Liberal MP Anthony Rota stepped down from his position as Speaker of the House of Commons after inviting a Ukrainian veteran who fought in a Nazi unit to parliament – a dramatic turn of events that will be welcomed by MPs from all sides who said the embarrassing incident is unforgivable.

Rota's resignation will take effect at the end of the sitting day on Wednesday.

While the Speaker of the House had so far resisted calls to resign over honoring a voter who fought with a Nazi unit, he lost the support of some key Liberal ministers on Tuesday – a development that makes his position increasingly precarious.

On Friday, Rota invited 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka to sit in the parliamentary chamber to attend a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to parliament.

Over the weekend, it became clear that Hunka was part of the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, a volunteer unit that was under Nazi command.

Rota apologized for inviting a resident of North Bay, Ontario, to be part of the event.