Canadian politician seen urinating during virtual meeting

A member of Canada's Parliament apologized after he was spotted urinating during a House of Commons meeting on Zoom.

Someone participating in Wednesday's meeting spotted MP William Amos, a member of the ruling Liberal Party from Quebec, urinating, even though the lawmaker apparently was not on the primary screen at the time.

"Last night, while attending House of Commons proceedings virtually, in a non-public setting, I urinated without realizing I was on camera," Amos said in a statement Thursday. "While accidental and not visible to the public, this was completely unacceptable, and I apologize unreservedly."

The proceedings are streamed online to world because of the pandemic, although only active speakers are shown on screen.

"It is important to have a safe workplace environment for everyone on Parliament Hill and we take these matters extremely seriously," said Charles-Eric Lépine, spokesman for Liberal government whip Mark Holland, by email.

Amos, 46, who was captured nude during another House of Commons virtual meeting in April, said he would temporarily relinquish his committee duties and his role as parliamentary secretary to the minister of innovation, science and industry to "seek assistance."

He was elected to the House of Commons in 2015. The April incident inspired jokes on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Friday that he believes someone saw Amos urinating via the Parliament's internal feed and amplified the incident.

"This is happening in parliamentary Zoom session where only one image is public, which is whoever’s speaking, or the speaker’s speaking, and the rest of the MPs can see the other images," he said. "And for that to be shared and to end up with media, that to me is also problematic."

"I think the focus should be on him [Amos] getting the help" he needs, Singh said.

But there are special concerns because of Amos' repeat exposure.

He said he was accidentally captured on video in April during a House of Commons meeting changing into work clothes after a run.

"Obviously, it was an honest mistake, and it won’t happen again," Amos said at the time.

Conservative Deputy House Leader Karen Vecchio expressed doubt that the on-camera urination was accidental.

"This is the second time Mr. Amos has been caught exposing himself to his colleagues in the House, and the House of Commons, virtual or otherwise, must be free of this type of unacceptable behavior," she said.

She blamed his party for tolerating his actions.

"This is a pattern of behavior from Mr. Amos and it’s now clear that Trudeau’s Liberals failed in their duty to ensure a safe work environment following the first incident," Vecchio said.