OTTAWA — The Liberal government has successfully cut short debate on its controversial assisted-dying bill — but not without a whole lot of protest from opposition MPs.
The motion by government House leader Dominic LeBlanc created a stir in the Commons, with the vote delayed at one point by a dispute between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the NDP benches.
The motion, which passed by a margin of 172-137, ensures only one more day for the legislation at report stage and one day at third reading before it moves to the Senate.
Once there, Bill C-14 is not expected to go over well among a number of senators who have already expressed their doubts about whether the legislation is constitutional.
The Liberals are under fire over the bill, especially after the Alberta Court of Appeal declared the legislation does not comply with the Supreme Court's landmark decision on doctor-assisted death.
As written, the court said, the proposed law would exclude people suffering solely from psychiatric conditions nor did the top court require the applicant to be terminally ill to qualify.