Leader of Canada's Liberal Party Michael Ignatieff on Friday accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper of playing political games ahead of next week's federal budget and urged him not to do so.
Ignatieff said the government's leaking of information from the budget, to be tabled January 27, is a deliberate attempt "to get the bad news out of the way."
"The release of this budget information was irresponsible and costly to our economy," Ignatieff said in an address to a joint luncheon of the Canadian Club and the Empire Club in Toronto.
"I asked Mr Harper not to play games like that. I told him, ' Put the facts and figures on the table. Don't let them slip out at his convenience.' But the guy just can't help himself. He thinks it is all some kind of political game."
On Thursday, a senior government official said the budget will result in a deficit of 64 billion Canadian dollars (roughly 51 billion dollars) in the next two years in the Harper government's plan to provide a stimulus for the Canadian economy.
On Friday, more details from the federal budget came out, including a fund for struggling industries and laid-off workers.
The Liberals have threatened to defeat the minority government and pursue a coalition with the NDP and support from the Bloc Quebecois if the budget did not do enough to stimulate the economy.
Ignatieff has said he wants to review the budget before he decides whether to support it.
He said on Friday he would not let Harper "skate by with a passing grade."
"If the answers don't cut it, I'm ready to lead," he said. "I am not looking for shortcuts here, but I am ready and my team is ready."