New Democrat MP Pat Martin lit up Canadian Twitter streams today after he excused himself from a House of Commons vote because of tight underwear. 
 
 Martin told the Speaker he had missed the vote because “I bought a bunch that was clearly too small for me and I find it difficult to sit for any length of time,” forcing him to step out of the house for a vote. 
 
 Martin’s statement lasted less then a minute but it was silly and pun laden enough to keep Twitter going all afternoon. 
 
 NDP Pat Martin had to leave his seat in House of Commons because his new undies were too tight. That answers THAT question.#briefs #cdnpoli — Steve Patterson (@patterballs) February 19, 2015 
 
 NDP MP Pat Martin may have just delivered the most unique excuse for missing a vote - overly tight briefs. #cdnpoli #hoc #winnipeg — Elizabeth Thompson (@LizT1) February 19, 2015 
 
 I think we all learned a little something about democracy today. And Pat Martin's shopping habits. — Paul McLeod (@pdmcleod) February 19, 2015 
 
 Am I the only one sitting here thinking "I feel ya, Pat Martin" ? #PatMartin — Teresa Jay (@MotherTeresaJ) February 19, 2015 
 
 The Speaker gave Martin a pass on missing the vote, which new Liberal MP Eve Adams thought was an unfair precedent: 
 
 Wasn't allowed to leave my seat to call my son and wish him a good night during votes. Funny precedent set today w men's underwear #mom — Eve Adams, MP (@MPEveAdams) February 19, 2015 
 
 Pat Martin didn’t add anything to the Twitter conversation about his underwear. He left the social network in 2012 after tweeting, “I’m not ‘worked up’ so much as ‘fed up’ with the rat faced whores in the (Conservative Party of Canada) who neglect to invite me to (announcements) in my riding.” 

 NDP MP Pat Martin had a somewhat uncomfortable explanation for a brief absence from his seat in the House of Commons on Thursday morning. 
 
 The Winnipeg Centre representative voted on a procedural motion to adjourn debate, then left his seat for a moment. 
 
 When Conservative MP Royal Galipeau asked deputy speaker Joe Comartin if a vote still counts if an MP leaves while it's being counted, Martin stood up to offer his explanation. 
 
 "I can blame it on a sale that was down at the Hudson's Bay [Company] – they had men's underwear on for half price. I bought a bunch that was clearly too small for me and I find it difficult to sit for any length of time," he said. 
 
 "I apologize if it was necessary for me to leave my seat briefly, but I did not mean to forfeit my right to vote." 
 
 After a mix of cheers, applause and laughter from the benches, Comartin was forced to rule on whether Martin's vote would count. 
 
 "Let me try to deal with this with at least some seriousness, we all understand that we have to be in our seats at the time the motion is read ... the member for Winnipeg Centre was in his seat at that time. He did step out of his chair for a very short time and was directed by me to sit down again," Comartin said. 
 
 "I didn't understand the explanation at the time, that he subsequently gave … can't say I really understand it at this point." 
 
 Comartin then said that since Martin was in his seat when the vote was read and also when he voted that his vote was able to stand. 
 
 Later, on CBC News Network's Power & Politics, Martin allowed that tight briefs were only part of the story. 
 
 "Some Conservative MP got his knickers in a knot, I think, about the fact that I stepped away from my chair for a couple of seconds, and so, you know, I believe that his point of order was tongue in cheek and it warranted a cheeky response," Martin told host Evan Solomon, while admitting that a sale of 50 per cent off is like "catnip to a Winnipegger." 
 
 "But ... that's not why I left my seat in the House of Commons, I left to go and have a chat with the Speaker and I think Mr. Galipeau overreacted heavily by saying I should forfeit my vote for having the temerity to ask the Speaker a question during a vote," Martin said. 
 
 "It was a cheeky answer to what I thought was a cheeky question," Marin said. "But it begs the question, I mean, a lot of the grumpiness in the House of Commons might be traced to the fact that MPs are buying one size too small in their knickers." 
 
 Martin said that in the end, at least his vote was allowed to stand. 
 
 "Let's face it, I was caught with my pants down for stepping away from my seat briefly," Martin said. 
 
 Don't make me tweet NDP MP Pat Martin's story about his overly tight underwear. Please. #Hw — @kady 
 
 BAH RT @nohomers: @RosieBarton Another example of gotchie journalism. #hw — @RosieBarton 

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– A member of Canada's parliament got caught with his pants down yesterday. As the House of Commons voted on a procedural motion, Pat Martin voted, then dashed out of the chamber unexpectedly before returning a short while later. When a Conservative Party MP suggested he should forfeit his vote—MPs aren't to leave the chamber during a vote—the New Democratic Party member gave this response: "They had men's underwear on for half price and I bought a bunch that was clearly too small for me. I find it difficult to sit for any length of time." Cheers and laughter ensued, and his vote was allowed to stand. Martin later told CBC News it was a joke and that he actually left his seat to talk to the House Speaker. But since "some Conservative MP got his knickers in a knot, I think, about the fact that I stepped away from my chair for a couple of seconds ... I believe that his point of order was tongue in cheek and it warranted a cheeky response." More cheeky responses are spreading on Twitter, like this one: "Well, I guess he is not the only MP who needed to be debriefed before an important vote in Parliament." The Toronto Star notes Martin himself had nothing to say on Twitter: He stopped tweeting in 2012 after calling Conservative MPs "rat faced whores."