One Canadian member of Parliament, William Amos, became Zoom’s latest victim of awkward moments when he found himself in a compromising position in front of his colleagues.
Mr Amos, who has represented the Quebec district of Pontiac since 2015, appeared on the screens of his House of Commons colleagues stark naked yesterday, Wednesday, April 14, 2021.
A screenshot, obtained by The Canadian Press, shows Mr Amos standing behind a desk between the Quebec and Canadian flags. His private parts are hidden by what appears to be a mobile phone in one hand.
In a statement, Mr Amos apologised for the ‘unintentional distraction’.
‘This was an unfortunate error,’ he wrote in an email, ‘My video was accidentally turned on as I was changing into my work clothes after going for a jog.
”I sincerely apologise to my colleagues in the House of Commons for this unintentional distraction. Obviously, it was an honest mistake and it won’t happen again.”
Mr Amos, who is the parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, was visible only to Parliament members and staffers on an internal video conference feed. Because he was not speaking, his image did not show up on the feed which could be watched by the public.
Claude DeBellefeuille, a legislator for the opposition Bloc Quebecois party, suggested in a point of order that parliamentary decorum requires male Parliament members to wear a jacket and tie — and a shirt, underwear and trousers. His colleagues said he was ‘utterly mortified’ by the incident.
She said: ”As you know, since the beginning of the pandemic, we have tried to emphasise the importance of respecting quorum, the dress code here in the House, and I think today we have set a new record – we’ve seen a member during question period, improperly dressed, that is, unclothed.”
Ms DeBellefeuille added: ”We have seen that the member was in very good shape, but I think that this member should be reminded of what is appropriate and to control his camera.”
Speaker Anthony Rota thanked Ms DeBellefeuille for her ‘observations’ and clarified that while he had not seen anything, he checked with technicians who confirmed what happened. He reminded MPs to stay vigilant and ‘aware’ when they are near a camera and microphone. His colleague Mark Holland, from the Liberal Party, said Mr Amos was ‘utterly mortified’.
Mr Holland said he was ‘satisfied’ with the explanation from his colleague.
‘I don’t think there was any ill intent. It’s certainly an unfortunate circumstance,’ Mr Holland added.
‘This is a warning to everybody. You’ve got to really always assume that camera is on and be very careful any time you wander anywhere near that camera that you’re dressed appropriately.”
Asked if he will be issuing a warning to all Liberal MPs to that effect, Mr Holland said: ‘Oh, big time.’
(MetroUK)