While Conservative Bob Runciman said he was just making a play on words and is a victim of "political correctness gone crazy," Bryant said such language is extraordinarily offensive and shouldn't be tolerated.

"He should withdraw it and he should apologize. He owes an apology to aboriginal leaders as well," Bryant said.

"It's playing into stereotypes and an approach to aboriginal peoples and aboriginal affairs that in many ways mocks and demeans aboriginal peoples, the culture, rights and heritage."

Runciman was responding to Tuesday's Liberal budget, which nearly doubled the budget of the recently created aboriginal affairs ministry to $55 million after the government vowed to build a new relationship with First Nations.

The ministry's new budget will do little but create more public sector jobs, Runciman said.

"It's a lot of smoke signals and mirrors," said Runciman, who is the leader of the official Opposition since Conservative Leader John Tory doesn't have a seat in the legislature.

"The reality is that a lot of that money is going to be moved in the direction of creating a bureaucracy and generating $100,000-plus salaries."

Later, Runciman said he regretted giving Bryant the chance to divert attention away from issue at hand by "not being as sensitive as I should be." If anyone should be apologizing, Runciman said it's Bryant for allowing the Six Nations occupation in Caledonia to drag on for over two years and has cost provincial taxpayers $50 million.

"It's just another example of political correctness gone crazy in the province," Runciman said. "You can't say something a little bit humorous, a play on words. There was no offence intended and I think most reasonable people would not take offence."

Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse, with the Assembly of First Nations, said he wasn't offended by the comment. Aboriginal people are "beyond" using smoke signals to communicate and are quite adept at both computers and BlackBerrys, he added.

"I've certainly been able to have a thicker skin these days than to take offence," said Toulouse, adding he's encouraged by the size of the new aboriginal affairs budget. "I don't want to be bogged down on rhetoric and some of the game-playing that may go on in the house."

NDP Leader Howard Hampton said Bryant's outrage over the comment just detracts from the real issues facing Ontario's aboriginal people.

While Bryant demands apologies from the Opposition, Hampton said there are land claims to be settled and aboriginal leaders being jailed for trying to prevent mining companies from encroaching on their traditional land.

"The real issue is that the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs doesn't have the budget, doesn't have the resources to deal with a number of very important First Nation issues," he said.