Opposition MPs mocked the Conservatives over a minister's remarks that no caucus member would be fired for voting against the budget.
In Parliament's question period on Wednesday, NDP Leader Jack Layton quoted Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay as saying last month: "'We will not throw a member out of caucus for voting his conscience. There will be no firings on budget votes as we saw with the Liberal government'."
MacKay is also the senior minister for Atlantic Canada.
"Is the minister misleading the House? Is he a buffoon, or is he a misleading buffoon?" asked Nova Scotia Liberal MP Robert Thibault.
Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey got dumped from the Conservative caucus on Tuesday night after voting against a procedural motion for Bill C-52, which is the implementation legislation for the 2007 federal budget.
House Leader Peter Van Loan said: "Canada's new government has kept its commitment to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. They are getting 100 per cent of what they were promised in the accord."
NDP MP Alexa McDonough said: "I want to hear an Atlantic minister tell Atlantic Canadians with a straight face that they aren't getting a bad deal.
"Only one MP had the decency to vote against breaking their promise. Is there one Atlantic minister with the guts to their constituents they will everything in their power to fix the mistake?
"Will the minister of foreign affairs admit that last night, their government broke a promise?"
The House of Commons erupted.
Government leaders wouldn't let MacKay speak to the issue. MacKay dodged reporters after leaving the house.
Van Loan said, "The members of Atlantic Canada fought hard for the best possible benefits for their province."
He cited a number of spending programs benefiting the region.
Later, Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn would say, "Let me remind (the opposition) while they are sniping from the sideline ... we are working to deliver for this province."
Casey said Tuesday that the Conservatives' changes to equalization would cost his province up to $1 billion.
He did ask his first question as an Independent MP on Wednesday. "Will the minister just say ... we will honour the Atlantic Accord exactly the way it was written, no amendments, and we will honour the work of (former Nova Scotia premier) John Hamm?" Finance Minister Jim Flaherty essentially said no.
Other developments
Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald, a Conservative, insisted Wednesday that progress is being made on the accord, which had allowed the province to keep its revenue from offshore oil and gas without clawbacks from equalization payments.
MacDonald didn't provide details on his claim, and said the feds did the wrong thing by having the accord in the budget.
The Nova Scotia government agreed to a new, enriched equalization formula, but one that requires them to abandon the Atlantic Accord. They could have kept the accord, which eventually expires, if they stuck with the old equalization formula.
Newfoundland and Saskatchewan are two other provinces that have been feuding with the feds over oil and gas revenue and equalization.
Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams applauded Casey's actions.
"He stood up for the people he represents," Williams told 麻豆影视net's Mike Duffy Live, noting that three senior ministers were pressuring Casey until the last minute.
As to MacDonald, Williams said the premier told him a few weeks ago "they would stand shoulder to shoulder with Newfoundland and Labrador, that there would be no deal with the federal government" without Newfoundland and Labrador being part of it.
Williams said it was also important to stand up for Saskatchewan.
Meanwhile, Casey -- a four-term Conservative MP -- has claimed the Conservative party has denied him access to electronic constituency files.
"The party has this weird claim that they belong to the party, and they've got some lawyers in, but we're trying to get our files back. We need them. We've got constituents who need help. It's what we do," he told MDL.
MPs routinely help people with things like veteran's claims, disabilities, pensions and other issues.
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion held the door open if Casey wanted to switch parties, but Casey said he's not interesting in joining another party.
"I only have one problem -- a nine-paragraph contract with the government of Canada is not being honoured by the government of Canada," he said.
With a report from CTV's Craig Oliver and files from The Canadian Press
