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The Liberal minority government has delivered an NDP-friendly budget packed with new spending and tax hikes for high-income earners while allowing this year’s deficit to balloon to $12-billion, $2-billion higher than predicted.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa cast the 2014 budget as a 10-year plan for growing Ontario’s economy and supporting Ontarians in the long-term — a plan he appeared confident would serve the party well in an election, should NDP leader Andrea Horwath not support it.

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But Ms. Horwath declined to appear before reporters Thursday to respond to the 368-page document, instead making Ontarians wait overnight for even a hint at whether she will support the government or trigger a spring election.

“I’m perplexed as to why the leader of the third party would not stand before Ontarians in terms of what it is we’re discussing today,” Mr. Sousa said on Thursday before delivering the budget speech in the legislature. “This is about the well-being of Ontarians, it’s not about the well-being of any political party or the fortunes of any political party.”