A member of the Canadian Parliament has apologized after appearing naked Wednesday during a virtual legislative session via Zoom.
Calling it “an unfortunate error,” District Representative William Amos of Pontiac, Quebec, explained in an email and on Twitter that he was changing in his office after a jog and did not realize his camera was on.
Amos was nude during a question-and-answer session that included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and fellow lawmakers and legislative staffers. The pandemic has required many Canadian lawmakers to participate in sessions via videoconference instead of in person.
As Trudeau concluded an answer from the Parliament chamber floor, Quebec lawmaker Claude DeBellefeuille called attention to Amos, whose image could be seen on the Zoom feed.
“We have seen that the member is in very good shape, but I think that this member should be reminded of what is appropriate and to control his camera,” she said, drawing laughter from other members of Parliament.
A screenshot obtained by the Canadian Press, a national news agency, that eventually went viral shows Amos standing behind a desk between the Quebec and Canadian flags, his private parts hidden by what appears to be a mobile phone in one hand.
Amos said in his apology that he was embarrassed by the incident.
“It was an honest mistake, and it won’t happen again,” he said.
