"During his time as a Member of Parliament, Western Standard columnist Paul Forseth occasionally discharged the duties of the Speaker. He comments on the Anthony Rota affair.".The affair of House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota is bigger than most realize. I have a perspective, in that I have sat in the Speaker’s chair and presided over daily House of Commons proceedings on brief occasions.. Anthony RotaAnthony Rota resigns as Speaker of the House of Commons days after he honoured as a hero a Ukrainian veteran who fought as a member of the German Waffen SS. .As a parliamentarian, I recognize the historical significance of this central office. It is an esteemed position of importance to our democracy. The Office of the Speaker represents nearly a thousand years of political development of the Westminster model of parliamentary governance..The Office is integral to the operational management of the Parliamentary Precinct and the hundreds of support staff who work there. When one understands the significance of the Office of Speaker of the Commons, the shame that Speaker Rota brought to it becomes starkly evident..The Speaker manages the House of Commons operations, supervises its 2,000 support staff, and acts as a liaison with the Senate and the Crown. They are to impartially rule over the House and keep decorum and safety, while the government members are held accountable for governance during proceedings..Along with the Senate Speaker, the Speaker is responsible for the Parliamentary Protective Service, along with the RCMP. The Speaker and their deputies preside over debates of the House of Commons, maintain order and decorum (including reproving members who misbehave,) and make rulings on points of order and privilege..The Speaker first must be an elected MP, and receives an extra salary above the MP status and a small apartment in the House of Commons, as well as an official residence, “The Farm,” an estate located in Gatineau Park Quebec..The Speaker also has a diplomatic role representing Canada and parliamentarians to other Parliaments around the world..Parliament is not the government, but is an independent institution where the government comes to get permission to tax and spend the people’s money, and to have legislation passed. Parliament predates the emergence of political parties, prime ministers or cabinets..These are some of the factors that make the lack of judgment by Speaker Rota, so deeply wounding. His hubris and typical Liberal arrogance, to apparently not consult and liaise with others during the historic visit of President Zelensky of Ukraine, during a time of war, reflects a mentality of self-importance that I have criticized Speaker Rota for in the past..Previously, this Speaker has behaved in a biased manner and has forgotten himself. On occasion, in my opinion, he has demeaned the Chair and its esteemed role for the nation. He behaved in a partisan manner and failed to maintain his strictly neutral promise to all his MP colleagues..It appears that the “Liberal” within the Speaker’s mind could not be subdued when it counted..The Liberal attitude of presumption (divine right to govern) was evident when he injected himself into the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's address to Parliament, with his invitation to his constituent Yaroslav Hunka, falsely claiming that he was a defender of Ukraine. On Friday September 22, he had invited a veteran who fought for the Nazis, but lauded his constituent as a Canadian and Ukrainian hero. The subsequent story revealed the truth, and the international embarrassment ensued. Rota's improper behaviour broke a sacred trust..Prime Minister Trudeau had led a standing ovation for Hunka, who had been invited to sit in the reserved “Speaker’s section” of the parliamentary gallery. The subsequent deep embarrassment went around the world and was especially used by Russian propagandists..The Speaker's attempt to ingratiate favour with some of his constituents in his position of Liberal MP of Nipissing—Timiskaming, was placed before his non-partisan role as Speaker. Like so many Liberals, he succumbed to the culture of Liberal-land..On Tuesday September 26, the Liberal government House Leader Karina Gould and MP for Burlington, was assigned the duty of deflecting all the House of Commons Question Period darts from the Opposition about the scandal. She tried to claim that the Liberal bench knew nothing in advance about constituent Yaroslav Hunka. However, she appears in a smiling picture with Hunka and Speaker Rota taken in the Commons building before President Zalinsky’s speech..Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused the Prime Minister's Office of not having adequately checked the backgrounds of special guests invited to hear Zelensky in the Commons. Especially since this was an international affair of geopolitical importance, there was an extra responsibility for due diligence beyond the Speaker's Office..The philosophical arrogance that is historically deep within Liberal ranks explains why the penultimate son of Liberal-land culture, our prime minister, has been prone to arrogant presumptive error, ethical rule-breaking, and hypocrisy.
