A Liberal motion that would ensure Canada ends its combat operations in southern Afghanistan by February 2009 will be voted upon in the House of Commons Tuesday, but it is not expected to pass.
The motion calls on the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to serve notice immediately to NATO that Canada will withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in February 2009.
Coderre said Tuesday that the federal government needs to be clear about its timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
"We just don't believe them when they say the deadline is February 2009. For the sake of clarity, we are saying that Canadians deserve better," he told CBC News.
He said the government may be planning to extend the mission because it is buying military equipment, including as many as 100 second-hand Leopard tanks, and some of the equipment may not be ready until after combat operations in Afghanistan are scheduled to end.
Coderre said the motion will also give MPs another chance to debate the merits of military deployment in Afghanistan, but it does not mean that the Liberals think the mission is a failure.
"For the sake of democracy, it's important that we have this kind of discussion. It's normal in international missions that there is rotation," he said.
"It's important to have a deadline."
Coderre said many Canadians are saying: "We believe in the mission. We believe in the troops.
We believe that this is an international mission, that our contribution after February 2009 for combat will be enough. We will still be there for development and diplomacy."
Coderre said the motion would simply confirm the end date of combat operations as provided by Harper himself.
He added that other NATO countries, particularly European members, should be taking a more active combat role in the wartorn country.
Harper has declined to say whether he plans to ask for an extension of the mission. On Monday, he said NATO is not demanding an answer from Canada on the issue right now.
In May 2006, the House of Commons narrowly voted to extend the deployment in Afghanistan until February 2009, but the Conservatives have said they reserve the right to ask for an extension of that deadline.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor has suggested troops could be needed until 2010.
Canada has more than 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, with the majority stationed in the volatile southern province of Kandahar.
Fifty-four Canadian troops have been killed in the troubled country since Canada first sent troops there in early 2002.
The Canadian mission in Afghanistan is not limited to combat operations. Canada maintains an embassy in the capital of Kabul and has committed itself to providing millions in development aid in the hopes of rebuilding the country.
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Supreme Court.
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