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Canada is almost smack-dab in the middle of the freest spending six months ever by any federal government.

Even in the build-up to D-Day during the Second World War, when all the Allies were buying ships, tanks, bombs, guns and planes to defeat Nazi Germany, Ottawa never spent money like it has in the middle of this pandemic.

And its being done almost entirely without Parliamentary oversight.

The Liberals who only have a minority have largely governed without opposition for the past three months and intend to continue doing so for at least three more.

Despite the unprecedented spending, we have seen no budget this year. Finance Minister Bill Morneau hasnt even tabled official spending estimates, so it is impossible to know where all the money is going.

Now the Liberals intend to force a vote on $150 billion in special spending on June 17 after only four hours debate and without amendments.

After that abbreviated debate and arbitrary vote, Parliament (such as it is) will be suspended until at least Sept. 21.

The pretend Parliament on June 17 will culminate three months in which governing in Canada has mostly consisted of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau descending the steps of Rideau Cottage in Ottawa to give a daily news briefing, followed by a handful of softball questions from reporters handpicked by the PMs communication staff and disproportionately selected from Quebec.

In March, Parliament shut down out of fear of spreading the coronavirus. After a month of that lockdown, the only meetings of MPs have been a 30-member committee that is limited to asking questions solely about the pandemic.

Remember, too, during the early weeks of the pandemic, the Liberals sought to vote themselves extraordinary power to tax, spend and borrow without recourse to Parliament until the end of next year.

They have managed all these moves with a minority because the NDP and Bloc Quebecois let them get away with it.

So where is the outrage from the chattering classes? Or are most commentators, networks and academics just so Liberal-friendly they cant bring themselves to criticize Dear Justin?

I saw a meme the other day that said, If Justin Trudeau ate a dog on Parliament Hill, the CBC headline would be Trudeau makes Canada safer for cats.

In 2008, one month after a federal election left Canada with a Tory minority under Stephen Harper, the Liberals and NDP conspired with the Bloc to push the Conservatives out and install their own coalition instead.

Then-Governor General Michaelle Jean agreed to grant Harpers request to prorogue Parliament. That sparked one of the greatest festivals of wailing and shrieking in modern Canadian political history.

The Harper government was called illegitimate and unconstitutional by all manner of scholars and pundits.

Concordia University political scientist Brooke Jeffrey accused Harper of dismantling Canada, while her colleague at the University of Alberta, Lori Thorlakson, insisted Harper had made Canadas Parliament the weakest of the weak.

Several academics banded together to pen an open letter insisting no other P.M. had so abused power. And The Economist magazine editorialized that the danger in permitting prime ministers to end discussion any time they choose, is that parliaments then become accountable to them rather than the other way around.

Whether you agreed with those positions on Harpers moves or not, you have to ask, Where is the similar level of outrage this time around?

Surely the danger of a six-month suspension of Parliament during a pandemic and unprecedented spending is just as great a threat as Harpers two-month prorogation.

But I guess it doesnt bother as many academics and journalists when its the Liberals crushing Parliamentary procedures.

See the article here:
GUNTER: Where's the outrage at the Liberals crushing Parliamentary procedure? - Toronto Sun