The minority Liberals could face another election if they cannot corral either the Conservatives or NDP to support the provincial budget released on Tuesday.
"I am very proud of the budget we have introduced to Ontarians," McGuinty told reporters on Wednesday, during an appearance at a Toronto home to discuss the budget with a local family.
"I know there has been a lot of chatter lately about the political dynamic associated with the budget. I don't think a lot of families are focused on that, and I don't think we should be either."
McGuinty said the Liberals worked hard to ensure their Conservatives and NDP counterparts "saw a little of themselves and their views reflected in the budget."
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak has already said they will not support the budget, calling it "a weak and disappointing response" to the "warnings that we need to change course" to avoid going over a financial cliff.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has said she will ruminate on the budget and ask residence for guidance on whether to support the Liberals or vote against them, which would likely trigger an election.
"I would certainly be proud to campaign on our budget and our five-year plan, and I would certainly seek a majority in order for us to get the job done," McGuinty said.
"But I remain very hopeful that it does not come to that. We have worked hard to ensure the opposition see themselves in this budget."
McGuinty said the Liberals were open to changes to the budget, but would not budge on their key goals of eliminating the deficit in five years, protecting health care and education, and growing the economy and creating jobs.
The budget outlines a plan to slash government spending by more than $17 billion over the next three years.
The Liberals are calling for a two-year wage freeze for about a million public sector workers, including teachers and doctors, hiking user fees and closing schools and jails.
The Liberals peg the deficit for 2011-2012 at $15.3 billion, a billion lower than forecast last year, and put themselves on track to eliminate the deficit by 2017-18.
The cuts, with their projected three-year savings totals in brackets, include:
- Closing "underutilized" schools beginning in the 2013-14 school year ($116 million).
- Closing six "inefficient" prisons in Owen Sound, Walkerton, Brantford, Chatham and Sarnia, and the Toronto West Detention Centre ($232 million).
- Imposing a monthly 3,000 kilowatt-hour cap on the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit, which takes 10 per cent off electricity bills ($470 million)
- A $100 deductible on drugs for seniors who have an annual income over $100,000, and a $200 deductible for senior couples with a combined income over $160,000. Also, these high-income seniors will be hit with a $6.11 co-payment per prescription ($30 million)
- Reducing the annual rate of growth in health care spending to 2.1 per cent over the next three years (down from an average of 6.1 per cent).
- Phasing in increases to the Ontario Child Benefit in two stages, from $1,100 to $1,210 in 2013 and to $1,310 in 2014 ($79 million).
The Liberals also attempted to appease the NDP by postponing planned corporate tax cuts that had been scheduled for 2012 and 2013. The rate will be frozen at 11.5 per cent, for a savings of $1.5 billion over three years, and cuts will resume when the province balances the books.
Finance Minister Dwight Duncan says the plan calls for the creation of 170,000 new jobs, without offering specifics. But both Hudak and Horwath have panned the budget for a lack of strategy on how to create new employment options.
The Liberals are two seats shy of a majority government and will need to find that many extra votes to pass the budget and avoid triggering a new election.
