TORONTO - Ontario's Progressive Conservatives offered a sneak peek at their election platform Saturday, outlining plans to rebalance the provincial books and provide tax relief if they win the Oct. 6 vote.

But the Tories kept most of the details under wraps as they prepared for Sunday's official launch of the document they've dubbed "Changebook."

A Tory government would cut public sector jobs and trim government spending by two per cent until the deficit is eliminated, Leader Tim Hudak told party loyalists at their annual convention Saturday.

"It won't be easy. I don't look forward to it," Hudak told the cheering crowd. "But it must be done -- and it can be done smart."

Hudak wouldn't say when the Tories would lift the province out of red ink, which is projected to reach $16.3 billion this year alone, or how many pink slips he'd hand out.

But he will dock the pay of his ministers if they don't meet their budget targets, he told reporters.

"We're also going to shrink the size of cabinet by 20 per cent," Hudak added.

Only education and health care would be spared the axe, getting a financial boost each year the Conservatives are in power, he said.

The pledge effectively matches funding promises made by the governing Liberals and helps insulate Hudak from accusations that the Tories will close hospitals and provoke strikes in Ontario schools.

But the Liberals don't appear to be changing tack. Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli says it's "impossible" for Hudak to boost health care and education -- which together eat up 70 per cent of the provincial budget -- while cutting taxes and red ink.

"Today was disgraceful," Chiarelli said outside the Toronto convention hall. "He has no calculation, he has no evidence as to how he could possibly do that."

Hudak would only say he'd rebalance the books before the Liberals, who are aiming for 2017-18, adding all the details will come Sunday in the 30-page platform.

Adding to his promise to pump an additional $6.1 billion into health care over four years, Hudak said Saturday that the Tories will also boost the province's education budget each year until it reached an extra $2 billion in the fourth year.

At the same time, the Tories would shrink Ontario's "bloated" public sector and bring those salaries in line with "private-sector realities," Hudak said.

On the tax front, a Tory government would allow all couples to share up to $50,000 of their income -- which Hudak says will save $476 for a family earning $70,000 a year.

The Tories will also cut income taxes by five per cent on the first $75,000 of taxable income, which would save $258 a year for someone earning $70,000.

Coupled with his promise to cut the provincial portion of the harmonized sales tax from home heating and hydro bills, taxpayers will see far more money in their pockets, he said.

The Conservatives would provide an extra layer of taxpayer protection by restoring a Tory law that forbade the government from raising taxes without a clear mandate from voters.

Families need a break from Premier Dalton McGuinty, who repeatedly raised taxes even after signing a pledge not to in the 2003 election, Hudak said.

"With Dalton, 'put it in writing' isn't a protection," he told the crowd. "It's a temptation."

Hudak is also promising to:

-- double the caregiver tax credit to help people take care of children and aging parents.

-- give teachers more authority in classrooms, such as banning cellphones.

-- crack down on health-care fraud by requiring patients to provide OHIP cards with photo IDs, and put those who help themselves to free health care with a fake, forged or stolen ID in jail.

-- focus infrastructure spending on roads and transit.

-- restore "one law for all" to crack down on illegal smoke shacks and protect residents caught up in aboriginal occupations.

-- uphold the right to a secret ballot in certification votes and introduce "paycheque protection" so union members aren't forced to pay fees towards political causes they don't support.

Tory sources tell The Canadian Press that the platform will include a pledge to give all 444 Ontario municipalities a piece of provincial gas tax revenues. Only 89 currently receive a share of the cash.

Hudak has spent the last few weeks rolling out several election promises, including forcing provincial convicts to do manual labour, removing the provincial portion of the harmonized sales tax from home heating and hydro bills, and cutting government waste by abolishing the province's 14 Local Health Integration Networks and reviewing all provincial agencies, boards and commissions.

Taken together, the platform is a far cry from the controversial Common Sense Revolution that propelled the Mike Harris-led Tories to power 16 years ago on promises to slash income taxes by 30 per cent and "non-priority" government spending by 20 per cent.

The Harris years were also marked by widespread labour unrest and violent protests, which have dogged the party to this day.

But Hudak insists he's different from Harris, a political mentor and hero to the party's most devout conservatives, who has a front-row seat at the convention.

"I am who I am," he said. "I'm Tim Hudak."

Voters are sick of the spending scandals, higher taxes and bloated public service that have become McGuinty's legacy in Ontario, he said.

But there's "no point" getting mad at the premier, Hudak told the enthusiastic crowd.

It's like being mad at a raccoon who knocks over a trash can that isn't secured, Hudak said. They can't help it -- it's simply in their nature.

The same goes for McGuinty, who will hike taxes again if voters give him another chance, Hudak warned.

"He can't help it. It's what he does," said Hudak. "And he'll do it again. Unless we take precautions."