Canada's Liberals rally behind plan to expand Canadian role in Afghan War

So taken was Harper with the Liberal amendment, he suggested that the Conservatives might withdraw their own motion so as to co-author one with the Liberals.

Later, in response to a speech by New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton that attacked the Liberal stance, Harper told parliament, “It’s not my habit to defend the Liberal Party ... but the parties that run this country understand that in a dangerous world, you sometimes have to use force to defend peace.”

In the past Harper has smeared the Liberals as Taliban-appeasers and apologists.

The Liberal amendment puts paid to the oft-stated claim of Liberal leader Stéphane Dion that his party opposes any extension of the CAF “combat mission”—that is, its leading role in the counter-insurgency war—beyond February 2009.