OTTAWA, Oct 3 (Reuters) – Canada’s House of Commons on Tuesday elected Greg Fergus as its new speaker, making the Liberal Party lawmaker the first Black Canadian to hold the post after the previous speaker quit over unknowingly inviting a former Nazi soldier to parliament.

The members of the 338-seat House voted for Fergus in a secret ballot. Fergus came ahead of candidates including fellow Liberal MP Sean Casey, Conservative Chris d’Entremont and Green Party leader Elizabeth May.

Fergus was asked about the prospect of becoming the first Black person in the role.

“The historic nature of that is not lost on me,” he said, adding “that’s not the reason why I’m asking my colleagues to vote for me.

“I’m asking them to vote for me because I’m the best candidate and that I’m the person who can apply the rules, fairly, firmly and consistently.”

Canada has elected Liberal MP Greg Fergus to be the new Speaker of the House of Commons after the previous one resigned amid a Nazi in parliament row.

Mr Fergus – the first black man to hold the position – was chosen by the 338-member House after a secret ballot on Tuesday.

He called it “a great honour” to be chosen for the role.

The former Speaker resigned after inviting a Ukrainian man who fought for a Nazi unit to the parliament.

Anthony Rota said he did not know of the veteran’s Nazi ties.

Seven candidates had been in the race to replace him on Tuesday.

In his first remarks, Mr Fergus urged his colleagues to treat each other with respect in the House, a place he said was for “passionate debate”.

“We will show them politics is a noble profession,” he said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his election “should be inspiring for all Canadians, especially younger generations who want to get involved in politics”.

His nomination was opposed by some Conservative members. MP Michelle Rempel Garner of Calgary argued that an ethics violation from last year – in which he was found to have inappropriately written a letter of support as a lawmaker for a French-speaking broadcaster – made him unable to serve.

But despite some opposition, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre smiled as he and Mr Trudeau held Mr Fergus’ arms to escort him into the House of Commons in Ottawa in a centuries old tradition in which the new Speaker feigns an unwillingness to serve.

While Mr Fergus is the first black man to become Speaker in the House, Jean Augustine, the first black woman to be elected as a member of parliament in 1993, later went on to briefly serve as deputy speaker.

Along with his role as member of parliament, Mr Fergus, 54, served as parliamentary secretary to the Treasury Board president and to the health minister.

As a student in the late 1980s, he was also a House of Commons page for a year – a part-time year-long role that includes tasks such as delivering water and messages to members in the House chamber – a moment he recalled in his remarks.

Mr Fergus was first elected in 2015 as an MP for the Quebec riding (district) of Hull-Aylmer, near Ottawa, the year Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s party swept into power.

His personal biography describes him as a “community activist, long distance runner, new grandfather and failed musician”.

The Speaker chairs debates, enforces the rules of the House, votes only to break a tie and is expected to be politically impartial.

His first role will be to “restore the honor of the Chamber,” said leader of the New Democrats Jagmeet Singh, speaking on the House floor.

It was a reference to the standing ovation given to a World War Two veteran who served in the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division, a voluntary unit made up mostly of ethnic Ukrainians under Nazi command.

Yaroslav Hunka, 98, was sitting in the gallery in parliament when Mr Rota honored him by calling him a “hero” during a visit to Ottawa by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Division members are accused of killing Polish and Jewish civilians, although the unit has not been found guilty of any war crimes by a tribunal.

Under parliamentary rules, MPs can write letters of support to the CRTC in support of an application, but parliamentary secretaries and cabinet ministers cannot.

Fergus apologized for what he called his “unintentional error.”

The Speaker election was prompted by Anthony Rota’s decision to vacate the chair after taking full responsibility for inviting Hunka — a 98-year-old veteran of a Nazi unit — to participate in the celebration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his recent visit.

Fergus beat out P.E.I. Liberal MP Sean Casey, Nova Scotia Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont, Ontario NDP MP Carol Hughes, B.C. Green MP Elizabeth May, Quebec Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès and Quebec Liberal MP Peter Schiefke for the job.