TORONTO, Ont. – Ontario’s opposition parties have voted to send a contempt motion against Energy Minister Chris Bentley to a legislative committee.

The Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats ignored an appeal from Premier Dalton McGuinty not to vote for the motion, which he said could have serious ramifications for Bentley’s life and career.

“Clearly, there has to be some sanction for this type of behaviour,” PC leader Tim Hudak said. “They didn’t say sorry.”

The contempt motion was triggered by the government’s refusal to release documents on the cost of cancelling two power plants in Oakville and Mississauga.

“My position in everything that I’ve been doing in public life, in my previous role as a lawyer, was always to do the best that I could possibly could for those that I represent,” Bentley said.

“I take this whole proceeding very seriously,” he said.

McGuinty tried to shelve the contempt motion and send only the issue of the gas plants to committee, but the opposition parties blocked the move.

“[McGuinty] obviously knows that there’s some pretty damning information that may come forward in that committee process, which is why he tried to divert attention from that,” NDP leader Andrea Horwath said.

But she added that there is no assumption that Bentley is guilty.

“The motion was to get this issue to the committee process where the details can be uncovered as to whether or not the government was hiding documents,” she said.

The Tories and NDP have been anxious to get the issue to committee, where they can call witnesses, including Bentley, before making a recommendation next month.

Only a vote of the full legislature could find Bentley in contempt, something that’s never happened to an Ontario MPP.

McGuinty says the Conservatives “crossed a line” when they taunted Bentley, who’s a lawyer, by saying a finding of contempt would kill his legal career and hurt his chances at becoming the next leader of the Liberal party.

The Tories and NDP say people are angry at the Liberals for spending hundreds of millions of dollars to cancel the two power plants just to save Liberal seats.