OTTAWA - It seems that a springtime election may be even more likely following the latest news to come out of Ottawa today. It appears that the upcoming budget to be tabled in the early spring will be put together strictly behind closed doors by the sitting Conservative minority government.

The reason given for this is flimsy at best - apparently a leaked finance committee report has undermined the ability of the committee to continue. It is very difficult to make sense of the reasoning behind this decision - as MPs were reluctant to discuss the issue in public.

The public, however, has every right to feel jilted if we are to be shut out of the pre-budget consultation process. Many citizens groups eagerly await the opportunity to make a presentation before government and to question MPs over contentious matters.

After all, the pre-budget meetings of the finance committee are valuable to everybody. This is where important compromises are made - on both sides of the house. For a minority government these meetings help the party anticipate potential opposition to their budget. Accordingly, the likelihood of a non-confidence vote increases astronomically without such pre-arranged compromises.

Voters are hoping for a resolution to this matter, or at least more information. As it stands, the Conservative government has been roundly criticized for its efforts to consolidate power in the Prime Minister's Office - if this decision comes down to their own politicking it will surely cost them some support. There are a great many Canadians who support the Conservative party because of certain values such as transparency and accountability. These qualities were lacking in the previous Liberal government, and if the current government does not open up the budgetary process it will be difficult to avoid the same criticisms.

Leaked documents are a fact of life on Parliament Hill, and the reaction to this seems significantly inflated. Democratic traditions must be respected - by all political parties. Knee-jerk reactions to exclude the public and silence debate will surely be met with disappointment. Any politicians who think it is best to exclude the public from these pre-budget considerations needs to give their head a shake - and find a new career.