Canadian opposition parties called on the speaker of the House of Commons to resign Monday for inviting a man who fought for a Nazi military unit during World War II to attend a speech by the Ukrainian president.
In Moscow, a Kremlin spokesman said that it was 'outrageous' that Yaroslav Hunka received a standing ovation during a visit to Ottawa on Friday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a statement published on Friday, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said Rota had lost the confidence of the House.
Rota, who issued a written apology Sunday and repeated it to the House on Monday, did not immediately resign.
While Trudeau's office and their shared Liberal Party did not directly ask Rota to resign, political pressure from across the aisle for Rota to resign has grown. Trudeau's office also denied that he and Rota had met before Rota made the decision to invite Hunka.
In his apology, Rota said he alone was responsible for inviting and recognizing Hunka.
The BBC reported that criticism also grew outside of Canada, with Poland's ambassador to Canada calling for an apology from the parliament for 'whitewashing such villains'.
Dmitry Peskov, a Russian spokesman, said that memory of the Nazis should be preserved. He said Canada is among the Western countries that have raised a young generation who don't understand the threat of fascism.
Peskov called for a daily conference call with reporters.
Vladimir Putin has labeled his enemies in Ukraine as 'Neo-Nazis', even though Zelenskyy is Jewish and lost relatives in the Holocaust. In his apology, Trudeau acknowledged that the decision to invite Hunka played into the Kremlin narrative.
''It will be really important that all of us push back against Russian disinformation and continue our steadfast unequivocal support for Ukraine,'' said Trudeau, a journalist for the BBC.
On Monday, the opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, accused Trudeau and the Liberal government of creating a'massive diplomatic embarrassment and shame' for not properly vetting Hunka.
It's been deeply embarrassing for Canada and I think it was deeply embarrassing for the president of Ukraine, Gould said.
Gould said it is Rota's decision to invite Hunka.