Liberal MP Denis Coderre arrived at the Canadian military base in Kandahar Monday on an unofficial fact-finding mission, a visit he says is his duty as his party's defence critic.

Coderre said he plans to speak with soldiers, non-governmental organizations and Afghans during his time on the base where roughly 2,500 Canadian soldiers are stationed.

Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre speaks to CBC News from Afghanistan on Monday.
(CBC)

"I have a duty as defence critic to be on the field, to support the troops, support the mission," said Coderre.

His visit comes a day after Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier and International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda wrapped up a visit to the base.

Coderre has accused the Conservative government of ignoring his requests to join this weekend's ministerial visit, while critics have dismissed the Liberal MP's trip as a political stunt.

Coderre said he was in Kandahar to prepare for an upcoming visit to Afghanistan by Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion.

Dion wants Canada's combat role in the country to end by February 2009 and has called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to include that commitment in next week's throne speech. Harper has said he will extend the mission if he gets enough parliamentary support.

Speaking to reporters after his arrival at the base, Coderre said he was sticking by his opinion that Canada needs to end its combat role. 

"We're not abandoning the Afghan people. There might be some other way at the military level that we can help the Afghan people. But we believe about the combat mission, that rotation is in order."

He said it was time for another country to play a larger role in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.

"I think that we don't have to be shy about what we will and already did contribute. It is not a Canadian mission, it is an international mission," he said.

Checking on Canadian progress

Coderre said he plans to use his visit to check up on Canadian progress in the areas of Afghan development and diplomacy.

"We all know that the Afghan solution — and even the military is saying this — won't come out by military operation," said Coderre.

Coderre, who isn't accompanied by a large security detail and was issued a swipe card for the mess hall, said he won't travel off the main Kandahar base because of security concerns.

"I don't want to be a burden for security purposes so I'm not going to participate in an operation for now," he said.

Before returning to Canada, he plans to visit Pakistan to meet with officials.

Coderre met a senior infrastructure specialist from the World Bank and Afghan development officials in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Sunday. He also had a briefing from the deputy head of the Canadian mission.

Canada first deployed troops to Afghanistan in early 2002, in the wake of the U.S. invasion that ousted the Taliban government in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

With files from the Canadian Press