Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe called Thursday for an open debate in Parliament on the role of Canada's troops in Afghanistan, one day after Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion made a similar plea.

Duceppe, speaking at a luncheon in Montreal, accused the Conservative government of not allowing an open discussion on the mission.

Every time any members of Parliament criticize the mission, they are shut down by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Duceppe said.

Harper replies to criticism with one answer, he said.

"He says, and I quote, 'We will not cut and run,' as if debating that question meant being a coward," Duceppe said. "Whenever there was a criticism, he said we don't support the military.

"Of course we support the military."

Duceppe said he wants to debate the goal of Canada's mission.

He said Canada should be working to rebuild Afghanistan, where people only earn about $1 a day and the life expectancy is only about 45.

Canadians should help Afghanistan rebuild its economy, develop its democracy, strengthen its social programs and enhance its domestic security, Duceppe said.

The ultimate goal should be to bring Afghanistan to a point where it is self-sufficient, he said.

The Conservative government has focused instead on war and fighting, and that is not right, Duceppe said.

"The Prime Minister, the minister (of defence), and others have too long employed war-mongering rhetoric, which is completely counterproductive."
 
The government has to show it is not simply serving American interests in its handling of Afghanistan, he said, and it is not creating a situation similar to Iraq, where U.S. troops are faced with growing violence.

"Afghanistan is not Iraq and Afghanistan must not become another Iraq," he said.

Dion wants parliamentary hearings

A day earlier, Dion told reporters in Quebec City that the Liberal party wants parliamentary hearings on the mission. Canadian troops cannot be supported effectively if the goals of the mission aren't properly understood, he said.

Dion also said Canada needs a clear commitment from its allies in Afghanistan and a commitment from Pakistan that it will tighten its border.

Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay weighed in on the issue in Ottawa Thursday, a day before he's scheduled to meet with NATO foreign ministers in Belgium.

The Conservative MP said he's hopeful that NATO leaders will commit more troops to Afghanistan, troops that will be allowed to work without restriction.

MacKay will ask NATO for more help

MacKay said he will ask NATO to provide more help with controlling the Pakistani border. He wants to stop insurgents from crossing into Afghanistan's volatile south, where several thousand Canadian soldiers are stationed.

"We'll be focusing in on what NATO members can do in support of shutting down some of the movements of insurgents at the border. That does include such things as aerial surveillance and fencing."

With files from the Canadian Press