Canadian Lawmaker Accidentally Appears Naked On Zoom Legislative Meeting

William Amos, who represents the western Quebec riding of Pontiac, was seen wearing his birthday suit in the virtual House of Commons Wednesday.

A screenshot shows him sans clothes and standing behind a desk between the Quebec and Canadian flags. His private parts are hidden by what appears to be a mobile phone in one hand, reported CTV News.

He soon apologized for his mistake.

"I made a really unfortunate mistake today & obviously I’m embarrassed by it. My camera was accidentally left on as I changed into work clothes after going for a jog. I sincerely apologize to all my colleagues in the House. It was an honest mistake + it won’t happen again," Amos tweeted Wednesday.

Bloc Quebecois MP Claude DeBellefeuille raised the incident in a point of order with the Speaker of the House of Commons. "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 in French.

"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."

Speaker Anthony Rota thanked DeBellefeuille for her "observations" and clarified that while he had not seen anything, his technicians saw something. He told MPs to always be careful when they are near a camera and microphone.

Amos was visible only to MPs and staffers on an internal video conference feed. Since he was not speaking during question period, his image did not pop up on the public feed.

Liberal whip Mark Holland said Amos was "utterly mortified."

"I don't think there was any ill intent -- 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 a warning to everybody. You've got to really always assume that camera is on and be very careful any time you wander anywhere near that camera that you're dressed appropriately," he added.

According to House of Commons Procedure and Practice, there is no specific dress code that needs to be followed in the House. But Speakers have ruled that to be recognized to speak, all MPs must be dressed in contemporary business attire. Going by this rule, men are required to wear a suit jacket, shirt and tie as standard dress, reported CBC News.