The premier is going to spend $260 million without getting the legislature's approval.

On Monday, the territorial government put through a special warrant that is worth $261.2 million in spending.

Special warrants are cabinet directives signed by the commissioner. They permit the government to spend a specified amount of money without getting legislative approval.

Traditionally, special warrants are used if there is an election and no legislature to give approval, or if there is a rare situation where the legislature cannot convene to vote on spending.

This is the second straight year Premier and Finance Minister Dennis Fentie has passed a special warrant for the initial spending of the upcoming fiscal year instead of seeking approval in the legislature.

According to the warrant, the $261 million is to enable the government to operate from the first day of the new fiscal year, April 1, until April 30.

Since the 2005-06 has not been introduced, let alone passed, in the legislature, there was no money approved to spend in the year until the warrant was arranged.

The figure is more than a third of the total budget because the government doles out most of its grants at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Today, both opposition parties denounced the government's decision to issue a warrant.

'It's just Mr. Fentie's contempt for the legislative assembly and for the public,' NDP Leader Todd Hardy said about the government's decision to go this route, again.

He believes the premier is trying to avoid serious scrutiny.

'This is the second year in a row the government has pulled this stunt,' said Liberal Leader Pat Duncan.

She noted the special warrants were obtained this year and last year just within the deadline.

'It is a pattern of arrogance, and that has not gone unnoticed by the Yukon public,' she said.

The law states that a special warrant cannot be handed out when the legislature will be sitting within seven days or fewer. The house will reconvene on March 24, 10 days after the warrant was obtained.

'It is unnecessary. It is totally avoidable,' Hardy said about the warrant.

Duncan said the premier could have easily introduced an interim supply bill on the first day of the sitting, then debated and passed it on the next sitting day, Tuesday, March 29.

An interim supply bill gives the government the ability to spend money to operate while the actual budget is being debated.

The budget, which is expected to be introduced on March 24, will likely take the entire length of the session to pass. The sitting may not end until mid-May, or possibly even later.

Even when the house has been convened in late February, which is when it traditionally used to be reopened, the budget still did not pass before April 1. However, the governments used interim supply bills, which went through the legislature, not special warrants.

Duncan said she would have had no problem passing an interim supply bill.

'An interim supply bill is not normally held up in the house,' said Duncan.

'They absolutely could have and should have an interim supply bill.'

She said it would have been one of the easiest things to do.

Hardy decried the 'unbelievable hypocrisy' to rail Duncan for putting through special warrants when she was premier only to use them himself.

Fentie's government has passed more special warrants than Duncan's government did while in power.

Cabinet staff refused to make Fentie or any elected official available for comment on the matter.