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.
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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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