By DAVID AKIN, Parliamentary Bureau Chief

OTTAWA - One after another, all through the night, NDP MP after NDP MP have been giving speeches in the House of Commons as part of an extraordinary parliamentary filibuster that QMI Agency has learned could last for days, preventing the quick end of the work stoppage at Canada Post.

MPs began debating the Conservative government's back-to-work legislation Thursday at 10 a.m. and were still going strong at 4 a.m., part of a take-no-prisoners debate on the Canada Post work stoppage. With the NDP set to exploit procedural loopholes in parliamentary procedure, MPs were buckling down for a filibuster that many MPs on either side of the House believe could keep going continuously right through the weekend and into next week.

Under parliamentary rules, any MP can speak for up to 20 minutes to any particular motion before the House of Commons. The NDP was set to move one motion after another and let each of their 103 MPs speak to each motion for 20 minutes at a time ¬ all in a bid to give the Canadian Union of Postal Workers more time to reach a negotiated settlement with Canada Post.

"What this legislation does is reward bad management practices," said a hoarse Peter Julian, an NDP MP from B.C., as he spoke shortly after 1 a.m.

But the NDP's fierce opposition to the back-to-work legislation has, so far, been met with determination just as fierce from the Conservative benches who want postal workers back on the job as soon as possible.

"There are millions of working people in Canada who want to see back-to-work legislation," Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski told the House of Commons ¬at

1:15 a.m. today.

The Conservatives have a majority of votes in the House of Commons and in the Senate which means the legislation will eventually pass. But the NDP can delay the passage of that legislation, in theory, for days and, in doing so, hope that the union and management at Canada Post can come to a negotiated settlement to end the work stoppage.

The extraordinary debate produced an extraordinary scene around the Parliamentary Precinct. Whenever the House of Commons is sitting, for example, the Library of Parliament must remain open and so yawning librarians remained on the job ready to do any research that debating MPs might request.

Security guards posted throughout the Parliament buildings were comforted with the thought that they were earning time-and-a-half. At 2 a.m., one security guard had already worked 20 consecutive hours.

In fact, House of Commons support staff will earn considerably more on Friday because Hill employees are on a statutory holiday ¬ Quebec's St. Jean Baptiste Day ¬and will qualify for even more bonus pay for working a holiday.

Inside the House of Commons, there were at least 25 MPs from each of the Conservative and NDP caucuses, a minimum number needed to protect against any procedural shenanigans pulled by either side. Conservative MPs were rotating in and out of the House of Commons on three hour shifts and had been told not to be more than 15 minutes away from Parliament Hill during their breaks in case of a snap vote.

Even Prime Minister Stephen Harper was doing his bit for his caucus, taking a turn in his seat in the House of Commons after midnight. He reportedly spent the night in this Centre Block office next to the House of Commons.

One Western Canadian MP was supposed to speak at a family wedding this weekend. He was making arrangements to do so via Skype from the lobbies of the House of Commons.