Bloq Quebecois MP Sébastien Lemire is apologizing for having taken a photo of Liberal MP William Amos, who was caught nude during a virtual meeting of Parliament last week.
“Today I would like to present my apologies to the House for breaching the standing orders by taking a picture of a member on April 14th,” Lemire said in French in the House of Commons Wednesday afternoon.
The Member of Parliament for Abitibi-Temiscamingue also apologized to Amos and his family.
“I’ve apologized to him personally, but I must at least reiterate that publicly — to him personally, to his family, to my colleagues, and to everyone I may have offended,” Lemire said.
Lemire said he has “no idea” how the picture made it to the media, and added that is the “only comment I’ll make.”
In an email to Global News last week after the incident, Amos said it was “an unfortunate error.”
“My video was accidentally turned on as I was changing into my work clothes after going for a jog,” he wrote. “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.”
Amos, the parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, was visible only to MPs and staffers on an internal video conference feed. Because he was not speaking during question period, his image did not show up on the public feed.
On Thursday, House leader Pablo Rodriguez said the incident was “mean-spirited” and could have criminal implications.
“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.
— With a file from The Canadian Press