A Bloc Quebecois MP has claimed responsibility for taking a screenshot of Pontiac member Will Amos, who was apparently caught changing during a hybrid meeting of Parliament two weeks ago.

Sébastien Lemire, who represents . . .

the neighbouring riding of Abitibi-Temiscamingue rose in the house on April 21, a week after the incident, and apologized to Amos and his family.

“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,” he said in French.

Despite admitting responsibility for taking the photo, Lemire claimed that he had “no idea” how the image was leaked to the media.

Amos briefly appeared nude during the virtual meeting, later stating that he was changing into his work clothes after a jog and had inadvertently left his camera on. The video feed was only visible to other MPs and parliamentary staffers. Members are forbidden from taking screenshots of non-public portions of their meetings.

Shortly after, a screen grab which showed Amos standing in his office naked, with his groin area covered by what appears to be a cell phone was leaked and circulated widely on social and traditional media outlets. The photo was first posted by Sun Media columnist Brian Lilley.

The day following the incident, Chief Government Whip Marc Holland released a statement calling the distribution of the image “mean-spirited” and “a terrible violation”. The statement also insinuated that the leaker was a member of the Conservative Party, as it mentioned the Bloc and NDP whips had “made compelling cases that this breach of privacy did not happen from within their offices.”

Following Lemire’s admission of guilt, Holland released another statement on April 22, calling his colleague’s actions “deeply disappointing” and saying he was looking to the Bloc leadership to address the issue.

“This does not conclude the matter and leaves many unanswered questions,” he added.

Amos put out a statement on social media the same day, saying that he appreciated Lemire apologizing directly to him and his family over the phone. He wrote that the admission was a good start, but it had yet to be revealed why Lemire shared the photo and how many people he had shared it with.

“I remain focused on serving my constituents and all Canadians. Since the Speaker of the House is considering an investigation, I don’t have further comments at this stage,” Amos wrote.

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