Last Tuesday (3), Canada elected Greg Fergus, the first black president in the history of his Parliament. It will replace Antoine Rotawho resigned from his position after accidentally honoring a Nazi World War II veteran.

“President [do Parlamento], to use the old hockey analogy, is nothing more than a referee. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that no one pays to go see the referee. They will see the stars — you”Fergus said in his first speech in the House.

As Folha de S. Paulo reports, whoever occupies the position is responsible for a possible Minerva vote, in addition to representing the legislative body and maintaining balance and order in the House in the midst of debates.

“Unless there is a mutual understanding of respect, it will not be possible to understand the arguments so that your opinions are heard. Unless we all agree to extend this meaning to each other respect and decorum.”Fergus said in his opening speech.

Following this declaration, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeaucommented on the pioneering spirit of the new President of Parliament, saying that what happened must be “inspire all Canadians, especially younger generations who want to get involved in politics”.

The incident

On September 26, then-House Speaker Anthony Rota resigned after receiving a series of criticisms for hosting Yaroslav Hunka98, like “war hero” during the time of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyin the country on the 22nd. At the time, the entire Canadian Parliament applauded the presence of the veteran.

The former Ukrainian soldier, born in Poland, was part of the 14th Grenadier Division of the Waffen-SS, the Nazi military organization. This branch, which included Hunka, had 15,000 men serving on the Soviet front. It is important to remember that the Waffen-SS was found guilty of war crimes by the Nuremberg tribunal, after being accused of abuses and executions.