A member House of Commons has apologized for taking a nude photo of his colleague during a Zoom call, an event that triggered anger, mockery, and calls for a proper investigation after the image went viral on social media.
The lawmaker, Sébastien Lemire, a member of the Bloc Québécois, admitted to have taken the photo of William Amos, a Liberal Party member from Quebec, when he (Mr. Amos) appeared nude on Zoom during a recent legislative session. Mr. Lemire revealed he did not know how the photo got to social media.
Mr. Amos had revealed that he was changing into his work clothes after he finisehd jogging and he was not aware that the camera on his computer was active. Though other lawmakers that were logged into the private Zoom call saw Mr. Amos naked between the flags of Canada and Quebec, the video was not publicly streamed because Mr. Amos was not talking at the time.
While addressing the House recently, Mr. Lemire took responsibility for the photo.
He said (in French): “I would like to present my apologies to the House for breaching the standing orders by taking a picture of a member on April 14.
“I personally apologized to him, but I also wanted to do so publicly, to him personally, to his family, to his colleagues and anyone I may have offended. I’d like to say, to conclude, that I have no idea how that photo made its way into the media.”
It was not instantly clear what action the House would take against Mr. Lemire’s acknowledgment. After Mr. Lemire’s address, Anthony Rota, the House speaker, thanked him and said, “I will come back to the House with my decision.”
Mr. Lemire’s spokesman said that the lawmaker would not comment further.
While reacting to Mr. Lemire’s remarks, Mr. Amos tweeted that he appreciated Mr. Lemire’s apology and added that “That piece of honesty is a good start.”
“However, MP Lemire did not say with whom he shared it, why he shared it, and how many people shared it after receiving the photo from MP Lemire.
“Since the Speaker of the House is considering an investigation, I don’t have further comments at this stage.”
After Mr. Amos’ photo appeared on social media, there were jokes from some legislators and other viewers.
Garnett Genius, a Conservative member of the Parliament tweeted: “When we called for greater transparency, we should have been more specific.”
But other legislators revealed they were not happy that someone had taken the naked photo of Mr. Amos and that someone uploaded the image to social media.
Canadian law does not permit publishing, distributing or making available an “intimate image of a person knowing that the person depicted in the image did not give their consent to that conduct.”
During a session, Pablo Rodriguez, the government leader in the House of Commons said: “Taking a photo of someone who is changing clothes and in the nude and sharing it without their consent could very well be criminal.
“Did the person who took the screenshot give any thought to the ramifications of their actions? Did they think of the member’s family, children, friends and the fact that internet is forever?”
While calling for an investigation, Mark Holland, the chief government whip, said uploading the photo was “a terrible violation” and a “potentially criminal act.”
“We must know who is responsible for leaking nonconsensual images from a private video feed.
He added that Mr. Amos “made an unintentional error; his screen was on while in the middle of getting dressed. “It could have happened to any of us.”
Mr. Amos had earlier said in a statement that it was “most unfortunate that someone shared, without my consent, a photo in which I was changing my clothes.”
“This photo came from a video feed that only MPs or a very small number of staff had access to. No person deserves to suffer such harm. I expect the speaker of the House of Commons to conduct a thorough investigation.”
He had also tendered an apology to his colleagues.
While apologizing, he tweeted: “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.”
