Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould speaks during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 10, 2016.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
The federal Liberals have lost a bid to extend debate next week on their contentious medically-assisted dying legislation.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould introduced two motions Friday to extend sitting hours next Tuesday and Wednesday into the early morning hours so MPs could speak their minds about Bill C-14.
But the procedural move was rejected by the opposition parties, who accused the Liberals of using "bulldozer" tactics to get the legislation through third reading.
Wilson-Raybould said she would have preferred to have more time to debate the proposed new law.
But the Opposition Conservatives complained that their constituents deserve to hear their MPs debate the legislation at a time when they're actually awake.
New Democrat MP Peter Julian said the Liberals should have approached his party first to seek consent to extend the sitting hours.