TORONTO - Premier Dalton McGuinty wants part of a larger-than-expected federal surplus spent on helping Ontario work through tough economic times, but won't say what might happen if Canada's largest province doesn't get what it wants in Tuesday's budget.
McGuinty, whose latest spat with Ottawa concerns the province's struggling economy, said Tuesday he'd like to see the federal Conservatives "walk and chew gum at the same time" by sharing some of country's wealth with Ontario's hard-hit manufacturing sector.
"I think we've got close to a $13-billion federal surplus," he said.
"Let's use some of that revenue, some of that newfound wealth and help Ontario transition through a difficult period of time."
McGuinty's request may fall on deaf ears in Ottawa, despite speculation that help for Ontario's manufacturers may one of the "surprises" federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has said would be in store in the budget.
It's also an opportunity for the former Ontario finance minister to woo voters in Ontario, a vital electoral battleground, should the budget trigger a spring election.
The prospect seems unlikely, but a flurry of spending announcements in the province and its voter-rich Greater Toronto Area in recent weeks suggests the Tories aren't taking any chances.
Flaherty is expected to disclose that the federal government has at least $1 billion more in spending money on hand than anticipated, which means the federal surplus could be as high as $13 billion for the year ending March 31.
Ottawa should use that extra money to show more support for Ontario's manufacturing sector, which is the second largest in the country, McGuinty said.
"We've got a lot of people who earn their livings and feed their families and pay for their kids' tuition in the manufacturing sector," he said.
"Let's find ways to support our manufacturers and support those families who are caught up in this economic dislocation."
But Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan remained tight-lipped about whether the extra cash could translate into a boost for the province.
"I'm not going to speculate on speculation this morning," Duncan said. "We'll wait and see."
The Ontario Liberals have been pushing hard for Ottawa to provide direct help to manufacturers, while federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has been slamming the province for failing to provide tax breaks to businesses.
The conflict erupted into a nasty round of name-calling last week when Ontario Economic Development Minister Sandra Pupatello called Flaherty a "cartoon character" after he criticized the Liberals for a "lack of leadership and vision" in addressing the province's economic problems.
Opposition critics say the war of words is just a smokescreen for the Liberals, who haven't yet come up with an effective plan to tackle the economic hardships ahead.
"We've seen a government who is continually blaming the federal government for problems that we have in our own province," said Conservative Elizabeth Witmer.
"But they haven't really dealt with the problems here head-on, in a way that would be helpful to business, that would allow them to continue to grow, and we wouldn't continue to see a decline in the manufacturing sector that we are right now."
