Updated: Tue Nov. 24 2009 4:21:56 PM

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — The Progressive Conservatives are intentionally distorting the facts about the harmonized sales tax in order to scare Ontario voters, Premier Dalton McGuinty charged Tuesday after days of being called a liar by the official Opposition.

The normally unflappable McGuinty fired back at his Conservative critics, saying they don't have the courage to promise to reverse the merger of the eight per cent provincial sales tax with the five per cent goods and services tax should they win the 2011 election.

"I long for the day when they come to the house and present a positive alternative," McGuinty said before entering a caucus meeting. "All they have now are myths and fictions to induce fear among Ontarians."

The Tories countered by saying there's no legal way for them to undo harmonization because the province signed a $4.3-billion deal with the federal Conservative government that locks in the HST until at least 2015, and would require the money be paid back otherwise.

"Premier, you negotiated a $4.3-billion poison pill that would punish any government that tries to break your (HST) agreement," Opposition Leader Tim Hudak told the legislature.

It's easy to criticize a complicated tax package that includes cuts to personal and corporate tax rates as well as harmonized sales taxes, said McGuinty, but the Liberal government remains convinced it is the best way to help get Ontario's economy back on track.

"We have a plan to create 600,000 more jobs. The other guys don't," he said. "I think they're clinging to the past."

The Conservatives have been ringing the division bells at the legislature and using other delaying tactics in an attempt to force the Liberal government to hold public hearings on the HST, which kicks in next July.

"I'll basically continue to do the job that Dalton McGuinty refuses to do, to hold open, public meetings across this province to hear directly from retirees and working families about this massive sales tax grab," Hudak said outside the legislature.

The division bells started ringing for 30 minutes at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, just as McGuinty was beginning his media availability, after the Opposition moved for adjournment of debate just minutes into the legislative day.

Just prior to the bells going off, Conservative Randy Hillier called McGuinty a "Grand Wizard" in the legislature, a title most commonly associated with the American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan.

A spokesman for the party later said Hillier was in no way suggesting the premier was a racist, and perhaps had used the wrong language in expressing his frustration with the Liberal government.

The Tories walked out en masse from Monday's question period, and several of their critics were ejected from last Thursday's proceedings for calling McGuinty a liar and refusing to withdraw what is considered unparliamentary language.

The New Democrats also want public hearings on the HST, but question the effectiveness of the Conservatives' tactics.

"I'm not sure how the antics of the last day or two have resonated with the public -- I know the bells are resonating in our ears today -- but I'm not sure how much of this actually gets out to the public," said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

"People don't want this harmonized sales tax and they think it's a disgrace the government is prepared to ram it through the legislature without any dialogue."

The government wants to extend the fall sitting of the legislature until Dec. 22 to make sure it gets the enabling legislation for the HST, and the tax cuts scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, passed before the Christmas break.