CTV appeared to be considering disciplinary action for one of its high-profile Parliament Hill television hosts in the wake of an incident Thursday night at a post-budget party attended by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and other top government and opposition politicians.

Don Martin, the host of Power Play, a political talk show on CTV News Channel, was not on-air Friday as CTV officials spent the day trying to determine what Martin may or not may have said about George Cope, chief executive officer of Bell, the conglomerate that owns CTV.

At the party, held at a restaurant a block from Parliament Hill, Martin is alleged to have engaged in a verbal altercation with Dimitri Soudas, the former director of communications for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and now the executive director for communications for the Canadian Olympic Committee. During the course of that altercation, Martin is alleged to have told Soudas that he and Cope could “Go f--- yourselves”. Neither Cope nor his son Blair, who works with Soudas at the Canadian Olympic Committee, were present at the time. But the remark was made in front of some senior government officials, cabinet ministers, and MPs, according to individuals who witnessed the altercation and agreed to provide a description on condition they not be identified.

Some of those present for the altercation believe Martin did not say anything disparaging about Cope. They also say that Martin quickly apologized to Soudas for disparaging comments he allegedly made about him.

Neither Martin nor Robert Fife, CTV’s Ottawa bureau chief and executive producer of Power Play, responded to queries.

Soudas also declined to comment.

CTV’s vice-president and director of communications Scott Henderson declined to comment on Martin’s status.

CTV is part of the 2012 Olympics Canadian broadcast media consortium.