With the territorial budget set to expire a week before that, however, Yukoners are asking why the announcement has come so late compared to previous years.

Typically, the legislative assembly begins sitting before March 31, the last day of the fiscal year.

This enables the government to propose the next year’s budget before the previous year’s budget expires.

It’s up to the premier to decide when the spring and fall sittings begin, and he must give the Speaker and MLAs two weeks’ advance notice.

Once the sitting begins, the government has five days to introduce all the bills it wants to propose during that sitting.

The annual territorial budget is normally introduced during the first week of the spring sitting.

The Star began trying to contact the government and opposition parties Wednesday afternoon to ask about the fact that there still had been no announcement about the legislature being recalled at that point.

“I don’t think, with the Yukon Party, there’s a lot of normal,” Liberal MLA Sandy Silver told the Star this morning, before the premier’s announcement.

“I don’t think there’s any good reason as to why we’re going in so late.”

“The April start date was chosen to give the Yukon government time to consider the implications of the federal budget on the territory’s financial position,” the government said in a statement announcing the date MLAs will reconvene.

According to Silver, the MLAs have known the funding allocated to Yukon “for some time now.”

As well, other provinces and Nunavut have already delivered their budgets.

Indeed, B.C. announced its 2016-17 budget on Feb.16.

Nunavut released its budget on Feb. 25.

Across the country in New Brunswick, a 2016-17 budget was tabled Feb. 2.

“There’s special warrants that have to be written if the government is bypassing the legislature for spending authority,” noted Silver.

“I think it speaks to a lack of respect this government has for due process, and also speaks to poor planning and a lack of leadership.”

Since the date has passed for the premier to announce a sitting and propose a budget before the current budget runs out next week, the government has applied for a special warrant in order to continue funding services and paying salaries.

The warrant, effective April 1, enables the government to spend up to $235 million until April 30.

Silver said that allowing a budget to expire before a new one is proposed has implications for the democratic process.

“One of those things we glaze over is that every dollar we spend is taxpayers’ money, and it needs to go through due process; it needs to be debated in the legislature,” said Silver.

“It’s an opportunity to bring up issues, for fiscal responsibility. There’s a reason for those processes, that’s democracy.”

Once the spring sitting begins, the government will introduce an interim supply bill, which will grant the government power to continue spending.

The bill will also give MLAs the opportunity to discuss in the House additional funding proposed by the government.

The legislative assembly began last year’s spring sitting after that March 31 as well.

The first sitting day was on April 2, 2015.

NDP Leader Liz Hanson was unavailable to comment for this story.

By Sidney Cohen Star Reporter