Canada’s legislature elected a new speaker after the previous one quit over a diplomatic fiasco that saw a Nazi-linked veteran invited to a speech by Ukraine’s president two weeks ago.
(Bloomberg) — Canada’s legislature elected a new speaker after the previous one quit over a diplomatic fiasco that saw a Nazi-linked veteran invited to a speech by Ukraine’s president two weeks ago.
Liberal lawmaker Greg Fergus was elected to the role on Tuesday, becoming the first Black person to preside over Canada’s House of Commons.
Fergus replaces Anthony Rota, who was forced to step down last week after all political parties called for his resignation. Rota had caused a firestorm by recognizing a 98-year-old Ukrainian Canadian from his electoral district after a speech to parliament by Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The Second World War veteran, who served in a unit of the German military’s Waffen-SS, was given a standing ovation.
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