Defence Minister Peter MacKay answered questions about Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan at a news conference in Ottawa on Monday. (Tom Hanson/CP)

Canada's policies are in line with those of U.S. President Barack Obama when it comes to talking to the Taliban, the federal government said Monday.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Monday that he doesn't disagree with the idea of talking to the Taliban but Canada wouldn't be involved. He also reiterated only the Afghan government could undertake negotiations with members of the Taliban who renounce violence.

"Yes, discussions with the Taliban; yes, led by the Afghans; and yes, certain conditions that have to be in place," MacKay said. "Without that the discussions really are moot."

A spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper also said Canada and the U.S. are on the same page when it comes to the Taliban.

MacKay made the comments after Obama said in an interview published Sunday by the New York Times that there may be opportunities to reach out to moderates in the Taliban. He pointed to the success in peeling Iraqi insurgents away from al-Qaeda hardliners in Iraq.

"There may be some comparable opportunities in Afghanistan and in the Pakistani region," Obama said. "But the situation in Afghanistan is, if anything, more complex."

In the past, Conservative MPs criticized opposition MPs for suggesting talks with the Taliban would help. NDP Leader Jack Layton was vilified and nicknamed "Taliban Jack" over his call for conciliation.

"I'm really glad we're past the name-calling of the past," Layton said Monday. "These were labels that were thrown around. People were even called unpatriotic if you called for a peace process and negotiations .…"

With files from the Canadian Press