 the Indian government was furious, having suspended Indian visa services for Canadians and issuing a travel advisory for Indians living in Canada.
Everything went perfectly with the Zelenskyy visit 鈥 his speech was Churchillian, the greeting profound and sincere, the timing impeccable, the weather even spectacular on a late summer day. What could go wrong?
As Trudeau and key cabinet members left for another highly successful event with Zelenskyy in Toronto, news of the gaffe started to trickle out. Like many young Ukrainians, that veteran had joined the forces that fought against the Soviets, whose forced genocide in the 1930s had cost the lives of millions of Ukrainians. Those forces were the German army and, in his case, the notorious Schutzstaffel, responsible for some of the worst atrocities of the Second World War.
In recognizing that there was no way for him to maintain the respect for the institution he cherishes and stay on in the job, Rota has once again shown what he鈥檚 made of. This must be an excruciatingly difficult moment for him. If history is going to retain the profound embarrassment caused by his mistake, it should, in fairness, also recognize what an important contribution he鈥檚 made to our democratic life. But no one has ever said that politics has to be fair.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Sunken superyacht believed to contain watertight safes with sensitive intelligence data
Specialist divers surveying the wreckage of the US$40 million superyacht that sank off Sicily in August, killing seven people including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, have asked for heightened security to guard the vessel, over concerns that sensitive data locked in its safes may interest foreign governments, multiple sources told CNN.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year 麻豆影视 reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I鈥檓 grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
Heavy metal exposure could increase cardiovascular disease risk, study finds
A new study is adding to emerging research showing that exposure to metals such as cadmium, uranium and copper may also be associated with the leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Mont茅r茅gie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
Hezbollah targets base near Haifa after Israeli strike in Beirut killed 37, including top commander
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group鈥檚 senior leaders as well as women and children.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.