Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government is seeking approval from Parliament to extend Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan in a so-called confidence motion that would force an election if defeated.

``Canada does not walk away from its commitments. That is not in the Canadian tradition,'' Peter Van Loan, leader of the Conservative Party government's daily operations in the House of Commons, said at a news conference today in Ottawa. The government wants the mission, now scheduled to end in February 2009, to continue through the end of 2011.

The motion also reiterates Canada's demand that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization arrange for 1,000 more soldiers from member nations, and that Canada's 2,500 or so troops get additional equipment. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said he received ``some indications'' last week from French President Nicolas Sarkozy about a possible increased commitment to the alliance's mission in southern Afghanistan.

Van Loan said Canada's government will consider amendments to the motion that are ``consistent'' with a report last month by a government-commissioned panel. The motion will probably come to a vote next month, he said.

Under Canadian parliamentary tradition, a government defeat on a confidence motion would trigger an election.

Stephane Dion, leader of the opposition Liberal Party, said he will propose an amendment next week that would end the combat mission in February 2009 and shift Canada's focus in Afghanistan to reconstruction and development.

``We have a motion that we cannot accept,'' Dion said today in televised remarks from Vancouver. Dion, 52, said while he ``would prefer to have an agreement on Afghanistan,'' if an accord isn't reached ``the consequence may be an election.''

The Bloc Quebecois and New Democratic Party, the third-and fourth-biggest parties in Parliament, will oppose the motion and won't seek amendments, Bloc lawmakers Pierre Paquette and NDP legislator Paul Dewar told reporters separately.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Quinn in Ottawa at gquinn1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 8, 2008 15:01 EST