In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the federal Liberals are poised to table a bill granting them sweeping new powers to spend money and raise taxes without having to get the approval of Parliament.
Global News has seen a copy of the legislation set to be tabled Tuesday when a small number of MPs from all parties return to Ottawa to pass a multibillion-dollar coronavirus support package.
The legislation grants Finance Minister Bill Morneau extraordinary new powers to spend, borrow and tax without having to get the approval of opposition MPs until December 2021.
The Canadian Constitution enshrines taxation as a power of the parliamentary branch. Because of that, granting those powers to the federal cabinet alone is highly unusual – even