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House member appears naked during virtual meeting

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5 years ago

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May 10, 2021

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A Canadian MP has apologised to colleagues after appearing completely starkers during a virtual meeting of the House of Commons.

William Amos, who has represented the Quebec district of Pontiac since 2015 for the Liberal Party, is seen behind a desk between the Quebec and Canadian flags, with what appears to be a mobile phone preserving his modesty.

A screenshot of Mr Amos’s disrobed display was obtained by news agency The Canadian Press – it was originally visible only to parliament members and staffers on an internal video conference feed.

In an email statement apologising for his bare-faced cheek, Mr Amos described his state of undress as “an unfortunate error”.

“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.”

Raising a point of order, Claude DeBellefeuille, an MP for the opposition Bloc Quebecois party, suggested that parliamentary decorum requires male parliament members to wear a jacket and tie – and a shirt, underwear and trousers.

Speaker Anthony Rota has reminded MPs to always be vigilant when they are near a camera and microphone.

Sky News

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Vote-buying remains a major concern One of the strongest warnings from Osun was the continued presence of vote-buying and voter inducement. Yiaga Africa said the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were consistent with its independent statistical projections, but cautioned that this did not remove concerns about the integrity of voters' choices amid reports of vote-buying and inducement. The concern is particularly significant ahead of 2027, when political competition will take place nationwide and involve presidential, National Assembly and state-level contests. The International Republican Institute (IRI), following a pre-election assessment mission conducted in August, identified monetised political competition, election-related violence, insecurity and declining public confidence in INEC among the structural challenges facing the 2027 elections. 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