Members of the Progressive Conservative party walked out of the House of Assembly on Thursday evening after the finance minister compared his floor crossing to an Opposition member's divorce.

The bizarre comments came during snipes between Tom Osborne and Kevin Parsons, and happened during a committee of the whole session.

Osborne was agitated when Parsons, the PC member for Cape St. Francis, interrupted him and made a mention of Osborne ditching the PCs in 2012 and joining the Liberals.

"I can take a political jab and I can throw a political jab," Osborne said. "I know the member opposite is divorced. I'm not going to go into that. But I'm going to compare crossing the House—"

He was interrupted by jeers from the other side.

"That is uncalled for. Disgusting," said Parsons in response.

Here's the divorce comments earlier between Tom Osborne and Kevin Parsons. Osborne later apologized, after Parsons and several others walked out and chastised Speaker Scott Reid. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nlpoli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nlpoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZW1dOdQ7R6">pic.twitter.com/ZW1dOdQ7R6</a> —@ryancookeNL

"Don't get personal," someone yelled from the PC side.

Osborne then tried to clarify his comments, saying he was speaking about knowing when to leave troubled relationships, but had to speak over jeers from across the room.

Get some control over this House. - Barry Petten to Speaker Scott Reid

"This was not a personal attack," he said. "I'm divorced as well ... I found a new relationship. One that works."

With that, several of the Progressive Conservative members, including Parsons, stood up and walked out of the House. Some were heard calling out to Speaker Scott Reid.

"Get some control of this House," Barry Petten said as he walked past Reid on the way out the door.

With the Opposition gone, Osborne again tried to clarify his comments and then apologized.

The PC members then came back in and took their seats.

"Sometimes it's indeed a privilege to stand in this House and some other times it isn't," said Opposition House leader David Brazil. "This is one of those."

Osborne says he'll apologize in person

Brazil said they were "insulted and embarrassed" by the comments.

"We've come a long way in the last two years in trying to improve decorum here in the conversations," he said.

"We have to think, we have to have our filters before we put things out to the general public. Particularly before we attack a colleague in this House of Assembly on a personal matter ... it's not the way the people of the province expect us to operate."

Osborne stood in response to Brazil, apologized again and said he'd apologize in person when Parsons came back.

"I understand the member was offended and I absolutely, unequivocally apologize to that individual."

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