Anthony Rota, born May 15, 1961, is a Canadian politician and LiberalMP for Nipissing—Timiskaming, a position he has held since 2015 and previously from 2004 to 2011. He served as the 37th Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons from 2019 to 2023, elected during the 43rd and re-elected in the 44th Parliament. Rota resigned as Speaker on September 27, 2023, following controversy over the recognition of Yaroslav Hunka, a former Waffen-SS "Galicia" veteran, in the House of Commons, which led to the 2023 speakership election.
Before entering politics, Rota worked as the regional manager for Ontario in the Industrial Research Assistance Program and served with the Canadian Technology Network in Ottawa. He also gained experience in the private sector and is fluent in English, French, Italian, and Spanish.
Politics
Rota began his political career as a city councillor in North Bay from 1994 to 1997, where he chaired the planning and economic development committee. He entered federal politics in 2004, winning the Liberal nomination for Nipissing—Timiskaming and narrowly defeating Conservative candidate Al McDonald in the general election. Rota was re-elected in 2006 and 2008, serving as the Liberal caucus chair and critic for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario.
In the 2011 election, Rota lost his seat by 18 votes to Conservative Jay Aspin after a recount. During his time out of politics, he taught at Nipissing University. Rota returned in the 2015 election, defeating Aspin to reclaim his seat. He was appointed Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole and was re-elected in 2019.
Work as the speaker of the House of Commons
After the 2019 federal election, Rota was elected as the 37th Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons on December 5, 2019, during the 43rd Canadian Parliament, defeating Joël Godin, Carol Hughes, Geoff Regan, and Bruce Stanton in a ranked ballot. Conservatives claimed credit for his victory, stating they deliberately ranked Regan, the previous Speaker, lower to show their strength. On June 17, 2020, Rota ordered NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to leave the House of Commons after Singh called Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien a racist.
Resignation
On September 22, 2023, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the Canadian parliament, Rota introduced Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian-Canadian, as a "war hero" who fought for Ukraine during World War II. Hunka received two standing ovations from MPs. Later, reports showed Hunka had served in a Nazi unit involved in violent actions during the war. Rota apologized, saying he didn't know Hunka's past and took full responsibility. Facing pressure, Rota resigned as Speaker on September 26, the first to do so since 1986.
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