A Canadian MP was caught completely naked at a virtual meeting of the House of Commons.
William Amos, who has represented the Pontiac district of Quebec since 2015, appeared on the screens of his fellow lawmakers completely naked on Wednesday. The pandemic has meant that many Canadian lawmakers attend video conferencing sessions, rather than in person.
A screenshot obtained by The Canadian Press shows Amos sitting 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.
“This was an unfortunate mistake,” Amos said in an email. “My video was accidentally turned on while I was changing my work clothes after I ran away. I sincerely apologize to my colleagues in the House of Commons for this involuntary distraction. Obviously, it was a sincere mistake and will not be repeated. “
Claude DeBellefeuille, a member of parliament for the Bloc Quebecois opposition party, raised the issue by a court order after a period of questioning, suggesting that the parliamentary decoration requires male deputies to wear jackets and ties, shirts, underwear and trousers.
Spokesman Anthony Rota later thanked DeBellefeuille for his “observations” and said that although he did not see anything, he consulted with the technicians and confirmed that they had seen something. He reminded parliamentarians to always be vigilant when they are around the camera and the microphone.
Amos, the parliamentary secretary to industry minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, was only visible to members of parliament and staff in an internal video conference. Because he did not speak, his image did not appear in the public show.
Liberal Party colleague Mark Holland said Amos was “completely mortified”. Holland said he was pleased with his colleague’s explanations.
“I do not think there were any bad intentions. It is certainly an unfortunate circumstance, “Holland said.
“This is a warning to everyone,” Holland added. “You should always assume that the camera is on and be very careful every time you approach that room, in which you are properly dressed.”
When asked if he would issue a warning to all Liberal MPs, Holland said: “Oh, great time.”