National Post (National Edition)
Liberal MP caught naked on Zoom
• A Liberal MP caused consternation in the House of Commons Wednesday when he appeared completely naked on camera during question period.
Bloc Québécois Whip Claude DeBellefeuille first laid bare the incident when she interrupted the House of Commons' proceedings to ask the Speaker of the House, Anthony Rota, to intervene.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, you have repeated many times the importance of respecting decorum and dress code. And I think that we have broken a record today, because we saw an MP, during Question Period, in the simplest of attires. In other words, naked,” DeBellefeuille told the speaker after seeing her undressed colleague.
“So if you could remind our colleagues, particularly the men, that a tie and a jacket are obligatory, but also a shirt, underwear and pants.
“We were able to see that the MP was in great physical form, but I think it's important to remind him to control his camera.”
A picture of the scene — which was not broadcast publicly but only visible to MPs attending Question Period virtually — provided to National Post reveals that the perpetrator is in fact Gatineau-area Liberal MP William Amos.
In the picture, the MP for Pontiac is seen completely naked, though the member's member is covered by a strategically placed cellphone at the exact moment of the screenshot.
He also does not appear to be aware that his camera is on him as he stands next to his chair in front of his desk.
In a statement a few hours after the fact, Amos said the whole incident was completely unintentional and promised it would never happen again.
“This was an unfortunate error. My video was accidentally turned on as I was changing into my work clothes after going for a jog. I sincerely apologize to my colleagues in the House of Commons for this unintentional distraction.
“Obviously, it was an honest mistake and it won't happen again,” Amos responded by email.
But the absurdity of the situation made it that even the Speaker of the House could barely contain an embarrassed laugh when responding to DeBellefeuille as he confirmed that the House's technicians also “saw something” and he reminded MPs to be aware when they are near a camera.
Issues with decorum, dress codes and technical glitches have plagued the House of Commons since it was forced to turn to virtual proceedings at the beginning of the pandemic.
But never has an MP been caught naked by his peers, who were quick to comment on the affair on social media after the fact.
“Will, there's a white dress in my office that you can have (warning: it caused a bit of a stir) if you're really desperate for an `in case of emergency' outfit,” Conservative MP Michelle Rempel-Garner wrote on Twitter, referring to a sleeveless dress she once wore that earned her some sexist comments.
“A perhaps unintended, though nonetheless flawless, metaphorical representation of his Leader's Question Period performance today,” Conservative MP Mike Lake also tweeted.
It also goes without saying that Amos was clearly in breach of parliamentary procedure, which stipulates, male MPs participating in debates “wear a jacket, shirt and tie as standard dress.”
There is no specific mention of pants, though the House of Commons Procedure and Practice book does allow for kilts on special occasions.