Rota resigns as speaker of the house over Ukrainian Nazi scandal
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
141.09985
Summary
Learn English with Stephen Harper. Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologizes for his comments about a visiting Ukrainian-Canadian dignitaries. He says he's not responsible for our diplomatic reputation, even though that's the job of the Prime Minister, and now he says he s not responsible to vet the very people that come in contact with a visiting head of state.
Transcript
00:00:00.000
I wish to apologize to the House, and I am deeply sorry that I have offended many with my gestures and remarks.
00:00:07.920
We have here in the chamber today Ukrainian-Canadians, Ukrainian-Canadian world veteran from the Second World War
00:00:15.880
who fought the Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today, even at his age of 98.
00:00:30.000
I would also like to add that this initiative was entirely my own.
00:00:47.360
The individual in question being from my writing and having been brought to my attention,
00:00:52.100
no one, including you, my fellow parliamentarians, or the Ukraine delegation, was privy to my remarks prior to their delivery.
00:01:02.980
It was the honorable thing to do. It was the right thing to do.
00:01:06.440
After a moment in our history on Friday, it was deeply embarrassing, deeply shameful for Canadians,
00:01:13.500
and that has hurt all of us as parliamentarians and Canadians.
00:01:16.300
The minister who is now whispering was louder when she also painted Canadians as Nazis,
00:01:22.000
and she can't bring herself to apologize for an actual Nazi this government vetted.
00:01:28.280
Worse even, she tried to strike it from the historical record of this House as if it never happened.
00:01:35.420
A descendant of Holocaust survivors distorting the Holocaust.
00:01:41.260
Shame on him for bringing shame on this chamber.
00:01:45.320
Will the prime minister finally take responsibility, do the right thing, and apologize?
00:01:54.580
Will he stand up and apologize to Canadians, to the Jewish community, to the Ukrainian people,
00:01:59.960
and to the entire world for this mess that he helped create?
00:02:02.740
No one in this chamber knew ahead of time of who he was.
00:02:08.500
The speaker has taken full responsibility for this.
00:02:14.640
The minister says he's not responsible for our diplomatic reputation,
00:02:20.700
even though that is precisely the job of the head of government.
00:02:23.660
Like when he says he's not responsible for the inflationary spending
00:02:28.120
that led prices and interest rates to rise faster than at any time in history.
00:02:31.700
He's not responsible for housing costs doubling after he promised to lower them.
00:02:36.000
He's not responsible for dressing up in racist costumes so many times he can't remember.
00:02:41.080
That's all Canadians that needed to learn a lesson from his personal conduct.
00:02:45.540
And now he says he's not responsible to vet the very people that come into contact with a visiting head of state.
00:02:53.880
Is it that he's not responsible or that he's irresponsible?
00:02:57.020
You can become a Western Standard member for just $10 a month or $99 a year for unlimited access.
00:03:14.980
All things you want toicken to pay off any other people toward Damnit and help them uncover,
00:03:31.360
TheÃzpric cuts so many times ago watch the city's headquarters and I'm not responsible for every property zeg.
00:03:35.040
Check out all of the freedom to run up here in the world and show us what they're saying in advance.
00:03:37.760
Instead, he's stuck in the world without knowing the space.