Government House leader asks for investigation into leaked photo
The government House leader has asked the Speaker of the House of Commons to investigate a photo leak of a Liberal MP caught naked on camera during a virtual sitting of Parliament.
Pablo Rodriguez said Thursday the incident involving Pontiac MP William Amos was “mean-spirited” and had been “life-changing” for him.
He suggested there could be serious implications for the person who took and shared this intimate image on Wednesday.
“Taking a photo of someone who is changing clothes and in the nude and sharing it without their consent could very well be criminal,” Rodriguez said.
A screenshot showed Amos standing unclothed behind a desk between the Quebec and Canadian flags with what appears to be a phone covering his private parts.
During virtual House of Commons sittings, only those who speak are shown on the public feed. Therefore, Amos's fellow MPs could see him on camera, but he did not appear on the main screen.
Bloc Québécois MP Claude DeBellefeuille, the party whip, raised the incident in a point of order after question period Wednesday as she called for parliamentary decorum.
“It may be necessary to remind the members, especially the male ones, that a tie and jacket are obligatory, but so are a shirt, boxer shorts or pants,” DeBellefeuille said in French.
In a statement Wednesday, Amos said he had returned from a jog and was changing into his work clothes and did not realize his camera was on.
“This was an unfortunate error,” said Amos, parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
“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.”