Defence Minister Peter MacKay opened Monday's House of Commons debate on the future of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan by urging the opposition to support extending a mission that "matters to Canadians, our soldiers and the international community."

"We must persevere," he said. "The consequences of abandoning Afghanistan are grave and as members consider the future of the Afghan mission, they should bear in mind that the world is watching, friends and allies alike, and the decisions of this House will reverberate around the globe and far-reaching into Canadian history."

MacKay also said he wished to "express appreciation and respect" to the Opposition for working with his party to achieve a consensus on the mission's future.

The members, returning to Ottawa after a short break, are debating a Conservative motion — which will be a confidence vote — that calls for the mission to be renewed past 2009, but with a focus on reconstruction and training of Afghan troops. It also includes a firm pull-out date, calling for Canadian troops to leave Afghanistan by December 2011.

This motion was revised following consultations with the Liberal party. Previously, the Conservative government had put forward a motion that left the mission open to renewal in 2011 and would have seen the military continue in a combat role.

The motion is contingent on whether NATO allies provide 1,000 extra troops, and Ottawa secures access to unmanned surveillance drones and large helicopters to ferry Canadian troops around the region.

Urging support for the Conservative motion, MacKay stressed that the mission is non-partisan. "Afghanistan is a Canadian mission. It's not a Conservative or Liberal mission," he said.

"By helping the Afghans, we're helping ourselves too," he said. "In a world that seems increasingly small, no country is immune to terrorism."

Dion says with clarifications, Liberals will support motion

Calling the Afghan motion a "Canadian motion," Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said he was pleased to see that last week's amendments largely echoed the changes desired by the Liberal party.

Like MacKay, Dion urged the opposition parties to leave partisan politics aside when considering the future of the mission.

"Our troops should never be used as props in our domestic political landscape," he said.

However, Dion did note a few concerns about the Conservative motion, in particular the four-month "delay" in the end date from the Liberal's suggested July 2011 pull-out completion date.

But, he said, "if the explanation is reasonable and logical, our party will not oppose it."

Dion said he was also concerned that the motion does not include "immediate" notification of NATO of the firm Canadian end date and that the Conservatives pegged the required number of additional troops at 1,000 rather than the Liberal motion's request for "sufficient" troops.

Is there a justification for the number of troops, he asked, or "is that all that we think we can get?" 

Other concerns included the continued suspension of the transfer of Afghan detainees and the immediate notification of any changes in the policy.

"If the government provides us with reasonable responses to our questions and indicate that they are committed to the letter and spirit of this motion, then the official Opposition will support this motion," Dion said, all but ensuring the motion will receive the necessary votes to pass and avoid triggering an election.

Both the NDP and Bloc Québécois have rejected any extension of the mission.

Bloc Québécois MP Vivian Barbot said there have been heavy losses in Afghanistan and Canada has done its part in the NATO mission.

"The time has come to pass the baton to someone else," she said.

No date has been set for the vote, but the debate is expected to last two days.

The debate comes on the heels of a warning issued Friday by Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier, who urged Parliament to come to a quick decision on the country's role in Afghanistan.

Hillier said the longer the Canadian Forces go without clarity about the mission, the more difficult it will be to protect the soldiers.

He said that if the Taliban sense weakness, they may try to take advantage of it and attack Canadian soldiers to prevent a cohesive mission.