June 15, 2012 - 4:00 AM
TORONTO - Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is threatening to call an election after the Conservatives and NDP combined to force changes to the government's budget.
McGuinty said he's go to the people after the Tories and New Democrats out voted the Liberals at committee to pass opposition amendments to the budget bill.
He accused NDP Leader Andrea Horwath of turning her back on a deal to vote for the budget in exchange for a tax on incomes over $500,000 and other earlier changes.
Horwath fired back that she told McGuinty the NDP would try for more changes at committee before Wednesday's final budget vote.
McGuinty accuses the opposition parties of gutting the budget and says he'll absolutely call an election if the amendments aren't withdrawn.
The premier appealed to any opposition member to vote with the Liberals, who need only one more vote to pass the budget and avoid the defeat of the minority government.
Late Thursday evening, McGuinty scheduled a news conference in Toronto for Friday morning to talk about the budget and his threat to call an election just eight months after the last one.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012