Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday 鈥� and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.

The unusually tense events saw Speaker Greg Fergus caution both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to rephrase their comments to avoid making direct accusations about the character of another MP.

The warnings came after Poilievre referred to Trudeau as 鈥渢he guy who spent the first half of his adult life as a practicing racist,鈥� referring to photos that emerged of Trudeau dressed in black and brown face during the 2019 election.

Fergus warned Trudeau after he said Poilievre was 鈥渟howing us exactly what shameful, spineless leadership looks like,鈥� and accused him of shaking hands with 鈥渨hite nationalists.鈥�

The tense back-and-forth came as Poilievre and the Conservatives were attacking the Liberals for having allowed British Columbia to allow the decriminalization of hard drugs like heroin and fentanyl in public places, in public places, which the provincial NDP government is now asking Health Canada to reverse.

The Conservative argue the policy has caused great harm.

Trudeau ignored that issue completely, responding to each question about drugs by accusing Poilievre of associating with far-right extremists.

He said a person who does so is not fit to be prime minister.

He made the remarks after videos circulated online of Poilievre last week stopping at what protesters described as an anti-carbon price protest in Atlantic Canada.

The scene featured expletive-laden flags bearing Trudeau鈥檚 name.

At one point, videos show Poilievre exiting a trailer belonging to one of the protesters. Its exterior featured many images, including a symbol belonging to the far-right online group Diagalon.

The trouble in the House began to escalate when Speaker Greg Fergus ejected Conservative MP Rachael Thomas after she said he was 鈥渁cting in a disgraceful manner.鈥�

The tense exchange continued after her departure, with Trudeau saying Poilievre is a 鈥�19-year鈥� politician who made a choice to associate with that encampment.

鈥淎ny leader that needs the support of a far-right white nationalist group to fundraise and get closer to power does not deserve elected office,鈥� the prime minister charged.

Poilievre said the prime minister鈥檚 words were only his 鈥渓atest distraction鈥� from his own 鈥渆xtremist policies.鈥�

鈥淲hen will we put an end to this wacko policy by this wacko prime minister?鈥�

Fergus then drew the line.

鈥淣o, no,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is not acceptable.鈥�

He asked Poilievre to withdraw his comments, saying they were unparliamentary.

Poilievre didn鈥檛 withdraw, but said he would replace the word with 鈥渆xtremist,鈥� which Fergus also rejected.

He then said he would replace it with 鈥渞adical,鈥� which Fergus did not accept either.

He asked the Conservative leader to 鈥渟imply withdraw鈥� the comment.

When Fergus asked Poilievre for a final time to take back his comment, the Conservative leader said, 鈥淚 simply withdraw and replace with the aforementioned adjective.鈥�

Fergus then ordered him to leave the chamber and not participate in further debate Tuesday, either in person or virtually.

Much of the Conservative caucus exited at the same time, and all of them eventually left before question period was over.

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon emerged from the House a few moments later, calling what had just unfolded a 鈥渄isgrace.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a disrespect for our institutions, a disrespect for the Speaker.,鈥� he said.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said the incidents in the House showed evidence of a double standard and said Poilievre was speaking the truth.

鈥淚f you look at the definition of wacko, it is literally what the Liberal government is doing in terms of holding on to the policies of decriminalizing hard drugs like heroin and crack,鈥� she said.

Bloc Leader Yves-Fran莽ois Blanchet was clearly pleased by the events, thanking Fergus in French for showing 鈥渃ommon sense鈥� in the chamber.

Bloc MP Louis Plamondon, the longest serving MP in the House having been elected in 1984, said Poilievre鈥檚 comment was 鈥渋nsulting.鈥�

He said he has not seen a party leader ejected in 40 years on the Hill and doesn鈥檛 remember a party staging a mass walkout either.

Conservative MP Arnold Viersen said watching Poilievre get ejected was upsetting.

鈥淭he Speaker is supposed to be a referee, not a participant.鈥�

鈥淚t shows his lack of respect for the institution,鈥� Joly said of Poilievre.

After leaving, Poilievre posted on X that Fergus 鈥渃ensored鈥� him for calling Trudeau鈥檚 drug policies 鈥渨acko.鈥�

And in a written statement, the Conservatives doubled down on the use of the word, saying it鈥檚 been uttered in the House of Commons many times in the past without being considered unparliamentary.

The party said Fergus kicked Poilievre out to protect the prime minister.

The Liberals continued their attacks on Poilievre outside the chamber.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said X that 鈥渓ast week Pierre Poilievre showed us who his friends are when he met with known white supremacists. Today, he showed us the regard he holds for our democracy.鈥�

Liberal MP Charles Sousa said Poilievre loves to criticize and attack and be 鈥渃ute鈥� about his questions.

But he charged that the Conservative leader is refusing to answer the question about why he chose to associate with a group displaying symbols of the far-right Diagalon group.

鈥淲hy is he associated with an extremist right organization like Diagalon?鈥� Sousa said.

鈥淚 think that speaks a lot about who he is and his character. And I think that鈥檚 the real question today.鈥�

When asked what she thought about what happened after she was kicked out of the chamber, Harder quipped: 鈥淧retty wacko.鈥�