OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – A member of the Canadian Parliament was captured completely naked in a virtual House of Commons meeting.
William Amos, who has represented the Pontiac district in Quebec since 2015, appeared completely naked on Wednesday on the screens of his fellow lawmakers. The pandemic has meant that many Canadian lawmakers participate in video conferencing 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.
“It was an unfortunate mistake,” Amos said in an emailed statement. “” My video was accidentally activated when I changed into work clothes after jogging. I sincerely apologize to my colleagues in the House of Commons for this involuntary distraction. Obviously, it was an honest mistake and it will not happen again.
Claude DeBellefeuille, lawmaker for the opposition Bloc Quebecois party, raised the incident in a matter of order after question period, suggesting parliamentary decorum requires male parliamentarians to wear a jacket and tie and a shirt, underwear and pants.
President Anthony Rota later thanked DeBellefeuille for his “observations” and clarified that although he had not seen anything, he consulted with technicians and confirmed that they saw something there. He reminded lawmakers to always be alert when they are near a camera and a microphone.
Amos, the parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, was only visible to members of parliament and employees on an internal video conferencing channel. Because he was not speaking, his image did not appear in the public feed.
Liberal Party colleague Mark Holland said Amos was “totally mortified”. Holland said he was pleased with his partner’s explanation.
“I do not think there was any bad intention. It’s definitely 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 walk anywhere near the camera that you are properly dressed.”
When asked if he would send a warning to all Liberal lawmakers in that regard, Holland said, “Oh, very well.”