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The New Democrats joined the Conservatives in an unusual alliance late Tuesday to vote against a motion setting a public end-date on Canadian troop deployment in southern Afghanistan.
The Liberal motion, which called on the government to confirm the soldiers' withdrawal in February 2009, was defeated 150-134.
While the Bloc Québécois backed the motion, the NDP voted against it, saying it didn't go far enough because troops should be pulled out of the region immediately.
The Tories have suggested Canada needs to remain in Afghanistan until the job is done and they do not want to be tied to a firm exit date. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has vowed to seek parliamentary approval for any future extension of the combat mission.
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In an interview just hours before the vote, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said the positions of both parties are irresponsible.
He said Mr. Harper wants to keep Canada's soldiers involved in “an open-ended war” that could drag on for years. By 2009, Mr. Dion said, Canadian troops will have been fighting in Kandahar for four years — “the longest combat mission” in recent Canadian history.
He said it will be time for other NATO partners to take up the battle against Taliban insurgents, while Canadian soldiers could be more profitably deployed in other ways.
“If we focus on the combat mission and we don't try to do the other things, what is being gained?” he said.
But Mr. Harper's position was supported Tuesday by a top British cabinet minister, who said putting a time limit on Canada's mission in Afghanistan sends the wrong message to insurgents.
British Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells said it doesn't make sense to put a fixed date on Canada's commitment when significant progress is being made rebuilding the war-torn country.
The 2009 deadline was set last year when parliament narrowly approved a Conservative motion to extend the mission by two years.
Mr. Howells, who is the British minister responsible for Afghanistan and Iraq, also down-played concerns about the treatment of Canadian prisoners in Afghanistan.
He met with Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay and Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor in Ottawa on Monday, and will travel to a NATO meeting in Oslo later this week, where Afghanistan's future will be discussed.
Earlier Tuesday, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said he anticipated a lively afternoon in the Commons.
“Basically the vote is going to be: Do you tell the enemy the exact day you are going to leave or do you not? It is an interesting debate that is going to take place,” Mr. Day said.
“Progress is being made [in Afghanistan]. Yes, they are pushing back any insurgency and we are still waiting for the spring offensive. But, every day, Canadian troops ... are escorting people out of the protecting area out to areas where they need help.
“As we work together, I believe, we will see in Afghanistan a better country continue to emerge. Already we are seeing the changes. But it is coming at a price. We are prepared to pay the price the people of Afghanistan are asking from us.”
With files by Rhéal Seguin.
