MPs were "asleep at the switch" last week as the government sneaked through a highly unusual bill approving $50-billion in spending through to December, says Senator Lowell Murray. Mr. Murray, whose Senate finance committee will give the legislation a second look today, said the bill allowed Paul Martin to bypass the normal spending review process to prepare for a spring election. "There wasn't even a peep out of any of them," Mr. Murray said of the MPs. "I find it appalling the way they've conducted themselves." Reg Alcock, the Treasury Board Minister, introduced the bill shortly after 7 p.m. last Monday and the bill went through all stages in less than half an hour and was sent to the Senate. The routine bill is passed every March, but is normally limited to approving a smaller sum of money for the government until the June vote on spending for the full year. Last year's motion only approved $17-billion. But with the strong possibility of a spring election, the bill is seen as a way for the government to clear the decks ahead of schedule. "There's the Liberals, who are supposed to be flexing their muscles to slay the democratic deficit and they let this go through on the nod and the new united right -- these paragons of fiscal conservatism -- didn't seem to understand what was happening. It's incredible. It is truly incredible," he said. Mr. Murray was appointed to the Senate in 1979 and was a minister in the Brian Mulroney government. He opposed the creation of the Conservative Party of Canada and now sits as an independent conservative. Though senators are "rather agitated" by the bill, Mr. Murray said it will likely pass because Senators rarely challenge budget measures. The period between March and June is listed in the parliamentary rules as the time for MPs to review and approve the $186-billion in annual federal spending. During that period, the government normally releases key documents such as the main spending estimates for the year and longer-term projections from departments. However the normal pattern has been significantly disrupted this year, with the Treasury Board going so far as to say February's main spending estimates will be scrapped and replaced with an updated version later this year to take into account the recent announcements made by the Martin government. Former Conservative House leader Loyola Hearn appealed to Commons Speaker Peter Milliken, arguing the government is admitting the current spending estimates are "invalid," but the Speaker disagreed. Mr. Hearn said the government could now bring in an "entirely different" budget after it has been approved by MPs. "It seems they can do whatever they want. Budgets mean nothing," he said. NDP MP Pat Martin compared the situation to recent corporate accounting scandals. "This is more and more like Enron," he said. "When you have to reissue your financial statements, it's the most humiliating thing you can do on Bay Street or on Wall Street." Mr. Martin said Senator Murray "may be right" in his criticism of the Commons, recalling that though the opposition voted against the government's $50-billion spending bill, most MPs were busy chatting and socializing as the votes took place. MPs who have been wading through the almost three-inch-thick document in committee will be very frustrated if it is ultimately replaced, Mr. Martin said. "Mr. Alcock's pat response to every question is 'All will be revealed if you look at the estimates.' Well, now we find the estimates are completely irrelevant," he said. "This is truly astounding." Mr. Alcock said he simply wants to provide Parliament with as much information as possible and to take into account the creation of several new departments. "There's no change in terms of the amounts of money," he said. As for pushing through $50-billion in spending last week, Mr. Alcock said no one complained at the time. "It took unanimous consent to do it, so they can't have it both ways," he said. Liberal MP Paul Szabo, who chairs the Commons estimates committee, said the government has a responsibility to ensure public servants are paid and committees are free to review government spending any time they wish. "I don't place as much importance on the actual budget numbers themselves," he said. "It's probably more important to ask 'What's your plan?' "
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