A Liberal MP who recently stepped aside after twice exposing himself during virtual proceedings in the House of Commons will not seek re-election.
William Amos issued a statement on his Facebook page, saying he advised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of his decision on Sunday.
“Upon reflection with family, I am not closing the door to politics and elected public service in the future,” he said. “But I have concluded the time is not right for me to launch into another campaign and I want to explore other avenues that explore a better work/life balance.”
The Quebec MP added it was a “challenging decision” not to run in the next election campaign, but that he enjoyed serving the riding of Pontiac.
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The move comes after Amos announced in June that he was pursuing a “wellness program.” In late May, he said he was “stepping aside temporarily” from his committee assignments and his duties as parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne so that he could “seek assistance.”
Amos was caught on camera urinating — an incident that was broadcast on the internal parliamentary video feed of Commons proceedings but not seen publicly.
A month earlier, he appeared naked during virtual proceedings, an incident he said occurred as he changed clothes after taking a jog. The incident made international headlines after a screenshot taken by Bloc Québécois MP Sébastien Lemire was leaked to the media.
In both cases, Amos apologized and he said he did not know the laptop’s camera was on.
Amos, 46, is a lawyer. He was first elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 under the Liberal banner.
—with files from Global News’ Sean Boyton and The Canadian Press
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