A Canadian lawmaker has apologized after he was caught nude during a virtual House of Commons conference on Wednesday.
The Liberal MP, William Amos, appeared on camera standing in the buff behind a desk between the Quebec and Canadian flags, CTV News reported. The lawmaker, who represents parts of Quebec, later explained that the whole ordeal was unintentional.
"This was an unfortunate error," Amos said in a statement. "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."
Bloc Quebecois MP Claude DeBellefeuille, the party whip, addressed the incident after the questioning period.
"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," she said. "We have seen that the member is in great physical shape, but I think members should be reminded to be careful and control the camera well."
Amos did not speak during the virtual session so his image did not show up on the public feed, just in an internal conference feed to MPs and staffers. Speaking about the incident, Liberal whip Mark Holland said Amos was "utterly mortified" and he did not believe there was any ill intent behind his actions.
"It's certainly an unfortunate circumstance," Holland said. "I think it's part of the circumstances of the world we're in right now, where the line between our home and our office place is so blurred and trying to manage that is sometimes challenging."
This is not the first video conference to raise a few eyebrows.
A plastic surgeon in California is under investigation after he attended a virtual traffic court hearing while performing surgery on a patient earlier this year. In video footage of the incident, Dr. Scott Green is seen in an operating room wearing scrubs, a surgical mask, and a cap. The patient's procedure appears to be taking place just out of view.
The presiding judge, Sacramento Superior Court Commissioner Gary Link said he was not comfortable proceeding and postponed the hearing.
In a separate incident, a Texas attorney went viral after he accidentally turned on a cat filter during a virtual court hearing. Proceedings had to be paused as Judge Roy Ferguson tried to coach Attorney Rod Ponton, of Presidio County, Texas, on how to turn off the Zoom filter that made him look like a furry white kitten.
In a short video clip of the hearing, Ferguson explains to Ponton that he had activated the filter.
"I don’t know how to remove it. I’ve got my assistant here, she’s trying to, but I’m prepared to go forward with it," Ponton says before clarifying: "I’m here live. I’m not a cat."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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