Opposition parties are questioning why the Yukon Party government has yet to announce when the legislative assembly will meet for its spring sitting and what that will mean for the territory's budget.

'I wouldn't say I'm sitting here with bated breath,' Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell said this week, 'but I'm certainly curious about when the legislature will meet.

'It looks like the government is heading once again to the use of special warrants.'

With the fiscal year ending March 31, if the legislature does not sit and table the budget or an interim spending bill, a special warrant would be required to ensure the continuation and financing of government operations.

The warrant provides government with money without first receiving the scrutiny of the Yukon's elected representatives.

'Every premier has used special warrants,' conceded Mitchell, 'but it's become habit with this government.'

Premier Dennis Fentie, who also serves as the territory's Finance minister, confirmed for the Star a special warrant will be used by the government, but it will only be directed at nondiscretionary spending for items such as wages, health care and education.

'The opposition will have ample time to debate the budget and its items when it is tabled,' said Fentie.

The premier said the delay in calling the house to a spring sitting, which historically begins in late March, is connected to the Canada Winter Games.

The government encouraged its employees to volunteer their time to the Games, which ran in the city from Feb. 23 until last Saturday, to ensure the event went off without a hitch, he said.

The Games' success will likely have great spin-off potential for the territory, said Fentie, but the diminished manpower leading into them and during the two-week period means other government operations are slightly behind schedule.

But the house's sitting and the tabling of the budget will happen shortly, he assured.

'I have no qualms about what we're doing,' said Fentie. 'We're conducting government business with proper planning and articulating Yukoners' values.'

Mitchell said he wasn't surprised Fentie is using the Games as an excuse.

But the government has known for five years the Games were coming to the territory and could have planned around them to ensure a budget was tabled, he said.

There is no need for the territory to have to depend on a special warrant in this situation, and doing so is a sign of disrespect for the legislature and its process, said Mitchell.

NDP MLA Steve Cardiff agreed, saying it is a product of poor planning on the part of government.

'It's total disregard for the legislature,' said Cardiff.

He further added the Yukon Party government's persistent use of special warrants goes against the Financial Administration Act.

Special warrants are only meant to be used in emergency situations, said Cardiff.

'(Fentie's) creating the emergency by not calling the legislature at the appropriate time.'

By not announcing the sitting of the legislature and tabling the budget for the 2007-08 fiscal year, Fentie's government is creating other problems, Cardiff added.

There are many non-governmental organizations and voluntary groups dependent on the funding given in the territorial budget for their programming, he said.

Until the budget is tabled, while they're trying to plan their own fiscal year, they are sitting on pins and needles to find out if they will receive territorial money, said Cardiff.

It also has implications for the construction industry, he added.

'The government needs to let the construction industry know what the capital programming is going to be,' he said.

By not giving the industry enough advance notice, especially now when companies are gearing up for the summer season, the government is potentially creating delays, an inability to find workers for the projects or higher bids for projects, said Cardiff.

'The government knows that every year they have to table a budget,' he said, 'but this seems to be pretty standard for Mr. Fentie.'