TORONTO - Most Canadian politicians would never dream of attacking an opponent's spouse, but Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak is worried his wife will be considered fair game in the run-up to next year's Ontario election.

Hudak's wife, Deb Hutton, was a senior adviser to former premier Mike Harris and a frequent target of political opponents during the Conservative government of the late 1990s.

The day Hudak won the Progressive Conservative leadership in 2009 Liberal cabinet ministers handed out buttons with pictures of Hudak, Hutton and Harris under the banner "Team 3H: because we didn't screw things up badly enough the first time."

"Of course it's concerning, and of course it's hard not to take it personally," Hudak said Wednesday of the attacks on his wife.

"Debbie has made extraordinary sacrifices in her own career to help raise our daughter, who is now three."

Families are off limits, and Premier Dalton McGuinty needs to make sure that message gets through to the Liberal campaign team, added Hudak.

"I can only speak for myself, but there would be no way in hell that I would allow someone in my campaign to attack somebody else's spouse," he said.

"That is way across the line, and I think Dalton McGuinty has to make it absolutely clear that he will not tolerate anybody on his campaign attacking my wife. I wouldn't do it."

Just last month, the Liberals issued a release under the headline "Tories at the Trough," which singled out four Conservatives, including Hutton, for "living the good life" at taxpayers' expense.

"After landing at Hydro One to collect a $200,000 per year salary, the former Harris aide forced taxpayers to cover over $5,000 in restaurant bills," said the Liberal release.

Professor Henry Jacek of McMaster University in Hamilton said Wednesday that Hutton may indeed be considered fair game by the Liberals because of her political background.

"I think this is a special case," Jacek said.

"It's not that they're trying to be mean to a spouse because she's a spouse. They're going to try to use her as evidence that her husband has close ties to Mike Harris."

McGuinty insisted Wednesday it's just not his style to go after spouses of his political opponents, but he repeatedly refused to say Hutton was off limits.

"I focus on the high road, that's who I am, that's what I'm all about," McGuinty said after an unrelated event in Ottawa.

"Just look at me, just watch me. If you want to know what I'm going to do, take a look at what I've done in the past."

Reporters pointed out McGuinty still hadn't said Hutton would not be subjected to Liberal attacks, and again tried unsuccessfully to get the premier to state whether or not the governing party would consider Hudak's wife fair game.

"I'm for talking about the work that we have done, and will continue to do, in our hospitals, our schools and working with our partners to strengthen our economy," said McGuinty.

"That's the approach that you well know that I brought to politics for 20 years now, and that's the approach I will continue to take."

While McGuinty may be uncomfortable with personal attacks, other Liberals won't be as reluctant if the polls show the government could go down to defeat as the October election draws closer, said Jacek.

"If it is a very tight race, or if the Liberals are behind, it's going to be very hard not to use every piece of information they can to remind folks about Tim Hudak's connection to Mike Harris," he said.

"It's insider information and I don't think it's necessary. I think it's over the top."

While Hutton is hardly a household name outside of Ontario political circles, she remains a controversial and polarizing figure inside the Progressive Conservative Party that her husband now leads.

Hutton could not be reached for comment Wednesday.