FORT MYERS, FLA. -- Back in the gloom of the 2009 recession, they were everywhere.

Blue and green signs blanketed the countryside, proclaiming Conservative government emergency spending on everything from highways to hiking trails stretching from the eastern tip of Cape Spear to the pounding surf of Tofino, B.C.

They were backed by a television commercial blitz which had viewers rolling their eyes at what was clearly a Conservative arent-we-wonderful propaganda push.

But for all that questionable self-promotional spending, there was no mistaking a rollout of $40 billion in infrastructure spending was underway and that there were shovels behind most of the signs to prove the funds were buying jobs. Even the auditor general of the day was impressed.

There is no similar indication todays muddled Liberal version of the action plan is delivering a big economic bang for all those deep deficit dollars.

Thats partly why the opposition parties united Wednesday to ask the auditor general to examine the $188 billion pledged to keep Canadas already-healthy economy humming.

The only opponent to that push for greater transparency was, to nobodys surprise, the Liberal side of the Commons.

Now, one action plan isnt quite like the other.

There was a bonafide sense of an economic emergency ten years ago that mobilized motivation at all levels to get dollars in active circulation.

Todays hostile provincial premiers may be disinclined to go deeper into deficit to partner with a signature Liberal program or theyre merely taking the federal cash and cutting their contribution to projects already on the books.

And unlike 2010 or 2011, this programs fundamental flaw is trying to force-feed stimulus into an economy where the construction sector is almost fully employed. Its hard to get idle shovels breaking new ground if theyre already working.

Sure, light rail lines in Calgary and Vancouver got a welcome boost, but a big chunk of the money is still sloshing around in unallocated budgets across dozens of departments waiting for a funding partner to sign on or a federal bureaucrat to sign off.

The governments own website gives few details at what is going where and how much.

If indeed the Liberal plan is stimulating economic growth, and there were statistics showing it didnt do much in easing the 2009 recession, the government should be shouting it from the Peace Tower.

If there are holdups to project kickstarts beyond the governments control, it should be transparent about that as well.

But the fact signs of activity dont exist is proof an independent authority like the auditor general needs to give the real impact of this massive borrowing binge a closer and clearer look.

Read more here:

Don Martin: Unleashing the auditor general on the invisible Liberal infrastructure plan - CTV News