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OTTAWA — Floor-crossing confrontations in the House of Commons rarely end well, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper and New Democrat Paul Dewar proved today it needn’t come to blows.

Shortly after question period, Dewar complained to Speaker Andrew Scheer that Harper had falsely accused him of opposing a trade deal with Jordan.

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Scheer waved off the complaint and suggested Dewar continue his debate with Harper elsewhere.

So he did — right there in the centre aisle of the Commons, which is meant to prevent unseemly confrontations by keeping government and opposition MPs at a safe distance.

Instead, in full view of parliamentary video cameras, the pair shook hands before engaging in a brief but animated discussion.



Dewar says he told the prime minister he was mistaken on the Jordan trade deal; Harper, he added, promised to review Dewar’s record on the deal.

Harper had earlier been forced to retract his accusation that Dewar wanted Canada to pull out of trade talks with the European Union.