OTTAWA - The Harper government won't split up its dense, omnibus budget bill.

Conservative House Leader Peter Van Loan has flatly rejected an NDP proposal to carve the bill into more manageable chunks.

He says the government wants its economic program passed quickly.

The Opposition has complained bitterly about the original bill, which contains more than 400 pages and changes dozens of statutes.

It reforms environmental regulations, fisheries management and immigration law, among other things.

Opposition MPs said it was an attempt to push through contentious changes without the scrutiny which separate bills would allow.