Canadian Politician Apologizes After He's Seen Naked During Virtual Meeting: ‘I’m Embarrassed’

Sean Neumann
·3 min read

Facebook Will Amos

A Canadian politician is apologizing for his "honest mistake" after accidentally baring all during a virtual meeting on Wednesday.

Parliament member Will Amos said in statement on social media that he was not aware his camera was on during the meeting, when other members spotted him fully naked among the tiny boxes of callers.

"I made a really unfortunate mistake today & obviously I'm embarrassed by it," Amos, a 46-year-old lawmaker from Quebec, tweeted in French later Wednesday. "My camera was accidentally left on as I changed into work clothes after going for a jog."

"It was an honest mistake and it won't happen again," he wrote.

Amos' nightmare scenario was pointed out by some people during the call — including those who began laughing as it was brought to their attention, according to The Washington Post.

"We have seen a member during question period improperly dressed — that is, unclothed," Claude DeBellefeuille, another Parliament member, pointed out. "So, perhaps remind the members, especially the male members, that suits and ties are appropriate."

DeBellefueillle added: "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."

Video of the call then showed House Speaker Anthony Rota, who was at the House of Commons building in Ottawa presiding over the meeting, laughing as he said he must have "missed" what all the commotion was about.

"What I would like to do is to remind the members that when they even are at home, they must be aware that there is a camera and a microphone and they need to be aware of their functioning," Rota said.

RELATED: Watch Michelle Obama and Jimmy Fallon Crash Random Virtual Meetings: 'We're in the Wrong Zoom Call'

Facebook Will Amos

Liberal Party Whip Mark Holland said Amos was "utterly mortified," according to Toronto-based CTV News, calling it an "unfortunate circumstance."

"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," Holland said.

Concern over consent was later raised online because as the image of Amos went viral, even though screens during the meeting were only visible to other lawmakers on the call.

RELATED: Ray Romano Jokes to Jimmy Kimmel That He 'Lost About 9 Friends' After 'Passing Wind' on Zoom

"I am very excited to see which MP, or party, goes to the Canadian public and explains how their non-consensual sharing of an intimate image isn't a violation of the Criminal Code of Canada," tweeted Christopher Parsons, a researcher at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab.

"This is absolutely gross and reprehensible behaviour and should be disciplined," Parsons continued, writing, "It's not a joke. It shouldn't be treated as such."

Some lawmakers teased Amos after he apologized.

"When we called for greater transparency, we should have been more specific," tweeted Parliament member Garnett Genuis.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Duke of Edinburgh leads commemoration of Australia and New Zealand’s war dead

    Edward paid his respects to the Antipodean fallen on behalf of the nation.

  • Q1 2024 Align Technology Inc Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 Align Technology Inc Earnings Call

  • EU military officer says a frigate has destroyed a drone launched from Yemen's Houthi-held areas

    NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A top European Union military officer said that a frigate that’s part of an EU miliary mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping destroyed a drone launched from an area in Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels on Thursday morning. Austrian Gen. Robert Brieger, who is chair of the EU’s military committee, said that it would be crucial for the bloc to “conserve resources” over the long haul because the threat posed by Houthi attacks “will not disappear” due to its conn

  • FTSE 100 Live 25 April: Index surges on £31bn mining takeover move and blue-chip updates

    A £31 billion takeover pursuit and some robust blue-chip updates helped to boost the FTSE 100 index today. Anglo American, whose interests include De Beers and the giant Woodsmith polyhalite project in North Yorkshire, is the target of Australia’s BHP. Meanwhile, shares in Barclays, AstraZeneca and Unilever performed strongly after their first quarter updates.

  • SNP's power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens collapses

    It follows the government's decision to scrap key climate targets and its response to a review into gender services.

  • EU should set 600 billion euro target for capital markets union-France

    The European Union should set a target to raise 600 billion euros ($644 billion) in investments annually by the end of the decade by integrating its fragmented capital markets, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday. Although Europeans generally save more than Americans, EU capital markets currently lack the depth of their U.S. counterparts because they largely operate along national lines. All EU leaders gave support to the principle of capital markets union at a summit this month though divisions remain on the details, with some countries reluctant to cede control of national financial rules.

  • House speaker Mike Johnson heckled by protesters in tense campus visit

    While the Speaker visited Columbia, police confronted pro-Palestinian protesters at campuses in Texas and California.

  • Shoplifting hits record high with more than 1,000 offences a day

    Shoplifting has hit a record high of nearly 1,200 offences a day - but the number of cases solved has fallen to a low of just one in 10.

  • Dow Jones Futures Fall As Meta Dives On Guidance; Chipotle Eyes Buy Point

    The rally attempt paused Wednesday as Nvidia reversed lower. Meta, Chipotle and ServiceNow led key earnings late.

  • Fourth person arrested after five migrants die in Channel boat crossing tragedy

    An 18-year-old from Sudan was arrested at Manston migrant processing centre in Kent on Wednesday evening.

  • Q1 2024 Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc Earnings Call

  • Russian rouble hits three-week high on eve of rate decision

    The Russian rouble hit a three-week high against the dollar on Thursday, a day before the central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates at 16% for its third meeting in a row. At 1039 GMT the rouble was up 0.1% against the dollar at 92.11 for its strongest since April 3. All 26 analysts polled by Reuters this week expect the Bank of Russia to keep interest rates unchanged on Friday, with inflation's only gradual slowdown preventing the central bank from easing borrowing costs more quickly.

  • Here are the transportation options for the 2024 NFL Draft

    The 2024 NFL Draft is set to bring hundreds of thousands of people into Downtown Detroit for the three-day event on April 25-27, and that means lot of vehicular traffic.

  • Q&A: Labour’s plan for rail reform and the background to nationalisation

    Labour has pledged to nationalise the rail network, claiming it has become a ‘symbol of national decline’.

  • Kim Petras cancels gigs on doctor's orders

    The I Don't Want It At All singer took to social media to announce that she is cancelling her scheduled festival performances this summer. "My buns, I'm devastated to be writing this but I'm going through some health issues and under medical advice I have had to make the hard decision to not perform at festivals this summer," Petras shared. She did not provide details on exactly what health issues she is experiencing. "I love u so much and I'll make it up to you and be back better than ever very soon," she signed off.

  • Green fleet transition faces financial roadblock

    The cost of replacing 41 diesel waste vehicles with electric or hydrogen models proving prohibitive.

  • UPDATE 1-Caterpillar profit rises as higher prices offset easing demand

    Caterpillar posted a rise in quarterly profit on Thursday as it held on to higher prices for its construction equipment as demand eased from last year's boom. Caterpillar has benefited from President Joe Biden's $1 trillion 2021 infrastructure law to upgrade roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure. Although the boom from last year has eased it has remained relatively stable, helping Caterpillar hold on to the price increases it launched in the second half of 2023.

  • Vauxhall maker threatens to quit UK market over electric car mandate

    The net zero crackdown on combustion engines could force the maker of Vauxhall to pull out of Britain, its boss has warned.

  • Here’s Why HCI Group (HCI) Rose in Q1

    Bernzott Capital Advisors, an investment management firm, published its “US Small Cap Value Fund” first-quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the same can be downloaded here. In the first quarter, the portfolio gained +8.5% on a net basis, well above R2000V’s advance of +2.9% and above R2500V’s rise of +6.1%. The largest contribution to the […]

  • Belarus says it thwarted attack on capital by drones launched from Lithuania

    The head of the Belarusian security service said on Thursday it had thwarted an attack on the capital Minsk by drones launched from Lithuania, Russian state news agencies said. There was no immediate comment from NATO-member Lithuania. "The State Security Committee, in cooperation with colleagues from other law enforcement agencies, has recently carried out a number of acute security measures, which made it possible to prevent strikes by combat drones from the territory of Lithuania on objects in Minsk and its suburbs," RIA news agency quoted Belarusian security chief Ivan Tertel as saying.