NDP Leader Jack Layton said he would try to convince Stephane Dion tonight to support a non-military approach to Afghanistan, before the Liberal leader meets with Prime Minister Stephen Harper Tuesday.
Dion is expected to take a more middle-of-the-road position and, unlike the NDP, is unlikely to call for an immediate end to NATO operations.
But Layton told CTV's Mike Duffy Live he hopes Dion still has an open mind.
"I hope I can persuade Mr. Dion to grab hold of the leadership that's needed here," he said. "I'm hoping he won't go down the path that (Prime Minister Stephen Harper) has laid out, that calls for really an endless commitment of our military to a war-fighting counterinsurgency role, which shows no sign of reaching a conclusion."
Layton said his party has outlined "an alternative path based on the principles of (former prime minister) Lester Pearson, who said that peace is tough to accomplish but you've always got to strive to achieve it."
The NDP wants Canada to pull its troops from Afghanistan and focus on civilian operations to rebuild the war-torn country.
A recent report from a panel headed by former Liberal cabinet minister John Manley called for Canada to extend its commitment beyond the February, 2009 deadline, but only if other NATO nations commit troops to take on combat duties and Canada moves to a training role.
But Layton said the mission needs to be dismantled and a new approach must be taken -- one that would see the United Nations handling the mission.
"I'm saying it's time not only for Canada to pull out, but for NATO itself to realize this is not a military mission that's going to succeed," he said. "NATO should pass responsibilities to the UN, an organization constructed to deal with bringing an end to regional conflicts like this."
The UN, he said, could give the mission a mandate that would go beyond military commitment and put a renewed focus on development, peacekeeping, equality for women and aid.
He said that would be more in tune with Canadian principles.
But the Liberals have suggested the UN would not be a preferable organization to tackle Afghanistan.
"You can't protect people just with blue berets and a sidearm," Liberal deputy leader Michael Ignatieff said last week. "It requires -- and this is the difficult bit for Canada -- it requires military capability."
Some military experts have slammed Layton's position on the war, calling it harmful to the morale of soldiers and to the struggling Afghan government.
If Dion does align himself with Layton, it would theoretically mean the two parties could join with the Bloc Quebecois and out-vote the government in any bid to extend the Afghan mission.
