A Canadian parliamentarian was caught completely naked at a virtual House of Commons meeting.
William Amos, who has represented the Pontiac district in Quebec since 2015, appeared on the screens of his fellow lawmakers completely naked Wednesday. The pandemic has meant that many Canadian lawmakers participate in videoconferencing sessions instead of in person.
A screenshot obtained by The Canadian Press shows Amos standing behind a desk between the flags of Quebec and Canada, his private parts hidden by what appears to be a mobile phone in one hand.
“That was an unfortunate mistake,” Amos said in an emailed statement. “My video accidentally turned on while I was changing my work clothes after I went for a run. I sincerely apologize to my colleagues in the House of Commons for this involuntary distraction. It was obviously an honest mistake and will not happen again. “
Claude DeBellefeuille, a legislator from the opposition Bloc Quebecois party, raised the incident in a matter of order after a question period, suggesting that parliamentary decorum requires male parliamentarians to wear jackets and ties, shirts, and underwear. and pants.
Spokesman Anthony Rota later thanked DeBellefeuille for his “observations” and clarified that while he had seen nothing, he consulted with technicians and confirmed that they saw something. He reminded lawmakers to always be on the lookout when they are near a camera and a microphone.
Amos, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, Francois-Philippe Champagne, was only visible to members of Parliament and staff on an internal video conference broadcast. Because he was not speaking, his image did not appear on the public broadcast.
Liberal Party colleague Mark Holland said Amos was “completely mortified”. Holland said he was pleased with his colleague’s explanation.
“I don’t think there were any bad intentions. It’s certainly an unfortunate circumstance,” Holland said.
“This is a warning to everyone,” Holland added. “You have to always assume that the camera is on and be very careful every time you approach this room that you are dressed appropriately.”
When asked if he would issue a warning to all Liberal lawmakers in that regard, Holland said, “Oh, great.”