Tories seek to extend Afghan mission to 2011 in confidence motion

The Conservative government confirmed Friday it will introduce a confidence motion to extend Canada's combat role in Afghanistan past February 2009, a move that could trigger a federal election.

"We believe the mission in Afghanistan should continue. It is why the motion seeking to continue the military mission will be a matter of confidence," government House leader Peter Van Loan said Friday.

The motion, which calls for an extension of the mission for two years to February 2011, will not be voted on until March.

So far, neither Prime Minister Stephen Harper nor Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion seems willing to compromise on the main issue of whether to extend Canada's combat role beyond February 2009.

Dion has said he won't compromise on his belief that the combat mission in Kandahar must end by February 2009. He has said an extended mission should focus on shifting from a combat role to humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.

Dion told reporters Friday that the Liberals cannot accept the motion and that they'd be announcing their own proposal next week. Asked whether he would bring down the government over the issue, Dion said he would not speculate.

"If the government doesn't want to do anything to explore the possibility that our views may be compatible after February 2009, since we want to play a role in Afghanistan, the government will look as usual intransigent and the consequence may be an election," Dion said.

"If you're asking me if an election is possible, everybody in Canada knows it's possible. What I'm saying is that the Liberal opposition is looking for a parliament that is working. If it is not possible there will be an election."

The NDP and Bloc Québécois oppose any mission extension.

The call for an extension is partially based on the review of the Afghan mission prepared by a panel led by former Liberal cabinet minister John Manley.

The panel called for an extension based on two main conditions:

• NATO provide 1,000 more troops before 2009.
• The government secure new, medium-lift helicopters and high-performance unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance before that date.

The motion differs from one aspect of the Manley report in that the report did not place any deadline for the mission to end.

Tories open to some amendments

Van Loan said Harper presented Dion with an advanced draft of the motion during their meeting on Tuesday, saying the Tories were open to amendments, so long as they fall under the broad parameters of the Manley report. He said Dion did not submit any.

Van Loan rejected that the motion is an open-ended commitment to Afghanistan, saying that the objective is to transfer responsibility to the Afghan army by 2011.

But he said the government will provide an assessment in 2011 to the House of Commons on what progress has been made in Afghanistan.

Van Loan said it would then be up to the House of Commons to decide whether progress has been made and "whether that fulfils our objective of being able to leave at the end of 2011."