Government House leader Jason Nixon is denying opposition accusations that he is trying to kill debate on Bill 9, proposed legislation to delay wage arbitration for teachers, nurses and other public sector workers until the end of October.

Just after midnight Tuesday, Nixon invoked a standing order to limit the number of procedural amendments to the bill, the Public Sector Arbitration Deferral Act. It came after a single NDP MLA, Christina Gray from Edmonton-Mill Woods, had spoken in second reading.

NDP MLAs immediately accused the UCP of killing debate on a bill they say is illegal and violates workers' collective bargaining rights.

"One member of the Official Opposition spoke, a single member, and this government steps forward to invoke closure," Edmonton-City Centre NDP MLA David Shepherd told the House.

"This is where we've come to in terms of democracy in this province."

While heading into a cabinet meeting hours later, Nixon told reporters the government hasn't killed debate. He said another five or six hours of debate are expected in second reading Tuesday night and additional discussion in later stages of the bill.

"The NDP doesn't know what time allocation is," he said. "We certainly haven't limited debate."

Nixon introduced three motions Tuesday afternoon to limit debate to one hour in second reading, to six hours in committee of the whole and to two hours in third reading, the final stage of debate.

Nixon said he will bring in time allocation in the next couple of days. The government wants the legislature to have enough time to debate all the bills currently under consideration in the spring sitting.

Bill 9 was introduced in the legislature last week, as leaders of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, the United Nurses of Alberta, the Alberta Teachers' Association and the Health Sciences Association of Alberta watched from the gallery.

Union leaders and the NDP believe the bill is a first step in a process that will lead to the government imposing wage rollbacks on about 180,000 public sector workers this fall.

A section of Bill 9 gives cabinet the power to make regulations "respecting any other matter that the Lieutenant Governor in Council considers necessary or advisable for carrying out the intent of this act."

The NDP thinks the wording gives the government the power to impose wage settlements on workers without the matter being debated in the legislature.

Finance Minister Travis Toews denied that is the case. He said the intent of the bill is to delay wage arbitration talks until the end of October.

The government is awaiting a report on Alberta's finances from a panel chaired by former Saskatchewan finance minister Janice MacKinnon.

The legislature starts its fall sitting on Oct. 22, the day after the federal election.