OTTAWA -- If Tim Hudak wins the most seats in the Ontario election but falls short of a majority, the Progressive Conservatives have the right to "attempt" to form government, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Wednesday.

The Liberal leader refused to speculate on a possible coalition or partnership with the New Democrats at a later stage, but insisted she will work to make sure a minority government functions.

"I have worked in a minority parliament for the last 16 months," said Wynne.

"If that isn't what the people of Ontario choose then we will continue to work in a minority parliament with whoever the government is."

Asked repeatedly whether she would be willing to team up with the NDP if a minority Tory government is short-lived, Wynne didn't provide a clear answer and dismissed the questions as hypothetical.

"There are a number of steps there that we don't know what will happen," she said.

"We have a plan that is based on a budget that we brought in a few weeks ago, and we are ready to implement that plan."

If one of the parties forms a minority government, it would have to pass a throne speech in the legislature, which is a confidence motion that determines its survival.

If it doesn't pass, the government would fall, which could trigger another election if no one else can gain the confidence of the legislature.

In 1985, the Liberals and New Democrats joined forces to replace the newly elected minority Conservative government, who had four more seats than the Liberals. The Liberals agreed to implement NDP policies in exchange for their support for two years.

But Wynne wasn't interested in talking about history Wednesday, announcing that a new Liberal government would bring back the legislature within 20 days of the election and re-introduce the budget that triggered the vote.

Earlier in the day, she lashed out at Tory Leader Tim Hudak for pledging to resign as premier if, once elected, he can't keep all his campaign promises, including cutting 100,000 public-sector jobs to help balance the budget.

Hudak can't "govern by gimmick," Wynne said, before offering her own 20-day guarantee to recall the legislature.

"He's offered a money-back guarantee, but will the 100,000 people he puts out of work get a jobs-back guarantee?" she said to a cheering crowd of hundreds of supporters in Vaughan, north of Toronto.

It's a "fog of deflection" aimed at masking what his austerity plan would do, she said.

"He'll sacrifice our economy on the altar of extreme conservative ideology," Wynne said. "I stand against that."

The election was called after both opposition parties panned the May 1 budget, raising the possibility Ontario quickly could be plunged into another $90-million election if the Liberals form another minority government.

Asked if she would table the same $130.4-billion spending plan -- which would hike Ontario's deficit to $12.5 billion -- even if it means triggering another election, Wynne dismissed it as a "hypothetical question."

"That will be up to the people who are sitting in the legislature," she said. "But if we are re-elected, we will have been re-elected on the plan that we have brought forward to the people of Ontario, and that's the plan that we'll be ready to implement."