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￼￼OTTAWA — Things got ugly in the House of Commons — literally.

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With opposition accusations flying over the resignation last week of Labrador MP Peter Penashue, Prime Minister Stephen Harper again heaped praise on his former intergovernmental affairs minister.

Harper told the Commons he expected the Conservatives would run a clean campaign in a byelection in which Penashue has pledged to run.

But he also suggested the Liberals were already running a “negative, ugly campaign” against Penashue.

That prompted an exchange with interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae, with the Commons speaker forced to break up the verbal melee.

Rae told the House the Conservatives had only to look in the mirror if they wanted to see ugly.

Penashue resigned his cabinet post and his seat in the Commons last week after Elections Canada found his election campaign had accepted 28 different ineligible donations.