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Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday that Canada intends to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham for as long as the militant group poses a threat.

The government introduced a motion to extend the current six-month mission in Iraq for up to a year, ending in March 2016. But the expiry date is apparently flexible.

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In one of their terse exchanges in question period, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair asked the prime minister if the military campaign had an exit strategy. Mr. Harper did not provide one.

“Our goal here is to deal with the threat to [Canada],” Mr. Harper said, “and we will deal with it for as long as it is there and we will not stop dealing with it before that.”

The new plan also allows for warplanes to enter Syria uninvited and strike ISIS targets. But the extension will not require additional troops and no Canadian special forces will be deployed in Syria, Mr. Harper said.

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Both Mr. Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau refused to support the plan, with Mr. Trudeau warning that the mission could result in Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad “consolidating his grip on power.”