The contempt debate against Energy Minister Chris Bentley will be sent to the province's finance committee.

Both the NDP and Tories voted 53-50 to continue with the debate despite Liberal opposition. The Premier attempted to end the debate before the vote but didn't have unanimous backing.

Earlier in the day, an angry-looking Dalton McGuinty came out with some harsh words for the opposition parties. With a stern face and clenched jaw, McGuinty looked down on opposition attacks against the energy minister, calling them "heavy handed". He says they crossed the line.

McGuinty had pleaded for opposition MPPs to vote with their conscience and not their party. He called to opposition leaders to let their members have a free vote.

This all stems from the Mississauga and Oakville power plant cancellations - from the decision making process to the amount of time it took for the Liberal government to release related documents.

Bentley says the whole process has been difficult.

PC leader Tim Hudak is demanding an apology from the Liberals for what he says was a waste of taxpayer money. He maintains he hopes more documents will come out during this process.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath says she doesn't know what the committee will find but underlines these are contempt allegations at this point.

After hearing testimony and going through evidence, the committee will then make a recommendation to the legislature on how to proceed. Only all MPPs can determine whether Bentley was in contempt. As for punishment, Bentley may be forced to apologize, pay a fine or even go to jail.