With the Liberal party facing intense criticism from the Opposition following the release of the Gomery report, Public Works Minister Scott Brison called for civility in Parliament Sunday.

"We have a responsibility to Canadians who chose this Parliament to make this minority Parliament work," Brison told CTV's Question Period on Sunday. "We don't achieve that if we are uncivilized, or petty, or pithy, or overly partisan."

Brison came under fire on Friday when he said Conservative leader Stephen Harper's history as an unregistered lobbyist makes him an unlikely booster of increased government accountability.

"Harper operated for four years as an unregistered lobbyist as head of the National Citizens' Coalition," Brison said.

The Conservatives angrily dismissed the Liberal allegation, saying Harper wrote letters and delivered speeches at the conservative think-tank in attempts to influence public policy -- but he never lobbied ministers over expensive dinners.

Brison also told reporters that the NCC was charged six times for violating Canada's Elections Act and was, in fact, convicted once.

On CTV Newsnet's Mike Duffy Live, NCC vice president Gerry Nicholls said Brison was "completely wrong." He said Brison was confused over several court challenges that the NCC spearheaded in order to challenge election law which it found "unconstitutional."

"That's quite different from being charged," said Nicholls. He continued: "Everything (Brison) said was false. Everything he said was untrue. Everything he said was malicious."

Brison said he was given information that was wrong, and later apologized for his comments.

"The moment I realized I had erred in transmitting the information, I did the right thing. I retracted and issued an apology to Mr. Harper directly," he said Sunday.

He added that his retraction was unique in parliamentary politics, and that more MPs should endeavour to do the same.

"I think politics would be far more civil if more people would do that," Brison said.

"I sit in the House of Commons on a daily basis and I hear opposition members saying things that are simply not true about the prime minister, about the government, and about other Members of Parliament, and they never retract."