Canada's Defense Minister Peter MacKay yesterday appeared to be rejecting hints by the US that Canadian troops should stay in Afghanistan past the 2011 deadline, reiterating that the mission will end on time.

Earlier Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said during his visit in Afghanistan that he would like to see Canada's mission in Afghanistan as long as possible.

"The countries that have partnered here in RC South have made an extraordinary commitment and proportionately none has worked harder or sacrificed more than the Canadian .... The longer we can have Canadian soldiers as our partners the better it is," Gates said at a press conference.

But a statement released by MacKay following Gates' remarks noted: "The minister and the government have been very clear that Parliament has decided that our mission there ends in 2011."

In 2007, Canada's Parliament voted to extend the 2009 deadline of the Afghan mission to 2011. Prime Minister Stephen Harper stressed during the election campaign that the mission will end on time.