The Canadian speaker of the House of Commons resigned Tuesday following backlash over his praise of an alleged Nazi veteran who attended a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.

Anthony Rota resigned from his position in Ottawa, Ontario, and apologized for drawing attention to the man, Yaroslav Hunka, and describing him as a "war hero." The resignation comes after opposition leaders claimed to have "no confidence" in Rota and called for him to leave the post.

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"This house is above any of us. Therefore, I must step down as your speaker," Rota said in a statement. "I reiterate my profound regret for my error in recognizing an individual in the house."

The resignation will take effect at the end of the day on Wednesday, and members of the House are expected to select a new leader to take Rota's place.

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Canadian-based Jewish human rights group, said Hunka had served in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the Schutzstaffel during World War II, which was under the control of the Nazis. Rota's acknowledgment of Hunka during Zelensky's visit resulted in the legislature giving the veteran a standing ovation.

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center acknowledged Rota's apology on Tuesday but said the incident had left a "stain" on Parliament.

"Speaker Rota's decision to invite a former member of the Waffen-SS, notorious for its involvement in Holocaust atrocities, to Canada's Parliament has left a stain on our country’s venerable legislature with profound implications both in Canada and globally," the center said.

"This incident has compromised all 338 Members of Parliament and has also handed a propaganda victory to Russia, distracting from what was a momentously significant display of unity between Canada and Ukraine," it said.

The center is also calling for the Parliamentary Procedure and House Affairs Committee to hold hearings to investigate the alleged "vetting process failures" and propose changes to ensure the incident never occurs again.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the error was "extremely upsetting" for the country, particularly the country's Jewish population, but he encouraged the country to remain united with Ukraine.

"I think it's going to be really important that all of us push back against Russian propaganda, Russian disinformation, and continue our steadfast and unequivocal support for Ukraine, as we did last week, with announcing further measures to stand with Ukraine in Russia's illegal war against it," Trudeau said.