Canada’s House of Commons elects first Black speaker

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canada’s House of Commons has elected a Black Canadian as its new speaker, a first. Liberal lawmaker Greg Fergus is the new speaker after a secret ballot by lawmakers. The election was triggered by the resignation of Anthony Rota, who stepped down last week after he invited and honored a man who fought for the Nazis in the Second World War. Just after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke before the Canadian parliament last month, Canadian lawmakers gave 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka a standing ovation when Rota drew attention to him. Rota introduced Hunka as a war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.