Prime Minister Stephen Harper is keeping up the pressure on the Liberal-dominated Senate over its handling of the Conservative government's budget.
"You know, a lot of Canadians are waiting for the things that are in the budget," Harper said Saturday in Merrickville, an eastern Ontario community.
"So I think there'd be a sure lot of anger if a bunch of unelected guys decided they could block what the elected people did and what their constituents want."
The House of Commons passed the budget on Tuesday.
Controversy has roiled the process as Nova Scotia Tory MP Bill Casey broke with the government and voted against the document, leading to his removal from the caucus.
He was the only Tory MP from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador or Saskatchewan to vote against the budget. The premiers of those provinces are involved in bitter stand-offs with Ottawa over the treatment of oil and gas revenues and equalization.
Casey supported the Nova Scotia view that the federal government isn't honouring the Atlantic Accord with his home province.
While the budget passed comfortably with the support of the Bloc Quebecois, Liberal senators -- particularly those in Atlantic Canada -- have made noise about holding up the budget or even defeating it.
Harper claimed that voters expect the budget to soon become law.
"Everyone expects that the elected house's judgment will prevail," Harper said. "Even Mr. Dion said that's what should happen."
The Tories have argued that if the budget isn't passed by June 30, many popular spending programs couldn't be properly implemented, such as income-splitting for seniors and new environmental funding for the provinces.
Peter Van Loan, the government's house leader, has suggested the government might have to go into deficit to fund those projects if the budget bill doesn't clear the Senate on time.
Late Friday, Liberal Senate leader Celine Hervieux-Payette issued a joint news release with Liberal Leader Stephane Dion in which they predicted the bill would pass.
"In my view, based on past experience, the likelihood is high that the budget implementation bill, notwithstanding its many failings, will pass in the Senate following a thorough examination," she said.
Dion said in the release that the Senate has a "responsibility to conduct a thorough review" of the budget bill.
"I am confident that in the spirit of sober second thought that characterizes the Senate, honourable senators on both sides of the aisle will undertake that review in a measured and professional fashion," he said.
The release seemed worded to avoid suggesting that Dion is telling the senators how to vote.
With files from The Canadian Press
